Change for its own sake can be a pointless exercise. In executing a digital transformation strategy, businesses must keep this in mind, and avoid investing heavily on some complex digitization project without a clear goal. Transformation is about outcomes, and in the context of digitization a primary goal has to be creating a better Customer experience.
Customer experience is a principal business driver. It is especially significant in markets where competition is fierce. Think of auto manufacturing. Car makers are equipping vehicles with seat massagers and internet connectivity for applications such as radio streaming and location services. They’re adding screens that capture hand gestures so drivers don’t have to touch them to issue commands, and plenty of safety features such as self-parking and lane-departure alarms and lights that alert the driver when another Car or object is travelling alongside.
Optimizing the customer experience requires a holistic approach to planning and execution – as well as an understanding of why improving customer experience is a desirable goal. The latter may seem obvious on the surface – it’s simply good business – but once you dig a little deeper, you’re bound to find there’s more to it.
If your customers don’t particularly enjoy interacting with your company, you have to find out why. Is it bad customer service? Slow responses to inquiries? Missed delivery deadlines? A poorly designed website? Poor-quality products?
Whatever the issue, you must address customer pain points to optimize their experience. And if you’re going to address them effectively, you have to listen to your customers from the “outside in.” Do surveys. Record customer service calls. Read what they’re saying about you on social media.
We all understand what a good customer experience should look like. In a digital context, the common assumption is if you make it easy for customers to access and absorb information through mobile applications, web portals and social media, you’re done.
A good customer experience means getting your online orders delivered on schedule, spending less time in a doctor’s waiting room, having a pleasant checkout experience at your favorite retail store, getting service technicians to tell you when they’ll arrive as opposed to giving you a four-hour window.
But there’s more to these scenarios than what happens at the touch points. A lot goes on behind the scenes to shape how a customer, client or patient feels about your organization.
Customer interactions transcend multiple business dimensions, from the loading dock to the front entrance.
