You can’t scale the human side of your business if your website isn’t set up to have an organic conversation with your customers. An “organic conversation” in this context can be cultivated by designing a website navigation around customer intentions.

A customer likely has many intentions when using your site. On Monday, they may intend to do one thing; on Wednesday, something else or many things. Knowing what your customers intend to do, and designing your digital property’s navigation around these intentions, promotes “organic” conversation. As a result, your website serves your customers, rather than mirrors your internal company structure.

Read the full article here…

How To Talk With Customers Through Your Website was originally published in CX by Design on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Website navigation is a ubiquitous concept today. Customers expect to find whatever they’re looking for through the links at the top of the “homepage” or in the “hamburger” menu. Frustration sets in quickly when those expectations aren’t met, and they dial customer support.

But what is navigation? Is it for you- the business — to show what you got? Or is it for the customer to get something done?

Read the article here…

What is Website Navigation? was originally published in CX by Design on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

This is Part 3 in the Establishing the Customer Experience series. Part 1 discusses a holistic way to define Customer Experience. Part 2 touches on the elements that make up an experience.

If a customer’s experience is equal to the perceptions they form as they are Doing, Thinking, and Feeling across an interaction, how can you influence those perceptions to be positive towards your business?

A few suggestions:

• Use skills like empathy and active listening to understand your customer’s actions, thoughts, and feelings at each touchpoint with your business.
• Map this understanding in a way that is both easy to digest and act on.
• Use this map to unearth opportunities where your business can better meet the needs and expectations of your customers.

Following the above framework to consistently deliver on meeting (and exceeding) your customers’ needs and expectations at every touchpoint, you’ll soon see magic happening.

Your consistent delivery will change what your customers are Doing, Thinking, and Feeling as they interact with your company.

With these changes in actions, thoughts, and feelings, your customer’s perception of their experience with your business becomes positive.

With this new positive perception, your business gains a loyal customer… and another… and another.

That’s how you influence customer perceptions to be positive towards your business. And, influencing positive customer perceptions is how you establish a superior Customer Experience for your business.

You’ve got this.

As always, if you have any questions, reach out. We’re here to help.

Establishing the Customer Experience: What Does it Mean For Your Business? was originally published in CX by Design on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

This is Part 2 in the Establishing the Customer Experience series. Part 1 discussed a holistic way to define Customer Experience.

What does it mean for a customer to have an experience?

In our first piece, we adopted the definition of customer experience as: “The perception customers have of their interactions with an organization.” [1].

But what, exactly, influences that perception? What are the atomic parts businesses can look at in order to empathize with customers, then unearth and fill gaps in their experience in order to shape that perception into an overall great customer experience?

The answer is simpler than you might think.

The Makings of a Customer’s Experience

Take a moment to consider an every day human experience: a walk to the park. In this thought experiment, what makes up the walker’s experience?

First, there is something they are clearly doing: walking. But, is that all that is happening? Of course not.

They are also probably thinking about something. They may be thinking how nice it is outside. Or, they might be wondering if the park will be busy. Maybe they’re trying to remember if they brought their face mask and hand sanitizer.

During all of this, they’re also probably feeling something. They might be feeling delighted at getting out into the fresh air. Or, maybe they’re feeling anxious that the park will be too busy for them to enjoy their time there.

Their experience going to the park, and the perceptions they’re creating while on that journey, are based on what they are Doing, Thinking, and Feeling.

It is these three simple elements that are the foundations of an experience.

A Business Example

These are the same elements that influence your customers’ perception when interacting with a touchpoint of your business.

Let’s say you’re a bank with robust commercial services.

Imagine a customer trying to open a new checking account through your website. What makes up their experience, influencing their perception of the interaction? The answers lie in assessing what else the customer may be Doing, Thinking, and Feeling.

For example, beyond using your site, they are probably also gathering materials to have handy to make the process smooth. They may be checking other accounts to understand how much money they can use to open the new account.

Next, we look at what they are feeling. Maybe they’re anxious because they need to get this all done in their one free hour a day after their kids are in bed. Or, they may be feeling hopeful that it’s an easy enough process so they don’t have to use tomorrow’s free hour.

Finally, there is what they are thinking. They may be wondering what type of account they should open or what type of fees they should be aware of.

As you can see, there is a lot going on that influences a customer’s perceptions of the interaction.

When you take the time to understand what these actions, thoughts, and feelings are, you can align your business tasks to meet your customer’s needs.

What To Do With Customer Actions, Thoughts, and Feelings

Now that you know the three main aspects that make up a Customer’s Experience, you can begin to understand your customer’s journey through customer research techniques. You can then use your research findings to map and improve your business’s interactions at each customer touchpoint.

We’ll talk about this more in our final piece in this series on Establishing the Customer Experience, but until then, consider what your customers may be Doing, Thinking, and Feeling every time they interact with your business.

And, of course, if you have any questions along the way reach out. We’re here to help.

Establishing the Customer Experience: What Does an Experience Entail? was originally published in CX by Design on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The term “Customer Experience” is not new to you. As a leader who strives to bring Human-Centered thinking to your organization, you’ve probably said the phrase a time or two hundred.

But, we’re willing to bet that your definition of Customer Experience is at least slightly different than the definition others in your company or industry use.

Some of those definitions may look at the customer’s experience solely in relation to websites and software applications. Others may define it in terms of metrics and scores. And still others look to customer service language to provide insight.

The ambiguity is bothersome. It not only divides our internal programs and structures, but it also prevents our businesses from reaching true customer-centricity.

To get started establishing the customer experience, then, requires a more holistic definition.

Read the article…

Establishing the Customer Experience: A Holistic Definition was originally published in CX by Design on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If you build great customer relationships, you’ll build a great business.

This advice is even more important in a post-COVID-19 business world. Why? Because businesses that are human-centered and choose to connect with the people surrounding their business are emerging as clear winners. The connective tissue of these winners is great customer relationships.

The key to creating these relationships starts with your company extending its definition of “customer” beyond that of the end-user of your product or service.

Doing this you’ll recognize that everyone in your business, whether front-facing or not, has a “customer,” someone directly affected by their work. Then, you can help everyone in your company to identify who their customer is. From there, employees can extend your customer experience standards to the people they directly serve.

The result is a web of great customer relationships throughout your business ecosystem.

Read the article…

Redefine “Customer” to Build a Great Business was originally published in CX by Design on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

COVID-19 is not the problem you’re dealing with.

Well, for businesses and gig workers who rely on in-person customer traffic, it is the problem. But, for a lot of businesses, COVID-19 is the trigger that amplified whatever problems your business was actively solving (or ignoring) before the pandemic.

For these businesses, pre-pandemic problems are not gone just because you’re in “survival mode.” They grow stronger as this pandemic winds its way around the globe, accelerating many of the problematic outcomes that would have come to pass at some point in the future.

And yet, as bad as business may be, I can’t help but think: How can you turn your pre-pandemic problems into business opportunities in COVID-19?

The first step is awareness. The next step is action.

Read the article…

Business Opportunities in COVID-19 was originally published in CX by Design on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

One question we hear often, especially during times of crisis, is:

What is the one human-centered practice I can implement in my organization now to create the most impact?

With HCD having such a robust toolkit, the answer potential seems endless. Yet, there is one critical practice we turn to time and again. It doesn’t cost tons of money, nor does it take years to implement. What it does take is some good, old-fashioned discipline and focus. Sounds doable for a curious and passionate business, right?

So, what is this magical Human-Centered practice?

Ensuring the people in your organization speak a shared, customer-first language.

By developing a shared, customer-first language you reorient company communications to be more human-centered. Your teams become motivated around a shared value. The customer’s experience becomes everyone’s responsibility. Barriers between leaders, departments, and employees fall away. Efficiency and quality of experience increase. Best of all, when pitfalls and crises arise, your organization is ready to tackle them, together.

Read the full article here…

Why Your Business Needs a Shared, Customer-First Language was originally published in CX by Design on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Originally, this was meant to be a different post. We wanted to celebrate companies that matter to our daily lives; those meaningful, human-centered businesses that make an impact in their local communities and the world at large.

Then, the world went to sh*t. COVID-19 happened.

As we watched our clients and other businesses across industries struggle to comprehend what COVID-19 means for their business operations, supply chains, and most importantly their people (customers and employees), we noticed a visible line in the sand between businesses who are human-centered in a crisis and those who’ve been reluctant to implement these in the past.

Winners are emerging, even as they’re hurting.

Human-centered, meaningful businesses are faster to take care of their employees and customers in every possible way.

Read the full article here…

How To Be (or Become) Human-Centered in a Crisis was originally published in CX by Design on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It’s no secret that your business contributes to the world beyond just servicing your customers. At no time has this reality been more evident than during the current coronavirus pandemic.

Business leaders are doing their best to keep the lights on while keeping their workforce safe. Grocery store workers and healthcare employees are regarded as heroes. Restaurant owners contemplate what empty seats and city/state regulations mean for their existence. With each new piece of information, come new, and often very dire, consequences.

It’s a brave new world, one we’re walking through together.

To walk this path as a business leader of a meaningful business means being Human-Centered every step of the way.

Doing this will strengthen the ecosystem around your business, helping you provide better value to your customers and your bottom line. It will also ensure you fortify your business as best you can against forces outside of your control.

Read the full article here…

Being Human-Centered to Fortify Your Business was originally published in CX by Design on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.