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  • 1.  Customer Experience in B2B - How Different Can it Be (to be)?

    Posted 07-08-2015 01:07 PM

    I'm just reading a book by Harry Bunn titled Customer Experience: It's Not That Easy: Customer Experience Programs for B2B Companies which I find both interesting and quite an easy read.  For anyone in the B2B space, this would be a recommend.

    I met Harry (CEO at RONIN, a B2B research organization) back in May when we were paired to co-facilitate a workshop at the Omega Management SCORE Conference in Boston.  

    The title of his book alludes to the fact that CX within B2B is more complex (and harder) has it's own set of challenges, and therefore requires a unique set of approaches. Not that B2C examples of best practices can't equally apply to B2B scenarios, but Harry clearly delineates what you need to be doing different when you are in a B2B environment.

    Has anyone else seen or read this one?  If so, any thoughts?

    More from me once I get through the 180 pages!!

    Karl

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    Karl Sharicz
    Senior Partner
    CX Partners
    Quincy, MA 02169
    508 989-7379
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  • 2.  RE: Customer Experience in B2B - How Different Can it Be (to be)?

    Posted 07-09-2015 04:32 PM

    I would absolutely agree that, in general, B2B is more convoluted both in terms of measurement design as well as customer relationship management. I generally see customer relationships that lack a clear end user (or have MANY end users at one org), move from very transactional in the early stages to heavily relational in later stages (which complicates measurement) and are more likely to be high-value due to the traditionally lower ratio of business-->client that is found in B2B vs. B2C.

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    Kyle Groff, Ph.D.
    Principal Consultant, CX
    Qualtrics
    Salt Lake City UT
    850-4967599
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  • 3.  RE: Customer Experience in B2B - How Different Can it Be (to be)?

    Posted 07-10-2015 03:31 PM

    I have not yet read the book you mentioned, but will take a look at it. Have you found that it emphasizes touch-points as so many experts typically do? Or does it describe how to align the supplier with target customers' expectations for hand-in-glove fit and organic fan-building and growth?

    Additionally, I write often about B2B Customer Experience Management at "Optimizing the B2B Customer Experience" Column by Lynn Hunsaker

    Also of potential interest and help:

    State of Business-to-Business Customer Experience Management

    Customerthink remove preview
    State of Business-to-Business Customer Experience Management
    How relevant are the trendiest customer experience management (CXM) practices in business-to-business (B2B) companies? After all, B2B account teams are usually quite involved with clients throughout a long sales cycle, interacting with various influencers of the buying decision and almost "living" the customer journey alongside their clients.
    View this on Customerthink >

    Are B2B and B2C Customer Experience Management Different?

    Customer Experience ROI Enablement remove preview
    Are B2B and B2C Customer Experience Management Different?
    Customer experience management of consumers or business clients may seem really different, or essentially the same, depending on your perspective. Customer surveys are a universal CEM practice, and both B2B and B2C companies have been measuring customer satisfaction since the late 1980s and early 1990s, as part of their ISO 9000 and total quality management commitments.
    View this on Customer Experience ROI Enablement >

    Business-to-Business Customer Experience Best Practices Study

    Customer Experience ROI Enablement remove preview
    Business-to-Business Customer Experience Best Practices Study
    This is a study of the journey to world-class performance in how business-to-business firms (1) listen to customers, (2) view customers, (3) center employees on customers, and (4) center business on customers. It explores the motivations behind customer experience management (CEM) and its linkages to corporate goals, strategy, culture, processes, and business results.
    View this on Customer Experience ROI Enablement >

    Business-to-Business Customer Experience Management

    Customer Experience ROI Enablement remove preview
    Business-to-Business Customer Experience Management
    What's unique about business-to-business customer experience management? The stakes can be quite high, especially when one or both parties is manufacturing or constructing something. In addition to large sums of money in-play, purchases may affect the buying company's reputation, productivity, time-to-market, cycle time, assets usage, opportunity cost, and financial risk, along with individuals' career paths.
    View this on Customer Experience ROI Enablement >

    B2B Customer Experience Resources

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    Lynn Hunsaker, CCXP
    Customer Experience ROI Strategist
    ClearAction
    408-687-9700
    lynn.hunsaker@clearactionCX.com
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  • 4.  RE: Customer Experience in B2B - How Different Can it Be (to be)?

    Posted 07-13-2015 02:41 PM
    Hi Karl In my experience, B2B is significantly different to B2C for a number of reasons. Most significantly, more complex decision making (DMUs) and therefore more segments/ journeys to deal with, all which interrelate; and some of the segments can have far less data, which makes quantitative research unreliable. The CX approach often needs to be completely different. Kind regards Ian

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    Ian Williams
    Director
    Jericho
    Oxford
    020-70991950
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