The Connected Customer Journey

You see it every time you go out shopping (that’s if you still go out shopping), people walking around shops with their heads stooped over staring at their smart phone. Now they are either trying to entertain themselves because they are finding the whole experience a bit dull or they are often searching the internet for product reviews, price comparisons and any deals they can get. Shopping is now a multi-channel experience where we have quickly adopted technology that allows us to seamlessly move between physical, digital and social environments. Now I say seamlessly because this is what the customer is hoping for, however, the reality for most organisations is somewhat different with disconnected systems, disparate tracking and a whole lack of connected customer experience.

Our approach is not to ground ourselves in technology (this is the last part we look at) but to ground ourselves in creating experiences that differentiate your brand for your customer

It's What You Do Not What You Say

Brands are increasingly measured not on what they say but on what they do and how they act. From products to services brands are defined by the overall experience they offer customers and we think Jeff Bezos sums it up quite well:

“Customer experience is bigger than customer service in that it is the full, end-to-end experience. It starts when you first hear about Amazon from a friend, and ends when you get the package in the mail and open it.”
– Jeff Bezos

We also like to say that there is no point spending all that money on media unless you can actually deliver on your brand promise and have an experience that people remember (and if you do that you’ll probably have to spend a lot less on advertising too)

• A bold and clear purpose - why your brand exists and the difference you make to the lives of your customers
• A business framework aligned with the purpose - one that acts as guide to drive your customer experience and align all your initiatives
• The right customer insight - absolute clarity on what key target segments value and what drives their loyalty
• A brand promise that is more than a tag line – one that is differentiated, simple and above all, actionable
• The design of a distinctive and seamless experience across all channels - one that delivers the promise and differentiates you at key touchpoints so that they become hallmarks for your brand
• A transformation in culture - from one of serving the organisation to serving the customer, so that you can deliver the new experience quickly and consistently and in a way that differentiates your brand from competitors
• People with the know-how and commitment to deliver your experience - Branded training, specifically designed around your desired experience, will create clarity, excitement and commitment for all levels of staff
• A means to measure success – a customer experience scorecard that you help you evaluate ROI and sustain the experience

Angela Ahrendts, CEO Burberry
"We have had an historic year on many fronts and it is due in part to you and your team's strong support. Thank you so much for your wonderful partnership”


Aleksandra Alfonso, Global Head of Branded Customer Experience, Symantec
“Smith+Co created an end-to-end view of our most valuable customers’ experience across their life-cycle using our NPS data. Due to their insights and leadership we not only created an experience which had shared ownership, but was on brand, differentiated and focused our resources and finances to only over-deliver at the key points that made the biggest difference to our customers and our business success.”

 Trent Fulcher, Head of Strategy, RBS

“Smith+co worked with us to help us further define our customer experience strategy and outline a route map for delivering it. The workshop they conducted exceeded both mine and my board's expectations, and delivered a fantastic result.  Not only are they experts in customer experience, but they deliver creative and innovative thinking and are a huge asset to any business change initiative."