CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE - DONE PROPER

Many companies excel in individual interactions with customers, but they fail to pay adequate attention to the customer’s complete experience on the way to purchase and after and the continues relation after that.

Customer Journeys have during the last decade been one of the most useful tools to monitor, recreate and optimising customer relations and adjust offers of products and services. The use of single customer journeys is tactical and have served certain organisations well. But you could use this to achieve even more sustainable change. 

Where it comes to shifting organisational processes, culture, and mind-sets to a journey orientation is strategic and transformational.

Journey-based transformations are not easy, and they may take years to perfect. 

Despite that, there is a definitive upside to it, if done proper;

* Higher customer and employee satisfaction and engagement. (By involving and rewarding stakeholders on either side, the output will be twice as strong.)
* Increased revenues (happy clients prolong the relation hence spend more money.)
* Lower costs (putting effort where effort is needed, not where you always have been doing it and also see to continuously measure the outcome and make adjustments)
* Increased differentiation compared to stagnated competitors. 

Delivering successful journeys brings about an operational and cultural shift that engages the organisation across functions and from top to bottom, generating excitement, innovation, and a focus on continuous improvement. 

It creates a culture that’s hard to build otherwise, and a true competitive advantage goes to companies that get it right. Companies that develop their own architecture will find it breaks down organisational silos, addresses the diversity of customers and their needs, and produces unique and compelling experiences.

Remember the wise words of Peter Drucker:
 

"Culture will eat strategy for breakfast"

Doing enough is not and option any longer, done proper and truly be deeply rooted in your business culture - it will eventually make your organisation successful and differentiate you among competitors.

Saying is one thing but actually doing IS APPARENTLY another - WHY is that?

In a recent study with 400 CEO:s in the Nordic region. The question was about their view on digitisation and whether they saw it as a possibility rather than a threat.

An demonstrative majority (95%) considered this as an possibility. 
So this would make any politician quite happy, the innovation and future ambition of our industry leaders are future proofed or at least very hopeful.

But there is a downside to this also. The same study also showed of the 400 CEO:s only 42% considered their organisation to be prepared to take advantage of these possibilities. 

One could draw many conclusions from this, but from a hi-level perspective it is evident that the leaders of these organisations naturally want to claim their digital approach but when it really comes to their own transformation, it is not in place. Why is that?

To be provocative, it is basically easier to just say that you are a believer but when it comes to really transforming your business into this the truth is quite the opposite. So why is it still so hard? From my own experience I would say the most obvious reason for this is that manangement in 8 out of 10 cases view digital as a separate initiative not necessarily as a part of their overall business approach. It is basically a hygien factor to have a up-to-date informational web page that is dressed with the logotype and more or less content. It is also traditionally driven from the marketing department in some form. A traditional webpage , acting as the communicative channel, putting out the occasional campaign, recruitment ads and the annual report. Or base ones engagement in social media on, "Everyone else is there so why shouldn't we". People will "like" us!?

The obvious question, isn't that enough?

Maybe if you have a unique business, a truly differentiated market or/and product and no competitors. Hesitation towards what Internet was back in the late 90's or the early 00's could possibly have granted this type of behaviour but if we look what the wast majority of companies have done (start-up scene excluded) there is really not that much has happen. Sure things are going fast, really fast now days but they will only move faster, markets become more saturated and customers even more disloyal. So where to begin?

Some input to start with:

• Re-adjust so your overall strategy fits the new possibilities of digitisation. The digital aspect of your company needs to be mended, mended as well as the other parts of your business, because it is part of your business not a separate initiative.
• Create and organisation where digital is as important as any other division or even better integrate them to your traditional divisions - adress ownership from the boardroom down to R&D.
• Don't wait for competitors to take the first step, look into other businesses and be influenced by them instead. Your first steps towards transformation will possibly be inspired by companies or people outside your industry.
• Use digital platforms as a way of helping your clients doing business with you. 
• Build the relation on behaviours rather than products.
• Offer context to content.
• Could digital platforms possibly offer the possibility of new services within your business?
• Measure, digital platforms offers unprecedented ways of monitoring performance and ways of more rapidly adress measures if performance is poor. (NPS etc)
• Know that failing is not the end but only the a part of an even greater success.
• Remember there is just business and digitisation is a part of that...
• Let innovation be evident in all your channels, departments.

Last but not least we finish off this with some wise words.

Listen to Angela Ahrendts and her view on this. This was when she was at Burberry. Her work there granted her a top position at Apple which she currently holds.

Remember, if you don't take that leap of faith chances are that you possibly do not have any business plan to mend in five years time.

 

Today the much anticipated documentary had its official worldwide release. It’s about design and the possibilities it has to change our world. See it, it is good for you. Pay the promotors a visit @ designthenewbusiness