The Hidden Power of Your Customers: Four Keys to Growing Your Business Through Existing Customers

THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

The customer experience encompasses all aspects of a customer's interaction with a company. It spans the sales, packaging, “out of box” experience (opening the product), registration, installation, setup and usage, and ongoing maintenance of the product or service (think computers). In a different example, the offline customer experience at a grocery store can include shelf displays, aisle width, shopping cart wheel malfunctions, employee interactions, restroom appearance, length of check-out lines, courtesy of clerks, ease of returns, even the size of the spaces in the parking lot. For a service, the customer experience spans the purchase, installation, usage, subscription, monthly bills, and any upgrades. The online customer experience can include Web site navigation, ease of finding information, Web site response time, and the number of clicks necessary to accomplish a task. All of these experiences can also include any social media interactions with the organization. Take a moment and think about what the customer experience means for your company and industry.

Now recall from Chapter 2 the discussion on customer life cycle. Many departments are responsible for the customer experience, including marketing, sales, R&D, manufacturing, customer service, field service, as well as training. The entire company plays a role in the customer experience, and each department has its own area of expertise, which must be brought “to the table” in the most effective ...