Some people may not view the metal chair as a hindrance, but let’s get real – the chair itself is just an analogy for what REALLY matters – great customer experiences.

Part of understanding what great customer experience entails, requires you to sit in your own customer’s chair for a while. Seeing your world through their eyes and really thinking about what it is that drives them to make the choices they do. Good or bad (for you).

metalchairManaging perceptions and meeting expectations makes for a successful brand. This loosely translates to: “listen and learn”. Listen to what your customer is telling you in your feedback mechanisms (if you don’t yet have feedback mechanisms in place then you need to go back to ‘start’).

Take that feedback and work it into your customer enhancement strategy by enriching their experiences with you. It will pay dividends every time.

Measure the service you give versus the service received. If there is a gap, close it. Quickly. Customers are spoilt for choice and very seldom will they wait around for you to get your feedback ducks in a row.

2015 is touted as the year of the customer, with good reason. According to Deloitte, 82% of brands are convinced that positive customer experiences (CX) will be the competitive edge. And this is increasing. Gartner also states that by 2016 89% of companies surveyed will compete primarily on customer experience with this trumping product and price by 2020.

Savvy companies understand that this is not seasonal and enhancing customer experiences continually based on customer insights will set them apart and place them at the top of the customer’s mind. A prime piece of brain-estate.

But, this is all paying lip-service if it doesn’t actually translate to money in your back pocket. Traditionally customer experience was touted as a “must-do” and not necessarily a “need-to-do”. But as you may already have read, 2015 and beyond promises to change this perception by management and the results are showing.