Introduction of Customer Experience Manager

There are no limits to the target audience as the services can be purchased by people of all ages and genders. Since the industry is concerned with tourism, tourists can be families, businessmen, teenagers, and the elderly. It is quite important to understand the preferences, wants, and needs of the target audience because it helps in increasing the effectiveness of services and targeting the customers in a more efficient manner. For instance, without the understanding of these needs, it would not be possible for the marketing team to advertise the services and target the desired audience. In any field of business, understanding the needs of customers is important because it ensures that the right segment of audience is being targeted.

            If the preferences of customers are not understood, it wouldn’t be possible to target them and sell the services. Therefore, in order to not only maintain the existing base of consumers but target new customers requires understanding their values and needs so as to shape the services in order to increase their demand.

Customer Engagement of Customer Experience Manager

            It can be said that customer engagement is the interaction between the customer and the organization. The interactions and behaviors of consumers fall under the category of customer engagement and it has several factors and drivers. Following are the drivers and factors of customer engagement:

·         Understanding the Needs and Expectations of Customers: One of the most important factors and drivers of customer engagement is comprehending the expectations and needs of customers. In the tourism and travel industry, realizing the needs of customers drives customer engagement significantly. For instance, if customers require cost-effective services then they will be satisfied if the organization is providing them with services which are cost-efficient. Therefore, comprehending the requirements of customers is necessary in order to satisfy customers and increasing customer engagement. If customers are satisfied then it increases the likelihood of customers being loyal to the firm and increasing sales.

·         Valuing Customers: Another significant driver of customer engagement is valuing the requirements and necessities of customers. It means that if customers are purchasing the services of a firm then the firm should also work to satisfy them with different bonuses. For instance, the management team can choose some customers who purchase services from the firm on a regular basis and provide them with free services which they can use. It will serve to satisfy customers and will also help in building a reputation for the firm (Vivek, Beatty, & Morgan, 2012).

·         Obtaining Feedback and Acting on it: Obtaining feedback and acting on it is also a factor and driver of employee engagement. It is concerned with consulting customers and obtaining their feedback about the services which are being provided to them. For instance, the management team can set up a page on social media where customers can share their experiences with the organization and the customer experience team can work on it. In this manner, the existing services provided by the organization can be improved.

·         Communicating Clearly: Another factor of employee engagement is communicating with customers with clarity. It means that the messages and values of the firm should be delivered to the customers without ambiguity. For instance, the intentions of the organization and its services must be clarified so that customers are not confused with the values and aims of the organization (Doorn, et al., 2010).

Evaluation of Expectations

     The above-explained factors and drivers also influence the development of onboarding strategies for customers. Understanding the needs helps the senior manager in making decisions which are sensible while the marketing team is helped in such a way that it makes a strategy which can effectively target the required audience of customers. Obtaining feedback from customers provides insights into different processes and strategies implemented by the organization. For instance, if the satisfaction of customers is decreasing significantly, then obtaining feedback from them can help in pinpointing the issue and resolving it in a timely manner.

            When it comes to the target audience, each and every segment has specific needs. Following are the needs and expectations of different customer groups:

Families: The needs and expectations of families are simple as they require cost-effective services and packages for traveling from one place to the other. They don't need costly services which provide them with extra comfort. Rather than that, they seek low-cost services because they are budget-oriented and have a fixed budget which means that they are willing to forsake other facilities to obtain affordable services. However, they expect nice and flexible interaction with them.

Businessmen: In comparison with families, businessmen are not budget-oriented and rather than seeking cost-effective services, they require facilities. In order to acquire these facilities, they are willing to purchase costly services. It means that even if they need to pay more, they would do it in the exchange of a comfortable environment and facilities.

Teenagers and Elderly: The elderly also require cost-effective services as they are budget-oriented while the needs of teenagers are quite ambiguous. For instance, sometimes teenagers require cost-effective services while the other times, they are willing to purchase costly services for acquiring the facilities provided along with them.

            In order to enhance customer engagement, strategies would be customized for each group. For instance, families and the elderly will be targeted with cost-effective and affordable services which they can take while businessmen and teenagers would be targeted with both costly and cost-effective services. From these two options, they can choose the services which they prefer.

Customer Experience Map

Touchpoints of Customer Experience Manager

            In general, touchpoints are the events and instances where customers interact with the organization and in this case, the customers have interacted with the firm through website and email. At these points, the customer experience can be enhanced and these are the opportunities which can be utilized by the organization. For instance, there is an opportunity that the interface of website can be further improved by improving the features of website. In addition to it, customers also interacted with the organization through email and this offers the opportunity of improving customer experience by treating them in a friendlier manner. This would serve to enhance the customer experience. Similarly, if customers interact with the organization at different levels then other opportunities would be provided to the firm for improving customer experience and engagement.

Customer Journey and Opportunities

            In the customer experience map drawn above, it can be observed that first of all, the customer saw an advertisement about the organization on the television. After seeing the advertisement, the customer visited the website and searched for online reviews by other customers about the services. After reading the reviews, the department of customer support was contacted by the customer through the email. Through the email, the customer asked questions about the services and obtained the necessary answers for making the purchase decision. After purchasing the services from the website, the customer received the confirmation through the email and other documents associated with the purchase. And after traveling, the customer told others about the services because he/she was satisfied with the services. At these touchpoints, opportunities of improving the customer experience were developed. For instance, at the website, the interface could be improved while at the time of enquiry, the behavior of customer staff could be improved.

Conclusion of Customer Experience Manager

 Overall, it can be said that the factors and drivers of customer engagement play an important role in satisfying workers and increasing sales. In addition to it, different groups of the target audience have different expectations and needs. For targeting them, strategies have to be changed and adjusted. Lastly, opportunities are provided at all touchpoints of customer experience and customer engagement can be increased by utilizing these opportunities.

References of Customer Experience Manager

Doorn, J. V., Lemon, K. N., Mittal, V., Nass, S., Pick, D., Pirner, P., & Verhoef, P. C. (2010). Customer engagement behavior: Theoretical foundations and research directions. Journal of service research, 13(3), 253-266.

Vivek, S. D., Beatty, S. E., & Morgan, R. M. (2012). Customer engagement: Exploring customer relationships beyond purchase. Journal of marketing theory and practice, 20(2), 122-146.