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 tell us 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 clear up the concepts, we must start by answering the question: What is customer experience, says 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.”
Therefore, 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 lifecycle. That is to say, the customer experience includes all aspects of the customer lifecycle, from pre-sale customer touchpoints all the way to personal experiences for returning customers. In short, the customer experience is when a brand proactively influences its customers' perception of their entire customer journey, explains Christine.
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 utilising customer insights and technology to work smarter. In today's tech-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Does that mean the need for customer service is outdated? Is customer service of less value to your business?
Of course not, Christine points out. Nothing could be further from the truth, although that is only part of what is considered to be 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 in order 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 realising that customer experience does not only belong to customer service, but is an important part of the entire business, Christine notes.
How proactive is modern customer experience and where can it easily be 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
- Simple navigation through website, app, physical store etc.
- Checkout and delivery
- Easily getting in touch and offering 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 which areas your company is delivering inferior or superior results in, and analysing and understanding what drives these results.