5 CX Pitfalls that are blocking your revenue
And how to fix them
Friction pushes your customers away. Every step of the buyer journey is an opportunity to strengthen a growing relationship, yet each touchpoint also holds the power to damage it.
Here’s a guide to 5 common customer experience pitfalls that could be chewing up your leads and spitting them out.
Pitfall #1: You’re making your customers think
No one wants to do mental gymnastics on their route from reader to buyer. If people have to think hard about what you do when they find you online, you’ve already lost them. Fancy language, witty puns and technical jargon are your first points of friction.
Many startups spend time crafting detailed slogans and taglines that sound impressive, but actually dilute the clarity of their message. For example:
‘We provide innovative solutions that enhance business operational efficiency and drive digital transformation.’
Explains the benefit in an abstract way, while in comparison:
‘We sell software that helps businesses work faster and save time.’
Gets straight to the point. It clearly shows what the company does, for who, and why they benefit from the product. The first one dances around the idea lacking depth, leaving the reader wondering, ‘so what do they actually do?’
Solution: Get crystal clear with your messaging
Clarity beats complex when it comes to conversions. Make every word contribute towards the message you’re delivering, and don’t be tempted to bulk it out or fluff it up. Clean, fluff-free words that guide your customer from where they are now to the next step keep your messaging effective.
Define your unique tone of voice to resonate with your target audience, and keep it consistent through your whole content strategy. This includes every piece of externally facing content your brand produces. An inconsistent tone is confusing, and a confused mind doesn’t buy.
Pitfall #2: You’re making your customers jump through hoops
Every extra step of the journey from reader to buyer is another opportunity for drop-offs. Awkward navigation, unnecessary clicks and excessive scrolling are your next friction points.
Buying is an emotive process, and if that dopamine flow gets interrupted with frustration, chances are the deal’s off. Even a small annoyance like a poorly labelled, hard to find button can diminish the quality of your customer experience enough to tip the scales from ready-to-buy to abandoned cart.
Forms and processes that ask for too much too soon are just another barrier. Your customers don’t want to hand over personal information or go through excessive verification processes before they even trust you.
Solution: Simplify every interaction.
Test your journey from the customer’s perspective. If something feels awkward or slow to you, it definitely is for them. Remove unnecessary pages. Avoid duplicate content and filler. Every step should add value, otherwise it’s just a hurdle.
Make it as easy as possible to move forward. If you use forms, don’t have a single button more than you actually need. Make sure every Call To Action is crystal clear – that’s your buttons and links, and anything you’re asking your reader to do next.
Pitfall #3: You forgot to consider accessibility
Every customer should be able to move through your journey smoothly, but many websites unintentionally create barriers for visitors with accessibility needs.
Hard-to-read fonts, poor color contrast, or confusing navigation can frustrate users and push them away – even if they’re ready to buy.
Solution: Make your CX flow inclusive.
Check all your digital content for accessibility issues:
Use clear fonts and colors
Provide alt text for images
Make navigation make sense
Ensure buttons and links are easy to tap or click
Add captions or transcripts for video
Label form fields clearly
Avoid using colour alone to convey meaning
Make error messages simple and actionable
Pitfall #4: You’re not providing clear information
Customers get stuck without guidance. Product descriptions can be too wordy or too vague. Return policies can be unclear and confusing. A lack of visible help is enough to stop your buyers in their tracks.
If they don’t know what to do next or can’t find answers quickly, they’ll head straight to one of your competitors.
Solution: Guide your customers proactively
Eliminate clarity issues with clean, effective content. Anticipate questions before they arise and cover them in your FAQs. Offer live chat or other responsive support options for when things go off track.
Make sure no one reaches a hurdle they can’t cross on their buyer journey by keeping communication channels open, clear and visible.
Pitfall #5: You’re not nurturing your existing customers
The cost of not maintaining a high standard of customer experience is far greater than the cost of investing. This goes beyond the sales process and deep into the aftercare experience. A customer once can be a customer for life if you keep the relationship strong, but buyer’s remorse is your worst enemy.
Expert CX specialist and consultant Denise M turns customer support into a profit stream. Her strategy added over £100k of yearly revenue for one of her clients who lacked a solid customer support system. By reducing response times from 73 hours down to just 24, the business benefited from stronger customer relationships that led to this significant revenue boost.
Your business cannot afford bad customer experiences. Denise says:
‘Good or bad experiences are the essence of life – and the essence of business. You remember the barista who remembered your order, and you remember the app that made you want to throw your phone. Every great business exists to make everyday experiences better.’ – Denise M – linkedin.com/in/denise-marfo/
Don’t invent new problems for your customers and expect them to stay. If you’re facing a backlog of orders or tickets, that’s a burning fire of frustration that can rapidly escalate into a total lack of trust without careful management.
Solution: Nurture the relationship at every stage
Even after they’ve purchased. Especially after they’ve purchased. The loyalty of a returning customer is the most powerful marketing you’ll ever have.
It’s essential to keep communication open beyond the sale. Check in, offer value, and make support easy to access. If there’s going to be delays, let them know, and let them know why. People respond better to adverse situations when they can attach them to logical reasoning.
Great products and trustworthy service get you the first sale. A consistently outstanding customer experience earns you every one after that.
Drowning in tickets?
To retain more of your valued customers and turn support into a revenue channel, you can reach CX specialist Denise here.
Want more sales?
To optimise your content for maximum customer engagement, more conversions and increased revenue, you can reach me– a results-driven copywriter and content strategist–here on LinkedIn, or through my contact page.
I write with your business goals at the core. Typical projects include:
Web copy that converts readers to buyers
Landing pages and seasonal campaigns
Blogs and articles optimised for SEO
Social media content
Product descriptions
Marketing emails
What's your business goal for this quarter?