By Polly Thompson (B33 Design)
CX is not just a product
Over the last 30 years, Apple has seen it value increase to $3.4 trillion. This was just the result of great products – Their real edge? Customer experience. From their compelling branding and marketing to in-store experience, applications, usability, and support, Apple has consistently pioneered outstanding CX. That’s how they can charge up to 200% more, rarely discount, and still hold market share.
It’s every interaction with a brand.
Don Norman coined the term “user experience” at Apple in the early 90’s
Customer experience (CX) is the sum of every interaction a customer has with a brand – across awareness, acquisition, use, support, and beyond. It’s not just product usability, nor support quality – it’s the emotional arc, the continuity, the impressions at every touchpoint.
So why care?
Customer-centric organizations see superior revenue growth, higher customer retention, greater market share, and stronger stock performance
“Even a minor improvement to a brand’s customer experience quality can add tens of millions of dollars of revenue by reducing customer churn and increasing share of wallet” – Forrester
Customer gains:
- 20–30% improvements in customer satisfaction and engagement – Mckinsey
Business gains:
- Up to 33% reduction in cost to serve customers – HBR
- 60% more profitable – Deloitte
- 49% faster profit growth – Forrester
- 51% better customer retention – Forrester
- Customers are willing to pay a price premium up to 16% – PWC
- 3.5x more revenue growth – Accenture
- 15–25% higher cross-sell rates – Mckinsey
- 5–10% boost in customer share-of-wallet – Mckinsey
- Happy customers stay loyal for 5 years longer than unhappy customers – Deloitte
This isn’t marketing fluff. It’s about business performance. While 80% of companies believe they deliver a superior CX, only 8% of customers agree.
Why do clients underinvest?
Two stubborn myths:
- “It takes too long”
- “It costs too much”
People assume CX audits require months of research. Yet, with the right people in the room, in under a day you can map the CX and extract a client’s biggest assumptions, business risks, and opportunities.
Sure, a well executed CX is derived from researching your customers, good business strategy and internal alignment, but it all starts with understanding how everything is pieced together – and where the weak points lie.
How is this relevant to your business?
The weakest link will hold you back. Whether you’re a branding, marketing, product, or full-service agency: your work only shines if every link in the chain holds. A brilliant social campaign falls flat if the purchase journey is confusing or complex. A stellar product fails if support doesn’t follow through. Compelling branding will only shine through if executed correctly across all channels.
You can, and should, point out gaps upstream or downstream for clients. Those caveats don’t undermine your contribution, they elevate the whole delivery.
Collaboration wins – for everyone
Highlighting CX flaws isn’t calling people out – it’s building a stronger, more integrated outcome and builds trust with your clients. When your peers fix those gaps:
- Clients win, because customers are happier, buy more and stick around.
- Their customers win, because touchpoints are seamless and needs are met.
- You win, because your work shines brighter in a better context.
- Your peers win with new business, demonstrating collaboration at its best.
References
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"CX drives profitability," Deloitte, 2022. -
"2023 State of Customer Experience," Forrester Research, 2023. -
"Experience is Everything: Here’s How to Get it Right," PwC, 2023. -
"The Value of Customer Experience, Quantified," Harvard Business Review, 2022. -
"Customer Experience: New Capabilities, New Audiences, New Opportunities," McKinsey & Company, 2023. -
"Customer Experience Management (CEM)," Gartner, 2023. -
“Customer Experience is the Future of Marketing,” Forbes, 2015 -
“The Value of Customer Experience, Quantified,” Harvard Business Review, 2014 -
“The 5 disciplines of customer experience leaders” Bain and Co, 2015
