A successful business must operate with user experience (UX) and customer experience (CX) in mind.
Both UX and CX are vital to customer retention and brand perception.
Understanding the differences between UX and CX is vital for a better overall experience, leading to more business success.
What is customer experience?
Customer experience is all customer interactions with your business, including products and services. It includes every user’s interactions from the beginning to the end of the customer journey.
For example, if a customer is buying a product from you, CX starts way before the customer makes a purchase and is more than just how a customer feels when using your product. The ease of use of your website, the effectiveness of your social media posts, the accessibility of your customer service, and the quality of the long-term relationship formed with your business are all components of the customer experience.
CX also focuses on how your customers feel about your brand. At each customer touchpoint, you can improve your customers’ perception of you. They want to feel connected to your brand and like you understand and respect their needs.
What is user experience?
User experience is the user’s engagement with a product or service before, during, and after using it. It is a personal experience that customers go through.
To illustrate, consider a customer who wants to buy your product from your website. If the customer perceives the buying process to be lengthy, intricate, and confusing, they are bound to have a negative UX. However, a smooth, hassle-free purchase will result in a positive experience. Your user interface (UI) designers can ensure that the design and layout of digital screens and related elements such as buttons, fonts, and colors are eye-pleasing and easy to read. Customers are more likely to choose platforms that provide this excellent user experience.
User experience exists at three different levels.
The single interaction level pertains to the individual’s experience utilizing a sole device to execute a particular task.
The journey level involves the individual’s overall encounter in striving towards a specific objective, potentially using multiple interaction avenues or devices to complete it.
The relationship level includes all interactions between the individual and the organization, spanning the entirety of the customer association.
When designing for UX, businesses often use an information architecture document, an operational roadmap for how a digital product behaves and functions for users. The document is a blueprint highlighting the product’s content, interactions, and behaviors.
Although product functionality remains essential, the significance of UX has grown tremendously. Excellent UX can serve as a distinguishing factor in a crowded market.
The better the digital experience and product usability offered, the more likely customers are to choose one product over another.
The difference between CX and UX
Although CX and UX use personas and human-centered research to understand people’s needs, the experiences differ and have specific levels of interactions.
UX and CX have a fundamental distinction. UX revolves around the individual who utilizes the product or service, known as the end user, while CX centers on the customer. Although customers may also use the product or service, they often purchase it for someone else.
The benefits of CX and UX
There are benefits to CX and UX that involve making a person’s experience better.
An effective digital user experience empowers the user/customer to effortlessly and quickly locate information on a website, accomplish a desired task, and easily explore web pages.
A quality customer experience offers the user/customer the opportunity to enjoy pleasurable, clear communication with your business and have a positive perception of the entire experience with the business.
Tips for improving customer experience and user experience
Improving Customer Experience
According to a recent survey of customers by Hubspot, over half of the respondents said a primary factor for a good customer experience is when the service team is quick to respond. This statistic shows that a great product or service alone doesn’t lead to customer satisfaction.
You can have a CX designer use metrics to determine the success of your CX and whether or not customers will buy from you again. For example, your net promoter score (NPS) is a predictor of business growth and a measure of customer loyalty. It is calculated by asking customers, “On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this product/company to a friend or colleague?.” You should ask for further customer feedback, especially if they score below 7. Then, you can use the following tips to create the seamless experience customers desire to increase your retention rate.
Dedicate a clear focus on customer experience and distribute data to your team. All employees should have the information they need to create a good customer experience. Make customer information readily available to all employees so that customers feel known and do not have to explain their pain points repeatedly.
Have your marketing team plan campaigns so that they speak to your customers’ wants and needs. They can use customer feedback to make adjustments.
Improving User Experience
To improve the user experience, enlist a UX designer who understands your target audience. Take a visual approach to your website, focusing on readability and straightforward navigation.
Good UX design ensures that your site is responsive on all devices, and this strategy will put your site in a better position for solid SEO.
You can test users to see their thoughts when using your website. Usability testing, for example, involves having users carry out specific actions on your interface while verbalizing their thought processes. This one-on-one approach allows you to identify any potential areas of difficulty or confusion for the user and determine the underlying reasons behind them.
StatenWeb’s successful approach to CX vs. UX
At StatenWeb, we guide you through best practices for the end-to-end process of CX and UX for your business. Through our services, you will understand the differences between CX and UX and how they are also connected.
If you are ready, book a meeting with us today to help you recognize your customers’ needs. You can drive brand loyalty with your target audiences, no matter what the competition has to offer.