A customer experience (CX) practice doesn’t replace a customer relationship management (CRM) strategy, according to a new report from the International Data Corporation (IDC).
“Placing the customer at the center of business decisions is at the heart of a CX-driven company philosophy,” Mary Wardley, VP of CRM Applications and Customer Experience at IDC, said in the MaturityScape: Customer Experience report. “CRM is a component of the much larger umbrella of customer handling or experience. In addition, the CX practice must be balanced and supported by the employee, partner, and supplier experiences.”
MaturityScape report says that, while customer experience initiatives are on the rise within end-user organizations, a true, robust CX strategy requires clear directives from management, the support of the culture, a commitment to give the strategy an opportunity to become engrained, and for all employees, partners, and suppliers to embrace it.
What’s more, the report says that market differentiation is defined by “who” an organization is and “how” it interacts with its prospects and customers. Enhancing an organization’s “persona” and responding to the need to provide a superior customer experience are leading many organizations to rethink how they engage with their customers, employees, partners and suppliers.
The report provides guidance for organizations of all sizes interested in maximizing the benefits derived from building a culture focused on customer experience. What’s more, the report identifies the stages, measures, outcomes and actions companies need to develop an effective customer experience strategy and competencies in a holistic, organizational customer experience workflow.