UX vs CX
Customers should have the freedom to engage with any brand via any channel—whether that be in the store, phone or online—and receive a consistent experience. The channels should also interact with each other, and that is why UX and CX work together.
| What is UX? | What is CX? |
|---|---|
| User Experience is concerned with the research, design and development of a product. | Customer Experience describes the experience a customer has across all touch-points of your brand. |
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| A UX consultant ensures that a user/customer is able to complete their desired task. | A CX consultant prepares a strategy that aligns business decisions with real customer experiences. |
An example of an inconsistent customer experience (CX):
- Alysia receives a phone call from her telecommunications provider. She is offered a deal on an iPad for $15 per month and accepts.
- Alysia receives her iPad in the post.
- Alysia receives her first bill by email but sees an unexpected charge.
- Alysia reviews the company website for information but can’t find what she’s looking for. This is where user experience (UX) typically comes into play, to ensure the customer can access information they need.
- Alysia walks into a store. The staff member looks up her details, but do not have any record of the offer Alysia was given over the phone. Alysia is handed a brochure and told to call customer support.
- Alysia calls phone support to find out what’s going on. This bad experience could have been avoided if the phone staff and in-store staff had talked to each other.
Both CX Consultants and UX Consultants create journey maps to review the customer journey. This is why CX and UX overlap in many ways; the customer journey gives us the context in which we understand how and why a user interacts with a product/service.
A client’s needs determine whether we wear the CX or UX hat or both!