Customer experience management, frequently shortened to CX management, refers to how organizations interact with their consumer base. It can be tempting to assume that customer experience and customer service are one in the same. This is not the case. Where customer service representatives are on the front line of business to client relationships, the full picture of CX management is much broader.
So what exactly is encapsulated by CX management? Today, we will be defining the term, identifying how CX can be measured and analyzed, the ways in which these customer experience analyses can be used, and finally how all of this ties into overall brand strategy.
Defining Customer Experience (CX) Management
In a perfect world, customer experiences could be controlled by the brands from beginning to end. In reality, CX management is a complex system of anticipating, meeting, exceeding, and responding to customer needs. Well run organizations keep customer experience at the forefront of everything that they do. While there are certainly many pieces to the puzzle, here are three pillars of CX management:
- Providing a quality product. No customer will leave satisfied if he or she is not happy with the product(s) received. Any efforts to promote a positive customer experience will be wasted if the product is inadequate.
- Meeting and exceeding customer expectations. Creating a wow moment for customers is the ideal scenario for any brand interaction. This can be done by consistently exceeding expectations.
- Using technology to be anticipatory and responsive. Of course, CX management is not magic. Cutting edge software takes customer data and turns it into actionable management plans (more on this below).
CX Analytics and Measurables
No two brands are exactly alike. Therefore, no two CX management strategies should be exactly alike. For this reason, CX management software should be highly adaptable when it comes to the data points of interest. There are several customer experience measurables which brands may choose to track, including:
- Overall satisfaction: this is your classic “how would you rate your experience with our products” type of questionnaire.
- Net promoter score (NPS): developed as a measurement of brand loyalty, NPS is a way to determine how likely your customers are to repeat their business, become a brand advocate, and more.
- Customer effort score: while we hope that most customer experiences will be positive, how quickly any issues were resolved is equally important. The customer effort score measures the difficulty with which a customer resolved his or her problem.
- Brand perception: your brand might be selling luxury products, but do your customers agree with this perception? By polling on brand attributes, your brand will receive feedback on how close customer perception is to your brand goals.
Using the Customer Experience Feedback Loop
Naturally, none of the data analysis in the world will do your brand any good without action on the back end. This is where a CX feedback loop comes into play. Feedback loops can be used with a number of different marketing efforts. The key to a highly effective CX management feedback loop is taking information and turning that information into positive change.
This concept begins by prioritizing CX management. Without this commitment, the process tends to breakdown. The priority then becomes establishing what metrics your organization values most. These metrics can then be measured and analyzed. A properly run CX management program will result in actionable data points.
The rest is up to the organization. Balancing brand consistency and brand adaptability can be a tall order. By continuing with this feedback loop, you can glean how small changes are being perceived by your clients. Continuing this process can only lead to more satisfied customers in the long run.
Why CX Management is so Important to Brands
We understand that customer experience management can feel very ethereal as a concept. There is only so much time and money in the world, and certain marketing tools are certain to be lost in the mix. When other concerns include research & development, marketing campaigns, and branding concerns, is a fully fledged CX management program really necessary?
While each organization will have its own value system, we would argue that the answer is yes for the vast majority of brands. The potential benefits extend far beyond simply providing satisfactory experiences for existing customers. Wow moments create brand evangelists. Positive experiences can even lead to great reviews in the press. And in time, repeated focus on customer experience will likely lead to a stellar reputation within your industry and with the public.
Given the immediate and long term rewards from putting CX management high on your priority list, what do you have to lose?
CX Management Tools from Clock Tower Insight
At Clock Tower Insight, we turn data into business solutions. By maximizing brand positioning, CX management, moments of influence, and more, we help build our clients brands in the short and long term. Clock Tower Insight believes that happy customers equal a happy business. We work closely with clients to tailor their brand from top to bottom in order to maximize positive image, exposure, and sales.
To learn more about how we may be able to help your business grow, read about our 15 plus years of focused experience working with brands such as Starbucks, Kraft, McDonald’s, and much more.