With the explosion of mobile and digital technology, the balance of brand power today has shifted to consumers, who are now empowered to write, post, snap and share their experiences anywhere and at any time – in real-time – simply by whipping out a smart phone or tablet.
This tech phenomenon has turned millions of us into restaurant critics, travel journalists, product reviewers and consumer activists – sometimes all at once. Without a doubt, it’s now the customer’s world.
Brands are just living in it.
And to have a chance at living well, every company has been forced to recognize what industry leaders saw long ago: great customer experience is absolutely critical to brand sustainability and loyalty – especially now.
However, despite that realization, many organizations are struggling to stay ahead of the CX curve. They’re scrambling to realign and retrain staff. They’re busy mapping customer journeys. And they’re furiously researching customer personas. But the question remains: Is that enough?
The answer is no.
Because to truly improve customer experience, there’s one thing that the vast majority of brands aren’t doing, which not coincidentally is also the one thing that they should. In order to become an actual customer experience leader, brands must double down on consumer power and give their customers ownership.
And the one way to do that is through co-creation.
For those unfamiliar, co-creation is when brands and consumers – both customers and non-customers alike – come together with the purpose of designing new products, new services and new experiences, hand in hand.
To continue reading AE Marketing Group CEO Brian Walker’s latest Customer Think column, simply click here …