Busting the myth! Customer service = Customer experience!

The main image of your brand is what customers experience. When the customers are satisfied with your products or services, they’re more likely to become an advocate for your brand. 

So, how do you enhance customer experience? Well, many businesses believe that customer service = customer experience. But, as always, I like to challenge such myths! 

And I was able to debunk them with the help of 10 experts. So, let’s take a look at what they have to say on this myth, and whether they’re in support of it or against it. 

1. Jim Sullivan

CEO and Founder of JCSI 

I strongly believe that customer service does not equal customer experience. This is because customer service is only one part of the overall experience that a customer has. 

Customer experience is made up of the service, resources, products, and promotions a company offers its clientele. When all of these factors are great, it equals a great customer experience. Customer service obviously impacts this, as it can be positive or negative, but if this one thing is negative and all other components of an experience are positive, the overall experience would still be satisfactory. 

2. Ryan Cartwright

Head of sales, Spacelift 

The terms “customer service” and “customer experience” are often confused or used synonymously. They’re not the same thing, even though they’re related.

Customer service focuses on human interaction and customer support, while customer experience encompasses the customer’s whole journey with the business from start to finish. Customer experience includes customer service, the product/service itself, marketing and design, and the feelings the customer has for the company.  

To think that customer service is the same as CX is diminishing the entire customer journey it takes to be aware and loyal to the brand. 

3. Matt Miller

CEO and Founder of Embroker 

In a sense, it is true. But there are some important factors you have to consider. 
 
Customer service is only one part of the customer experience! You also have to think about how satisfied customers are with your products and services in general (including what they like and dislike). If customers feel that you don’t pay attention to their needs, then they won’t be happy – no matter how good your customer service is. 
 
It’s also important to note that bad customer service can actually ruin the customer experience, even if your products and services are good. So, it’s essential to make sure that your customer service is up to par! 

4. Karen Mangia

Best selling author and VP of Customer and Market Insights at Salesforce

Customer support asks “How do we fix what’s broken now?” Customer Experience asks “Where do we have the potential to go together?” 

While customer support remains a critical function – because even the best products and processes break down – fixing what’s broken isn’t enough to develop and sustain loyal customers over the long term. 

Customer Experience is the overall impression you leave with your customers. Customer Experience is the very definition of your brand, your brand’s value, and your and customer support is just one of many. 

5. Justin Nabity

CEO of Physicians Thrive 

think customer experience is not equal to customer service. Customer service is only the interaction a customer has with the business’s service provider in order to get assistance regarding their product or service. 

Customer experience includes the whole customer journey, like all the interactions the customer has with your business. This includes the marketing of the product the customer sees, the sales experience, the interaction customer has during the customer service with your team, and then the post-experience when the customer buys your product. 

6. Sam Shepler 

CEO of TestimonialHero 

Customer service being the same thing as customer experience is a false statement, but unfortunately, it’s something that many people and businesses believe is true. Simply put, customer service is a piece of the puzzle while customer experience is the puzzle as a whole; yes, they’re related, and yes, you cannot have one without the other one, but they’re definitely not the same thing as customer service is one vital but singular aspect of the many that form customer experience. 

7. Ninh Tran 

CEO and Co-Founder, Snapbrillia  

This is a myth. Customer experience and customer service are mutually exclusive entities. Customer service is just one part of the entire customer journey, while customer experience encompasses all the interactions between your brand and a customer. While having both is ideal, companies can offer great customer service but be lacking in the customer experience aspect and vice versa. 

8. Jeff Mains  

CEO of Champion Leadership Group  

Organizations are increasingly attempting to mitigate consumer pain points in order to avoid such reputational concerns. Companies make specialized customer service staff accessible when consumers cannot handle difficulties themselves — but this entails much more than simply picking up the phone. 
 
When it comes to customer service, service leaders are the first to acknowledge that it is just one part of the whole customer experience. As opposed to this, the service experience is just one of several factors that make up the total customer experience. 
 
I hope this helps. Don’t hesitate to send me an email if you have other inquiries. Have a great day! 

9. David Gregory 

President, Conatus3 LLC 

This is a myth. Customer experience, a measurement of how people feel about your organization, is different than customer service, which is a transactional measurement of did you deliver what was promised. An important difference in measuring product or service effectiveness (customer service) and the probability of customer loyalty (customer experience). I may return to purchase from you with good customer service, but a good experience drives that likelihood higher. Furthermore, when both are delivered, I become a customer advocate or promoter for your business.  

The formula is Customer Experience + Customer Service = Customer Loyalty à Profitability. 

10. Adelle Archer 

CEO and Co-Founder of Eterneva 

Customer service only represents one part of the overall experience and does not guarantee satisfaction. Those who are truly committed to their customers oversee every aspect from first impression, to assistance, to product quality, to checkout, and follow-up. Concentrating on service will satisfy one requirement, but focusing on the quality of their experience, and you will have a customer for life. 

Conclusion  

From the above responses, it’s clear that customer experience is more like end-to-end customer support and covers the entire customer journey. Customer service, on the other hand, is one of the aspects of the customer journey.