CUSTOMER SERVICE v CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
Ok so I received an EDM from a fellow marketer recently, and coming from a hospitality and retail background it really hit home. I had very little idea that other people just didn't get this, or that it was so badly portrayed.
Please see and extract from that email below and we can discuss this further;
"Hi VICKI, OMG! If I have to clarify this question one more time I'm going to scream! It get's my goat that so few people are able to answer this question correctly, that I'm determined to educate every single one of you so we can start an #army! I am sick of being told that customer service is the same thing as customer experience. IT IS NOT! This may come as a surprise to you as it's often marketers who are incorrectly going around the business telling porky pies (that's lies to anyone who doesn't speak Australian!) So, let's set the record straight once and for all so you're able to expertly correct anyone you happen to come across. Customer service is one touchpoint where your customers interact with you. It may be to ask a question. To get help. To make a complaint. Customer experience incorporates all your interactions with a brand, and is really how you solve the problems your customers have. Note keyword of emphasis. How. If you understand this definition, you understand why customer service is NOT the same as customer experience. Let me explain why. Customer service is really what happens when customer experience goes wrong! Customer service is one channel of your entire experience, but it's not the entire experience. It's not how they heard about you. It's not how they purchased from you. It's not how they consumed your product.. . . . . . ." And the email continues, but you get the gist of the message from what I have posted above.
What is Customer Service? Customer service, a more familiar term, is the assistance and advice provided to a customer for a product or service the customer requires. This requires the customer-facing team to possess a certain skills, including patience. They need product knowledge and tenacity to enable them to provide the answers and assistance a customer needs. The human element of the customer journey and the voice of your business.
What is Customer Experience? Customer Experience refers to the broader customer journey across the organisation and includes every interaction between the customer and the business. The ways your business interacts with a customer, outside of traditional direct, customer-facing service. It's how the customer uses your product or service and their interactions, including self-service, support options, the feeling of walking into the store, customer service interactions with the team, complaints, feedback and more, across the brand.
As an effective marketer, we always step outside our comfort zone, searching for ways for your business to connect. With more than 30 years experience in hospitality and retail, while focusing on my marketing career, I have managed outdoor adventure stores, tended bar, cooked in fancy restaurants and even cleaned rooms. I understand your business, know what you're talking about and able to have conversations about substance rather than fluff.
Customer Service is NOT the same as Customer Experience - Facebook is NOT Social Media. Both are one of many channels that make up a whole. You need to get your head around your social network, and fast, as it's one of the first places your customer focus goes. If you would like to discuss how we can work together to build your business, let's talk . I've been where you are, frustrated with what's wrong but we do have the knowledge to fix it.
EMAIL: info@thewickedweb.com.au or CALL: 0481 543 772
