Are Three Quarters of CMOs Wrong About Customer Experience?

Customer experience (CX), to absolutely no one's surprise, is at or near the top of the list of priorities among CMOs across the globe. There is no denying the importance of delivering the optimal CX to every customer, every time. 

However, inherent in CX itself is a list of priorities as to what makes for a great CX; what qualities if you will, compromise the best CX. Well, according to a recent article on Marketing Charts, when asked to name their top 5 attributes and elements of the customer experience over 170 senior marketing leaders chose these: 

The top five identified in order were: (in descending order)

5. A person to speak with regardless of time or location.

4. Clear, consistent messaging and information across channels. 

3. Knowledgeable staff ready to assist whenever and wherever the customer needs.

2. Consistency of experience across channel.

1. Fast response time to issues, needs or complaints. 

So Why Is This Wrong?

Before I get to that, it's important to put the word "wrong" in the right context, as it were. 

The word has many meanings, many of which such as "not in accordance with what is morally right or good" have nothing to do with the context here. However, one of the meanings of the word does: "not correct in action, judgment, opinion."

The reason I say this is not because I think providing fast response times is not important. Far from it. It is incredibly important. The reason I use the word "wrong" is these surveyed leaders are not placing enough importance on cross-channel and the need - the vital need to provide a seamless, cross-channel customer experience. 

It's no secret that the best customers are the ones who engage with brands across multiple channels. It's not surprising, therefore, that the brands who deliver value to customers across channels see strong growth.

How much growth?

• Companies with strong cross channel customer engagement see a https://www.internetretailer.com/2013/12/31/why-omnichannel-strategy-mattershttps://www.internetretailer.com/2013/12/31/why-omnichannel-strategy-matters in annual revenue.


• Cross channel customers who shop on more than one channel have a 30% higher lifetime value score than those who shop on only one.


• Then add in the fact that, according to Forrester, cross channel retail sales in the US alone will be nearly $2 trillion by 2018-and you can see why delivering a strong cross channel experience is paramount for success.

Today's consumers are demanding: they have become more unforgiving of a poor customer experience and expect interactions on their desktop and mobile devices to be responsive, intuitive, and easy to use. Marketers understand that delivering the most relevant experience is the key to gaining continued satisfaction and loyalty from their digital consumers.

Oftentimes, however, when it comes to marketing to consumers there are two dynamics. On one hand you have what consumers say they want out of a customer experience. On the other hand, there is what they actually receive.

What they want are experiences that are personalized, contextually relevant, and consistent-regardless of online or offline channel or lifecycle stage. What they too often get, however, are experiences that are disconnected, not contextually relevant, and inconsistent across channels and lifecycle stages.

So by all means continue to place a high value on the need to provide fast response times and human interaction as a whole.

But there is no denying the fact that ours is a cross-channel world and to deliver the maximum customer experience across all these channels you need the right technology. 

Download The CMO Solution Guide to Leveraging New Technology and Marketing Platforms and hear directly from your fellow CMOs as to what they look for in a martech solution.