For Social Customer Experience, Whose Buy-In Really Matters?

Complaints about C-level "ignorance" have softened in the wake of reports that executives are finally recognizing the business impact of the customer experience, but that does not mean customer management professionals feel any less compelled to achieve that buy-in for their social and online customer experience strategies.

To them, the customer satisfaction, sales and marketing benefits of the online experience are obvious. Once the C-level gets on board, everything is golden.

Not quite.

While C-level support is integral to an effective online user experience, it is important to understand the distinction between a platform that offers users what they want in a social or web environment and one that empowers them to achieve their objectives.

"What you need to focus on is whether the platform is helping or hindering the user in accomplishing their task," explains Mick Winters of National Builder Supply.

An online experience must be predicated on user empowerment and that means the customer’s buy-in is pivotal to success. This goes beyond customer insights—businesses cannot simply ask what kinds of interactions a customer wants online—and directly to the nitty-gritty of how the brand actually moves the user through those interactions.

Optimizing the user experience is thus as much of a design challenge as it is a customer-centric one, and businesses must tear down the walls that stand in the way. They must understand what a user wants, how he wants to achieve it and then determine precisely how the platform makes it all possible.

And, do not forget, all customers are different—so flexibility is king.

In this exclusive CustomerManagementIQ.com podcast, Winters reveals the common challenges and solutions for driving an effective online user experience, positioning listeners to reap the rewards that come when businesses not only venture online…but do so correctly.