The Customer Experience Bandwagon

C'mon everybody get on board!

Customer Experience is the latest marketing buzz that's sweeping the nation and changing the way marketers market…well, everything. I've seen it used every where from CRM tools and call center technology to fast food chains.

Unfortunately it often amounts to nothing more than a bunch of hot air. Too many organizations to mention have started carelessly throwing the phrase around while still providing the same mediocre or poor customer experience they always have.

For a customer experience initiative to be successful it needs to offer more than a few clever statistics. It should look at the experience from the customer’s perspective, hear their feedback, and implement real improvements.

Otherwise, it’s just marketing.

Comments

[Joh]

A good place to start is to wrestle with what you mean by the customer experience. A lot of companies get very focused on making the interactions they have with customers as efficient and clinical as possible. The problem with this is that it contributes to customer indifference. When customers use an indifferent buying personality, they seek the best trade-off between price and convenience and utility. Also, when this mindset set in, customers are inherently not loyal. In contrast, when the experience stimulates the engaged buying personality, customers get emotionally and psychologically involved. Now you have a shot a building an enduring emotional connection and increasing customer desire. John I. Todor, Ph.D., author of Addicted Customers: How to Get Them Hooked on Your Company.