When was the last time you were asked to rate your customer experience or evaluate the level of customer service?  Probably, given the frequency of surveys only a few days ago!

‘Customer service’ and ‘customer experience’ are now ubiquitous terms and are often used interchangeably, but while they are linked, they are not the same.

Definitions

Let’s start with customer experience; it refers to the sum total of a customer’s journey with a brand, from initial awareness through to the last contact and takes into account the emotional, physical, psychological connections customers have with your product or service.

Customer service, however, relates to ‘human interaction’ often triggered when the customer has an issue or complaint.  This area usually has a dedicated team and is where traditionally investment is made to improve the customer experience.

However, customer service represents only part of the journey, and while getting the customer service right is key you must focus on the end to end experience to have the greatest impact.

Why is it important?

Developing consistent and positive touch-points during all interactions (direct or indirect) is challenging but investment can lead to significant benefits including:

  • Increased revenue (86% of customers are willing to pay more for a great CX)
  • New customers (73% of buyers point to CX as an important factor in purchasing decisions), and
  • Creating customer advocates (65% of buyers find a positive experience with a brand to be more influential than great advertising) (Walker Study, 2019)

 Where do you start?

A customer journey map is one of the most effective tools to start your customer experience improvements.  Plotting the journey, is the first stage in understanding your customer and developing a plan for delivering exceptional customer service. 

To find out more about our Customer Journey Mapping workshops or to discuss your customer experience approach contact cpampe@fipconsulting.co.uk