What is Customer Experience?
Customer experience (CX) is the sum of all experiences at various touchpoints a customer has with a supplier of goods and/or servicesover the duration of their relationship with that supplier. This can include awareness, discovery, attraction, interaction, purchase, use, cultivation, and advocacy. It can also be used to mean an individual experience over one transaction; the distinction is usually clear in context. However, reviewing the ontology of customer experience, there is a disparity between this ‘experience as everything’ definition and its original intent i.e., experience as in a personal and memorable experience that critically creates a distinct economic offer different from the goods sold and services delivered (ref: Pine and Gilmore). As the economics of customer experience hang on the ‘distinct economic offer’ definition, one conclusion some commentators have made is that the ‘experience as everything’ definition is in fact a reworking of ‘service excellence’. Analysts and commentators who write about customer experience and customer relationship management have increasingly recognized the importance of managing the customer’s experience. A company’s ability to deliver an experience that sets it apart in the eyes of its customers serves to increase the amount of consumer spending with the company and, optimally, inspire loyalty to its brand. “Loyalty,” says Jessica Sebor, “is now driven primarily by a company’s interaction with its customers and how well it delivers on their wants and needs.” (2008)
How does Customer Experience (CX) Relate to UX?
UX is a key component of CX, as it plays a critical role in shaping a customer’s overall impression of a company or brand. A positive UX can contribute to a positive CX, while a poor UX can lead to a negative CX.
Therefore, UX researchers and designers play a crucial role in creating positive CX by designing products and services that are easy to use, intuitive, and engaging for users. By focusing on UX, companies can improve the overall CX that they provide to their customers.
Tips for Incorporating UX into a CX Practice
Here are some tips for incorporating UX into a customer experience (CX) practice:
- Start by understanding the needs and preferences of your customers: To design effective UX, you need to understand the needs and preferences of your customers. This can be done through customer research and user testing, which can provide valuable insights into what customers want and expect from your products and services.
- Make UX a key part of your CX strategy: UX should be a key component of your CX strategy and should be considered at every stage of the customer journey. This means incorporating UX into your product design process, as well as into your customer service and support channels.
- Collaborate with UX designers: To effectively incorporate UX into your CX practice, it’s important to work closely with UX designers. This can involve collaborating on user research and testing, as well as incorporating UX design principles and best practices into your CX strategy.
- Measure and track the impact of UX on CX: To understand the impact of UX on CX, it’s important to measure and track key metrics, such as customer satisfaction, conversion rates, and customer loyalty. This can help you identify areas where UX is having a positive impact on CX, as well as areas where there is room for improvement.
- Continuously improve and iterate on your UX: The field of UX design is constantly evolving, and it’s important to continuously improve and iterate on your UX to provide the best possible CX for your customers. This can involve conducting regular user research and testing and incorporating feedback and suggestions from customers into your UX design process.
