We all have a love-hate relationship with business conversations. On the one hand, it offers a standard set of terms that allow us to communicate effectively and there is no denying that it saves a lot of time. The problem with companies is that while it helps get everyone on the same page, it can also be misleading. Especially when two terms sound very similar and are often used interchangeably. This is the case of Customer engagement and customer experience.
Both are extremely important in establishing healthy and symbiotic relationships between the brand and the customer, but this would only be useful when the right goals are set and the action plan is determined to match the right term. Do you want to know what customer engagement and customer experience encompass and how they differ? Don’t miss this post!
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Customer Experience Management Guide
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Differences between customer engagement and customer experience
We tend to overestimate our knowledge. So here’s a little quiz to see if you know the difference between customer experience and customer engagement:
If a customer writes a review about your brand saying they enjoyed the latest campaign which contributed to the overall “fun” vibe of the company, we think: is it appropriate to describe this as a customer engagement or customer experience?
A customer success representative contacts an existing customer to ask them to rate their last social media interaction with the brand. Is this an example of customer engagement or customer experience?
Finally, a brand sends a survey to several customers, asking them to describe their perception of the company in one word. Which term best describes the ultimate goal of this practice, customer engagement or customer experience?
Now, let’s take a step-by-step look at what each means.
Customer Engagement
The term “customer engagement” is most often used to describe direct customer interaction with the brand. This can be initiated by the customers themselves. For example, by contacting the brand’s customer service, visiting a place or mentioning them in a Tweet.
Trademarks can also limit customer engagement to in-store interactions and mandatory customer satisfaction audits, such as surveys and point-of-sale promotions. However, it can hurt long-term brand loyalty and customer experience. Therefore, it is important to consider opportunities for customer engagement throughout their journey with the brand.
With the adoption of social media by most big brands and small businesses, the best practice for customer engagement is to interact with customers in a way that relates to their daily lives. This is facilitated by social media channels, which allow brands unrestricted access to customers and their daily lives.
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In addition to open lines of communication, social media offers the benefits of analytics, which helps brands focus on their target audience and discover the effectiveness of their messages. For example, social customer service, additional real-time output for problem solving and improvement suggestions for customers.
Social media campaigns can help increase brand awareness and reward customer loyalty, and more.
Client experience
While customer engagement typically happens at certain touchpoints, such as upselling, satisfaction tracking, and if good, regular check-ins on the brand’s social channels, the customer experience describes the individual impression of the brand after all these encounters. The customer experience is built throughout the customer journey and includes all stages of this journey, from the first acquaintance to the end of the relationship with the brand.
It involves so many stages of the customer journey that customer experience management is a science in itself. If you are an SME owner or manage part of the customer experience, knowledge is the key differentiator for your brand.. This involves knowing your customer base, your products and services and creating a unique brand culture.
The widespread adoption of social media for customer engagement actually allows businesses of any size to develop a marketing strategy. customer experience management which is effective and easy, depending on the budget.
Determine which profile will be used to showcase company culture and which will be used primarily to tell stories behind new products or services. Of course, all of your channels should be used for customer engagement, but you can go one step further and create a separate help account that specializes in customer inquiries and troubleshooting.
Finally, your social media channels are a great way to bolster your email marketing strategy, whether you use them for newsletter distribution or customer experience surveys.
The main difference between customer engagement and customer experience
Although these terms are often used interchangeably, the difference between them can make or break your brand’s reputation. The customer experience is an emotional connectionor how the customer perceives your brand, and that’s something you can’t control.
However, we can help you shaping customer experience through customer interaction. Beyond the point of sale. For example, via social networks, regular surveys and questionnaires, targeted advertising campaigns, etc. All the examples mentioned fall under the category of customer engagement.
What did you think of this article on customer engagement and customer experience? Leave your comments and share!
Finally, if you are interested in the evolution of user interaction and are deepening your knowledge or specializing in customer experience, we recommend the Post-graduation in UX with which you will acquire the skills necessary to become an expert in customer experience and data analysis. We are waiting for you!
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