Most of us remember where we were in life when we came across Neo and the choice Morpheus gave him. Laurence Fishburne was magnificent in the center of the darkened room, sitting in a high back chair, armless glasses already an iconic visual for his Morpheus character. Keanu Reeves appeared terrified, confused, and confident all at once as he listened to Morpheus describe his internal feelings of something beyond what he could see and feel.

Something that ran the world in ways he couldn’t imagine and yet was inherently aware existed.

The blue pill would take him aware from the truth, and he could go back to the world none the wiser and sleeping from the truth, but he could be happier. The red pill, though, would bring him untold truth in the pursuit of life and freedom.

Neo, like so many of us believe we would, chose the red pill.

Step into the Matrix

Sometimes it feels a lot like you step behind the curtain to the real mechanism when you get to understand CX and experience management. The “Matrix,” for the intents and purposes of this blog, is customer experiences. It’s the way they feel after buying a new bodywash that takes them away during their shower to the land of ultra-moisturizers and gardens. They scroll their phone and see images of fantastic models in clothing they can then imagine themselves wearing at an upcoming party.

CX leaders and owners understand the experience is at once real and a created moment a company manifests in alignment with their customers’ needs and wants. That aspect of customer experience is scientific, when broken down. A customer’s experience is their perception of an interaction with a company—be it physical, mental, or subliminal. Emotions are the root of human behavior, and customer perception is the root of a customer’s decision-making process. The companies that can create the best emotional connections to a product/service are the ones that also create the best experiences for their customers.

To continue with the CX Matrix idea, you took the red pill to create better experiences that customers have within the Matrix blue pill. Sam Walton said, “The goal of a company is to have customer service that isn’t the best, but legendary,” and he wasn’t wrong. Legendary service creates legendary experiences for customers.

Legendary? Sounds like you made the right choice.

Experiences that are awe-inspiring

We are all for exemplary experiences, and so we thought we’d share some exceptional experiences provided by companies that can inspire your own CX initiatives:

1. VIP Treatment meets Express – Starbucks is a giant coffee chain that most recognize even if they aren’t an enjoyer of caffeinated beverages. Starbucks Rewards combines special treatment with express line speed so that customers can have full-service ordering from home or on the go before shortlisting at shops for faster pickup.
2. Community to build experiences – Apple speaks for itself in the phone and computer market, but the community is even greater. Their community is a vibrant one with posts, discussions, help, and subcommunities who can share, interact, and be part of the Apple design process, all at the same time.
3. Expansive personalization – Sony is a mega-giant, spanning various products, services, and industries that all exist under one umbrella. It may be assumed that this would overwhelm customers, but instead Sony invites them to expand their customer loyalty through additional products and services by using targeted personalization. It’s a way of narrowing the focus on what customers want while mastering upsell and cross-sell through their customer-driven analytics.

If you see a trend in these top experience providers, you’re on the way to better experiences for your customers, too. One thing they all have in common is the drive for customer engagement. They focus on bringing their customers into decision-making processes and changes in a very real way. Customers feel part of these brands instead of just passive consumers of them.

What is your CX Matrix going to look like for your customers?

Now is the best time to get feedback from your consumers about what matters most to them and use that info to decide which initiatives to start with. We even have a secret playbook you can use! Don’t know where to start? We’re here to support your efforts!