What is the difference between Customer Experience and Customer Service

Whilst both disciplines are ultimately responsible for increasing customer satisfaction and improving the organisation’s profitability, there are key differences between them.

To illustrate from the customer/client’s point of view:

The customer walks into the shop and is immediately welcomed by a member of staff who offers them a basket (shoppers who carry a basket round a shop spend 13% more on average).

They select a few items from the shop and proceed to pay for them at the checkout. The staff member checks that the customer was able to find everything, processes the sale and thanks them for their custom before saying farewell.

How Customer Experience were involved

The decision to place a member of staff near the door and what they say should be determined by customer experience.

The handing out of baskets is also a customer experience strategy.

Customer experience create the process for the checkout experience. They instruct what customers should be asked if the found everything. They should determine where the till goes and what is diplayed on the electronic signage. They should also study the receipt; what it says and how legible it is for the customer. Does it contain returns information?

Finally the manner of thanking of the customer should be directed by the customer experience team. If they didn’t provide guidelines, the staff will choose their own tone and you can read on this blog why “cheers mate” isn’t right. (Don’t call me mate blog post).

Post sale customer experience should be following up with the customer service team and customer to see how the experience went.

How Customer service were involved

Customer service ensured that a staff member was on the door
Customer service ensured that the staff member presented themselves well and understood the correct way to greet customers
Customer service ensured that the store was presentable to the customer and offered help to customers who are browsing
Customer service processed the sale efficiently, politely and most importantly in line with the guidelines set by customer experience

Customer experience is strategy. Customer service is delivery.

Neither function is more important than the other. Both have their place to play and neither function should consider itself more vital than the other. Customer experience teams need to be humble and remember that even if their strategy is poor, the service team can still deliver a top notch experience. The customer service team to need to follow what is set forward by the experience team.

Both parties should work together collaboratively to come up with the best experience for the customer.