Building a customer-centric organization is no walk in the park. It takes determination and commitment. But most of all it takes informed decision making. Developing and managing the customer experience is a multifaceted process which depends on many factors. Your most important job as a customer experience professional is to be aware of all those factors because, one way or another, they determine success. Daunting as the task may sound, you need to keep track of data, analyze it and act on it. Data is the fastest way to an exemplary customer experience. So, how do you build a knowledge base?
Let’s start with the basics. There are many different types of knowledge which come from different sources. It would be a waste of time to analyze all different types of knowledge. So, for now, let’s accept the fact that knowledge is information. In the context of customer experience, information comes in the form of data. And, when you accumulate data and analyze it you can build a knowledge base and make data-driven decisions. Following that train of thought, if you have access to data you have access to knowledge.
Knowledge, gained from experience and unique insight, is a primary competitive advantage for your company. In that context, data holds the power to deliver critical insights regarding:
Your customers
It is evident why you need to have information on your customers. They call the shots and can make or break your business. Metrics such as the Net Promoter Score (NPS) or the Customer Effort Score (CES) provide insights on the customer’s perception of your company. Tracking those metrics overtime gives you a better understanding of your customers and the steps you should take to maximize satisfaction. The same thing goes for a voice of the customer program. Voice of the customer data tells you all you need to know about the customer journey across all touchpoints of interaction between current and potential customers and your company.
Your employees
You cannot achieve or sustain high customer loyalty without focusing on the employee experience. After all, they are at the forefront of the customer experience and they need to have access to information to address customer service issues, perform daily tasks, and gain insights on workforce collaboration. Additionally, is your responsibility to keep your employees happy and engaged. Metrics such as the employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) can give you a better understanding on employee engagement and how to maintain it.
Your product or service
Regardless of the type of industry you find yourself in, one thing is for sure. You have to deliver a great product or service that addresses the needs of your customers. If you fail to do that, you will lose your customers to your competitors. This is where feedback comes into play. Customer feedback is a source of critical information that can help you improve your product and gain a competitive advantage. A cross-company integration of feedback insight is necessary for product developers and designers to understand how customers feel about already developed products, and, more importantly, what these customers want to see in future products.
In the customer experience world you are constantly a student. Your goal is to gather information and use it to make your customers happy.