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There's some confusion between customer service and experience.
I know I've contributed to it. For years, I've talked about having a customer service vision—a shared definition of outstanding service that gets everyone on the same page—as the cornerstone of a customer-focused culture.
Yet I've recently started calling it a customer experience vision.
One reason is I wrote The Service Culture Handbook from a customer service perspective, but the concepts apply equally well to customer experience. Book Authority put the book at #14 on its list of best customer experience books of all time.
Customer feedback has also shaped my thinking.
I've heard from hundreds of business leaders who are working on their vision statements. The place where most people get stuck is thinking too much about their service, and not enough about their customers' experience.
So here's why you need a customer experience vision, whether you're focused on experience or just customer service.
What's the difference between service and customer experience?
A lot of customers talk about service and experience interchangeably. That's okay for customers, but it's limiting for business leaders.
Customer service is the assistance a company provides to help people buy or use its products. Customer experience is the sum of all interactions a customer has with a company.
I'm writing this from my favorite local coffee shop. The barista provides great customer service by being cheerful, quickly making drinks, and calling people when their drink is ready.
The coffee shop provides a great experience by having strong wifi, ample seating, and music at just the right level to help you feel vibrant, yet focused. The parking lot outside, which is entirely out of the coffee shop's control, is also part of my experience when I come here.
You’ll miss a lot if you own the coffee shop and you only focus on making sure your baristas are friendly, efficient, and helpful. Here’s a more in-depth explanation that highlights additional differences between the two concepts.
Why do we need a customer experience vision?
In a word, silos.
They plague companies big and small. People tend to approach their jobs with a very narrow focus, especially if they don't have regular customer contact. Marketing does marketing, operations does operations, service does service, etc.
Here's an example of someone who technically did their job correctly, but completely missed the big picture.
A customer experience vision gets everyone on the same page. It describes the type of experience you want your customer to have, and provides a beacon for everyone to work towards.
Product Development
Manufacturing
Marketing
Operations
Customer Service
Even finance, human resources, and IT departments, teams that don’t traditionally talk to customers, can become customer-focused when they operate under a common vision.
Why change the name to a customer experience vision?
Focusing on customer experience creates a better statement, even if you're just writing your vision for a customer service team. There are three qualities of an outstanding vision:
Simple and easily understood.
Focused on customers.
Reflects both who we are now and who we aspire to be in the future.
Many leaders have told me they struggled with the second part, keeping it focused on customers. People naturally default to thinking of themselves, even when writing a vision statement.
For example, one small business owner recently told me his team was stuck on adjectives that describe customer service such as helpful, friendly, and efficient. My advice was to reframe the discussion to think about why you are doing those things.
Here are a few examples:
The vision at food distribution company, KeHE, is "We serve to make lives better." The company tries to improve the lives of all its stakeholders through the distribution of fresh, natural, organic, and specialty foods.
Equipment financing company, GreatAmerica, defines its vision as, "We help our customers achieve greater success." The company's primary customers are office equipment dealers, and GreatAmerica is trying to help those businesses become more successful.
The USS Midway Museum is a retired naval aircraft carrier that has been rated as the top tourist attraction in San Diego. The customer experience vision at the Midway is "Preserve the historic USS Midway and the legacy of those who serve; Inspire and Educate future generations; and Entertain our museum guests." The people who work there are passionate about educating people on what it was like to serve on the ship.
Aren't they really the same thing?
Fundamentally, yes. There's no difference between a good customer experience vision or a customer service vision. In fact, the process for writing one is exactly the same.
You can still call it a customer service vision if you want. Depending on the audience in front of me, I will too.
Keep in mind that companies already use other statements as their customer experience or customer service vision:
Mission
Corporate vision
Values
Brand slogan
Customer service motto
Whatever you call it, focusing on your customer's experience makes it better.
Take Action
Here are a few resources to help you write your vision statement.
Use this step-by-step guide
Refer to chapter three of The Service Culture Handbook
Watch this short how-to video (LinkedIn Learning access may be required)