Integrated Digital First CX Model:  Implications for CX Researchers

In previous posts to this five-part series on building an integrated digital-first service model we discussed

• Matching different waypoints of the customer journey to the channels best suited for the specific waypoint;
• Customer preferences for a financial service provider;
• What customers want from digital channels; and
• Implications for CX researchers.

An integrated delivery channel requires an integration of research methodologies to measure the customer experience.  Researchers should think in terms of exposure and moments of truth as they monitor each waypoint in the customer experience.

Understanding Exposure & Moments of Truth Risks

Digital waypoints with high exposure risk should be tested thoroughly with usability, focus groups, ethnography and other qualitative research to ensure features meet customer needs and are programmed correctly.  Once programmed and tested, they need to be monitored with ongoing audits.

Waypoints with higher moment of truth risk are best monitored with post-transaction surveys, mystery shopping and the occasional focus group.

Integrated Channel CX Measurement

When measuring the customer experience across multiple channels in an integrated manner, it is important to both gather consistent measures across all channels, as well as measures specific to each channel.  Each channel has their own specific needs; however, consistent measures across all channels provide context and a point of comparison.

Here is what an integrated omni-channel research plan may look like:

Kinēsis recommends measuring each channel against a set of consistent brand attribute measurements.  Brands have personality, and it is incumbent on CX researchers to evaluate each channel against the overall desired brand personality objectives.  A channel disconnected from the institution’s brand objectives can do a lot of damage to the institution’s perceived image.

Kinēsis uses brand adjectives and agreement statements to measure customer impressions of the brand.  Ask yourself, what 5 or 6 adjectives you would like customers to describe your institution.  Then simply take these adjectives and ask customers if the adjectives describe the customer experience.

Next, ask yourself, what statements you would like the customer to describe their perception of the brand as a result of any interaction.  Statements such as:

•     We are easy to do business with.

•     We are knowledgeable.

•     We are interested in members as people, and concerned for their individual needs.

•     We are committed to the community.

These statements can be incorporated into the research by asking customers the extent they agree with each of the statements.

Again, brands have personality.  Brand adjectives and agreement statements are an excellent way to tie disparate research across multiple channels together with consistent measures of perceptions of the brand personality as a result of the experience.

Channel Specific Dimensions

Different channels have different service attributes; therefore, it is important to provide each channel manager with specific research relevant to their channel.  Digital channels, for example, may require measures around: appeal, identity, navigation, content, value and trust.  Non-digital managers may require measures such as: reliability, responsiveness, competence, empathy and the physical environment.

Efficacy of the Experience

Regardless of channel, all research should contain consistent measures of the efficacy of the experience.  The efficacy of the experience is the institution’s ultimate objective of every customer experience.  Ask yourself, how do we want the customer to feel or think as a result of the interaction?

Some examples of efficacy measurements include:

•     Purchase Intent/ Return Intent:  Kinēsis has a long history using this dependent variable, using purchase intent.

•     Likelihood of Referral:  Likelihood of referral measures (like Net Promoter Score) are generally accepted as a reliable proxy measure for customer loyalty.

•     Member/ Customer Advocacy:  The extent to which the financial institution is an advocate for the customer is best measured by using an agreement scale to measure the agreement with the following statement, “This bank cares about me, not just the bottom line.”  Agreement with this statement is also an excellent proxy measurement for loyalty.