Customer Experience: 1. The missing link in B2B

Customer experience design or CX refers to the process of designing and improving the customer experience by considering the customer's needs and expectations throughout all touchpoints of their journey. It involves identifying and understanding the customer journey, mapping it, and using that information to design and optimize the customer experience.

In a way, customer experience design is a tool to achieve customer centricity. By conducting customer experience design, a business can gain a deep understanding of the customer's journey and identify areas for improvement. This information can then be used to create products, services, and experiences that meet the customer's needs and wants, and that align with the business's customer-centric approach.

key components of customer experience design?

Integrating technology to enhance the customer experience and streamline processes is a recent trend. Today’s efforts in digital marketing, recommendation engines, CPQ, and end-to-end visibility are key tools to augment CX components. The key components of customer experience design are:

Customer research and analysis: Understanding the target audience, their needs, pain points, and preferences through various research methods such as surveys, interviews, and analytics. Often these inputs are used for designing 4Ps including product planning

Customer journey mapping: Creating a visual representation of the entire customer experience, including all touchpoints and interactions with a company, to identify areas for improvement.

Design thinking: Using a human-centered design approach to empathize with customers and develop solutions that meet their needs. This enables to

Customer service design: Improving the customer service experience by streamlining processes, reducing friction, and providing personalized support. The ability to address pain points with agility is key

The business case for customer experience design efforts is, it can lead to significant improvements in customer satisfaction, loyalty, and business/market share growth & even operational efficiency through smoother process alignments in the ecosystem. This also adds value to the brand strategy and identity

Global leaders in CX design

There are many companies that have successfully used CX to achieve a competitive advantage. Here are a few examples:

Apple: Apple is widely recognized as a leader in customer experience design. The company has consistently used customer-centered design to develop products and services that are intuitive, user-friendly, and appealing to customers.

Amazon: Amazon has used customer experience design to become one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world. The company has used customer journey mapping and other customer experience design techniques to improve the customer experience, increase customer satisfaction, and drive business growth.

Airbnb: Airbnb has used customer experience design to become one of the largest home-sharing platforms in the world. The company has used customer journey mapping and other customer experience design techniques to improve the customer experience that is efficient, affordable, and appealing to customers.

These are just a few examples of companies that have successfully used customer experience design to achieve a competitive advantage.

Which Indian companies successfully used customer experience design

There are several Indian companies that have successfully used customer experience design as well. ?Flipkart, Paytm, Ola, ICICI Bank, and Reliance Jio are just a few examples of Indian companies in B2C that have successfully used customer experience design to achieve a competitive advantage. There are several B2B Indian companies as well. Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro TATA Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, and HCL Technologies are a few examples

?CX in B2B: order to cash cycle

The foray of CX is increasingly becoming relevant for B2B. Order-to-cash cycle of an auto-component supplier (Dependent Demand) can many times be strained by the volatility of demand, capacity constraints, and a mismatch in requirements of flexibility and agility. Lean & Value Stream Mapping does a pretty good job from an OEE, Quality & delivery perspective, especially targeting the bottlenecks. Also, it’s quite focused on cadence, forecast accuracy & MTS/BTO strategies for the information flow part. CX provides a qualitative framework to create a positive customer experience of the next level as in the following steps:

Streamlining the ordering process: The supplier should make it easy for customers to place orders by providing clear product information, offering various ordering channels (e.g., online, EDI, RPA, ?phone, email), and providing quick and responsive customer service.

Improving order confirmation and tracking: The supplier should provide timely and accurate order confirmations and provide real-time tracking information so that customers can stay informed about the status of their orders.

Enhancing delivery processes: The supplier should aim to provide fast and reliable deliveries and be flexible in accommodating special requests from customers. The supplier should also have an effective system for handling delivery issues and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Providing quality customer support: The supplier should have a dedicated customer support team that is knowledgeable and responsive to customer inquiries and issues. The supplier should also have a system in place for capturing customer feedback and using it to continuously improve the customer experience.

Streamlining invoicing and payment processes: The supplier should make it easy for customers to understand and pay their invoices. The supplier should provide clear invoices and offer flexible payment options, such as online payment portals and automatic recurring payments.

This can lead to a positive CX and improve customer satisfaction & competitive advantage.

How B2B is adopting CX from B2C using digital marketing

Business-to-business (B2B) companies are increasingly adopting practices from business-to-consumer (B2C) companies when it comes to customer experience (CX) design using digital marketing. Here are a few ways emerging since early 2020:

Personalization: B2B companies are using data and technology to personalize their digital marketing efforts, just like B2C companies. This includes using personalization techniques like personalized content, email campaigns, and tailored landing pages.

User-centered design: B2B companies are placing a greater emphasis on designing digital experiences that are centered around the user's needs and goals, just like in B2C. This includes creating intuitive, user-friendly websites and mobile apps that provide value to the customer.

Omnichannel experiences: B2B companies are recognizing the importance of providing an omnichannel experience, where customers can interact with the company through multiple channels, including social media, email, chat, and phone.

Customer insights: B2B companies are using customer insights and data analytics to understand the customer's behavior and preferences, and to tailor their digital marketing efforts accordingly.

Customer service: B2B companies are investing in digital customer service channels, such as chatbots, to provide quick and efficient support to customers.

By using digital marketing, B2B companies can reach a wider audience and interact with customers on a more personal and relevant level, just like B2C companies, and leverage the benefits of CX.

CX vs. UX

Sometimes CX & UX can be confusing. UX or user experience design, on the other hand, refers specifically to the experience a customer has while using a company's product or service, such as a website, mobile app, or software. UX is focused on the ease of use, effectiveness, and enjoyment of the product or service. So, CX is a broader concept that encompasses the entire customer journey, while UX is focused specifically on the experience of using a product or service.

Metrics of CX

These metrics are widely used because they provide valuable insights into the customer experience and help organizations identify areas for improvement. Custom metrics can also be devised specifically for a scenario.

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): Measures a customer's overall satisfaction with a specific interaction or experience with a company.

Net Promoter Score (NPS): Measures a customer's likelihood to recommend a company's product or service to others.

Customer Effort Score (CES): Measures the amount of effort a customer has to put in to resolve an issue or complete a task.

First Contact Resolution (FCR): Measures the percentage of customer inquiries that are resolved during the first interaction with a company's customer service.

Customer Retention Rate (CRR): Measures the percentage of customers who continue to do business with a company over a specific time period.

Overall, CX is a very relevant & useful concept not only for big corporates but for Startups, MSMEs, and public service institutions like hospitals, schools, banks, or administrative services. It needs a mindset change and has great potential to help organizations grow into market leaders.

Mahesh Swarnkar Sourabh Rajoria Gourav Vyas Maneesh Garde Priyanka Karwa Siddharth DUNGARWAL DR. Siddhartha Priya Ashok

Confederation of Indian Industry FICCI MSME TALK? Indian Angel Network BNI (Business Network International) BNI Pune East & North Region BNI Pune East - Prosperity