Is there a professional term used more broadly and ambiguously than “customer experience?”  The near-entirety of the customer management field treats the term as gospel, but if this same audience were asked to explain what “customer experience” means, they would likely produce vastly different answers.

Certainly, as different organizations from different industries strategize interactions with their different customer bases, some disparity in “customer experience” is going to rise.

But that does not mean a level of consistency is not needed.  The rise of social media and increased C-level emphasis have thrust customer-centricity deeper into the limelight, and if organizations do not deliver on the fundamental “customer experience” expectations simultaneously present in board rooms, retail checkout lines and Twitter pages, they could permanently damage their brands.

So what is the universal meaning of customer experience?  And what mindsets, strategies and benchmarks are pivotal to the success of all customer-facing organizations?

Vinay Iyer, vice president of marketing for SAP and co-author of “Customer Experience Edge,” joins CustomerManagementIQ.com to discuss this immensely-relevant customer management issue.  Drawing upon his own experiences and engagements and citing case studies and examples from companies like CEMEX and Apple, Iyer addresses:

-- What exactly does “customer experience” mean?  What are the three relevant “levels” of a successful customer experience?
-- How do you reconcile the need to improve “customer satisfaction” with the need to improve revenue and profit?  Which matters more, and what metrics tell the best big picture story?
-- The C-level might be increasingly behind customer experience, but does that mean all the gaps are sealed?  What other internal struggles stand in the way of truly attracting, satisfying and retaining customers?
-- What kind of organizational leadership is needed to promote the ideal customer experience culture?