Customer experience is the customer’s perception when interacting with a business throughout their customer journey. This is displayed through marketing, customer service, and purchases. For example, a customer could notice a brand’s advert on a bus, research the brand’s social media channel, contact customer service via a chatbot for more information, and then purchase a product from the brand’s eCommerce channel. As you can see, a customer can go through many different touchpoints before making a final purchase decision.
Good customer experience is commonly characterized by increased loyalty, higher sales, and the impact of customer satisfaction as positive interactions with a brand – and consistent communication – compel shoppers to become repeat customers. A strengthened connection to the brand also motivates consumers to spread awareness of the brand and increases the recommendation of its products to others. Thus, highlighting the importance of prioritizing consumers as they play a key part in keeping businesses afloat. Bad customer experience is the opposite. Customers can view a company as unreliable, ultimately leaving due to inconsistent communication and a lack of transparency. Avoiding bad customer experience is the path to a well-functioning business.
However, placing excessive importance on customers can stifle a company’s growth. This is where product experience comes into play. By making sure that their products and services deliver on their promises, businesses increase customer satisfaction and decrease return rates, which maintains customer loyalty. Balancing customer experience and product experience assists in elevating companies and increasing revenue.