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Feb 8, 2011

Digital Marketing and Customer Experience Design


Guys, there's an elephant in the room!

For almost 15 years, which I believe is about the full length of the e-commerce history, the digital marketing or similarly called interactive marketing industry across the globe seems not keen on paying attention to the idea of improving the service experience for customers.

The brick and mortar businesses and their subsequent e-commerce guys are mostly working independent of each others. The customer experience of these companies are broken. The chain of service and the delivery of the brand experience is sub-par.

Why hasn't anyone done much about this? I think the answer is fairly simple.

Most companies, for whatever's their worth are seldom customer-focused. Most companies in Malaysia or across the world, be they listed/berhad companies, SMEs or small enterprises tend to be process focused. In other words, they see their business from inside out, and a customer is often seen as an inconvenience. Now if you add the multiple channels that customers now interact with companies, and multiply the inherent intricacies with turf-ism, the occasional clueless leaders, fear of technology by some older folks, and technology-fetishistic IT guys looking for the latest gadgets and trophy apps to run, the Customer will often be knocked down from his throne.

The result is disgruntled, under-served, uncared and totally under-appreciated customers, who are looking out for better care, better intimacy and better service and buying experience!

So if you ask me where's the holy grail of the Internet?

The answer is an integrated customer experience, off and online. PC, and mobile and whatever other devices, all plugged in together with the focus on the customer's experience of your company.

Set the performance indicators, measure the success rates, listen to the feedback and keep on improving.

Obvious, no?

Well, yes, and all of us at XIMNET will be working to help our customers deliver this OUTSIDE IN experience.

Designing a customer-centric service experience that's unmatched. And that will be one helluva differentiation to take on your competitors.

So, the day will come when you, the people working in the sales & marketing department, the IT folks, the PR heads; when you think about getting help to connect the dots for your company and your customers; if you google for "DESIGNING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE" and drop the usual "WEB DESIGN MALAYSIA", or "MALAYSIA WEB DESIGN", or even "DIGITAL AGENCY", then I think you are on the path of reclaiming winning this war.

GOOD LUCK, design experience warriors!