Why does customer experience matter?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen as often as it could. Many of our daily conversations with brands are mediocre or mundane – it’s not often that our experience exceeds expectations. In these days of social networking and 24/7 media, when it’s not easy to differentiate one brand from another, customer experience matters more than ever. Customers are seeking increasingly personalised experiences, and mass marketing means that products become indistinguishable in a crowded marketplace.

If the product is high quality and the price is right, why does customer experience matter? There is growing evidence that customer satisfaction drives buying behaviours and is reflected in stronger business performance. Loyalty, recommendation and trust derive from customer satisfaction, which is ultimately driven by the customer’s experience.

Customer experience is not the same as customer service. Customer service typically refers to the degree of assistance and courtesy granted to those who patronise a business. Customer experience, on the other hand, is the sum-totality of all interactions a customer has with an organisation throughout the duration of their relationship, from pre-purchase to initial investigation, enquiry, negotiation, purchase and post-purchase, too.

In order to deliver a great customer experience, brands must listen to their customers and build a deep understanding of what really matters to them. Customer insight is critical to defining the brand promise. Data-driven analysis is needed to identify key improvements so as to enhance the future customer experience.

A frequently cited Walt Disney quote embodies the justification for a relentless focus on enhancing the customer experience: “Do what you do so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do…”

Today, when social media represents a key communications platform in spreading attitudes, behaviours and experiences, customer experience really does matter.

To read the full article visit https://exchange.cim.co.uk/editorial/why-does-customer-experience-matter/