A lot is being said about Customer Experience Management. Technology analysts have it down to an acronym – CEM. But there is not one customer alive that wants to be managed by a company. CEM proponents have it all wrong. It is about Customer Experience Delivery; not Management. We don’t manage or control our customers, they control us. And they know it.
Customers know they have choices and they are using this power to get their way. They are demanding transparency into companies. They are demanding responsiveness. They are demanding highly personalized value.
Good product is not enough.
Good service is not enough.
Good customer satisfaction is not enough.
A great, positive, delightful, consistent total experience is how we are judged today. This is true whether we are selling jet engines, healthcare, candy bars, soap, a public school system or a political party. Customers want perfection. When we fail to meet the standard, they will carefully watch to see how we make things right. They can forgive mistakes if the mistakes are handled to their satisfaction.
It is true that this customer experience is formed as a perception – something customers feel when they engage with a company and its offerings. If we are to meet their standard, we have to get inside their heads and their hearts.
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