What is CX?

Have you heard the clients saying they had a pleasant or unpleasant experience with a particular brand or service? Have you clearly understood what the customers are referring to? I invite you to explore this basic topic in CX.

If we look at the concept as being related to “use” or “practice”, then refer to “experience” at the contact points between a customer and a business (Internet, social networks, physical stores, employees, contact center and so on). It can be assumed that the more a customer uses a product or service, the more its experience is richer with the product or brand, respectively, with the supplier (manufacturer and distributor). However, if we look at the concept of “experience” as being linked to the term “consumer habit”, then its meaning can be confused with the degree of fulfillment of the customer’s expectations from a particularly emotional standpoint.

Literature is rich in definitions of experience and emotion terms. Actually, the two are interconnected. Let’s think we called the contact center of an institution and after waiting 10 minutes on the wire, the person on the other end of the wire has a tone of unfriendly voice. Instant our emotional state changes, we become irritant and dissatisfied. The next time we call the same contact center we will have in mind the previous experience and ever since the phone rang, it installs a negative state that can be seen by the tone of voice that we have from the beginning.

Experience is the perception of clients on the feel: what he sees, hears, senses, smells the customer when he comes into contact with a product or service. Not incidentally near the bakery shops smells the fresher of freshly removed pies from the oven, and in cosmetic stores smells of perfume 50 meters before you get in front of them. The first impression counts very much in the future relationship that the customer will have with the brand. Capturing customer interest from the beginning in a pleasant way, giving value individually to each customer. A bank does not only end credit agreements or deposit with customers, a bank helps customers to purchase a home or a car, they keep safe and increase customer’s money. That’s the real value!

According to the 2020 KPMG Customer Experience Report, the 6 pillars that underpin the customer experience are:

• Integrity: customers want to be treated fairly and in their best interests.
• Quick resolution of needs or problems, finding solutions that are right for the customer.
• Expectations are listened to, defined and met by the company.
• Saving time and effort through rapid access to information and services.
• Personalisation of communication, products and services according to the customer’s profile and context.
• Empathy is the emotion through which a company shows customers that they care about them, their expectations and their emotions.

Why is customer experience important?

A good customer experience means customers will spend more. It is said that ‘a satisfied customer will tell one other potential customer, whereas a dissatisfied customer will tell ten’. Customers are simply sharing their experiences, and the fact that dissatisfied customers will tell 10 people instead of one means they are much more vocal when they are upset. In today’s world, however, social media and the internet allow us to find out a lot of information about a company or product. Satisfied or dissatisfied customers can therefore increase their sphere of influence by becoming true ambassadors or haters. Potential customers reading the opinions of current customers can therefore make an informed decision about whether to buy. The most valuable investment for a company is in customer experience, creating loyal customers who will promote your products and services. It is cheaper to retain a customer than to acquire a new one.

Customer Experience vs Customer Satisfaction

In order for an organization to create a sense of customer satisfaction, it must consistently provide products and services at least in line with the customer’s basic requirement – meeting NEEDS. But to deliver a great experience, the company will need to do more than that. A pleasant customer impressed by the speed and quality of service will become a loyal customer and a core ambassador for the company. Creating those WOW moments, means delivering a great customer experience.

Customers have plenty of options to choose from, plus the resources to educate themselves and make purchases on their own. That’s why it’s so important to deliver an outstanding experience and make them want to keep buying from the same brand, as they are the best way to increase brand awareness.