The Customer Experience Cycle

Transcription

1 STRATEGIC ACCELERATION SERVICES The Customer Experience Cycle By Donnovan D. Simon This document examines the different stages that customers go through as they interact with organizations. It examines key requirements for success in each stage as organizations build customer experience programs.

2 The Customer Experience Cycle There are a collection of processes which customers interact with as they acquire goods and services from companies. The sales and customer support processes are usually areas of great focus as organizations seek to capitalize on their marketing investments. This paper will apply a broader perspective on how the customer is likely looking at the collection of processes they engage with. From the customer s perspective, these are all inter-related and ultimately influence their experience, not just their purchase decision. Strategic Acceleration Services defines five (5) distinct phases in the customer experience cycle. There are important moments and interactions in all these phases which will influence the way a customer applies a rating on their overall experience with an organization. The phases are: Figure 1: The Customer Experience Cycle Definitions Engage this phase includes all actions and related processes for initial contact with a customer. It includes marketing and other demand generation activities and tools which the customer will interact with which ultimately triggers desire for the product or service. Within this phase interactions may occur with a website, direct marketing material, media advertising, internet search results, etc. Every customer goes through this stage. Test having gone through the engagement phase, the customer s desire or interest is likely to increase which would trigger an action. Often this includes a deeper exploration of the product or service or getting opinions on the product or service. In this phase the customer is trying to validate prior to making the purchase. Many customers prefer to do the appropriate due diligence to avoid remorse. There are some products that offer trials (limited functionality options) to allow customer to Strategic Acceleration Services 2013 Page 2 of 5

3 check features and benefits. This phase can be accommodated in multiple ways. Some customers skip this phase or apply varying degrees of rigor. For many customers however, depending on the product or service, it is a critical pre-requisite for moving to the next phase. Buy the key interactions in this phase are related to transaction and logistics. Having tested and decided customers want to pay securely and simply. Once payment is completed, there may be a logistics process of getting the product or service to the customer. This process does impact the overall experience of the customer. Use this phase may be the easiest and most expected of both customer and company but could trigger varying other phases. The key to the use phase is the initial interaction with the new product or service and the subsequent relationship. The customer wants a simple out-of-box experience followed by a consistent user experience. The use phase will influence the engagement of the support phase and the engagement phase for other customers. Support in the event there is the need for help, this phase ensures that the customer is able to get to optimum utilization within the shortest possible window. In this phase there is interaction with customer support teams, knowledge base s, internet properties and customer learning aids. These interactions could be active or passive i.e. by live conversation, chat or by listening to a podcast or watching a video. Building CX strategy into the CX cycle Successful organizations have ensured that all stages of their customer experience cycle have clear alignment to their customer experience strategy. While not always articulated in this way, the main goal is to allow customers to realize their expectations throughout the different phases. To ensure this happens, a clear model for guiding customer experience is important. Table 1 shows examples of how this translates into daily business operations. Table 1: Connecting the Customer Experience Cycle Engage Test Buy Process People* Systems Culture Marketing 3 rd party website Contact centre phone Direct marketing Customer communications Sales Appointment Trial registration Transaction Product delivery Sales team Sales clerk Logistic team Internet search engine Social media Contact centre phone 3 rd party sites PayPal, etc. Logistics tracking Point of Sale guidelines Use Support Product set-up Learning Product support Product return Technicians Trainers Technical support Customer Service Training team Learning s Social media 3 rd party sites YouTube Contact centre phone End-user licence agreement (EULA) Voice of customer program Warranty Policies * includes all related training and reinforcement on CX strategy that is applied to each team listed. Strategic Acceleration Services 2013 Page 3 of 5

4 There are varying models that allow organizations of different sizes and types to apply the appropriate actions. The Customer Experience Quality Framework proposes focus on four (4) core business areas Process, People, Systems and Culture. Some components, e.g. company website, will impact different phases and multiple groups. Key to applying this model is to accept that these are touchpoints and interactions that customers see and relate to. The actions taken by an organization are therefore geared at optimizing the customer experience in these key phases by applying the appropriate operational tools as required. How does this become functional with the customer experience cycle? Creating the experience in all stages In each phase of the CX cycle are several key moments for customers. These are excellent opportunities for organizations to capitalize on driving customer experience initiatives to derive results. These are also key points at which to measure the extent to which these activities are being successful. A few examples are listed below. Engage Key Customer Moments CX Measurement * Website complete information - clear, Customer Effort Score (CES) simple take action processes Test Trial open to try product before purchase Customer Effort Score (CES) Buy Payment secure and easy Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Experience Index (CXi) Use Support Out of box experience easy and works first time Customer support interaction getting to quick resolution Net Promoter Score (NPS) Customer Satisfaction Score (CSat) Customer Experience Index (CXi) Customer Satisfaction Score (CSat) * see our paper on Customer Experience Measurement for more information Critical to creating the experience in each phase is having a foundation on which it is built. The corporate strategy, brand strategy and customer experience strategy together create that base on which an organization can execute. The process design, implementation, communications, measurement and reinforcement actions are all complements to a clearly integrated strategy. Once each phase has been adequately included in the customer experience program, there will be great value in applying a measurement regime that provides the executive and operational teams with the insight on the successes and opportunities in each phase. Identifying the key customer moments and the appropriate metric for assessing those moments is invaluable to continuously improving. Summary All customers go through different phases with a company. The interactions in each phase aggregate to form the customer s experience. In each phase Engage, Test, Buy, Use and Support there are opportunities to implement activities that provide customers with experiences that align with Strategic Acceleration Services 2013 Page 4 of 5

5 corporate and brand strategies. This alignment is critical to create a foundation on which other program elements can be successfully built. Organizations should ensure that processes that are expected to impact customers experiences are understood in the context of where they fit in the customer s experience cycle. There is also value in identifying key customer moments in each phase and apply appropriate measurement to them. Understanding the cycle from the customer s perspective is key to having a successful customer experience program. About Strategic Acceleration Services Strategic Acceleration Services is a Canadian training and consulting practice focused on Customer Experience. The company assists companies in assessing the state of their customer experience and implementing solutions to achieve desired results from investment in customer experience initiatives. The principals utilize over 25 years of experience in customer facing management roles complemented by strong academic qualifications to deliver programs, ideas and solutions that help teams and companies achieve, and exceed, desired results. Check our site for more information Strategic Acceleration Services 2013 Page 5 of 5