Customer Experience – What Does it Mean to You?

What does Customer Experience mean to you?

It seems there is still a lot of confusion around Customer Experience.  In an article from  Beth Richardson of IJ Golding Customer Experience Consultancy investigates customer experience job vacancies.  Beth highlighted something we have experienced since the term ‘customer experience’ arrived. The fact that no two roles are the same and a job title does not a job make.

In an earlier post the Growth and Development  of Customer Experience, 78% of companies were already using ‘customer experience’ as a brand differentiator and this was back in 2015. With the C- Suite focussed on all things customer and with such strong evidence to support the benefit of delivering a great customer experience, it is no wonder so many organisations have adopted this term.

Beth finished with the statement ‘come on recruiters and hiring managers, don’t let customer experience become a phrase that you throw around casually’.   I am not sure I agree with this thinking.  The problem does not lie with recruiters, or, hiring managers using the wrong term to make something sound sexy, or more alluring.  The reality is, many organisations have taken the term ‘customer experience’, to realise the benefits a great customer experience will deliver; reduced cost to serve, engaged employees, customer loyalty, acquisition and retention, however, in most cases they  miss the embodiment of the concept and the realisation that true customer experience transformation takes time and a company wide cultural commitment to change.

McKinsey wrote about The road to failed customer-experience programs being paved with good intentions, in their article linking the customer experience to value. After many customer experience initiatives failed to generate the perceived value back to the business.

The truth is, there are still, very few organisations who are truly committed to a company wide commitment to delivering an outstanding customer experience, that said, it does not make each role doomed to failure, or wrong, when using the term Customer Experience in their job titles.

One of the issues we see time and time again, is a recruiter, or hiring manager who do not truly understand the differences in the CX role, or requirement and this is where bad hires start.  Both hiring manager and applicant secure what they believe is a great candidate, and opportunity, which in reality will fall short of expectations and delivery. The successful hire and initiative, soon fails and everyone loses.

The question we all need to ask is What Customer Experience means to you?  then set your strategy and any hiring plan accordingly.

If you would like to hire an individual who will lead, develop or manage your customer experience and need a specialist consultancy who truly understands the difference of each role, then contact the team at Douglas Jackson and see what we can do for you.