Survey Results, Part 1: Customer Experience - Who Decides and Who Delivers

• Over 40% over respondents indicated that Sales organizations were most responsible for defining customer experience. The Executive Suite was a close second with marketing and operations both with less than 20%.
• Over 40% indicated that Operations was most responsible for delivering on customer experience, with Sales at 25%. The Executive Suite was at 16% and Marketing trailed at 8%. Other answers included Customer Fulfillment and Customer Success. On face value I would consider those as operations functions.

So sales defines customer experience and operations delivers it. No surprise there.

But this can spell trouble in the age of the social media enable customer.

Customers are empowered more than ever and can dictate the kind of experience they want and expect. They can do that directly to a vendor and indirectly to the market as a whole.

If what you're learning through social media is not getting back to those defining customer experience or delivering on it, be forewarned.

Engaging in social media is a commitment to customers and prospects that you want to listen to them and engage them in conversation. If you engage in those conversations but continue to dictate experience, you lose.

If you have questions you would like to see included in a more in-depth research effort or are interested in partnering on such an effort, please contact us.

[Please note that these survey results are not statistically valid due to the lack of sampling control and N size.]