Mind The Gap
Let's talk CX....
Client (or Customer depending on the relationship) Experience is a term used freely in most industries and by any half respectable organisation. You've probably heard the term bounced around to represent data teams, support teams, marketing teams, teams made of teams focused on just that or all of the above etc etc you know the drill...The fancier it sounds the cooler the company is.
"We are a customer-centric company" is the mantra of many, yet the undertaking of the few.
Most companies believe they deliver great customer experience, yet they fail to consider the value of the experience in the eye of the beholder, the customer. This underestimation causes the CX Gap - the perceived value by the business on the experience they offer vs the value the customer places on that same experience.
This gap has always been and will always be..HUGE; for the very simple reason that clients are human in nature, and it is inherent to humans to change behaviour, tastes, expectations and perceptions. Also, a company is made of humans - they also will f*ck up and make sure a portion of the customers are unhappy. Add to the mix societal shifts, advancements in technologies and a multitude of different channels. Its a hotchpotch of ingredients that tastes different depending on the person tasting it (and the people cooking it). Great customer experiences are never finished.
What does it mean to organisations looking to improve their CX? How can the Gap be bridged?
Trying to answer the above would be presumptuous to say the least. The Gap is there and will will always be there - the companies that succeed have however embraced that gap and understood that good customer experience is not just good marketing and customer service - it goes beyond that. I always try to follow the following 5 points when talking about good CX:
- Analyse, Analyse and then Analyse some more - market & behavioural research, industry landscaping, reporting, analytics, and any other data you can get your hands on - do it. Hoard it if need be until you have time to look at it. Mastering the data can make or break the end-to-end customer journey.
- Strategize like Churchill - it's a war zone out there and you want to be on top of where you're heading, who you're targeting and whose already boarded your ship. Segment your base so it becomes more manageable; look at your sales, marketing, service strategies and make sure they are all designed to achieve the same goal. Make sure your product and the features give you enough ammo to deliver on your sales and marketing promises.
- Make sure your operational cogs are well oiled and aligned - Channels, technology, business processes and, most importantly, your people, should all be working as one.
- Governance - many a times overlooked, the importance of a clear escalation line, a clear definition of roles and responsibilities and related processes make for a solid foundation on which to build all the rest.
- It's all shape-shifting - acknowledge change and the importance of change management, both internal and external.
Truth of the matter is that no one can own the customer experience, apart from the customer - in the wise words of Phil Sayer, "Mind the Gap", and you'll be fine.