Customer Experience 3.0

June 23, 2014
Engaging with customers is the single most important thing business leaders can do. Though this should be an exciting process, Goodman (Strategic Customers Service), seems to feel that it should be a chore, if his lackluster handling of the topic is anything to go by. Goodman sets his sights on “delivering an end-to-end CE with measurable financial payoff using aggressive service, technology, and emotional connection.” This means the customer experience has to be great from the time the customer becomes aware of the product or service (due to marketing), all the way through product’s life. Goodman’s advice is solid, but his message is undermined by unnecessary exposition. Once readers grasp the basic equation—customer experience equals people plus process plus technology—they’re unlikely to need tutorials on subjects such as customer expectations, acting when it’s too expensive not to act, metrics, and the design of end-to-end customer experience. Much of the book focuses on ways to get the finance department to approve spending on the customer experience, which is a useful discussion, but not worthy of a book. Agent: Michael Snell, the Michael Snell Literary Agency.