I have a PGCE in Management, a DMS, and an MBA, and no where can I find a usuable definition of "Customer Experience", yet each of us refers to it every day in our work. Six Sigma provides at least a measurable view, but how do we define and translate this to our people, our customers, and our wider Organisations> I am beginning to believe that one of the reasons why the Customer Experience is so poor across disparate industries in the UK, is because its badly or inconsistently defined in the first instance. So, Learned Colleagues......How Do YOU define "The Customer Experience"?

Don't make this more complicated than it has to be... "Customer Experience" is just what it says... the experience a customer has when dealing with your business. The means, from the initial contact, whether browsing in a store or on a web page, to the inquiries made regarding product or service, to the actual purchase of product or service, to the post-sale follow-up. Each interaction between a customer and your business amount to what Jan Carlzon called "Moments of Truth" in his excellent book by the same name.

The reason you can not find a usable definition of the term throughout your academic experience is because customer experience is not defined by academics, or even by know-it-all consultants like myself ;~)

The customer experience is defined, each and every time, by the customer. And one customer's definition is going to be different from the next. That is why my definition of The Golden Rule of Customer Service is not "Treat each customer the way you, yourself, wish to be treated," but rather "Treat each customer the way that THEY wish to be treated."

I hope this helps a little bit...

- Chuck
AngryCustomerExpert.com