Editorial
The Gist
- Known knowns. Leverage your existing customer data to improve CX by acting on well-understood insights.
- Unknown knowns: Break down silos and utilize hidden customer insights that exist within your organization but are not yet fully recognized.
- Known unknowns: Identify and target gaps in your customer knowledge through focused research to enhance your CX strategy.
Donald Rumsfeld was Secretary of Defense in the early 2000s during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. During a press briefing in 2002, Rumsfeld made a statement regarding Iraq's potential weapons of mass destruction that became famous in political and military circles as well as in the realms of psychology and management. He said:
"There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don't know we don't know."
It was later reported that a NASA engineer told Rumsfeld about this way of thinking about uncertainty. The underlying conceptual framework features a fourth category: unknown knowns.
Why the Rumsfeld Matrix Strategically Enhances Customer Experience and Engagement
The so-called Rumsfeld Matrix is a very helpful conceptual framework that can be applied to the field of customer experience (CX). CX encompasses the entirety of interactions customers have with a company throughout their relationship. It includes every touchpoint, from the initial awareness of the brand to post-purchase support and beyond.
To create and maintain a stellar customer experience, understanding customer needs, expectations, and behaviors is critically important. These insights allow companies to tailor their products, services and interactions to meet and exceed customer expectations. By knowing what customers need and expect, businesses can design their offerings to provide maximum value, ensuring that customers find the products or services relevant and useful.
The Rumsfeld Matrix offers a practical taxonomy for companies, aiding and directing their efforts in comprehending their customers. The four separate categories are explained below.
Known Knowns: Leveraging Well-Understood Insights for CX Success
These are the things we are aware of and understand. In the context of customer experience research, known knowns are the aspects of the customer journey that have been thoroughly explored, understood and documented. For example, a company might know that customers prefer a particular product feature or that a certain type of advertisement drives sales. These insights are derived from direct feedback and analytics.
Unless the knowledge is outdated or faulty, there is no need to carry out research; instead the company just needs to utilize that knowledge and act on it. That said, CX researchers should continually update and refine their understanding of customer needs and preferences based on the data they have. This involves regular analysis of customer feedback, satisfaction surveys and transactional data to maintain a clear picture of the known knowns.
Related Article: Mastering Customer Feedback for Better Products
Unknown Knowns: Uncovering Hidden Knowledge to Enhance CX
Unknown knowns are the pieces of knowledge that we possess but are not consciously aware of. This category can include insights that have been overlooked or not recognized due to cognitive biases or lack of cross-departmental communication.
In CX, unknown knowns might be valuable customer feedback hidden in support tickets or social media interactions that have not been systematically analyzed. Here, too, there is no need to do primary research; the knowledge is there and merely needs to be found and used. One department may not know that another department has the knowledge. Or, one person is unaware that another person in the same department has the knowledge. This issue is one of corporate knowledge management.
To uncover unknown knowns, organizations need to break down silos and promote cross-functional collaboration. Techniques like machine learning and natural language processing can help in mining valuable insights from unstructured data sources such as customer service logs and social media. Information management systems can help organize, store, and retrieve knowledge.
Related Article: 9 Principles to Improve Your Customer Data Management
Known Unknowns: Addressing CX Gaps with Strategic Research
Known unknowns are the recognized gaps in our knowledge; we are aware that we’re lacking certain information, facts and understanding. In CX research, these might be areas where data is missing or where customer behaviors are not fully analyzed.
For instance, a company might recognize that it does not understand why a customer segment is leaving for competitors, or what needs certain demographics have that can be served by a product or service. Identifying these gaps is crucial, and this is where customer research comes in.
Acknowledging gaps in knowledge is the first step towards addressing them. CX teams should conduct targeted research to fill these gaps. This could involve market research, advanced data analytics and customer interviews to uncover why certain behaviors occur and what factors influence them.
Related Article: 5 Reasons You Need a Customer Advisory Board
Unknown Unknowns: Turning Surprises into CX Opportunities
These represent the complete blind spots; areas where we are not only uninformed but also unaware of our lack of knowledge.
In the realm of CX, unknown unknowns can be disruptive both in a positive and negative sense. In a negative sense, events or emerging trends may catch a company off guard. For example, there may be a sudden shift in customer preferences due to a new technology or socio-economic change that was not anticipated; and company struggles to react.
In a positive sense, unknown unknowns have a tremendous potential for innovation. When you do research to get answers to your known unknowns, there is a good chance that you will find out about things you didn’t expect or were not even looking for. Since this information comes directly or indirectly from your customers that you want to sell to, it’s valid and precious.
The existence of unknown unknowns is a call to be open-minded and flexible during customer research. The point is that you need to carry out customer research in order to come across unknown unknowns.
Conclusion: A Strategic Approach to Navigating Customer Complexity and Driving Loyalty
The Rumsfeld Matrix, though introduced to the wide public in the context of military strategy, offers a very helpful framework for understanding and managing knowledge and uncertainty in customer experience research. By categorizing knowledge into known knowns, unknown knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns, organizations can better navigate the complexities of customer characteristics, needs, and behaviors — and can enhance their ability to deliver exceptional experiences.
Webinar
Sep
25
CMS Briefing: A Live Look at What’s Next in AI-Driven Platforms
Learn how leading organizations are using AI‑driven tools to publish faster, personalize smarter and stay secure.
Register
Webinar
Sep
25
Call Spoofing Trends Financial Institutions Can't Afford to Ignore
Don't let robocalls sabotage your customer relationships. Learn how to secure your voice channel.
Register
Webinar
Oct
16
Agentic AI Playbook: Real-World Customer Service Use Cases You Can Deploy Now
Boost self-service by 30% and slash call volume by 63% with agentic AI.
Register
Webinar
On demand
Ready or Not: How Data-First Organizations Are Unlocking Agentforce Potential
Learn how to cut through the noise, activate Agentforce and build a Salesforce AI strategy that actually delivers.
Watch Now
Webinar
On demand
CX Reality Check: What Your Customers Are Really Thinking
Register now and get the insights you need to not just meet rising expectations, but exceed them.
Watch Now
Webinar
On demand
Content Leaders Collective: What a Good CCMS Actually Looks Like
Discover how content leaders transform clunky systems into growth engines — and why your competitors are ahead.
Watch Now
Embracing this approach helps in making informed decisions, identifying and addressing gaps, leveraging hidden insights and preparing for future uncertainties. In an ever-evolving market landscape, this framework helps to stay ahead of the curve and fostering customer loyalty.
Learn how you can join our contributor community.
