{"id":4713,"date":"2018-06-14T16:26:17","date_gmt":"2018-06-14T16:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/?p=4713"},"modified":"2023-05-02T15:43:43","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T15:43:43","slug":"customer-experience-definition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/customer-experience-definition\/","title":{"rendered":"B2C vs. B2B: How the Customer Experience Definition Became Equalized"},"content":{"rendered":"Once, customer experience<\/a> meant different things, depending on whether a company served other businesses or consumers directly. Those days are over.\n\nToday\u2019s customers have high expectations, zero obligation to remain loyal, and all of the options in the world. Whether you\u2019re a B2C or a B2B, your customer experience definition, vision, and strategy will have a significant impact on your competitiveness and brand.\n

Discover the tool that boosts customer experience and strengthens your brand.<\/a><\/h3>\nConsumer demands<\/a> transcend the boundaries that previously existed between business-facing and consumer-facing companies.\n\nTo address the \u201chuman experience<\/a>\u201d customers desire in the professional realm, B2B companies will need to borrow key elements of B2C customer experience strategy.\n

A customer experience definition for everyone<\/h2>\n\"customer\n\nDeloitte<\/a> defines customer experience as \u201cthe sum of all of the interactions a consumer has with a brand, as well as their opinion of the brand.\u201d\n\nSo, the customer experience definition includes more than the type of interactions a customer has with a business. It also encompasses the feelings a customer associates with a brand.\n\nThis applies to B2C and B2B companies. Both must stay attuned to the evolving expectations and needs of their customers. Both must provide a seamless customer journey, value in their product and services, and continued customer support.\n

Leaders of B2Bs have to reimagine what customer means<\/h2>\nFor B2C companies, defining who your customers are is obvious: individual consumers. For B2Bs, the answer is less straightforward.\n\nIn order to come up with a customer experience definition that\u2019s right for them, leaders of B2B companies should expand their understanding of \u201ccustomer.\u201d\n\nFor example, the customers of SaaS providers are the companies who purchase their software. But the only way to optimize the customer experience is to broaden this definition of \u201ccustomer\u201d to include the individual employees within those companies \u2014 the actual end users.\n\nWith this mindset, B2B companies can drastically improve the customer experience by prioritizing usability<\/a>. No matter the capabilities of your platform, your customers will churn if their employees struggle to use it effectively and productively.\n

B2B customers have the same demands as B2C customers<\/h2>\n\"customer\n\nOnce B2B companies stop thinking of their customers as accounts and start thinking of them as humans, it\u2019s easy to see that all customers want the same things.\n\nBy fulfilling these desires, B2B companies can create greater value for their customers, differentiate their brand, and improve their margins.\n

1. Personalization<\/h3>\nCustomers want personalized experiences that are relevant to their motivations and needs. Companies must provide more than simple recommendations and dive into real-time targeting and contextual guidance<\/a>.\n\nCompanies will need to adopt advanced analytics tools to gain accurate insights and better address customers\u2019 desires in the moment of need.\n

2. Trust<\/h3>\nTrust is fundamental to creating a sustainable relationship with your customers. Unfortunately, trust in business is on the decline. According to the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer<\/a>, trust in business fell to 48% in the U.S., a 10 percentage point decrease from 2017.\n\nBoth B2C and B2B companies should make a serious effort to repair trust with customers.\n\nThey can do this by providing honest information about their products and services that is accessible, comprehensive, and easy to understand. They can gain even more credibility by citing independent reviews of their offerings.\n

3. Value<\/h3>\nJust like individual consumers, customers in the business realm will only stick with you if your product fulfills their needs, brings value to their company, and helps their employees work better.\n

4. Convenience<\/h3>\nConvenience is core to the customer experience definition. It\u2019s a must at every touchpoint in the customer journey. In the B2B space, end users may not be involved in the research and purchasing stages, but they are certainly involved in what comes next.\n\nDuring implementation and beyond, you will vastly benefit the customer experience if you provide support that is always accessible and convenient.\n

How to put your customer experience definition into action<\/h2>\n\"business\n\nLeaders at the executive level are responsible for integrating their customer experience definition into the business strategy.\n\nDoing so requires a carefully articulated vision, often a new governance model, and accountability.\n

Vision<\/em><\/h3>\nBusinesses need to take a deliberate and strategic approach to customer experience. It is not enough to simply list it as one of many goals. Instead, top leadership should embed their vision of the optimal customer experience in the overall business strategy, in which every department and employee plays an important role.\n\nYour customer experience vision should be clear and meaningful. It should answer the questions:\n