Gartner research: how to improve customer experience

Customer experience (CX) refers to the overall impression a customer has when interacting with a company that provides a service or sells a product.

A recent Gartner study revealed that 81% of CX leaders believe their companies are competing primarily or to a large extent based on customer experience management. However, only half of them can justify the impact of CX on business outcomes. 48% of respondents say their CX efforts exceed management expectations, but only 22% of companies confirm that their work surpasses customer expectations.

Ogi Ray, Research Director at Gartner, comments on the findings: “Many companies understand the importance of CX for their brand but struggle to fully meet or exceed customer expectations. This highlights the growing need for new approaches to working with people. Leading brands in CX focus on customer satisfaction. What sets them apart is their understanding of how customer satisfaction is linked to positive financial and business results.”

The Customer Experience Pyramid – a Gartner technology for improving CX – helps assess and develop a plan to enhance CX. It enables understanding of what has the most significant impact on customer experience.

Figure 1: The Consumer Experience Pyramid. Gartner’s Technology for Improving CX. Source: Gartner

The degree of influence is divided into five levels, increasing from the bottom to the top depending on how well the company “feels” and understands customer needs, and how it responds to them. Gartner suggests answering the following questions to analyze CX:

• What serves as the “trigger” for CX (how and from what point does the interaction with the customer begin)?

• What level of effort is required from the customer in their interaction with the company?

• Is the solution to the customer’s request comprehensive?

• What emotion does the customer experience as a result of interacting with the company, and how does their perception of the company change?

To not just solve the customer’s current issues but exceed their expectations, Gartner recommends going through the five key stages (levels) of interaction:

1. Level of Communication: Provide customers with relevant information in a timely manner and in a way that is convenient for them.
2. Level of Sensitivity: Quickly and effectively resolve customer issues, while balancing customer expectations with company goals.
3. Level of Loyalty: Understand customer needs and offer tailored solutions so they feel special in your eyes.
4. Level of Proactivity: Offer solutions to customer needs before they even ask.
5. Level of Relationship Evolution: Make the customer feel more comfortable, secure, and successful.

The pyramid serves as a filter for reviewing customer touchpoints throughout the entire lifecycle of their interaction with the company.

When using this technology, Gartner recommends following three steps:

1. Assess your capabilities: Ensure that you fully understand the real needs and expectations of your customers, not just their perception of the current offerings from your company.

2. Create or refine the customer touchpoint map: Focus on the key touchpoints with customers and move up to the higher levels of the pyramid. Consider how you can strengthen and improve the customer experience in the areas of selection, purchase, usage, and brand loyalty.

3. Evaluate the results of your efforts in CX comprehensively: Use a variety of performance metrics to assess your efforts, not just the typical financial results.

This article is based on materials from Gartner.