Improving Customer Experience (CEX) is vital for success. While the term is common, maturity in this area is not.

We classify an organization’s attitude and actions from Version 1.0 to 6.0. Where are you today?

Customer Experience 1.0 WAIT FOR PROBLEMS

You react to problems. You wait for customers to complain, then work to eliminate the cause. Complaints are bad. Fixing problems is a cost. Denial and “blaming the customer” is common.

Customer Experience 2.0 FIX THE PROBLEMS

You fix the problem and try to “make good” for the customer. Apologies are extended, repairs are made, and discounts or other “service recovery” efforts are taken.

Customer Experience 3.0 PREVENT THE PROBLEMS

You try to identify and solve problems before they hit the market. Risks are studied and solutions put in place before negative customer, partner or colleague experiences can occur. You can see the problems coming, and try hard to avoid them.

Customer Experience 4.0 CREATE POSITIVE EXPERIENCES

You intentionally prepare positive experiences, aiming to earn high scores in areas like “easy to do business with”, “cares about me”, “understands my needs” and “creates great value”.

Customer Experience 5.0 CREATE SUPERIOR EXPERIENCES

You collaborate vigorously across the organization (divisions, departments, geographies, business units) to create outstanding, seamless, unexpected and genuinely rewarding experiences.

Customer Experience 6.0 CREATE GENUINE EXCITEMENT

Your organization collaborates internally and proactively with customers and partners to build a growing community of excitement, advocacy, ambassadorship and collective contribution to creating new value. You host the shared invention of a better and more richly fulfilling future.

Customer Experience 1.0 to 6.0. Where are you and your organization today?