3 Pieces of Customer Experience

Customer experience (CX) is a complex and multi-faceted concept. It encompasses everything from the customer’s first interaction with a company to their last. But at its core, CX is all about how customers feel.

There are three key pieces to CX:

1. Success

Success is the degree to which customers are able to accomplish their goals. This could be anything from buying a product to getting a question answered. When customers are successful, they are more likely to have a positive CX.

2. Effort

Effort is the amount of work that customers have to do to accomplish their goals. This could include things like navigating a website, finding information, or waiting on hold. When customers have to put in a lot of effort, they are more likely to have a negative CX.

3. Emotion

Emotion is the feeling that customers have after interacting with a company. It is the most powerful of the 3 pieces, and can run the full range from pleased to frustrated. A customer with happy emotions, will be the loyal customer who is most likely to recommend, forgive, trust, and ultimately buy more.

The financial impact of losing customer loyalty is immense. Companies need to understand what their customers want, and then they need to be able to deliver that experience.

Make it possible for customers to succeed, by reducing the amount of effort they have to put in, and creating positive emotional experiences.

How to improve each of the three pieces:

Improving Success

• Make your website easy to navigate so that customers can find the information they need quickly.
• Provide clear and concise instructions for using your products or services.
• Offer customer support that is helpful and responsive.

Improving Effort

• Reduce the number of steps that customers have to take to complete a task.
• Use technology to automate customer tasks for less human intervention.
• Offer self-service options so that customers can solve their own problems without having to contact customer support.

Improving Emotion

• Create a positive and welcoming atmosphere in your stores or offices.
• Train your employees to be friendly, helpful, and solutions oriented.
• Go the extra mile to make sure that customers are satisfied.

Building on these key areas will create a customer experience (CX) that drives customer loyalty. When you focus on success, effort, and emotion, the result will be customers who will recommend, forgive, trust, and ultimately buy more from your company.

MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO TEST THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE!

When is the last time you contacted your organization’s customer service to see what it is like for your customer?

When a customer calls your company, what happens? Are they stuck in a voicemail system forever? Do they have the option of speaking to a person? Is the hold music pleasant or mind-numbing? Check it out.

Photo by Alpha Photo on Flickr

This is a topic covered in our Improving Communications Customer Service curriclum. If you’re looking for ways to improve your communication skills, register for one of the public classes.

Other Resources:

What Is Customer Experience, Really

The New Science of Customer Emotions

Why Customer Experience Has Become A Priority in Companies