Customer Experience or CX is the ubiquitous term in business these days. Today, many companies are getting serious about investing more resources into building a solid customer experience. The term “customer experience” and “customer service” are often confused or used interchangeably. But in reality, they are not the same. 

Customer experience (CX) focuses on the entire journey. It involves many different customer interaction points, including discovering and browsing a product to purchase to using it and later following up with the brand. It is the overarching sum of all interactions that measure how customers feel about a company overall and is not limited to helping and advising customers when they have a question or a problem concerning your product or service.

To put it simply, customer experience refers to the broader customer journey a customer takes with your brand. In contrast, customer service is solely limited to customer interactions when seeking help or advice during their journey. 

And, indeed, customer experience is not merely about digital spaces. It is very much important in restaurants, in-store, or hotels as well. 

Here are some examples of outstanding customer experiences by brands.

1.   Netflix: Leveraging the Power of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

To create a digital customer experience, businesses are extensively using Artificial Intelligence (AI) these days. Netflix is undoubtedly one of the best customer experience examples of artificial intelligence. The company uses predictive analytics to make personalized content recommendations throughout the platform, resulting in an optimal customer experience. On top of that, Netflix places personalized thumbnails for each particular user at the right time – based on what they are more likely to click on. This streaming platform shows extreme willingness to meet user needs and provides a great digital customer experience.

2.   Amazon: Product Experience 

One of the best customer experience examples is Amazon, one of the leading e-commerce platforms in the world. It is also one of the best examples of digital product experience. The company makes it easier for users to decide if the product fits well with their needs by combining Google-like-ability to sort by price, availability, customer ratings, and brand, as well as highly detailed product information. They also have a robust system for customer ratings and reviews that allows customers to upload images with their products and translate the customer reviews into their native language. Amazon also provides an easy-to-use recommender system to help users evaluate which product might fit their requirements the most. 

3.  Uber: Real-time Feedback

Real-time customer feedback is a great way to build a culture of transparency and trust. Moreover, reacting to unhappy customers promptly increases the likelihood of customer recovery. Uber is the best example of a real-time feedback strategy. It is one of the first companies to establish a two-way real-time feedback system that benefits customers and drivers. Uber’s real-time rating allows customers as well as drivers to rate their rides during the trip. For example, customers can report any inappropriate behavior of the driver or safety incidents in real-time to the company. This allows customers to convey information while it’s fresh in their minds rather than waiting until the end of a trip.

 4.   Coca Cola: Personalization

Personalization is one of those things consumers are always looking for in user experience. Well psychologically, customers perceive personalized products as if they were designed keeping in mind their particular needs. For example, The Coca-Cola Company’s ‘Share a Coke’ campaign launched in 2011 created an extremely personalized customer experience that people very much cherished. The company rebranded the traditional wrapping around the bottle, replacing it with the phrase “Share a Coke with” followed by a person’s name. This incredible campaign managed to develop an emotional connection with the customers and helped to increase brand credibility and customer loyalty.

5.   Starbucks: Loyalty Program

Going back to Starbucks, the company’s successful gamification approach is one of the best examples of customer experience. Starbucks’ loyalty program allows customers to collect stars when purchasing their products and get exciting rewards in return. They also offer free drinks to customers on their birthdays. Apart from generating more revenue and brand visibility, their reward system provides an outstanding customer experience. And that’s not all. Starbucks continuously revamps its loyalty program to match the needs of customers. 

Conclusion

Customer experience isn’t a one-off aspect of your business and is not limited to providing satisfactory customer service, but it encompasses all the interactions between your brand and customers. It is an area that needs constant nurturing, with a significant focus on user experience strategy. You can understand from the examples mentioned above that customer experience involves the whole customer journey, including customer service.

Tags: customer experience, Customer Response Management, Customer Service, CXM