Defining Customer Experience

I've been tracking a discussion in which customer experience practitioners are attempting to define "customer experience," which is likely worthwhile because it's a nebulous concept.   I haven't, however, contributed to the discussion thus far because participants are trying to cram as much information into the definition as possible, which is never a good thing.

A definition should be reductive - it boils down a concept to its essence.  Exploring the nuances and implications of a concept requires more than a simple definition.    This exploration is both important and valuable, but it must start with a basic definition of the thing to be explored that can be quickly understood.  The more exploration done in the definition, the less useful it becomes as a definition.

Unpacking the Portmanteau

A concept that is composed of other concepts further complicates the task of definition.   That is to say that in order to define "customer experience" we must first understand the definition of "customer" and the definition of "experience."

That is not always the best approach. If you understand the definition of "hot" and the definition of "dog" you still do not understand what is a "hot dog" and are likely led in the wrong direction entirely.

But in the case of "customer experience," I expect that unpacking it can be useful, as neither of the terms is meant in a figurative sense and the primary focus of customer experience is addressing the literal experience of the literal customer.

Customer

I have some reservations about using the word "customer" at all, as it is very restricted and thus insufficient to the practice of customer experience management. In its strictest sense, it means the person or organization that purchases a product.

As practitioners, we attempt to influence every experience by every person who interacts with the brand at any time.   We attempt to influence the perception of the brand prior to and after its purchase, and recognize that this likely involves many people: the person who buys the product is not always the person who authorizes its purchase, not always the person who consumes the product.   And even when it is the same person, we use different terms to indicate different activities in the span of involvement with the brand: they may be a prospect, a shopper, a buyer, a user, a consumer, etc.

There is not a single word in the English language that encompasses all of those roles - and until such a term is coined, we're stuck with the sloppy and nebulous concept of "customer" to include them all.

But at the same time, maybe the traditional definition of "customer" is worthwhile - because when it gets right down to it, the act of purchasing a product is our main objective.   Why is it important for a prospect to have a positive impression of the brand?   Because we hope the positive impression will eventually purchase it.   Why is it important for a consumer to be satisfied by their consumption of the brand?   Because we hope their satisfaction will lead them purchase it again.

Thus considered, it seems to me that the use of the term "customer" is correct after all.    It's not that customer experience practitioners have no concern for people (or a person) in non-purchasing interactions - but that we are essentially interested in their behavior in relation to making a purchase ... which is to say we are essentially interested in them in the role of customer, and their experience in any other role is secondary.  

As such, it can be boiled out of the crucible of definition - when we say "customer" it is implicit we mean all people who interact with the brand at all times.   But at the same time, the fact that these other roles are so often overlooked does seem to indicate a need to mention them specifically in the definition.

Another thing that doesn't need to be stated explicitly in the definition is that "customer" is meant in the singular and plural sense.   We seek to address the individual experience of each customer, and we seek to address the collective experience of all customers.   There are times when this is in conflict (serving one person well means neglecting others), but this too is fertile grounds for consideration in a much longer exploration, which can be done outside of the definition.

Experience

The denotation of "experience" likewise seems initially problematic in that its traditional definition is limited to the events that occur in an interaction.   It is a simple, step-by-step narrative of the things that happen, devoid of thought or emotion.

The practice of customer experience management does begin with the mechanical aspects of an experience, but in order to manage this well, we consider things beyond the efficiency of action and are deeply concerned with what customers think and feel during the process.  There are instances in which we sacrifice efficiency in order to comfort the customer - if anything, that is the part of the experience that is most sorely neglected and needs a champion.

That said, I am led to the conclusion that these aspects of the experience that arise while performing the mechanical actions are implicit and do not need to be elaborated upon in the definition of the term.   If the goal is to reduce the definition to the essence, they too can be tossed out, and left for elaboration in a longer exploration.

But again, I have the sense that the thoughts and emotions of the customer are the primary concern of the customer experience practitioner - to toss them out altogether is again to dismiss a critical and often ignored aspect of customer experience.   And until such time as they are understood and accepted, they bear mentioning.

Finally, there is also the disentanglement of the singular and the plural of "experience."   When we speak of an experience, we are focused on a single interaction, but when we speak of experience (without the "an") we are referring to the amalgamation of all singular experiences related to a brand.

Customer Experience

I have the sense that one final reduction must be made: to separate "customer experience" from "customer experience management."   The former is a something that occurs, regardless of whether any attempt is made to influence it, while the latter focuses on the attempts to influence it in a positive direction.   I'd like to consider the latter separately, and focus for now on "customer experience" alone.

To begin, I will start with a virtually useless tautology:

Customer experience is the experience of a customer in an encounter with a brand.

While that is virtually useless (as promised) it does provide the context in which customer experience is considered (encounters with brands)  and, for now, discusses it in the singular because while practitioners are concerned with every customer and every encounter, customer experience itself occurs in a one-at-a-time fashion.

To improve the definition, I will substitute the description of the characteristics of customer and experience, as considered previously:

Customer experience is the impression made upon an individual in an encounter with a brand prior to, during, and after purchasing a product.

I'm generally satisfied with that as a basic definition, one that captures the essence of the term without going into an unnecessary level of detail.   I am tempted to tinker further with three elements of the definition:

• To explain what is meant by an impression (thoughts, memories, emotions, etc.)
• To explain which individuals might be involved (the shopper, the buyer, the user, etc.)
• To remove as unnecessary the "prior/during/after" elaboration 

But I'll refrain from doing so presently - my sense is that it is possible to elaborate further on "impression" and "individual" after giving the definition, but that the prior/during/after must be included so that the definition gives a proper sense of scope.

Customer Experience Management

I set aside the practice of customer experience management before because it is a separate thing from the experience itself, but in discussions among practitioners, the "management" is often dropped.  That's probably not a good thing for the sake of clarity.  And so, a separate definition:

Customer experience management is the practice of seeking to improve the quality of the impression made upon each individual in each encounter with a brand prior to, during, and after purchasing a product, with the goal of increasing the lifetime value derived from each customer.

This repeats much of what was said about customer experience - which is by choice, as a definition that requires a person to look up the definition of the explanation is vexatious.   It also shifts from the singular to the plural, because practitioners may work on the specific experience of a specific customer at a given time, but are more concerned will all experiences and all customers.  Further, it defines the occupation by indicating the immediate task (to seek to improve) and the ultimate goal (increasing lifetime value).

A Work in Progress

Finally, it's worth mentioning that this is a work in progress, developed for the sake of focusing my own understanding of the concept, and it will likely evolve as my understanding improves - but as it speaks to the essence of the concept, stripping away the unnecessary filigree, I have a sense it may stand.