Customer experience. Good feelings on all channels.
It is important to favorably manage not only customer touchpoints; in other words, the individual points of contact with the customer, but also as many points of perception of the customer as possible. This starts with product and service development and ranges from the first contact to purchase and further to use and possibly regular maintenance or service. In a degree of authenticity that fits to the respective company, customer expectations are to be satisfied by a suitable degree of fulfillment to create a positive brand experience. It is important to understand that under-fulfillment is bad, but over-fulfillment can also be bad.
In this light, the customer lifecycle is also worth considering at the brand agency. After all, every phase is characterized by different needs for information and communication. Experiences with the brand lead, in the end, to buying behavior, which in the ideal case is for one’s own company and not for the competition.
The more exchangeable products and services are, the more important differentiation through true unique selling propositions, friendliness toward the customer, and user-friendliness are — so that buying behavior is not determined solely by the lowest price. Numerous international studies show that awareness of healthy management of customer experience is extremely important — especially in the areas of marketing, sales and distribution, and support. Customer experience can also play an important role in brand experience when it comes to innovations and improving user-friendliness.
“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology.” That is a quote from Steve Jobs from 1997. When the customers and their needs take center stage and all departments of the company swear by this “customer first” view, doing this is actually not a big challenge. Customer needs and wishes are recognized as the benchmark for strategic brand decisions in the company. With a holistic approach, such as what we have at the branding agency, and an overarching view, it is possible to harmonize brand, product development, production, marketing, and sales with optimized work processes. In this regard, it is also true that the more solidly the long-term brand foundation is worked out with brand positioning, brand personality, and brand story, the easier it is to develop the necessary measures that support successfully managing customer experience and positive brand experiences.