Customer Experience, a cross-functional issue
The Customer Experience is the trace left in the customer's mind, and is the result of the various responses, interactions and experiences with the company throughout the customer journey: before, during and after the actual transaction phase. (To find out more about the concept of Customer Experience and how it differs from customer satisfaction or CRM, read our article "Are you sure you've mastered the 3 key approaches to building customer loyalty?)
It is therefore necessary to set the same high standards for all possible points of interaction: the information distributed on the website, the content of a marketing campaign e-mail, the use of the product, the exchange with the customer service person by telephone, the checkout in a store, etc... must generate a coherent and qualitative experience.
Experience (rational and emotional), as well as brand loyalty, are therefore not the prerogative of "Customer Service", but of all the departments concerned (whether directly linked to the customer or not).
It's a cross-disciplinary subject that can be complex to deal with.
...A matter for the Management Committee!
Customer Experience improvement projects can only be successfully implemented if they are supported by the Management Committee itself.
There are three reasons for this:
1. They require real decision-making power
Unlike the management of a project confined to a single business line within the company, led by a project manager, all operational departments must take ownership of the subject in order to size investments at the right level and take the appropriate decisions.
Projects to improve the quality of the Customer Experience are at a strategic level (direct impact on sales performance, close link with the company's overall strategy). To entrust them to project leaders who are far removed from the decision-making level, however brilliant they may be, is to run the risk of not succeeding, as they will have neither the status, nor the decision-making power, nor the strategic vision that will enable them to carry out such a transformation.
2. Their operational deployment implies profound changes
We realize that these projects, in addition to being cross-functional, most often require changes to the organization, processes, tools and/or skills. Their operational follow-up is therefore complex, involving a large number of people and parameters. Ensuring their coherence and dynamism therefore requires both a global vision and the ability to drive such sometimes profound changes.
3. Monitoring and steering these projects are at a strategic level
The very definition of indicators for monitoring the quality of the customer experience is a strategic issue, as they must reflect the vision and ambition that the company has set itself. Depending on the company's objectives and maturity on this subject, we may opt for the Net Promoter Score, or work to define the Customer Effort Score, for example (see our forthcoming article on Customer Experience measurement and management indicators). You can also track the loyalty rate, the average basket or the speed at which new customers are recruited.
In all cases, we're talking about the company's revenues and margins, but these more precise intermediate indicators can be very useful.
The Management Committee will then have to adjust its management approach to the data and tools available.
This is why, in this type of project, KESTIO consultants involve the Management Committee right from the start, defining the approach and sizing up the ambition.
In fact, we are delighted to note that, while some managers may be unconvinced of their usefulness at the start of the process, they become more and more involved during the course of the project, and sometimes even enthusiastic... they see in a pragmatic way just how much sense it makes to their team to improve the customer experience, thus "humanizing" the company's performance objective!
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