Challenges of Total Customer Experience (TCX): Measurement beyond Touchpoints

Abstract

Customer Experience (CX) is an already known term and is usually measured at one or more "touchpoints", which are direct and indirect interactions between a customer and a company. Most companies typically use touchpoint measurements as a representation for the Total Customer Experience (TCX). However, one can argue that this representation is inadequate since CX is also determined by what is experienced before, between and after touchpoints, which defines the whole customer journey. This paper discusses the adequacy of TCX measured only through touchpoints and investigates the challenges of (a) defining, (b) modelling and measuring, and (c) managing and improving TCX. First, TCX definition challenges are discussed and a new definition of TCX is proposed, considering the four phases that characterise the whole customer journey that are Initiation, Touchpoints, In-between Touchpoints and Finalization. Second, the challenges of modelling and measuring TCX are addressed and a new TCX model that measures emotions is proposed and explained through a fictitious case example. Third, three challenges for managing and improving TCX are discussed and a new way to manage and improve the TCX performance in a company is presented and applied by using the developed TCX model and the case example.

Digital customer experience: the risk of ignoring the non-digital experience

“…How the consumer judges his experience during the customer journey depends on his expectations of what is to come from the firm, and the interactions the customer has before, during and after the journey. In delivering meaningful experiences, firms will benefit from applying the customer journey method and taking the peak-end rule into consideration [38][39][40][41].…”

“…Using different providers in a firm's value chain, customers want a IJIEM perfect and consistent shopping experience, and a superior customer value. This requires total integration of all aspects of the supply chain and integration of the activities in the different channels [40]. The main benefit and main challenge of the new omnichannel environment is to create immediate access throughout all channels, not only to gain insight into new customer experience-driven behaviour patterns, but also to deliver corresponding experiences [43].…”

“…To increase the value for the customer, companies should rethink how they want their customers to experience doing business with them, not focusing solely on what tasks employees do, but also considering how those tasks are performed [50]. Next, whatever the genre of output, many companies wisely leverage digital technology in order to better fuse the physical with the digital channel [40,50]. More and more people are bringing their technological devices -iPods, iPhones, iPads and so onwith them wherever they go, diverting their time, attention and money with always just a glance and a warm glowing trance away from remaining just with the experience.…”

“…This does not imply that companies should abandon the physical and 'real' channel, for it will now and forevermore provide the richest of experiences; but with increasing migration to digital, the need is to integrate both realms to create new, novel experiences which were never envisioned before [51]. In some cases, this may require greater integration of the digital into the physical; in other cases, it may mean removing digital devices intrusive to the face-to-face experience [40]. A focus on digital CX may seem myopic because it has been demonstrated that indirect experiences in apps play an important role in the holistic service experience.…”

The Impact of Perceived Advertising Creativity on Behavioural Intentions and Quality Perceptions in Mass Customization

“…Customers derive benefits from the possession of the customized product and from the experience of customizing the product itself [15]. What makes the experience during the customization process from need awareness to finalization [16] valuable to the customer is twofold: First, the gamification of the process [15], which results in benefits that derive from the pure experience of customizing a product even if the process is not completed [17] because it allows customers to "come up with new and creative combinations" [18, p. 127], and second, the pride of authorship [14] that leads to creative-achievement benefits when the customization is completed and the customer felt that he or she had control over the process [17]. The benefits that are obtained from the possession of customized products can also be grouped in different categories: utilitarian benefits, such as better fit and increased comfort, the facilitation of self-expression, and the assertion of personal distinctiveness and uniqueness [15,19,20,21].…”