Editorial
The Gist
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Redefine experiences. Memories, not just metrics, drive loyalty. Focus on how customers re-experience interactions for a winning customer experience strategy.
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Embrace systems thinking. Integrated thinking aligns teams and tech, creating a seamless customer experience strategy that addresses big-picture challenges.
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Augment with AI. Combine human and artificial intelligence to transform insights into actions and elevate your CX.
Over the years, I have focused on my comfort zone of customer experience strategy and operations. I like analytics and insights, but I especially enjoy the idea of turning feedback into action -– a philosophy I define as “understanding journeys and taking action.”
My column today reviews this philosophy through the lens of my recent experience as both a speaker and a host of QuestionPro XDay. (Editor's note: the author is an employee of QuestionPro).
The Re-Experience Epiphany
I had the opportunity to hear the term “re-experience” before XDay. Speaker Mike Burn is writing a book on it. It’s a radical new idea in the experience environment. We already know the idea of measuring experience, but the psychology of what drives repurchase is more than just what is measured. What’s also important is what is felt in the memory of the experience. This concept is called the “re-experience.”
The degree to which that influences customer experience design will be a differentiator for brands. What’s key for brands to win the hearts of customers is not the external factors, but rather how we internalize and remember those experiences. Spoiler alert: How we remember an experience is influenced by how we are feeling in the moment when we remember it.
Creating a Remarkable Future of Work
A panel of employee experience thought leaders explored how technology can enhance the workplace. One really remarkable takeaway was the idea that if employers embrace employees as an ally, if employees embrace technology as an ally and if continuous feedback is collected across the ecosystem, then we will arrive at a new era of trust in workplace culture.
It is not a one-sided equation but a mutual respect for the needs and requirements of both sides of the conversation. If technology is embraced for the right reasons, everyone will thrive — and that includes the customers.
Related Article: Teeing up Employee Experience to Enhance Customer Experience
Integrating Systems Thinking for Enhanced Customer Experiences
Probably the biggest surprise in this session was the understanding of just how long systems thinking has been around — even if it was not always defined by those words. Karl Sharicz told us despite the long-time knowledge of systems thinking, many organizations fail to embrace this idea, especially when it comes to approaching customer experience.
Understanding the big picture when putting together any customer experience strategy will enable a more cohesive environment.
The event featured a discussion on voice of the customer program value through journey management with Raj Sivasubramanian. Fortunately, I think any reader of CMSWire will understand the difference between customer journey mapping and journey management.
The Fireside chat with Manjiri Patwardhan and Stan Sthanunathan revolved around AI. However, instead of defining AI traditionally, Stan defines AI as augmented intelligence -– a means to the end of turning insights into business outcomes. Essentially, he defines AI as the combination of human intelligence and artificial intelligence.
Across all the conversations, AI was a recurring topic. However, a constant theme — just like Sthanunathan’s premise — is that the human element of experience is still just as important as the technology applied to a brand’s problem. This is true in market research, employee experience and customer experience; it’s almost like we all must apply systems thinking in our roles.
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