Unveiling the Mystery: Customer Service vs. Customer Experience
Know The Difference Now
Here at LoyaltyLoop we are all about Customer Service and Customer Experience. But what is the difference and why should you consider both for your business?
What is Customer Service?
Customer Service relates to specific interactions a customer has with your business. The interactions might be with a person, a self-service portal, or even from a chat bot.
Regardless of the method, Customer Service is delivered to a customer who has questions, requires help, or is experiencing issues with the product or service being provided.
What is Customer Experience?
Customer Experience is the compilation of all experiences and impressions that your customer gathers while working with your business. It includes all interactions from Customer Service, but also includes all other interactions, including using your product or service, visiting your website, and everything else in their journey as your customer.
You may give great Customer Service and Support, but your product may create a lousy experience. The Customer Experience, not surprisingly, is closely tied to your brand. If you deliver outstanding Customer Experiences, the chances are your brand equity is equally strong.
The main difference between the two is that Customer Service is what you directly provide in support of your customers; and Customer Experience is how they feel about your business and brand throughout (before, during, and after) their journey with you.
It goes without saying that the two go hand in hand - so providing excellent Customer Service is a great way to curate a positive Customer Experience. And the flip side is equally true. If you work to create great Customer Experiences, you'll likely see a reduced need to provide customer support, further driving the positive feelings about your brand.
Measure, Measure, Measure!
How do you know that your customers are having a positive Customer Experience? You have to measure it! Metrics such as Net Promoter ScoreSM (NPS®) and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) help to put data to how you think your business is performing and give you a benchmark to base your future business decisions on.
Check out this article from Newsweek to learn even more about Customer Service and Experience.