![](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/customer-experience-header.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img><\/p>\n<\/img><\/p>\n
In recent years, the term \u201ccustomer experience\u201d has garnered buzz in the business community. Recent research found that as of 2016, almost 90 per cent<\/a> of companies believe they are competing mostly on customer experience, as opposed to only 36 per cent at the start of the decade. Approximately half of all product innovation investments are expected to be diverted to improving the customer experience instead<\/a>. So while the concept is clearly on the radar of many B2B organizations as a method to stand out from the competition, many companies haven\u2019t developed a singular understanding of what customer experience entails and how it differs from traditional customer service.<\/p>\n Since it\u2019s an important issue for both consumers and company leadership, every organization needs to undertake an honest and comprehensive assessment of their current customer experience. For some companies that have never codified the structure of their customer experience strategies, the first step is to develop and refine a formal plan. For others who have thought about the principles of the overall customer experience and implemented them throughout their processes, it may require taking stock of the mechanisms in place at every stage of their customer journey and improving them in pursuit of an unparalleled experience for every customer<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth digging into the semantics of this topic<\/a>; it has<\/u> important implications to the prevalent disconnect between customer experience and customer service. The problems begin when most companies create a distinct department called \u201ccustomer service.\u201d The employees in this department typically handle tasks related to customer support, order processing, billing questions, and returns and exchanges. These are all transactional processes, which is likely why many business leaders think of their strategy solely in transactional terms.<\/p>\n The customer experience, on the other hand, is not based on a transaction between the customer and the company. It is the customer\u2019s overall perception of their relationship with the organization. It is also formed as the result of a compilation of their feelings about and interactions with the brand and its representatives, beginning with initial awareness and extending well beyond the point of purchase. The responsibility for creating and delivering an exceptional customer experience doesn\u2019t fall on the shoulders of just one employee or department. In fact, for an organization to deliver an outstanding customer experience, staff members throughout the organization have to be committed to providing reliable and thoughtful service.<\/p>\n There\u2019s another way to view the distinction between customer service and customer experience from the perspective of your company and your employees. This distinction<\/a> stems from the idea that the core of customer service is being compelled to do something for the customer, while the core of the customer experience is wanting to do things that drive value for the customer.<\/p>\n In the transactional environment of customer service, employees are required to complete tasks because the customer needs something from the organization. The company is obligated to address the issues customers raise, and customers feel compelled to reach out for assistance because their needs aren\u2019t being met. Customer service is a reactive way to solve customers\u2019 problems.<\/p>\n Conversely, team members work to create an innovative and unique customer experience because they have a desire to improve the relationship between the two parties. This philosophy is not focused on acting out of a compulsion, but rather working to deliver value for the customer as a central tenet that drives every function in the organization. Leaders who strive to design a high-value customer experience empower every member of their team to deliver on these touch points throughout the customer\u2019s journey with the company. Customers go out of their way to seek exceptional experiences\u2014and will do so time and time again. Where customer service is a way to react to a customer\u2019s problems, the customer experience is inherently proactive.<\/p>\n Designing an extraordinary customer experience is impossible if you don\u2019t have an extensive and detailed knowledge of your customers\u2019 goals. This principle further illustrates the difference between service and experience: In the former, you wait for customers to tell you what they need and then act, while in the latter, you anticipate needs in the hopes of delivering consistent value.<\/p>\n This leads us to segmentation. It\u2019s an important strategy for B2B organizations that want to understand effective targeting of customers. In order to excel at segmentation<\/a>, you need to use all the data available to you to create detailed profiles of your various customers. Those profiles should include demographic information, behavioral statistics, value priorities, and goals.<\/p>\n The problem for many organizations is that this goal remains unrealized: Just 17 per cent<\/a> of B2B leaders surveyed in Salesforce\u2019s 2015 State of B2B Marketing report indicated that their organizations made use of fully integrated data across all functions of their companies.<\/p>\n Once you are able to harness this data<\/a>, you can analyze your segmented customer profiles and use them to inform your strategy for engagement across all points of the relationship. Engaging with the customer on a substantial level from the earliest points of the relationship (even stretching back before the first point of contact and into initial awareness and brand perception) is an important part of a well-crafted customer experience.<\/p>\n ![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/Smart20Agent20Console20Assets-03.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img><\/a><\/p>\nDifferentiating between customer service and customer experience<\/h3>\n
Customer Service is Part of the Overall Customer Experience<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/customer-experience-001.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nThe service imperative vs. the desire to provide an outstanding experience<\/h3>\n
Segmentation and how it relates to the customer experience<\/h3>\n
The More Customer Data You Have, the Better<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/customer-experience-002.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nDesigning a superior experience from a holistic perspective<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/customer-experience-003.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\n