Understanding value but not taking it seriously: why do businesses forget the importance of customer experience?

Every organization with customers or users is exposed to their feedback and opinions. The?#customerexperience?(CX) is an integral part of every company. Businesses may invest in communicating that they sell superior products or provide the best services. Still, customers are the ultimate judge of whether this is true. Listening to customer insights can help organizations improve their performance, but what seems obvious is often lost and not implemented.

It is a fact that considering customers' views when making decisions is essential. Still, organizations shy away from the tremendous amount of work required to take them into account. That's why I decided to talk to?Indre Kontrimiene, an expert in customer experience and design thinking. During the conversation, we explored the situation of customer experience assessment and why organizations should consider customer feedback. In this article, I will present the essential thoughts from our conversation:?

• Customer experience is still not taken seriously. The misconception that customer experience is only essential for those who work directly with customers hinders many organizations from improving.
• As many employees as possible (from different departments of the organization) should be involved in designing the customer experience journey. Different perspectives on situations help to create a more accurate picture of the customer journey.
• Improving the customer experience can be a long and complex process. It's important to understand where to start, what can be done quickly, and what changes require more time and preparation. Planning and prioritization are an integral part of improving the customer experience.

Time for a change in attitude toward the importance of customer experience

It's not for nothing that they say that if customers feel good, they will come back and repurchase products or services. Most importantly, they will share their experience with their relatives and friends, who may also become potential customers or consumers.?

While every customer must be satisfied, Indr? notes that we still do not take customer experience seriously. It is usually understood as the activity of a specific department of an organization or a few responsible employees. It is also important to stress that customer experience is still seen as the responsibility of those who deal directly with customers. Indr? says that it is crucial to understand that improving the customer experience is the responsibility of the whole organization. Every part of the company can be improved to make it easier to work, make decisions, and consider customer feedback. Everyone in the company contributes to the result, no matter what they do.?

While larger companies may have separate departments dedicated to the customer experience, it should still be part of the overall company culture. Suppose only one part of the organization wants to make changes but does not get the help and involvement of the others. In that case, it is likely to remain at the level of ideas. Indr? also stresses that listening to customers is not an episodic project that, once implemented, will "save the world." It is an ongoing effort that must become an integral part of the company.?

More experts in the field are talking about involving different people in the organization's customer experience journey. Jim Kalbach, who has been working in the area for decades, says that creating a customer experience journey is like a campfire where everyone sits down and tells stories. Of course, this metaphor should not be taken literally - nobody builds fires in offices, and it is unlikely to improve the customer experience. However, Indr? notes that allowing employees from different departments to share their insights helps create a better picture of the customer journey. It is important to emphasize that discussions and surveys must be practical, intending to harmonize and agree on a standard view of the customer experience journey across all departments. This should be followed by identifying areas for improvement, prioritization, and building an action plan.?

For an organization to "live" a customer experience culture, it is crucial to start with the leaders. Indr? shared that she has seen first-hand the transformation of one company, which of course, would not have happened without the initiative of the CEO. Simply put, the organization decided its strategic goal was to improve customer experience, and most importantly, all employees were involved. Indr? was part of this project and helped the teams shape the customer journey. The organization discovered challenging areas and started to address them bit by bit; customer service and experience roadmaps were created.

Interestingly, the goals of improving the customer experience were linked to employee performance, so the company made sure to incentivize employees. For example, if it is decided that customers will be responded to within two hours, this is monitored and measured. Employees must be clear about what is being measured and what needs to be done to achieve the targets. Over time, this has become part of the organization.

An ongoing process that brings tangible benefits

Indr? notes that employees often face a very high volume of work - teams do not have time to complete their tasks, so it is difficult to think about the customer experience. But listening to customer feedback is about working smarter, not harder. It is a fact that you can do less work but improve the places that create value. For example, Indr? encountered a situation where one organization's teams prototyped mobile app improvements after testing. Still, after talking to customers, it became clear that these updates were unnecessary and should not be released. Although the work had already been done, staff realized the time and cost savings. If the changes had been implemented, most parts of the organization would have continued to work on it. Still, it turned out not to be necessary. This situation shows that companies often think they know what the customer needs, but this usually doesn't seem right. Sometimes it is difficult for organizations to understand the customer journey and what it consists of. There are situations where, for example, the customer experience department puts together the steps of the customer journey. Still, other departments in the organization say they think the customer journey is different. After researching and talking to customers, it turns out that neither department was correct.

Regarding best customer experience practices, Indr? notes that even B2B companies with complex business models find ways to improve customer experience. She shared that she had read a memorable comment from a customer about Zipline Logistics:?

"Having the ability almost to read my mind, answer my questions before I even ask them, and react as I would react with my own business." - Mike Melms, Canberra's logistics manager.?

Never mind that this is a B2B organization in the logistics field, for which thinking about the customer experience is difficult. Anything is possible, and customers appreciate it. Indr? also mentions that she has noticed Circle K in Lithuania. At first glance, it seems that they take things for granted. Still, every customer experience professional understands that many people are working on it, analyzing, thinking, and making decisions. For example, tea is sold, and free honey is offered. The solution is simple, but the customer is happy, and the teams achieve their goals.

Circle K responds very carefully to customer comments and implements various changes based on them. Paying for fuel at the pump, selling medical supplies, offering a wide range of snacks and beverages - all of these things have been implemented by the organization in response to customer needs.?

Circle K also takes special care of the psychological well-being of its employees and asks customers to treat them with respect. Indr? stresses that unadulterated social responsibility is something that every business could pay attention to. Indr? has also worked for Tele2, whose approach to customer experience has impressed her to this day. Responding quickly to problems and engaging people "drives" the company's customer experience. It is also important to mention that all employees in the Tele2 are periodically invited to work in the showrooms. Actual interaction with customers helps to understand what is missing and what needs to be improved.?

To conclude this topic, I would like to share some valuable resources that Indr? recommended for anyone who wants to understand the importance of customer experience for organizations and where to start.?

1. Jim Kalbach, the customer experience expert, mentioned in the article, has published?"Mapping Experiences: A Guide to Creating Value through Journeys, Blueprints, and Diagrams"?which is a great starting point for customer experience.?
2. Indr? also highlighted?"The Ten Principles Behind Great Customer Experiences"?by Matt Watkinson, which contains many customer experience fundamentals. Although the book doesn't talk about it, Indr? lets it be a secret that she uses this book to evaluate every step of the customer journey.