Customer Experience Is The Next Battlefield Gartner Predicts

89 %. 

The percentage of all companies – research firm Gartner predicts -  that will have to compete mainly on the experience that they deliver to their Customers. 

Just another new concept only a few years ago, the Customer Experience and all that goes with it looks now to be the “gold standard” for how business will compete for new Customers in the years to come. And companies are rushing to put together a plan to design an “experience” for their Customers. 

The recent book, The Experience Economy, provides some good pointers on designing a “Customer Experience” for today’s times. 

First, as today’s Customers demand evermore “Value” from companies, that company must figure out “the main value they provide” to their customer base. Is it speed? Is it end results? Is it a more competitive Brand position? Exactly what is it? 

Companies today are wrestling with this very question and. The answer isn’t always easy to determine! 

Second, whatever “experience” a company finally comes up with, it has to be “Longer lasting” than before.  

Great example here would be a Disney park. The very first visit, as you no doubt will recall was a “Wow” moment while visit number 2 wasn’t so much, right? You get where I’m going. 

A personal trainer these days at Planet Fitness is a good example on this one. The trainer - and more importantly the Customer – is paying for improved results – weight loss, better BMI, improved 25-yard sprint time, whatever – as time progresses. 

A real “Lasting effect” no doubt! 

In my soon-to-be-released Customer Experience book, The Coming New Impact Economy, I discuss this new customer experience world we now inhabit and a half dozen “Impacts” defining that experience that I see just over the horizon.  

One company I cite often in my LinkedIn Articles to describe “the New Customer Experience” is Sir Richard Branson’s new upstart cruise line, Virgin Voyages.  

Started just two years ago, Sir Richard’s new Scarlet Lady cruise ship is out to “disrupt” the billion dollar cruise industry. And he’s doing it by providing “high value” to customers with elements like the latest technology platforms that allow cruisers to “custom design” their upcoming cruise plus a “results follow-up program” ensuring the cruise experience continues on land! 

Not your 24X7 endless buffet being the center attraction anymore (although that option still exists if you want it)! 

One other excellent travel industry example in this “new Customer Experience world” is upscale Tokyo boutique hotel Henna. 

Staffed only by robots – yep, you heard me – for all customer-facing jobs at the hotel including check-in (Disney-esque looking bots here with Disneyland Japan nearby) , Henna Hotel in downtown Tokyo has automated and digitized as much of the travel stay environment as possible. And though there are a half dozen real humans in the back office just in case problems arise, the bots rule! 

Lastly, Henna Hotel gets consistently high customer satisfaction ratings year after year. Who knew? 

So get on it! If you haven’t already, put together a world-class “experience” your Customers will brag about, I’m serious! 

Here, as always, below are some business tips for helping make that happen: 

Business Tip # 1. Work hard to determine the “Value” your Customers see in your products whatever it may be – speed, results, cost savings, a unique talent or ability, brand position, whatever. There are many ways to do this all the way from asking for feedback after a transaction all the way to custom assessments offered by an outside party. 

Tip # 2. Stress that “Value” in your offering to ensure that customers get maximum benefits they are looking for when they do business with you! 

I’m done for now. 

Look forward to our next get together. 

Until then.

Ciao.