Introduction

From the moment we wake up, until the moment we go to sleep, our daily lives are a kaleidoscope of customer interactions.

As soon as we open our eyes, we see reminders of previous customer moments: the bedroom furniture we once chose, our clothes and our breakfast options. And as we open our front door, we step into a whole new set. We check our phones, we buy our coffee,

we visit the gym, we catch the bus, or ferry or train, we surf the net…. And when we return home to collapse in front of the TV, we engage in a whole lot more.

Media, housing, transport, food, household goods, healthcare, clothes, banking, insurance… there are literally hundreds of millions of customer interactions occurring across Australia each day. And almost all of these represent a customer’s choice, with organisations vying for a share of the customer wallet.

But times are changing: the size of the prize has increased dramatically and competition is fiercer. Why? Because customers are spending more (Australians spent an all-time high of $25.2 million on retail in September 2016) and their choices have increased exponentially in a globally accessible marketplace. Plus the rise of social media has seen the balance of power shift from organisations to customers.

The response? 'Customer centricity' has become the new mantra. More than a fresh look at branding and product design, Chief Marketing Officers are homing in on the 'customer experience'. Raising important questions for an organisation like: Is it clear what the brand stands for? Do the services and products match the brand’s promise for customers?

And is the customer experience creating advocates or detractors?

These questions are logical and smart, but is there more to understanding – and thus improving – the customer experience, particularly as customers become much more diverse?