What is customer experience (CX)?

Customers are more likely to repeat business and leave good reviews when they have a positive customer experience. Benefits of a positive experience also include reduced customer effort, increased customer satisfaction, and better word-of-mouth marketing, including customer recommendations.

But what defines a ‘positive’ customer experience? A positive customer experience does not only mean a pleasant engagement with the brand. A customer typically interacts with a business to attain an outcome, for example, to have an issue resolved. A positive customer experience means meeting those expectations and achieving the desired outcome.

When expectations are not met, outcomes are not achieved, or the experience is not successful for any reason, then the customer will likely come away having had a negative customer experience. At the same time, it is worth recognizing that errors do occur; a positive customer experience may stem from quickly and effectively resolving those errors, turning past mistakes into new opportunities for connecting with customers.

• Customer journey mapping
  Customer journey mapping involves understanding and documenting the various interactions a customer has with a company throughout their entire journey. By creating an accurate visualization of how a buyer moves through the various marketing and sales pipelines, businesses gain valuable insights into customer behaviors, needs, and pain points, helping identify areas for improvement and optimize the overall experience. This approach allows businesses to anticipate and meet customer expectations, resulting in a smoother and more satisfying experience.
• Cross-functional collaboration
  Customer experience is a collective effort that requires collaboration across different departments and functions within an organization. Cross-functional collaboration ensures that customer needs are considered holistically, breaking down silos and fostering a customer-centric culture where everyone's efforts are coordinated toward improving the customer experience. This also allows teams to align their efforts to deliver a consistent and seamless experience across every channel.
• Proactive support and communication
  Proactive support and communication are crucial elements of a customer experience strategy. Rather than waiting for customers to reach out with problems or concerns, businesses should actively anticipate their needs and offer assistance before issues arise. Self-help resources, proactive notifications, personalized recommendations, etc. help organizations empower their customers. Additionally, regular and transparent communication helps set clear expectations, share relevant information, and demonstrates to customers that their satisfaction is the top priority.
• Continuous process improvements
  A customer experience strategy should be rooted in a commitment to continuous improvement. Gathering insights from ongoing customer feedback—whether through surveys, reviews, social media, or other channels—allows organizations to identify pain points, bottlenecks, and areas that must be improved to help enhance the CX. This approach ensures that the customer experience evolves and remains aligned with changing customer expectations.
• ‘Voice of the customer’ program
  A Voice of the Customer (VoC) program serves as a systematic approach to collect and analyze customer feedback and opinions. It involves various methods such as surveys, focus groups, and customer interviews to capture valuable insights. Correctly implemented, VoC provides organizations with a deeper understanding of customer needs and sentiments. These insights can inform strategic decision-making, help prioritize initiatives, and guide resource allocation towards areas that have the most significant impact on customer experience.
• Personalization
  Today's customers expect tailored interactions and relevant recommendations that reflect their preferences, history, and unique circumstances. From delivering personalized marketing messages to customizing product recommendations customer support, personalization builds a deeper connection with customers, enhancing their overall satisfaction.
• Employee engagement
  At the end of the day, it is the employees who may have the most direct influence on the customer experience. When employees are motivated, empowered, and aligned with the organization's customer-centric vision, they are more likely to deliver outstanding service. Investing in employee training and development, creating a positive work environment, and fostering a culture that values and recognizes exceptional customer service places employee engagement and customer-centricity at the forefront.

• Create a clear customer experience vision
• Understand who your customers are 
• Empathize with the customer and try to relate with what they are experiencing
• Map out customer journeys 
• Capture customer feedback in real time 
• Maintain focus on achieving customers’ objectives as they engage with your business 
• Use a quality framework for development of your team (continuous improvement) 
• Act upon regular employee feedback 
• Address the root cause of issues 
• Identify opportunities to deliver proactive service
• Speed up resolution/reduce customer effort (by connecting teams and automating steps of the resolution process) 
• Measure the ROI of customer experience improvement initiatives