the consumer experience may serve to
exclude an important customer group.
Brand
and
customer
experience
professionals may just as well need to
configure a mechanism to map out
consumer and customer experience, with
key definitions of both.
The need for special attention to this
mapping arises as well from the very
nature of brands whose route to market
is vide distribution chains encompassing
stockists, distributors and retailers, who
are indeed very key customers, but do not
qualify by any means to be lumped in the
consumer category. Consumer experience
therefore is just that – the actual user’s
experience. The procurer features not in
this conversation.
The most debatable bit about the gala
theme is the word Vs. the abbreviated
short form for “Versus”. A selection of
dictionary definitions of versus produce
varied results including: used to compare
two things or ideas, especially when you
have to choose between them; used to
denote something competing against
another; against (used especially to
indicate an action brought by one party
against another in a court of law, or to
denote competing teams or players in
a sports contest); used to contrast two
things especially where a difference is to
be highlighted; and in conflict with or as
an alternative placement for something.
Fundamentally therefore, brand versus
consumer experience somewhat pits
these two against each other, where in
actual fact they share the same DNA and
should be meshed? Possibly the consumer
conversation needs to morphed into a
customer conversation that widens the
scope and incorporates consumers in its
midst?
Making this replacement however, then
brings up the brand versus customer
experience debate which in essence really
need not be one. BX and CX as they are
popularly referred to in industry, are the
subject of many a debate with brand
and marketing strategists pushing the
brand agenda, and customer experience
strategists opting to don on customer
service lenses and speak from thereof.
A thought provoking premise on this
subject is put forth by Brian Solis of
Altimeter Group - digital analyst, speaker,
and author. He postulates that if your
customer experience doesn’t consistently
deliver on your brand promise, then
the organization has a problem. He
goes further to pronounce that brand
and customer experience professionals
must really harmonize their experience
frameworks, for brand sets customer
expectations for experience, customer
experience is how well these expectations
are delivered, and excellent delivery is only
possible only when the link between brand
and customer experience is understood.
The thing about brand and customer
experience strategists though, is that they
are often plagued by the common disease
that has them overlook the ‘forgotten’ link
– the internal customer, consumer, user,
brand owner; whatever reference is to be
made to the staff team.
The employee experience (EX) that is
such a critical factor towards the overall
experience, often takes such a back seat.
Whatever sector a brand is playing in,
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