Customer experience vs. customer engagement: Making a lasting impact

The concepts of customer experience and customer engagement have one thing in common: your customers. One is, in fact, nested within the other, though both are extremely measurable. Here’s how to grow customer loyalty by leveraging them both. First, the definitions:

Customer experience (CX) encompasses the entirety of your customer's interactions—and perceptions—with your brand. This includes every touchpoint, from the moment they discover your brand online to their post-purchase interactions, including customer service and feedback mechanisms. It's the cumulative impact of these that shape the customer's overall impression of your brand.

Key aspects of CX:

• Usability and design: How intuitive and user-friendly are the website or app interfaces?

• Content: Is the information relevant and easily accessible?

• Personalization: Does the brand tailor its offerings based on individual preferences?

• Customer support: How accessible and responsive is help when its needed?

• Omnichannel experience: Is the experience consistent across channels?

Customer engagement refers to customers’ active participation and interaction with your brand. It's about fostering ongoing relationships beyond the last transaction. Engaged customers actively participate in conversations, share content, provide feedback—and some of them ultimately become brand ambassadors.

Key aspects of customer engagement:

• Consumption of your content: Downloads, engagement with online calculators and other tools, and general depth of content exploration.

• Social media interactions: Likes, comments, shares, and participation in online communities.

• Content creation: User-generated content like reviews, testimonials, and social media posts and videos.

• Loyalty programs: Rewards and incentives for your best customers.

• Feedback mechanisms: Surveys, polls, and opportunities for customers to share their opinions.

How to distinguish between the two

Better CX leads to improved engagement. And higher engagement rates are predictive of continued or deeper brand loyalty.

How to improve CX

Here are areas where you can improve CX, leading to greater engagement and loyalty:

Reduce friction

• How can you simplify interactions, make them easier to understand and complete?

• How can you eliminate confusion at touchpoints and make them more meaningful for customers, guiding them easily along appropriate journeys?

Credibility matters 

• How can the interactions you have with customers be manifestations of your expertise or brand superiority?  

• How can you educate and facilitate your customers in meaningful ways?

Adapt, contextualize, personalize

• How can you learn more about your customers from their interactions within your ecosystem?

• How can you adapt or personalize the content and experiences based on the context and knowledge you have?

Inspire your customers

• How can you help customers see their values reflected back to them within your brand?

The bottom line

Create connections with your customers by understanding their needs, then addressing the gap between what they expect and what you currently provide.

Schedule a call with our Insights and Strategy specialists to develop and implement a customer experience strategy that works for your organization. 

• CX
• Digital Strategy
• Customer Experience
• Digital Experience
• Personalization
• Customer Journey
• Customer Loyalty
• Customer Behavior
• Customer engagement