From CMO To CXO: Why There Needs To Be A Solid Understanding Of Customer Experience
In this opinion piece, The Customer Experience Company’s Laurence Crew (pictured below) explores the new customer-centric approach to marketing, and how you can make the most of it.
There’s been a huge transition in businesses occurring over the past three years, with large companies shifting their teams, titles and structures to reflect a new focal area within businesses: customer experience.
The newfound responsibility reflects the changing nature of the modern marketplace, the implications of which have increased the responsibility for marketers, and shifted the company’s focus towards a customer-centric approach to survive.
We are witnessing the rise of the customer experience officer (CXO), with a 2014 Gartner survey revealing customer experience is now the number one expectation placed on marketing executives by their CEOs.
Budget shifts from advertising to delivering better product or service experiences means that marketers need to be positioned to drive change and lead the growth of customer experience, build satisfaction and customer understanding – a huge responsibility, as 89 per cent of businesses are expected to compete and acquire new customers and retain existing customers based mainly on customer experience, according to a 2016 Gartner survey.
Marketers need to understand that their role has changed, and there is now a constant 24/7 conversation between customers, brands, marketers and service teams. For CXOs, CMOs and people building their career in the marketing sphere, this is the opportunity to create a customer experience that will keep your customer.
Don’t assume you know what your customers want
Research is vitally important in developing an experience that resonates with the customer, but the type of research that informs customer experience is different from typical market research. While market research may focus on customer attitudes, preferences and identity, customer experience research is grounded in needs, tasks and interactions.
By understanding ‘mental models’ – how your customers imagine the workings of the world – you can design your products and service experiences so that they feel natural to the consumer. By observing the struggle of the customer with the current product experience, you can uncover needs they are unable to articulate in a focus group or survey.
If you get the experience right through careful observation followed by ideation, prototyping, testing and iteration, you will invoke the right kinds of emotions that ultimately drive advocacy.
Market internally to set the tone
Marketing internally is just as important as externally. Happy employees lead to happier customers, stronger brand reputation and greater trust in the company. The employees, their interactions and communications within the business and with the outside world are crucial for the customer experience. Effective internal engagement could lead to happy and engaged employees, and aligning your internal messaging with your external messaging leads to a better customer experience, increased retention and overall increased successes.
Without control or influence within the business, and how the business strategy is delivered to the consumers, marketers will ultimately fail at the responsibility to control the customer experience.
Customers cost less to maintain and retain, than to mass gain
Deliver on your promise. If you guarantee a superior product or service, be prepared to deliver on that declaration. There shouldn’t be a shortfall between what your customer expects and what they get.
There is more pressure on businesses to deliver in today’s competitive landscape. The modern consumer is savvier, sniffing out the best deals and able to switch products and make way for alternatives with ease. According to Gartner, 65 per cent of a company’s business comes from existing customers, and it costs five times as much to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one satisfied.
Costing more to acquire customers than retain, a focus on the customer experience is instrumental in the success of the marketing strategy.
Bad news travels fast
If the business – specifically, the marketing department – doesn’t focus on the customer experience, they aren’t focusing on obtaining a competitive advantage or a future. It’s not an option for marketers not to focus on the customer experience. The choice of an alternative product or service and the competitiveness in almost every industry means the customers will leave. News of bad customer service reaches more than twice as many ears as praise for a good service experience, according to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs (2011).
The new breed of marketer is one that focuses on customer experience and every single touch point, action and reaction throughout a customer journey. It’s all in the gory details of focusing on the end-to-end experience and every touch point in between.
Marketers, welcome your newfound love and focus on the customer experience, because experience is the new marketing.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Latest News
Kantar: AVOD Subscribers Double In 12 Months
Study finds Aussies happy to watch ads on their streaming services. Or, are they just putting the kettle on more often?
Val Morgan Digital Exceeds All Campaign Uplift Benchmarks Via A 12-Month Brand Metrics Study
Val Morgan announces it has exceeded all its campaign benchmarks. Still can't get under an hour for the City To Surf.
Australian Retirement Trust launches monster of a campaign, by M&C Saatchi and Bohemia
Get offered a seat on the bus today? Knees creak like an old pirate's galleon? This retirement ad may be of interest.
Print Audits To Discontinue As Audited Media Association Of Australia Pivots To Support Influencer Marketing
Is it just B&T or are audits in the media industry suddenly becoming murkier than Roxy's husband's tax returns?
News Corp Australia Launches 2024 National Education Advocacy Initiative With Expanded Program
News Corp set to shine a light on the nation's schools in new series, giving illegal bikie gangs a well-earned rest.
Decoding The Consumer Maze: Urban List Report Reveals How Modern Shoppers Spiral From Discovery To Purchase
Latest report unravels a shopper's journey from the joy of discovery through to a nasty letter from a debt collector.
Cosmo Returns To Australia!
Ever get the feeling we've weirdly warped back to 1988 at the moment? Confirm it with the relaunch of Cosmo in print.
People & Culture Consultancy Human Kind Collective Launches To Plug HR Gap For Media Agencies
Does the very mention of HR have you struggling to remember last year's Christmas party? Get the sweats with this news.
‘We Want To Be A Growth Partner, Not Just A Media Buyer Or Someone That Makes Ads’ – Bohemia Boss On Agency’s Ambition
B&T's chatting with Bohemia boss Paul ‘Hutch’ Hutchison. Although we do think 'the dagger' a far superior nickname.
Initiative’s Geoff Clarke: ‘Youth Hits Targets With Enthusiasm, Experience Hits The Targets You Can’t See’
Initiative’s CCO Geoff Clarke on the value of experience in agencies. Not to mention quoting lines from Pulp Fiction.
The Iconic Teams Up With 5 Aussie Athletes For Latest Campaign
Fashion label brings in the athletes for new campaign, many of whom appear to have prepped with re-runs of Zoolander.
Seven West Media Secures New Director Of News & Current Affairs
After a tumultuous few weeks, Seven unveils director of news & current affairs. And B&T never uses tumultuous lightly.
Seven Network Expands NSW Sales Team With Two New Group Business Directors
Seven ramps up its NSW sales team. Both of whom are well versed in pronouncing Manu Feildel's croque-monsieur.
New PR Subscription Changing The Game For Aussie Start Ups
Need better PR? You can now buy it via a monthly subscription. Price does not include a fascinator or Moet piccolos.
Paul Kent At Centre Of Fresh Scandal After Alleged Street Brawl
Do you long for the fights, gouges & testicle grabs of footy's glory years? So too, it appears, does Paul Kent.
DiDi Taps Disney’s Tim Farmer For Head Of Brand Marketing Role
Disney's Tim Farmer shifts over to rideshare company DiDi. Taking with him his Donald Duck coffee mug & mouse ears.
As Sure As Night Becomes Day, The End Of Third-Party Cookies Has Been Delayed
The question remains: what will we see first? The end of cookies, alien invasion or Jesus's second coming?
Fast 10: Scoundrel’s Tim Bullock Explains What Shane Warne & Salt-N-Pepa Have In Common
It's a Fast 10 with Scoundrel's Tim Bullock. Make it sound even faster by sucking on helium while reading it.
Outbrain Snatches Chris Oxley From Foxtel Media
Foxtel's Chris Oxley shifts over to Outbrain, but not before having his press photo taken in the wilds of the Daintree.
oOh!media & POLY Partner With Greening Australia For OOH Awareness Campaign
Like to quell the road rage with super cute pics of fluffy marsupials? This outdoor's just the ticket.
Are Media Cares For The Carers In Its Latest Social Change Campaign
Are Media calls on the government to add super payments to carers' payments. Remains silent on AUKUS, however.
In A Fragmented World, Engagement Is King
Today, B&T TV's talking fragmentation & engagement. But not in a down-on-one-knee sense of the word.
Kyle Sandilands On Advertising: “We Want Return Business. It’s No Good Just Taking Someone’s Money”
Kyle & Jackie O finally arrive on Melbourne radio. As yet, no sign of the monotonous and bitter AFL-NRL debate.
Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm
Sydney Comedy Festival 2024 is live and ready to rumble, showing the best of international and homegrown talent at a host of venues around town. As usual, it’s hot on the heels of its big sister, the giant that is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, picking up some acts as they continue on their own […]
Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth
The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has announced the final epic lineup of local and global marketing powerhouses for RESET for Growth 2024. Lead image: Josh Faulks, chief executive officer, AANA Back in 2000, a woman with no business experience opened her first juice bar in Adelaide. The idea was brilliantly simple: make healthy […]
Is Meta’s New AI Chatbot Too Left-Wing?
Meta's chatbot accused of being left-wing after being caught wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt & listening to Billy Bragg.
TV Ratings (23/04/2024): Why Did No One Tell Angela That Farmer Wants A Wife Is Set On A Farm?
As wonderful as this headline is, let's face it, we all know an 'Angela', don't we?
PubMatic Unveils New AI Partnership To Turn Social Posts Into Ads For Any Digital Channel
Here's some nifty tech for turning social posts into ads. Assuming said posts aren't one-star character assassinations.
Intuit Mailchimp Makes A Splash With Its First Australian Brand Campaign
Ever laugh along at a gag you didn't get so as not to appear dumb? Get ready for more feigning with this new work.
GumGum’s Rob Hall: Advertisers Can No Longer “Rely On Binary Descriptions” Of Consumers
If anyone's got their finger on adtech's pulse, it's Rob Hall. He also avoids using the good paper in the office printer
Mastercard Nabs Florencia Aimo From Marriott International
Marriott International's Florencia Aimo jumps from the hotel business to the exploitative credit card one.
Bastion Agency Appoints Cheuk Chiang As New ANZ CEO
Cheuk Chiang takes the reins over at Bastion Agency. But not the rains down in Africa.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Major Sponsorship Wins After A Disappointing Week In Sport
B&T continuing our deep dive into local sport sponsorships & that's despite not a single offer of a free ticket as yet.
Macca’s Marketing Director, Samantha McLeod On Big Mac Chant: “What Was Once Old Is Now Cool Again”
Macca's using the power of nostalgia in latest Big Mac campaign. Well, only for those who've ever eaten one sober.
World Premiere Of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line To Open Sydney Film Festival 2024
Oil's biopic to open Sydney Film Festival. Here's hoping Molly Meldrum will take his pants down at the premiere.
Entries Are Now Open For The 2024 Brandies, IntelligenceBank’s Annual Brand Marketing Awards
The Brandies are, of course, a prestigious marketing gong and not the mystery tipple favoured by nannas everywhere.