When organizations first start looking into Customer Experience Management they soon discover it’s not just a new twist on traditional customer service delivered by a contact center. It’s a paradigm shift in which the contact center becomes a key player in a broader strategy.
Whereas contact centers focus on one small part of the customer journey, Customer Experience Management focuses on every touch point across the entire enterprise.
Contact centers are data-driven operations that measure operational efficiency using metrics like cost per contact, occupancy rates, average wait times, and call completion rates.
Meanwhile, Customer Experience Management measures strategic value and profitability through customer satisfaction, retention and advocacy. It’s about unlocking the value of every customer by knowing what your customers experience and making sure you’re happy with that experience.
A Customer Experience Management strategy has an impact on the organization’s culture, processes, roles and technology. It relies on collaboration beyond the contact center. That means engaging all appropriate teams in resolving customer queries. It means sharing feedback and ideas to improve the customer experience through ever-improving processes, procedures and skills.
You and everyone else in the organization are customer service representatives, even though you might never consider labeling yourself a “contact center agent.”
As you know, customers are empowered in ways they’ve never been before. It’s vital that companies learn what Customer Experience Management means to their businesses.
This includes the strategic imperatives and tactical approaches that drive brand loyalty and higher customer lifetime value. It also means brands must protect and grow their customer base by understanding customer expectations and behaviors, and delivering consistently great, high-return customer experiences.
Anyone who cares about customers, company health, etc. should consider taking a more active role in their company’s CEM strategy. Nowadays, it’s not just the CEO’s job to think about how to treat customers right. It’s everyone’s job.