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Topic(s): Customer Experience CX & Business Strategy

The real essence of customer experience: choosing what you want to be remembered for

 

Customer experience is a term that gets thrown around a lot. However, the term may not fully capture the essence of what businesses should aim for. Rather than just focusing on the experience itself, it's more about what customers remember about their experience that really counts.

In this blog, we'll break down

  • why the term "customer experience" might be misleading,
  • how interpreting it better can save you a lot of headaches,
  • and how you can create lasting impressions that turn customers into advocates.


Why customer experience might be a misleading term

Customer experience, quite literally, refers to the interactions a customer has with a company throughout their entire journey, from initial contact to post-purchase support. The term "customer experience" suggests that every touchpoint with the customer needs to be equally excellent.

However, research shows this isn't the case. It is impossible for customers to remember every touchpoint and every interaction they have with a company. Instead, customers remember certain things far better than others.

Zeroing in on the moments that make the cut

Customers won't judge you for every interaction they have with you, but they will judge you based on what sets you apart. Standout moments and characteristics – good or bad – define you as a company and a brand.

Instead of stressing over making every touchpoint flawless, focus on what you are good at and emphasize that. Understand what, in the customer's view, are the highlights of their journey with you. These are the things they will remember you for. Nail the areas that matter most to your customers and prioritize your efforts for maximum impact.

A prime example: Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines is a very successful airline in the United States. In Europe, you can compare it to Ryanair. They have chosen not to excel in every part of what they offer to the customer. Instead, they have chosen to excel at certain things, namely being cheap and always on time. These are the aspects that set them apart from the competition.

At one point, Southwest Airlines considered improving the meals served on board, which were just a bag of peanuts and a soda. It seemed obvious they could improve the customer experience by offering a nice meal.

However, doing so would have increased costs and that would have endangered their unique selling point of being a cheap airline. Additionally, serving meals would have added logistical burdens, potentially jeopardizing their reputation for being on time.

Southwest Airlines wisely decided not to improve the onboard meals, maintaining their focus on being cheap and punctual. Instead of trying to be perfect on all points they chose to be outstanding on what set them apart from the competition.

Give your customers a story to tell

Remember the old saying: “A brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room”.

That’s the crux. You have to let your customers do the talking. When you consistently do something well, you give your customers something to talk about. These stories can become part of their personal narratives and significantly enhance your brand's reputation through word-of-mouth marketing.

By being unique with their two selling points, Southwest Airlines continuously gives their customers something to talk about. Attempts to change the formula, like offering fancy meals, were rejected because that could have compromised these strengths.

Giving your customers a story to tell is about deciding what you want to be remembered for and focusing on those components of the customer journey.

The lesson rings clear: don’t try to be perfect in all things. But try to be sublime in the things that you are already good at.


How Hello Customer can help

Hello Customer uses advanced AI analysis to dissect customer feedback into actionable insights. Let technology help you to truly understand what your customers appreciate.

Don’t rush to improve on what is, perhaps, not totally perfect. Hello Customer will show you which aspects of the customer’s experience impact the KPI’s that matter most to your business, such as revenue, churn/loyalty, or your satisfaction metrics.

Then, you can prioritize on areas that you are good at, to strengthen your brand further, and you can fix the issues where your performance is truly below par.

All the rest of your offering is good enough: investing in these aspects is a waste of your resources.


Conclusion

  • Customer experience is not about making every interaction perfect. It's about creating an identity that your customers particularly appreciate.
  • By focusing on key touchpoints and using tools like Hello Customer for in-depth feedback analysis, you can turn the right interactions into opportunities for your brand to shine. This will keep your customers coming back for more and give them a story to tell.
  • You can increase the chances that what customers say about you is positive, by choosing to excel in the things you want them to remember you for.

    Are you ready to make the right things stand out in the customer journeys you offer?

    Discover how Hello Customer can help you leverage customer feedback to create lasting impressions. Request a demo today!