Véronique Perreault
Communication and marketing managerCustomer experience is much more than customer service.
More than ever, the concept of customer experience (CX) is the main topic of marketers’ discussions. Before the pandemic, businesses were already competing with their competitors in terms of customer experience. During the pandemic, this became even more the case. In fact, nearly 88% of customers are willing to pay more for a better experience1. CX becomes a differentiator for your business and places people—and your product—at the centre of your customer service offering. But first, let’s get back to basics. What exactly is customer experience?
The reality
Customer experience is a marketing concept that builds upon the relationship between the company and its customers and encompasses customer service before, during and after the sale of a product or service. From a customer’s perspective, CX is an emotional experience as well as their cumulative perceptions of their interactions with the business along their journey. From a business perspective, this experience encompasses the quality of the service or product offering and the quality of the customer relationship. Before even talking about the relationship between the company and its customers, the customer experience begins with a relationship between the consumer and the product or service. This is why the product or service must be at the heart of the experience.
A big plus for your brand
There was a time when advertising was enough to gain the trust of customers. Today, your customers want a different service, and this is when the customer experience comes into play. CX is a complete buying process and it is more than just an act of consumption. It is an offer adapted and personalized to the consumer’s needs that must be at the heart of your marketing strategies.
If your brand does not have a complete customer experience that meets consumer expectations, they can easily turn to the competition. In fact, 54% of customers will consider switching to a competitor due to a poor customer experience2. For your consumers, CX creates a closeness with them that fosters a sense of belonging to the brand, resulting in greater loyalty. In short, customer experience is a strategic approach that contributes to the success of any business and contributes to the value perceived by the customer3.
Customer experience is used to create a unique and memorable moment for customers and to create a connection between the consumer and your brand. CX’s primary role is to understand what your employees and customers are going through4. Yes, your employees, because they are the ones who convey the customer experience that you put in place. To do this, you will need to listen to both your employees and your customers. You will be able to rely on the voice of your employees and that of your customers to guide your next moves within the context of improving your CX5.
Your next step
Customer experience provides an opportunity to make your brand better and to make it an important backbone of your business. To be successful in building a CX that adheres to your brand, you must begin by creating your customer journey and identifying all possible points of contact with your prospects and customers. See the article written by Claude Desrochers about the customer journey.
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