Why Clarity is so important For CX Professionals

I have been working in the CX industry for about 20 years. From running the customer database at John Lewis, through to my current role of founding partner at C3 Partners, where all we do is CX.

It took 20 years but one thing I have come to realise is that clarity about the simple things customer expect is the most important part of being a CX professional. Many organisations lack that clarity.

Most customers are not that demanding; they just want the product or service that they are paying for, If you can deliver some extra value along the way they will be jubilant.

So if it that simple why do we make such a song and dance about it as CX professionals? But of course, there are millions of customer and they are all unique you may say. Well, that's true but they may be more alike than you think.

Having spent many years talking to customers in Voice of the Customer workshops, I have come to realise that customer needs break down into a simple hierarchy:



So it's possible to understand our customers by applying this simple method of categorisation. Once you have done that you know the things you have to get right every time, the Basics. You know the things that can add value and your customers will appreciate and notice.

I want to make a point about delighters. Customers find it difficult to define a delighter If you ask them. When they do talk about delighters, they are typically describing 'nice to haves' or innovation. To be truly a delighter it has to be unexpected, hence the customers difficulty in defining it. When I hear an organisation state it's CX goals as delighting customer I wonder if they understand the subject.

In my next posting, I'll explain how you can understand the customer more clearly by breaking down the Basics hierarchy.