What’s the Right Customer Experience for Your Brand?

by?Luke Williams,?Alexander Buoye,?Timothy L. Keiningham,?and?Lerzan Aksoy

What exactly makes a great customer experience?

到底什么樣的體驗(yàn)才是優(yōu)質(zhì)的客戶體驗(yàn)？

Sometimes, it seems the answer is companies that deliver hassle-free encounters. (Think Amazon, where you can seamlessly order just about anything and it arrives at your door, or?The New York Times, with its frictionless auto-renew process.) Other companies excel by delivering choreographed, immersive customer journeys. (Think about the experience of visiting a Disney theme park, or an IKEA warehouse.)

有時(shí)，答案似乎是那些提供無(wú)煩惱遭遇的企業(yè)。（想想亞馬遜，你可以在那里無(wú)縫訂購(gòu)任何東西，然后它就會(huì)送達(dá)你家門(mén)口，或者想想《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》，它提供無(wú)摩擦自動(dòng)續(xù)訂流程。）其他企業(yè)則通過(guò)提供精心設(shè)計(jì)的沉浸式客戶旅程而脫穎而出。（想想?yún)⒂^迪士尼主題公園或宜家倉(cāng)庫(kù)的經(jīng)歷。）

But what do customers believe is more important? Do they prefer companies to focus on the experience design, or on flawless delivery and execution?

然而，客戶認(rèn)為什么更重要？他們更喜歡公司專(zhuān)注于體驗(yàn)設(shè)計(jì)，還是專(zhuān)注于無(wú)可挑剔的交付和執(zhí)行？

To find out, we asked 4,500 U.S. consumers about 134 unique brands in five different industries to learn about a broad range of ongoing purchase behavior, drivers of customer sentiment, drivers of spending behavior and more.

為了找到答案，我們針對(duì)5個(gè)不同行業(yè)的134個(gè)獨(dú)特品牌向4500名美國(guó)消費(fèi)者進(jìn)行了問(wèn)詢(xún)，以了解各種持續(xù)購(gòu)買(mǎi)行為、客戶情緒驅(qū)動(dòng)因素、消費(fèi)行為驅(qū)動(dòng)因素等。

Our analysis revealed three notable findings.

我們的分析揭示了三個(gè)引人注目的發(fā)現(xiàn)。

First, we found a positive correlation between both frictionless and memorable experiences and consumers’ sentiment and spending behavior.

首先，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，無(wú)論是無(wú)摩擦的還是難忘體驗(yàn)，都與消費(fèi)者情緒和消費(fèi)行為存在正相關(guān)關(guān)系。

Second, we found that those relationships varied by industry. Neither of these findings are that surprising.

其次，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，這些關(guān)系因行業(yè)而異。這兩個(gè)發(fā)現(xiàn)均不太令人意外。

The third finding, however, is: At a certain point, there are zero-sum gains when pursuing both frictionless and memorable experiences as a competitive strategy. Brands can only grow so much by pursuing a joint strategy of being both frictionless and memorable. To grow beyond that point, brands must choose to focus on one or the other–to be either increasingly frictionless or increasingly memorable.

然而，第三個(gè)發(fā)現(xiàn)是：在某個(gè)節(jié)點(diǎn)，當(dāng)同時(shí)追求無(wú)摩擦和難忘體驗(yàn)被作為一種競(jìng)爭(zhēng)戰(zhàn)略時(shí)，就會(huì)出現(xiàn)零和收益。因追求既無(wú)摩擦又難忘的聯(lián)合戰(zhàn)略，品牌只能實(shí)現(xiàn)這么多的增長(zhǎng)。為了超越這一節(jié)點(diǎn)，品牌必須選擇專(zhuān)注于其中之一——要么變得越來(lái)越無(wú)摩擦，要么變得越來(lái)越令人難忘。

Unveiling the Frictionless-Memorable Frontier

揭秘?zé)o摩擦與令人難忘之間的界線

All brands’ experiences compete on a continuum of being predominantly frictionless to predominantly memorable. Walmart, McDonald’s, and Zipcar are brands that strive for frictionless experiences, while Nordstrom, Trader Joe’s and Ritz Carlton are targeting memorable experiences.

所有品牌的體驗(yàn)都是在無(wú)摩擦為主與難忘為主之間的線性漸變層面上競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的。沃爾瑪、麥當(dāng)勞和Zipcar都是努力追求無(wú)摩擦體驗(yàn)的品牌，而Nordstrom、Trader Joe's和麗思卡爾頓（Ritz Carlton）則以難忘的體驗(yàn)為目標(biāo)。

The conventional wisdom is that a strategy aimed at reducing friction and a strategy aimed at increasing memorability offer equal opportunities for gaining market share. Our findings, however, showed diminishing returns as brands were viewed as more memorable. Brands with high market share tended to be more frictionless, whereas more memorable brands tended to have lower market share with little appreciable growth above a 15% market share cap.

人們普遍認(rèn)為，旨在減少摩擦的戰(zhàn)略和旨在提高難忘性的戰(zhàn)略為獲得市場(chǎng)份額提供了同等機(jī)會(huì)。然而，我們的研究結(jié)果表明，隨著品牌被人視為更令人難忘，回報(bào)率呈下降趨勢(shì)。市場(chǎng)份額高的品牌通常更無(wú)摩擦，而更令人難忘的品牌所占市場(chǎng)份額通常較低，幾乎很難超過(guò)15%的市場(chǎng)份額上限。

One may assume, then, that brands should abandon a focus on memorable experiences and instead make their customer experiences as frictionless as possible. This presumes that brands can easily migrate from being memorable to being frictionless and vice versa. While that may be theoretically possible, it means completely abandoning a brand’s strategy and positioning. Companies should instead embrace their fundamental brand characteristics and subsequently plot their best course of action for improving customer experience, and financial outcomes, according to their brand DNA.

那么，人們可能會(huì)認(rèn)為，品牌應(yīng)該放棄對(duì)難忘體驗(yàn)的重視，而盡可能讓其客戶體驗(yàn)無(wú)摩擦。這事的前提是，品牌可以很容易地從令人難忘轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)闊o(wú)摩擦，反之亦然。雖然這在理論上存在可能性，但這意味著完全放棄某品牌的戰(zhàn)略和定位。相反，企業(yè)應(yīng)該接受其基本的品牌特征，然后根據(jù)其品牌基因制定出提升客戶體驗(yàn)和財(cái)務(wù)結(jié)果的最佳行動(dòng)方案。

Competing on Experience

體驗(yàn)上的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)

The first step to a successful customer experience strategy is to be clear about what type of brand you have. Fundamentally, brands exist on a continuum from bigger established brands to smaller challenger brands. These differences inherently impact how brands compete with one another. They also impact the type of customer experience that is most likely to have the greatest impact on customers’ buying behaviors.

成功的客戶體驗(yàn)戰(zhàn)略的第一步是明確你擁有何種品牌類(lèi)型。從根本上講，各種品牌以一種線性漸變方式存在，從較大的資深品牌到較小的挑戰(zhàn)者品牌。這些差異內(nèi)在地影響著品牌之間的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)方式。它們還影響到最有可能對(duì)客戶購(gòu)買(mǎi)行為產(chǎn)生最大影響的客戶體驗(yàn)類(lèi)型。

By incorporating a brand’s market share and how customers perceive their experiences with the brand (as either more frictionless or more memorable), you can place the brand into one of four categories, as shown in the “Customer Experience Matrix.”

通過(guò)結(jié)合品牌的市場(chǎng)份額和客戶對(duì)品牌體驗(yàn)的看法（要么無(wú)摩擦，要么令人難忘），你可以將品牌歸入四種類(lèi)別，如“客戶體驗(yàn)矩陣”所示。

But with so many opportunities to differentiate and make gains, what kind of experience management strategies should you apply to different segments?

然而，面對(duì)如此多的差異化和收益機(jī)會(huì)，你應(yīng)該對(duì)不同的細(xì)分市場(chǎng)采用什么樣的經(jīng)驗(yàn)管理策略？

Mass Market Brands

大眾市場(chǎng)品牌

For the vast majority of brands with high market shares, the answer is simple: Make the experience as frictionless as possible. Mass market brands, such as Uber, McDonald’s, and Amazon, tend to invest widely from placement to supply chain to automation to support these strategies. Mass market brands compete on price, assortment, availability, and relative ease.

對(duì)于占有高市場(chǎng)份額的絕大多數(shù)品牌來(lái)說(shuō)，答案很簡(jiǎn)單：讓體驗(yàn)盡可能無(wú)摩擦。優(yōu)步、麥當(dāng)勞和亞馬遜等大眾市場(chǎng)品牌通常廣泛投資，從地理布局到供應(yīng)鏈再到自動(dòng)化，以便對(duì)這些戰(zhàn)略給予支持。大眾市場(chǎng)品牌會(huì)在價(jià)格、種類(lèi)、可用性和相對(duì)易用性方面展開(kāi)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。

This doesn’t mean having pleasant customer experiences is not essential. Rather, it is the recognition that mass market brands typically achieve growth through frequent usage. Almost by definition, this gives them an incentive to focus their strategy on reducing friction. Frequent usage also makes achieving memorable experiences difficult to maintain, since customers quickly habituate to their environment.

這并不意味著愉快的客戶體驗(yàn)可有可無(wú)。相反，人們公認(rèn)的是，大眾市場(chǎng)品牌通常通過(guò)頻繁的使用來(lái)實(shí)現(xiàn)增長(zhǎng)。幾乎照定義講，這激勵(lì)了他們將其戰(zhàn)略重點(diǎn)放在減少摩擦上。頻繁的使用也導(dǎo)致實(shí)現(xiàn)難忘的體驗(yàn)難以維系，因?yàn)榭蛻艉芸炀蜁?huì)習(xí)慣他們的環(huán)境。

Convenience Brands

便利品牌

Convenience brands, such as Wawa, Ryanair, and Do it Best, largely compete on the ease with which customers can fulfill their needs. Convenient, frictionless experiences are expected. Unlike their mass market counterparts, there are typically barriers to further scaling their service environments, such as geographical or market size limits. Convenience brands often have opportunities to have more balanced frictionless and memorable customer experience strategies, but they win share of wallet on their frictionless qualities.

Wawa、瑞安航空（Ryanair）和Do it Best等便利品牌在很大程度上是在客戶需求得到滿足的便利性上展開(kāi)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的。人所預(yù)期的是方便、無(wú)摩擦的體驗(yàn)。與大眾市場(chǎng)的同行不同，進(jìn)一步擴(kuò)展其服務(wù)環(huán)境通常存在障礙，如地域局限或市場(chǎng)規(guī)模限制。便利品牌通常有機(jī)會(huì)在無(wú)摩擦和難忘的客戶體驗(yàn)戰(zhàn)略之間更好地達(dá)成平衡，但它們是憑借其無(wú)摩擦的品質(zhì)贏得的錢(qián)包份額。

Boutique Brands

精品品牌

Boutique Brands, such as Grainger, Wegmans, and Pottery Barn, compete primarily on the memorability of their experiences. In some cases, certain types of friction improve the memorability and value of these experiences (e.g., dinner reservations at top restaurant, securing tickets to popular show, etc.). In most cases, however, memorability is enhanced through well planned, immersive customer journeys. While there is opportunity to remove friction, it should be done to make it easier for customers to be immersed in the experience.

Grainger、Wegmans和Pottery Barn等精品品牌主要憑借其體驗(yàn)的難忘程度進(jìn)行競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。在某些情況下，某些類(lèi)型的摩擦?xí)嵘@些體驗(yàn)的難忘程度和價(jià)值（比如，在頂級(jí)餐廳預(yù)訂晚餐、設(shè)法獲得流行表演的門(mén)票等）。然而，在大多數(shù)情況下，難忘程度可以通過(guò)精心策劃、身臨其境的客戶旅程得到提升。雖然有機(jī)會(huì)消除摩擦，但消除摩擦的目的應(yīng)該是讓客戶更容易沉浸在體驗(yàn)中。

Gravity Brands

吸引力品牌

These brands are so rare that there isn’t a conventional term for them. Some people think of them as Aspirational Brands. Others think of them as Gravity Brands, because they are able to raise their market share despite the natural forces that tend to limit the growth of companies whose strategy focuses on creating memorable experiences. Though rare, gravity brands such as Disney Resorts, Lego, and IKEA, do exist and are often iconic, emotionally resonant and operate in unique competitive environments that allow them to distinguish themselves and attract customers. Building memorable experiences is typically achieved through investing in superior hiring and training processes, higher quality experience components, and enhanced physical environments.

這些品牌之罕見(jiàn)，以至于沒(méi)有一個(gè)傳統(tǒng)的詞語(yǔ)來(lái)形容它們。有些人認(rèn)為它們是夢(mèng)寐以求的品牌（Aspirational Brands）。另一些人認(rèn)為它們是吸引力品牌（Gravity Brands），因?yàn)樗鼈兡軌蛱岣咦约旱氖袌?chǎng)份額，盡管自然力量通常會(huì)限制那些以創(chuàng)造難忘體驗(yàn)為戰(zhàn)略重點(diǎn)的公司的發(fā)展。雖然少見(jiàn)，但迪士尼度假區(qū)、樂(lè)高和宜家等吸引力品牌確實(shí)存在，而且通常具有標(biāo)志性，能引起情感共鳴，并在獨(dú)特的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)環(huán)境中運(yùn)營(yíng)，這種環(huán)境使它們能夠脫穎而出并吸引客戶。打造難忘的體驗(yàn)通常是通過(guò)投資出眾的招聘和培訓(xùn)流程、更高質(zhì)量的體驗(yàn)要素和提檔升級(jí)的物理環(huán)境來(lái)實(shí)現(xiàn)的。

As customer experience has increasingly become the key differentiator across industries, there has been debate about which approach is the best way forward: frictionless or memorable experiences. The reality is that there is no one right way to manage the customer experience. Different approaches will be more appropriate to different brands depending upon how they currently compete. Regardless, no company should forget that managing the customer experience is equivalent to managing customers for growth. The path to winning in business has remained constant even if the strategies for achieving it over time have changed: Make certain that your customers want to keep coming back.

隨著客戶體驗(yàn)日益成為各行業(yè)的關(guān)鍵差異化因素，人們一直在爭(zhēng)論哪種方法是最好的發(fā)展方向：無(wú)摩擦的體驗(yàn)還是難忘的體驗(yàn)?，F(xiàn)實(shí)情況是，不存在管理客戶體驗(yàn)的正確方法。不同的方法會(huì)更適合不同的品牌，這取決于他們目前的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)方式。無(wú)論如何，任何企業(yè)都不應(yīng)忘記，管理客戶體驗(yàn)等同于管理客戶的增長(zhǎng)。即使隨著時(shí)間的推移，實(shí)現(xiàn)這一目標(biāo)的策略發(fā)生了變化，但商業(yè)中的取勝路徑仍會(huì)保持不變：確保你的客戶愿意不斷回來(lái)。

盧克·威廉斯是Qualtrics體驗(yàn)管理研究所（Qualtrics XM Institute)的杰出負(fù)責(zé)人。

亞歷山大·博伊是圣約翰大學(xué)商學(xué)院（Peter J. Tobin College of Business, St. John’s University）的營(yíng)銷(xiāo)學(xué)副教授。

蒂莫西·凱寧厄姆是圣約翰大學(xué)商學(xué)院電子商務(wù)學(xué)J. Donald Kennedy講座教授和營(yíng)銷(xiāo)學(xué)教授，在Rockbridge Associates擔(dān)任首席戰(zhàn)略及客戶官。

勒贊·阿克索伊是福特漢姆大學(xué)加貝利商學(xué)院（Gabelli School of Business， Fordham University）戰(zhàn)略計(jì)劃項(xiàng)目副主任、營(yíng)銷(xiāo)學(xué)教授。