I’m pleased to share a guest post by Luis Melo CCXP, author of DoctorCX.org.
Technology can manifest itself, or come to life, in a myriad of ways. But when it comes to businesses and their customers, technology often refers to software applications i.e. computer programs designed and programmed to help end-users perform certain activities.
For many decades, a Customer Relationship Management system (or CRM) has been used to store customer demographic information, as well as manage customer transactions. Its focus has been on a business’ need to manage internal processes.
In recent years, with the rise of customer experience (CX), there has been a need for a technology that enables businesses to hold not only customer demographic information, but more importantly customer psychographic data. And that enables businesses not only to manage customer transactions, but more importantly customer engagements and interactions*.
Many business leaders still think that technology can, in isolation, deliver improvements in CX. Time and time again reality has proven that not to be the case. That said, technology as an enabler for reach, efficiency, effectiveness, or consistency has become indispensable for businesses to deliver a positive experience.
When it comes to technology enabling CX, successful businesses subscribe, align, implement and deploy:
- Customer engagement platforms. Built from the ground up with a focus on customer and employee (user) experience. Technology that enables a business to be where customers are, making it effortless and convenient for them to interact and engage; while empowering employees to support all customers in a simple, easy, effective and seamless way.
- Experience management platforms. Built from the ground up with a focus on improvement and action planning. Technology that enables a business to collect, gather, analyse and display customer feedback; while empowering employees to find the drivers of satisfaction and loyalty, and take action on insights, improving what’s wrong and capitalising on what’s right.
Both technology platforms should be intrinsically linked and interface, in near-real time if possible. On one hand, so that the experience management platform can have the non-solicited feedback that comes from customer engagements, and merge it with the solicited feedback, for analysis and action planning. On the other hand, so that the customer engagement platform can have the feelings and perception that comes from customer feedback, and display it to the employee interacting with the customer for empathy and personalisation.
Side note: These are definitely not the only two technology platforms needed for a business to succeed. But because they are the ones touching or facing the customer, and managing their experience, are definitely the ones that are key to delivering a positive customer experience.
* By interaction I mean customers communicating with employees of the business (e.g. phoning a customer service agent; meeting a sale representative). By engagement I mean a customer doing something with the company (e.g. purchasing a product online; watching a TV advert; browsing the website).
