should then therefore , recalibrate their compass to face inward and attend to internal customer needs . The internal customer experience of the brand should be strategically informed by the need to ensure that the most powerful marketers are not only fed with adequate product knowledge to enable concise marketing , but also to have absolute faith in the power of the brand to deliver on its promises . Internal customer experience should be a mainstay agenda item in the marketing plan of action .
Over and above this , there needs to be a buy-in from the different departments involved in creating the overall brand experience , to ensure all players are delivering on their objectives towards seamless service to the external customer . These efforts need not be seen as isolated or viewed from a siloed perspective where it is all chalked down to ‘ marketing ’ but , considered as a communal effort with every link in the chain bearing the strength required to deliver effectively .
Marketing professionals also need to take keen interest in the outcomes of customer feedback initiatives . Marketers are very often caught up in reporting marketing successes in terms of market reach , awareness levels , lead closures and funnel traffic , and forget to follow through on the customer metrics that matter .
Churn and attrition should be of interest to the discerning marketer . The net promoter score for example that over and above highlighting brand promoters , passives and detractors , offers the opportunity for organizations to adopt a customer centric approach that focuses on nurturing customers to increase promoters , and handling the specific issues arising that have led to the
‘‘ Is Customer Experience a marketing strategy ? It is the only sure way to win customers over and have them win other customers over to join them . The sooner this ideal is internalized by marketing leadership , the better for customers at large and the sustainability of marketing practice . Customer Experience is THE marketing strategy of choice for marketers who want winning results .’’
existence of the detractors .
It is therefore imperative that the marketing team , be at the forefront of demanding customer experience data for analysis , to inform the preparation of marketing plans . Increasing the competitive advantage gap that is of interest to all marketing professionals is anchored on exceptional customer service as a key brand differentiator . A brand is the sum total of a customer ’ s ‘ experience ’ and bad customer service damages brands .
The Economist Intelligence Unit report dubbed “ The path to 2020 : Marketers seize the customer experience ” that polled 500 marketing chiefs on the future of marketing , had a very revealing outcome that most senior marketing executives are confident that customer experience will continue to drive brand equity .
The report goes further to indicate that it was opined that personalized , efficient and consistent customer experiences will translate into customer loyalty and brand value . Poll results denoted that customer experience had overtaken mass advertising as a preferred channel for customers . This indeed validates the need for customer experience marketing to occupy a prime position in the organization ’ s marketing strategy
Customer experience is a subject that is no longer confined to discussion by teams charged with the responsibility for customer service .
It is a key pillar for marketers across the divide who must transit from a purely marketing orientation to proactively creating marketing experiences that align with delivering delightful service .
Is Customer Experience a marketing strategy ? It is the only sure way to win customers over and have them win other customers over to join them .
The sooner this ideal is internalized by marketing leadership , the better for customers at large and the sustainability of marketing practice . Customer Experience is THE marketing strategy of choice for marketers who want winning results
Carolyne Gathuru is the founder and director of strategy at LifeSkills Consulting . She has several years of experience in customer experience strategy development and training . You can commune with her on this or related issues via mail at : CGathuru @ life-skills . co . ke .