Customer Service vs Customer Experience

What is customer experience?

Last week Forbes posted this article that tried to identify the difference between customer service and customer experience. The article sets up the debate by defining customer service as “the bare-bones transaction between a customer and a company” and customer experience as “the complete opposite”. But what does this mean in real terms?

We are in an interesting time in terms of customer service and customer experience. In the heyday of the British high street there was only one customer journey, and every shop on the high street would compete to provide the best version of it. Today, there are many different customer journeys each providing a unique experience for the customer.

So What’s the Difference?

Just like the article says, in its rawest form, customer service is a transaction between the business and the customer. It is this very raw form of customer service that customers experience today when they shop online. When shopping online the customer’s experience is minimal as they are simply directed through the website to the point of sale. 3 to 5 days later their purchase arrives. Providing the transaction and delivery goes to plan, there is no further interaction needed between the business and the customer.

For some products, this is acceptable. Dotcom giants like amazon have thrived based on this level of service. It is cost effective for the business, and it is efficient for the customer. But what happens when the customer wants a greater customer experience than this?

Choosing Customer Experience

Often, a customer will want to talk to a real person. It could be because of a complicated or high value purchase, or it could be because the customer is traditional and expects a traditional customer experience. Many businesses, especially ecommerce companies, simply don’t have the infrastructure or the skill set required to provide an effective customer experience, and could miss out on sales as a consequence. For these businesses outsourcing call handling is an effective way to improve customer experience.

At CALLCARE we specialise in providing outsourced customer service lines that can help maximise customer journey in any sector. Our highly trained staff have the skillset needed to provide a superlative customer experience every time your clients call your business. Customer service can be outsourced completely to CALLCARE, or we can provide a blended solution where we integrate with your existing team to provide overflow and out of hours support.

Find out more by calling us today or by filling in the contact form.

Posted by Gemma Harding

As Head of Client Services, Gemma is an expert in the customer service industry. With over 20 years of experience in the call handling process she will guide your organisation to an improved customer service strategy. Hobbies include all thing equestrian.

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