One of the most successful (and maligned) songs ever recorded was 1974’s “Feelings”. Written and recorded by Brazilian Morris Albert, its success was offset by a number of ongoing parodies.
Yet feelings are critical to how consumers evaluate the companies they interact with. Noted industry speaker Mike Wittenstein has developed a very simple and profound definition of customer experience. “What a company does FOR you, what it’s processes do TO you, and how that make you FEEL”.
Companies like Cisco provide solutions that ultimately help generate those feelings for consumers and businesses worldwide. In describing how those feelings come to be, often times companies will describe their solution in a way I refer to as “what it is”, versus “what it does”. Consumers like to see and touch the item they are purchasing. Conversely businesses sell their products the same way. What’s really occurring is consumers are buying the outcome the product delivers. Therefore, businesses should be offering products in the context of the outcome they create.
Because of this “is vs. does” dynamic, industry terms like omnichannel arise in an attempt to describe a complex problem that companies face. Unfortunately, the term falls into the “is” versus “does” trap. And “omnichannel” doesn’t evoke strong positive feelings – the goal of any customer experience.
Rather it appears that consumers are looking more to be “connected” with, to, and through their suppliers. And when they do connect, it is increasingly via a digital asset – such as a web browser, a smart phone, or business messaging. They are looking for an experience that drives a positive emotion for them. And a process that encourages a tighter relationship with their suppliers. One of the best ways for companies to deliver a positive experience is for them to be connected themselves – with the information and context gained throughout the customer journey, inherent in their customer care processes.
Connected Digital Experience – an example of what “does” work. Look for more from Cisco as we deliver on this promise in the weeks and months ahead.
Follow Cisco SVP Chief Digital Officer Kevin Bandy’s blogs and see what Cisco is thinking about in the digitization era.
Zack – Excellent article on omni-channel contact centers! I particularly like how you wove in your music interests to make the topic more understandable to those that don’t totally get it!
Now our challenge is to help our Cisco and FOX GROUP IT clients understand the important and value to an organization of customers being connected when helping them develop their next generation customer technology strategies and architectures!
Look forward to future blogs on this important topic!