Rewriting the customer experience playbook for the new normal

Customer experience (CX), long considered the mainstay of any marketer’s armoury to drive customer engagement and brand loyalty, is under serious threat of becoming obsolete due to recent shifts in consumer behaviour as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. With frequent lockdowns and strict health guidelines driving consumers indoors and restricting movement, drastic changes in societal interactions and consumption behaviour have left traditional CX models outdated and struggling to catch up. Brand managers have had to rewrite the playbook on customer experience and find new ways of connecting with “distanced consumers” to build brand loyalty.

[box type=”success” align=”” class=”” width=””]The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU,2016) in its report on customer experience, broadly defined it as “the cumulative impact of marketing content and touchpoints on a customer’s perception of a brand” which in turn has historically been driven through the different touchpoints of a customer life cycle or at the point of purchase through the shopper’s journey. However, with the product/promotional mix, distribution channels and route to market (RTM) models changing to meet behaviour shifts of customers caused by the pandemic, defining these new touchpoints has become an increasing challenge for marketers.[/box]

Add to this is the fact that media consumption habits have changed with TV viewership declining (by double digits in some western markets- Publicis Media report of consumer sentiment in 16 markets, Sep’20) coupled with a drop in average shopping journeys per household (Kantar Lanka, Sep’20) resulting in traditional communication touchpoints being unable to deliver brand content that could drive CX in a post pandemic world. Hence it is clear that if customer experience is to be kept alive in any meaningful manner, a new model of customer experience needs to be developed.

Customer experience has always been the direct interface of a brand with its customers everywhere, anytime and across whichever platform the customer chooses to interact. The advent of online channels (e-commerce) and digital technology and the pace of adoption of these channels had started to redefine the face of customer experience even before the pandemic, but behaviour shifts seen through the pandemic only hastened the rapid proliferation of these channels. Some digital channels have even reached household penetration levels previously reserved for traditional mass ATL channels.

The Publicis media report records an increase in online tv program/news/sports media consumption, the use of messaging apps & social networks, along with increased online purchases of food groceries, clothing, entertainment (movies, music), learning programs, and self-care (body) products across markets. These channels have become the new touchpoints for customer experience, not just for brands in these categories, but for all brands looking to reach out and connect with consumers.

There are a few rules in the new online channel CX playbook for marketers which can be summarized as follows:

Be Everywhere

An omnichannel presence is vital when driving customer experience in the online space. Given the multitude of channels available for consumers, brands need to be present across these touchpoints delivering a personalized experience for consumers.  It requires a presence on technology (apps) and media channels (social media) that can create personalised engagement. Delivering personalization at scale is not easy and requires the right technology, consistency across touchpoints, and customized content (for each touchpoint/channel). Getting it right leads to customer satisfaction which in turn drives customer experience.

Organize Your Resources

Winning in customer experience sometimes requires reorganizing internal departments, job roles and getting the right skill sets on board. The marketing team needs to take full ownership of customer experience which means moving from the “Big idea” thinking which creative teams are used to, to “Big capabilities” which is the amalgamation of data and analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) in a complete knowledge management system. The requires the proper training and onboarding of staff and the right investment levels to deploy personalization at scale.

Measure, Measure, and Measure Again

Measuring the customer experience in the online space becomes that much easier when technology is involved. This could be in the form of an NPS score, engagement levels, customer acquisition rates, brand awareness, or simple revenue growth. Whichever the form, it is important to ensure a parameter for measuring the consistency of experience is built-in and a feedback mechanism to ensure continuous improvement of the experience.

In conclusion, it is safe to that whilst it is important that online channels are used suitably in the post-pandemic world to build an emotional connect with consumers, customer experience will continue to be alive, and remain a vital part of any brand’s attempt to engage consumers and garner loyalty.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ET Edge Insights, its management, or its members

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top