CX and UX: So much alike they are the same?

Paying with your phone using Apple or Google Pay. Fully automated stores without cashiers. Smart mirrors in stores that let you virtually try on clothing. Groceries delivered to your doorstep in 10 minutes or less.

These are just a few examples of amazing customer experiences in the world of B2C (businessto-consumer) organizations. But why should you care?

Your work and your organization serve business-focused organizations. Your customers are the internal users of your organization. While there are a few things a B2B IT department has in common with their B2C counterparts, there’s not much that crosses over between these IT organizations, correct?

Well, put simply, no, that's not the case. They have much more in common than some might think. Let me explain the connection.

Customers and users are the same, and they are the kings of the castle

Like all customers, increasing expectations for what they want from you, how they should receive it, and the manner best for them at such a pinnacle moment. At first sight, these organizations' IT functions may be aligned differently, but their synergies likely crossover in several common ways. For example, your internal users are also customers in the B2C consumer space. As they interact with customer experiences in areas of their lives outside of their work lives, when they interact with your internal service teams, they expect the same or higher levels of service within the organizations in which they work.

Part of this reasoning is based on their being part of the organization. Unlike their consumer experiences outside the organization, they are vested in your organization's work. They want the organization to win, and along the way, they want to be part of that winning. This creates the expectation that if they are part of the winning journey, they should be treated as well or better than the customers the organization is serving so well. This makes sense since winning cultures are powered by winning teams. Investing in a quality team culture means an investment in the organization.

However, many leaders don't understand the necessary investment required to serve their users best. They let the market do that for them. How?

Think about it: every one of your users is also a B2C customer. They’ve all had great B2C customer experiences somewhere along the way. Because of these experiences, they come to expect the same seamless, personalized experience from the service they receive internally. As user/customer experiences improve in the B2C world, internal user expectations must rise as well.

How do you measure up? What is the key to leveling up?

Omnichannel support

How do your users contact IT support for help? Must they email or phone? Can they walk up to the IT service desk? Do they have an automated, self-driving reporting portal?

Your users are used to interacting with B2C organizations across several platforms, including the organization’s website, social media, chat, and email. They expect the same from your IT department. With omnichannel or multi-channel support, users can reach the service desk through several means in the manner that's right for them.

For example, a self-powered portal or something more well-known like WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, or even tried-and-true email or chat can be easily used to address user problems and challenges and can be handled in one place. This creates a seamless customer experience just like those internal users like experience in B2C they’re used to.

Journey mapping

"Know thy customer" is the number one rule of B2C marketing. And for a good reason. But researching your customers shouldn't be limited to B2C organizations alone. When you develop a deep understanding of your users, you can create a customer experience tailored to their specific wants, needs, and problems. The more relevant the services, the more your users will appreciate your services. You understand your users by mapping their journey. User journey mapping lets you step into the shoes of your users. You get to see their journey through their experiences when they request a service from your service desk. You also can map the user journey by asking them about their experiences.

You likely have an idea, but ask them how easy it is to request a new laptop or ask for other types of service. What are their interactions with the service department like? Do they interact with your reporting and communications tools? How do they prefer to connect with the service team, and what are their experiences when reaching your department when they have questions? Customer journey mapping answers these questions.

In addition, when users are internal, it's easier to generate feedback than when trying to collect it from a B2C environment, which is a benefit.

Self-service

We’ve established that internal users are no different than consumers in how they wish to be served, and B2C organizations know well that when designing customer experiences, they must enable customers to make decisions on their own schedule and for what works best in their lives, especially given the changes to people’s daily lives as a result of remote working, changes in consumer behavior brought on by the pandemic and spikes in ecommerce, for example.

The helpdesk can provide the same level of service by enabling self-service options. Self-service capabilities offer customers the power to find solutions that best meet their needs and answer their answers in a manner that works best for them – during office hours or outside those hours.

When starting with a self-service option, make the answers to frequently asked questions, such as “How do I log onto the company WiFi?” or “How do I set an automatic out-of-office reply?” and “How do I connect my laptop to a printer?” readily available for your customers. Then, audit the responses or queries most often received and update the organization's knowledge base with that information. Whatever the best means for users to receive service, provide these means to find the answers they need to their questions, request service, or gain a less restrictive path toward service satisfaction is the means for delivering a successful user experience.

That’s part of creating a winning culture for your users -- great service experiences don’t always have to come from external sources. Remember, each one of your internal users is also a B2C consumer. By creating the same level of customer service and care they would expect to find in a B2C environment, you can help create a winning culture of excellence they will remember long after the interaction has ended.