Customer Experience Vs. Customer Service Vs. Customer Care

While customer experience, service, and care might be seen as interchangeable, there is a distinct difference in the way they are implemented. One thing is certain, companies are investing more resources in creating a seamless experience, resulting in a significant shift in business from profit-centric to customer-centric. The competition is also shifting away from price and toward experience. There is no doubt that companies are beginning to prioritize Customer Experience. What about Customer Service and Customer Care?

The difference between Customer Experience, Customer Service, and Customer care

There is a considerable difference between Customer Experience, Customer Service, and Customer Care. It’s essential to define these terms, be aware of the areas they cover, and distinguish between the means of interaction they use.

What is Customer Service

The primary responsibility of Customer Service is to advise customers and provide them with help and assistance. The main focus of Customer Service is customer satisfaction, with the ultimate goal of increasing the Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT). So, what exactly does Customer Service include?

• Responding to product/service inquiries
• Assisting customers in making the best purchasing decision
• After-purchase assistance for customers
• Advising the customer on the best way to use the product/service
• Troubleshooting a problem
• Providing a superior purchasing experience for customers

What is Customer Care

Customer Care is exactly what it sounds like: caring for customers while interacting with the brand. Genuine care entails listening to customers’ needs and desires and developing appropriate solutions. Customer Care, while similar to Customer Service, entails deeper interactions and the development of personal and emotional connections with customers. While both contribute to customer satisfaction, another significant difference is that Customer Care cannot be easily quantified. Each company’s Customer Service strategy will be unique (even within the same industry).  Common examples include:

• Personalized customer interactions (like sending birthday cards)
• Targeted and unique messaging (like sending suggestions based on their behavior)
• Customer convenience benefits (like a money-back guarantee or free delivery)

What is Customer Experience

Customer Experience encompasses the entire customer journey, including all brand interactions along the way. CX refers to the entire customer lifecycle and every touchpoint a customer has with a product or service. It also considers how customers feel about a company, including their emotional, physical, and psychological attachments to the brand. The purchasing process can be lengthy, from discovering the brand to researching a product or service, making a purchase decision, purchasing, using, and following up with the brand. All of this contributes to the overall Customer Experience.

Here, you can read more about the importance of the Customer Experience, how Customer Experience can drive business growth, and some valuable techniques to improve your Customer Experience.

The Conclusion

We wouldn’t be surprised if the three concepts of Customer Service, Customer Care, and Customer Experience sound familiar. They help a company keep its commitments while creating loyal, satisfied, and returning customers. While Customer Experience is the sum of all interactions, Customer Service and Customer Care are also critical components of the equation.

Customer Service and Care are equally essential, and businesses can not overlook them in favor of a better Customer Experience. Customer Service and Customer Care are necessary because no matter how hard a brand works to provide a flawless experience, not every customer will be delighted at all times. This is precisely why all three segments should be equally incorporated and always collaborate closely. Only then will a company be able to maintain a large, satisfied, loyal customer base. And, as we’ve previously stated, loyal customers are return customers and will refer and recommend others.

So, while Customer Experience should be at the heart of everything a business does, incorporating Customer Service and Customer Care will result in exceeding expectations and keeping customers delighted. However, if you are having difficulty with any of these services, FrontLogix can undoubtedly assist you. We provide Customer Service and Customer Care outsourcing services and improve all touchpoints of the Customer Journey for a better overall Customer Experience — just Get In Touch!