Every company is trying to achieve two things at the same time: increase the perceived value of its products or services among existing and potential customers and increase the value of the company itself by generating profit and increasing brand value.
For the customer, the perceived value of a product or service is made up of several components at the same time:
• the product or service itself (quality, functionality)
• the price they pay for it
• the brand (perception of and connection with the brand)
• the experience they have across all interactions with us as a company (CX)
Defining what CX means in the context of your company is the first and most important step
If you do not resolve this at the very beginning, friction will arise, energy will be wasted and significant damage can occur along the way.
Although it may seem logical and reasonable to do this, this step is often overlooked. Sometimes it is simply assumed that everyone knows what CX means or the approach is: “We don't have time for this right now — we'll align along the way.”
A good question to start with is:
What are you trying to achieve as a company and how can CX help you achieve it?
Try to approach CX from a company-wide perspective — what you want to achieve, who does what within the company to achieve those goals and how everything fits together.
CX needs to be part of that bigger picture and not a collection of arbitrarily defined goals such as satisfaction, loyalty or NPS.
When properly positioned in practice, CX should be a means of achieving the company's objectives rather than a discipline that exists for its own sake.
Use CX to create an experiential “signature” that you want your brand to be known for
Ask yourself what you want customers to remember about you as a company or brand.
You need to be distinctive in the experience you provide.
Examples of brands that do this particularly well include Amazon — which stands for an experience that is easy and stress-free — and Apple — which is known for ease of use, aesthetics and beauty.
Their CX design reflects precisely those values.
You can buy the same things on Amazon that you can buy anywhere else. But you buy them on Amazon because it is easy, simple and stress-free.
If you are not clear about what you want your brand to stand for and what you want your “brand signature” to be, you will end up trying to do everything. You will be a little bit of everything and in the end you will stand for nothing.
Define what you as a company or brand stand for. Define what your brand should represent and what customers can expect from you.
And then deliver on it.
Improve CX every day
Through touchpoints and interactions, customers experience your brand and continuously validate — consciously or unconsciously — whether you as a company or brand are meeting their expectations.
Every time they weigh the value they receive against the value they expect.
Within this continuum of expectations there is a space called the “zone of expectations.”
Most experiences that fall within this zone are largely forgettable. That is simply how the human brain works.
Think about driving home from work. Suddenly you find yourself in the garage and wonder: “How did I get here?”
You would only notice that something unusual had happened during the drive if something had deviated from your expectations. If everything went as expected you are unlikely to remember the experience.
The same applies to customers.
A very small number of interactions shape a customer's perception — far fewer than we tend to believe.
Find those moments.
Design the interactions that you want to remain within the “zone of expectations.”
For the interactions on which you want to build your distinctive CX signature, create experiences that are positive and memorable.
Do not wait or postpone fixing things that are not working.
If you cannot fix everything, identify the things you can fix.
Once you fix them people within the organization will notice. Customers will notice. The results will become visible.
And that is how you build success.
Always keep two things in mind:
1. Do not forget the context — it always matters (and CX is no exception)
2. There is no off-the-shelf instant formula for CX — it is always unique to each company or brand