One of the current buzzwords in marketing is ‘customer experience’. But, what does it actually mean?
Customer experience can be defined as the perception that a customer has of a particular brand. So often, brands believe their customers view them in a certain way. However, if the customer’s actual perception is different, then that is the true customer experience.
Therefore, managing customer perceptions is crucial to the success of any brand. Perceptions can be affected by a number of different factors, including messaging, products, sales processes, and after sales service. If a company is strong in one of these areas, but weak in another, it could result in a poor experience overall.
Aligning Your Brand and Customer Experience
In simple terms, your brand tells your customers what they should expect from the product or service offered. For example, if a takeaway restaurant promises a 30-minute delivery time, then customers anticipate that their food to arrive within that window. When the food turns up an hour after placing the order, then customers are likely to complain about the negative experience and never order from the restaurant again in future. Failing to meet expectations on just one occasion can often be enough to make a loyal customer switch to a competitor.
This is why it’s important to take note of what your brand is promising and whether it can actually live up to the expectations created as a result.
