What exactly do the popular terms customer experience (CX) and user experience (UX) mean? For your business to succeed, you need to understand both correctly.
Customer experience (CX) and user experience (UX): These two terms sound similar but are fundamentally different, yet we often see them used interchangeably by mobile app and website owners as if they are one and the same.
The confusion stems from how we tend to define our customer.
Our users are our customers, so user experience and customer experience should be equivalent, right? Actually, no. UX and CX are different and it’s important to understand this distinction if your users/customers want to have the best possible experience with your product and brand.
So let’s clarify the issue.
What is user experience (UX)?
The concept of user experience is specific to your product, be it your mobile app, software or website. Therefore, UX deals with the experience a user/customer has when interacting with that product.
All the positive and negative experiences resulting from your product’s design, interface, usability, navigation, visual hierarchy, information architecture, etc. are part of the user experience.
A mobile app, software or website is not the whole of your brand and therefore cannot be the whole of the customer experience.
Designing products that are intuitive, easy and pleasant to use, and providing the most user-friendly interface possible is within the scope of UX.
UX is measured by metrics that revolve around the functionality and usability of your mobile app, software or website. Here are some examples of these metrics;
Success rate: The percentage of users who complete a goal or reach a stage in your product that you want them to reach.
Task duration: The amount of time it takes a user to complete a task.
Total clicks: The number of clicks a user takes to complete an action.
Opt-out rate: The percentage of users who leave without completing an action.
What is customer experience (CX)?
Customer experience is a much broader concept. CX deals with the experience a user/customer has when interacting with your brand, not just your product.
A mobile app, software or website is not the whole of your brand and therefore cannot be the whole of customer experience. Customer experience interactions happen across many touchpoints, including your advertising, social media channels, marketing activities, sales process, pricing, customer service and support, and the actual product.
Therefore, customer experience includes all processes, including all channels and touchpoints. It’s not just about the use and functionality of your products, it’s about perceptions about the business and its services as a whole.
Customer experience is measured by a much wider range of metrics.
For example
General satisfaction: How satisfied your customers are with their interactions with your company, its services and products.
Net Promoter Score (NPS): How likely customers are to recommend your company and its products to others.
Loyalty: The likelihood that customers will continue to use your product compared to competitors.
UX and CX, which one is more important?
UX is a subset of CX. User experience is the experience your customers have with your product, while customer experience refers to the entire experience these users have with your brand as a whole. So which one is more important?
Let’s explain the difference between CX and UX with an e-commerce example;
You have an e-commerce business with a website and mobile app that offers great user experience. So much so that your website and mobile app have a very modern interface and infrastructure that has won awards.
However, because you pack and ship orders carelessly, you cannot provide adequate support in the return processes of damaged orders. Refunds are delayed, and customers who speak negatively about your brand start to prefer your competitors. You do not take action to win the hearts of unhappy customers. Conclusion; Great UX does not bring success with bad CX.
Now let’s imagine the opposite, you have an ordinary template e-commerce site. You do not have a mobile application, you are trying to serve mobile visitors with your mobile responsive site. You carefully pack orders, ship them quickly and reassure your customers with unconditional return processes. Result; Your customers are happy with a poor UX and a great CX.
Where to start?
As you can see from the example above, your goal should always be to provide great customer experience. User experience is an important part of customer experience, but it alone cannot lead you to success. The big picture should always be the customer experience, start with the customer experience and improve the user experience. Even if you are a business that offers fully digital services, critical issues such as customer support, payment, etc. will be part of the customer experience. A customer-oriented business should listen to its customers at all touch points and measure the experience it offers.
