Thoughts on Customer Experience (CX) and Customer Centricity

Now more than ever, the search for quality never ceases, especially for brands that offer consistent services to their customers. Unlike a product which, at one point, is good to go to market, service can always be bettered. Just meeting users’ needs isn’t enough. Service or experience providers in light of attaining sustainable competitive advantage must meet and exceed user expectations.

In a world where users rely on digital interfaces to complete their journeys, some applications, originally meant for design, can help achieve a successful brand transformation or reaffirm existing firm values.

Design thinking, which agencies use to solve complex problems, is a way of using systemic reasoning and intuition to explore ideal future states. The journey of solving complex problems must begin and end with the end-user. With the advent of new technologies, we are now able to engage the customer in a very different way, on an ongoing basis, with relevant information, and in real time.

In the same way product design helps predicting users’ tasks and goals, service design allows to align delivery to whatever expectations we think oIn the same token, product design helps predict users’ tasks and goals, service design allows us to align delivery to whatever expectations we think our customers possess. Between expectation and gratification, it helps to find a personal connection with users as it enables visualising your service with all their touchpoints.

Even better than other strategic methodologies, service design helps align everyone in your company around the client journey, on their expectations, and the ongoing need to always reflect on the service offering and how to make it better. So, instead of having siloed conversations, you can now have an integrated conversation, in a form of conceptual thinking that involves the activity of planning and organizing people, infrastructure, communication & material components.

Ultimately, depending on the field of the business, service design will primarily focus on discussing the following:

– User archetypes: We gain insight through shared knowledge from a group and archetype of users and address changes in demographics, behaviors, and expectations.

– User journeys: We gain insight through shared knowledge and abstract journeys of users and address their behaviors and expectations in the context of their journeys at each step.

– It is here: that we intercept with Vision and Mission; once we have discussed what our users are like and what their journeys look like. At the same stage, we address any unique values we want to deliver.

Have any questions or thoughts to share? Leave a comment and I will reply.

Kojo Dougan

Fintech & Digital Finance Consultant

VP, CXP Ghana