Circle Insights

The bridge between Customer Experience and Brand

Authors
Kulvin Kailey
Email

It’s no surprise that customer experience has long been a priority for brands. There’s an overwhelming supply of research out there which demonstrates the importance and value of investing in CX; IBM found that businesses that prioritise CX see a 3x increase in their revenue.

However, one of the interesting differentiators between those who are really ‘winning’ in this space and those who are playing catch-up is the perception of the role of CX within brand development and communications. Whilst brand touchpoints are usually considered across ATL, TTL, BTL and POS, the reality is that brands are not just experienced within comms – they are engaged with across every touchpoint, platform or environment that a prospect or customer may find themselves in. A person should feel a seamless relationship with your brand, and with each interaction comes a wealth of information to harness and share within the business.

Where brands are losing out

Many businesses operate with marketing and customer experience departments that work independently of each other – the former focused on impressions and engagement metrics and the latter responsible for conversion optimisation and customer satisfaction. The gulf exists because these objectives are isolated, but both departments can offer invaluable information which supports the development of a cohesive customer and brand experience.

Demonstrating and measuring your values

Looking beyond customer experience ‘hygiene factors’ and conversion metrics allows you to build the right environment for your brand to flourish by having a bespoke approach to demonstrating your values. For an insurance brand, this could be the recognition and delivery of empathy and integrity when dealing with claims.

For an automotive brand this could be the sentiment of luxury and special attention that comes from purchasing an expensive new car. The whole brand falls down when these moments don’t live up to expectations, so these values should be present in all interactions, not just in communications.

Learning from the front line

Passing information back upstream is key to ensuring your brand is living up to the promise it sells. Customer reviews, call-centre recordings, satisfaction surveys, wait times and issue resolution rates are examples of information sources that would typically paint a picture of whether your brand is being perceived through the positive lens that is promised in communications.

Audiences will see straight through promises which are made but not kept to. Differentiating yourself in communications is only worthwhile if those differences are experienced when new customers (and existing ones) interact with you. If these are not present, audiences won’t stick around – they decided to give you a chance, so they can do the same for others just as quickly.

Operationally, your teams should be setup to interface and share regularly. Objectives and KPIs should straddle multiple teams and include metrics which govern your values, not just your bottom line.

Start bridging the gap 

At CACI, we’re experienced in helping leading brands deliver a seamless customer experience.  If you’re ready to start bridging the gap between your customer experience and brand but don’t know where to begin, our team of consultants can help you create a customer strategy and customer marketing solutions that deliver.

Contact us now
Authors
Kulvin Kailey
Email