Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Size of Market
B2C
mass audience.
Buyer Profile
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES
Buyer Relationship
Firm-to-firm relationship.
Firm-to-buyer relationship.
Customer
Touchpoints
Account Ownership
customer experience.
Service Model
Metrics
value).
efficiencies.
sales.
optimization.
While the observations on the previous page may rise from some significant generalizations, the specific
challenge for B2B organizations to develop leading-edge service still looms larger than it does in B2C
organizations. The challenge involves tracking a more complex customer journey and delivering a consistent
experience at each touchpoint thats in line with what customers say they value most. While defining and
executing a uniquely positive customer experience may be more difficult in B2B organizations, it doesnt mean
that the tools used successfully in B2C organizations will not succeed in B2B organizations as wellor that the
payback will not be equivalent or even greater.
Guiding Principles
Here are a few ideas for things to do as a B2B organization focusing on the customer experience journey:
Define the things your most valuable customers value most and understand how each department,
team, and individual is to deliver these things at every key touchpoint with these customers.
Connect teams to the customer. The added complexity of the many different interactions the B2B process
involves only signifies that the teams connected to the customer at any given touchpoint must be aligned
and united in their effort to deliver a clear value proposition. Often it seems that back-office functions
impose service-level agreements that force the front line to dictate terms to the customer that invoke the
way we work as a companynot the way we serve you as a customer, according to what we know
about whats important to you. In some cases huge gains are made by breaking departments up and
reconnecting the component parts as localized end-to-end customer units that focus on discrete customer
segments. The net effect of this process, based on our experiences with a financial services client
company, is to create customer touchpoints that are delivered by cross-functional teams working together
in a connected and coherent way. The teams understand, take responsibility for, and deliver on delighting
the customer.
Give people the skills, knowledge, and understanding they need to execute the right behaviors
consistently. Share your own explicit understanding of the customer company and its situation, instilling
confidence in your employees to champion the customer company in your own organization.
The average business is currently expected to lose 50 percent of its customers every 5 years.1 The case for
creating powerful long-term customer relationships based on valuable service experiences has never been
stronger. Theres no doubt that customer experience poses a tough challenge in the B2B marketplace in terms
of execution, but it also offers a huge potential to create market advantage.
Endnote
1
Fred Reichheld, The Loyalty Effect, Harvard Business School Press, 2001.
Authored by:
Andrew Shapiro, Executive Consultant