There is a lot of talk about CX right now, but what is it and what does it mean? We asked Responda Group's customer service expert, Christine Sivertsson, to share more about what a modern customer experience entails.
What characteristics define a modern customer experience?
It is primarily the proactive qualities that define the modern customer experience, also known as Customer Experience or CX. To sort out the concepts, we must begin by answering the question: What is customer experience, explains Christine Sivertsson, Customer Service Expert at Responda Group.
Harvard Business Review defines customer experience as ”the sum of all interactions a customer has with a company.”
Thus, the customer experience is not just an isolated event or contact; rather, today's definition of customer experience spans the entire customer journey from the moment the customer becomes aware of your company or brand throughout the entire customer life cycle. That is, the customer experience includes all aspects of the customer life cycle, from pre-sale customer touchpoints all the way to personalized experiences for returning customers. In short, the customer experience is when a brand proactively influences its customers' perception of their entire customer journey, Christine explains.
By identifying opportunities to make the customer journey simple and seamless, opportunities are also created for customer service to be proactive in customer contact by utilizing customer insights and technology to work smarter. In today's technology-driven world, many customers expect to be able to easily ”help themselves” via company websites or apps. Even if they have a problem with a product, an increasing number expect to find troubleshooting help online instead of contacting customer service. This naturally drives development, and many parts of the customer journey can now be automated in most industries.
Does that mean the need for customer service is obsolete? Is customer service of less value to your company?
Of course not, Christine points out. Nothing could be further from the truth, but that is only part of what is considered the definition of customer experience today.
-A success factor for achieving a good customer experience is to offer both self-service channels and a genuine human presence to deliver the overall customer service experience that customers expect. Both parts work together to create value for a customer during an interaction. Another success factor for achieving a good customer experience is recognizing that the customer experience does not just belong to customer service, but is a crucial part of the entire business, Christine notes.
How proactive is modern customer experience and where can it be easily seen in the customer journey?
Here are some good examples to understand where and how brands can influence the customer experience from the moment the customer discovers your brand until they become a repeat customer:
- Social media presence
- Easy navigation through website, app, physical store, etc.
- Checkout and delivery
- To easily get in touch and offer accessibility in the channels where the customer is
- Reliability and consistent customer service, both before, during, and after the purchase
- Address customer feedback and manage your reputation
Managing the customer experience involves using tools to measure the areas where your company delivers poorer or better results, and analyzing and understanding what drives those results.