It is no longer enough to have a good product or provide a quality service. Price is not the determining factor either. Companies oriented to the end customer have to go a step further because the frontier of competitiveness is now in the consumer experience. And the firms that focus on the so-called Customer Experience achieve, according to Forrester analysts, more brand recognition, better satisfaction of their own employees, more purchase value and, even more important, greater customer retention.
But what is the consumer experience? “It is creating unique moments for the client with the aim of anticipating their needs and satisfying them, as well as retaining them”, summed up Pep Manich, director of iryo's Costumer Experience. The director of the first Spanish private high-speed rail operator, the last to enter the scene since its liberalization in Spain, was one of the experts who participated in the Diálogos en la Vanguardia meeting on customer experience as a factor of competitiveness business. The round table also had the presence of Sandra Lenis, Product Director
Iryo, Air Europa and Only YOU Hotels are three companies that have placed customer experience at the center of their business strategy, presenting a differential offer compared to their competitors. Iryo, owned by Air Nostrum, Globalvia and Trenitalia and which began its operations on November 25, was born to be disruptive. "And we are being," Manich said. “Through the experience that we have designed, we give a totally differential proposal. From the purchase process to customer service on land and on board, including fare flexibility and gastronomy, which adds a lot of value during the trip”, he explained. Travelers traveling in the Infinita Bistro class of the flecha roja trains can, for example, choose between six different menus, which highlights the choice that the company provides its customers.
Only YOU Hotels, for now with establishments in Madrid, Valencia, Malaga and soon in Seville, offers a new way of traveling inspired by the connection with the local and the human. “That our guests discover”, explained Torregrosa, who went on to detail the four pillars on which his strategy rests: “The team, which is the basic reference; a lobby full of activity and dynamism; a very careful interior design; and an idea of attention and impeccable service”.
For its part, Air Europa, aware that today traveling is no longer a privilege, but a 'commodity', seeks that the flight is no longer a mere transport, but that it itself becomes an "incomparable" experience, because the client "values a different way of traveling", explained its Product Director
The consumer, Lenis reflected, now has more options to choose from. "It has been empowered," summarized the representative of Air Europa. For Torregrosa, in this new panorama, “companies must decide on which level they want to position themselves, whether on that of a mere commercial transaction or on an emotional one. The three managers agreed that the customer experience is the key factor that makes the difference, which is why firms have to make them fall in love, surprise them and live up to their expectations, take care of them and accompany them, because this is the way to achieve their loyalty and fidelity. Otherwise, companies run the risk of not being left out of the game, because "there is a market for everything", but of not getting the most profitability from their management.
The customer, Manich added, must be at the center and many times "he is the one who sets the tone and the one who guides the company to lead it to greater profitability". “Being a Costumer Centric helps you improve,” he added, to which Torregrosa added as a reflection if it is not time to become Human-connection Centrics. The path, in his view, goes that way, not through purely transactional connections, but through those human connections that make experiences more enriching and full and, therefore, generate greater fidelity.
If the customer experience is a strategic element for the company, its weight cannot fall solely and exclusively on a specific department of the company, but rather it has to be transversal. "We like to talk about culture, spirit, philosophy," said Torregrosa who, paraphrasing the renowned expert in strategy, innovation and transformation Xavier Marcet, highlighted the importance of creating a culture "of ecosystems and not egosystems" in companies. The entire organization must be recruited and this culture must be worked across, the three managers stated, while stressing that this experience offered to the customer must be aligned, "with coherence, honesty and determination", with the values of the company.
A careful listening process is also essential. "We have to learn to listen, because we all have different expectations, needs and concerns," said Lenis, for whom it is also important that companies know how to do self-criticism because, as Torregrosa admitted, "not everything goes well at all times and every day ”.
For their part, the Air Europa board of directors recalled the difficult times that their sector experienced during the pandemic and, in this regard, stressed that the airline reacted and accompanied customers. “That the client feels listened to and accompanied generates empathy with the brand”, she highlighted. A statement seconded by the representative of the hotel sector, who stressed that, through accompaniment and care, a negative or unfortunate experience can end up building customer loyalty "even more than a standard situation".
Manich expressed himself in similar terms, who highlighted the importance of the 'close the loop', the process by which organizations listen and answer customers in their interactions, because "with their contributions and opinions" they help to improve the company. The client, increasingly demanding, complains or gives an opinion and asks for an answer. "And he deserves it," she stressed.
The listening process is important when designing the customer experience, because each customer is different and expects something different. And there technology is a great ally to know and be able to segment consumers. “The projects that are underway today would be unthinkable without the technological tools that we have,” Lenis said. Technology, she added, allows "to modulate the experiences and have the most satisfied customer." The trend is towards hyper-experience and maximum customization, almost like a tailor-made suit for each client. For Torregrosa, personalization is not much more complex than non-personalization, but it does require "sensitivity and a desire to please."
At this point, Manich predicted that, within the gastronomic experience that iryo has on board, there will come a time when the client will be able to make their menu with the ingredients they want. "This will pass," he said, but at the same time he warned of the cost of making suits tailored to each consumer and the risk of generating expectations that cannot be met later. He also referred to the sometimes difficult task of obtaining the necessary data to know the client. “The client is demanding, but very reluctant to provide data; We all like to be treated well, but not all of us want to give the tools to be treated well, ”he pointed out by way of reflection, which was shared by Torregrosa. In his opinion, approaching the client so that he provides data without feeling violated or invaded in his privacy is a challenge.
It is true that to find out you have to ask, but there are many things that can be achieved with the good work of the teams, such as getting to know recurring customers and their tastes. "Observe, observe and observe, as the basis of knowledge", emphasized the representative of Only YOU Hotels, to add later: "The daily challenge is the ability to observe better and better, provide our teams with the means to observe more and more better, what a client likes and needs”. Manich explained that, although the company has been operating for just over six months, there are many recurring passengers on the Madrid-Barcelona route and the crews already know them, so they can personalize the service.
Although the three companies present in the debate are tourism, the customer experience is not alien to other sectors. "Perhaps tourism and transportation are the most experiential and where customers are much more demanding," concluded Manich.
