Originally posted on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/introducing-customer-experience-hierarchy-needs-michael-g-bartlett?trk=prof-post

After conducting a lot of research consisting of observations, interviews and internal focus groups, and spanning the worlds of Neuroscience, Marketing, Human Motivation and Organizational Development, I have finally developed what I believe to be a truly universal CX Hierarchy of Needs.

I'm presenting it here to get some feedback from fellow CX professionals and anyone who has been involved in either a positive or a negative customer/user experience (Should be all of you!!).

The pyramid is fairly straightforward, much like the original Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.  It is made up of four basic levels which I am sure you will recognize from your own various customer experiences.

1. ASSURED.  This level is reached when you have a need for a product or service and you know where to find it and are not anxious about initiating the transaction/experience that may result in a purchase.  Apprehension, Anxiety and Fear are the common reasons for not making it to the first step on the pyramid.  I recall, back as a teenager in the UK, feeling so uncomfortable in some shops that I did not want to go into them even if I wanted something (Seemed to be a trend in Sports shops manned by cliques of apathetic teenagers who would stare you down when you walked in).  Another good example would be people who are out of shape but embarrassed to sign-up at the Gym because they are fearful of working out in-front of fitness fanatics with perfect bodies.  And a final example: about a year ago my wife called a 24 hour Nurse advice line when her mother was very ill, and felt so disrespected and condescended to by the person on the other end of the line that she will no longer call that number.
2. INFORMED.  This level is reached when you know how to go about navigating the experience so you can make a decision on what to purchase.  I had a case recently where I walked into Best Buy looking for a good Hard Drive that could work with both my PC and Mac.  Unfortunately, on this particular day, I was just not able to find a customer service rep to help me.  Everyone was busy with other customers and I was unable to make a decision on my own and also not sure of the warranties.  After waiting about 10 minutes, I gave up and left.  I did not want to make a purchase if it was uninformed.  I ended up spending the evening doing some research and then buying the product on Amazon. 
3. ALIGNED.  This level is reached when your expectations of your experience (No matter how unrealistic they are!) are aligned with the experience you get.  Perception is king in Customer Experience, so the business either needs to match conventional norms or re-set the expectations.  My wife was in K-Mart the other day, and came out pretty annoyed.  When I asked her what happened, she explained that the business only had one cashier open and a huge line of people were waiting, in frustration, to check out.  To compound the situation, two managers were standing around doing nothing who could have jumped in or done something.  I have actually had that problem myself, before, which I why I now actively avoid that store.  Hidden charges and Bait/Switch tactics are two more classic features of the misalignment which stops people getting to this level on the pyramid.
4. VALUED.  Most customer experiences fall into the second and third steps. However when you WOW your customers, you take the experience to the next level.  Not so long I went into a well known fast food chain restaurant. I ordered the wrong combo by mistake. I realized after I had paid for it and received it.  I explained what happened to the staff, admitted fault and asked to order and pay again.  Not only did they refuse to accept payment for the second order, but they then gave the incorrect order to a homeless man, as opposed to throw out the good food.  And this turned out not to be a one-off!  And when I told others of my frequent positive experiences at this chain, the people I spoke to remarked on how they had also had their expectations exceeded.  And as a result, we always bring repeat business to them.  There is a humanity in these kind of experiences where you really feel the business is doing everything they can to meet and exceed your needs. And hence you feel valued.

So there, in a nutshell, is my hierarchy.  I believe you can apply it to any (Customer) Experience in any Industry and use it to diagnose most issues.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.  This is a new and developing field where we can all learn from one another to push the envelope to help businesses create truly fantastic customer and user experiences.