There are a lot of marketing buzz words that will come and go over time, but every so often we’ll come across an emerging trend with real staying power.

The latest one to make us sit up and pay attention is Customer Experience, or CX in its buzz word form.

CX isn’t a new concept, but what’s interesting about it is the way it is now being applied in modern day marketing.

As the name suggests, CX is the impression or perception your customers have of your brand throughout every stage of their journey with you.

There was a time when businesses would think of CX as simply having a few staff available to assist in-store customers, or positioning an eye-catching display in the front window, but this is no longer case.

CX is fast becoming one of the most important factors to consider in any marketing strategy. It’s all about finding ways to connect with your audience to stimulate emotion, generate action, and build trust in your brand.

Here at Distl, we’re always hungry to learn more about the latest industry trends. That’s why we recently attended the inaugural WAMA (WA Marketing Association) CX: Experience Matters Breakfast Panel.

Surrounded by Perth’s marketing community, our eyes and ears were glued to Peta Maddock (Water Corporation), Susie Davison (HBF) and Danielle Giles (SCITECH) for over an hour and a half as they shared their experiences and expert opinions on CX.

The insights (and delicious breakfast) left our team buzzing with ideas on how we can help businesses further improve their customer experiences.

Here are the key takeaways from the event that have given us food for thought on how we can provide our clients with even more value.

Know your customer by getting to know your customer

You can look at all the data and analytics your heart desires, but if you really want to understand the needs of your target market, you need to speak with (and work with) your customers.

One of the simplest yet most significant takeaways we gained from the panel discussion came from HBF’s head of customer experience Susie Davison.

As part of her onboarding for a previous marketing role in banking, she spent 6 months working at one of their branches in customer service.

Not only did Susie gain a deeper understanding of the day-to-day operations of the company, but she also had the opportunity to speak with customers on a level most executives never experience.

What she learned during that time was invaluable and she used her insights to roll out a slew of successful campaigns that made a meaningful impact on customer satisfaction.

Less 4Ps and more X

Customers have access to all the information they could ever need at the touch of a phone screen. For businesses, this signals a need to shift focus away from what is being communicated to how key messages should be conveyed.

As it’s all about the journey, not just the destination, the traditional marketing principle of the 4Ps (product, place, price, and promotion) is only one part of the equation. Brands also need to consider how they will attract their audience to their digital and/or brick and mortar stores, and how to create a space that will nurture CX throughout the entire customer journey.

CX should be part of everything you do

CX is not just about sales, marketing, or even communications. While each one of these will be strengthened by a good customer experience strategy, CX needs to be integrated into every part of a business.

During the event Q&A, one audience member shared her frustration in her marketing role as she felt there were too many processes to deal with and hoops to jump through.

She later discovered that by incorporating CX strategies into every aspect of her role, she was also able to create better experiences for her colleagues and other key stakeholders in the business.

By applying CX internally, you’re empowering team members and stakeholders to interact with your business in a way that fosters a sense of community and encourages brand advocacy.

How we use CX

At Distl, CX is an important factor we consider when devising strategies for our clients as well as our own business.

We build strong relationships with our clients and take the time to understand their unique customer journeys, enabling us to facilitate positive customer experiences.

From developing user-friendly websites to distributing brand surveys via eDM campaigns, we seek to continually improve customer experiences for our clients.

Your CX strategy

While CX underpins everything we do at Distl, the next step is to develop a CX specific strategic that takes every aspect of your business into account.

Our in-house specialists can work closely with your team to help you gain further insight into your target market and identify ways to enhance your interactions with your customers, as well as your internal team members and key stakeholders.

If you’re interested in exploring CX further and seeing how it could be applied to your brand, get in touch with your account manager or contact us today.