PUBLISHED BY: ONMESSAGE, A MESSAGING INFUSION COMPANY

JULY 2014

5 STEPSTO CREATING A COMPELLINGCUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

We live in the age of the customer, an age of

self-education and an age in which the customer

controls the buying process. In order to attract

and retain customers, companies must shift from

the outdated sales funnel approach, in which the

seller controls the buyers’ journey to an engaging,

self-educating approach that acknowledges that

customers are in the drivers’ seat as they move

through the sales cycle at their own pace.

Because the customer has claimed control of the

buying journey, businesses must do what they

can to influence a buying decision. This means

delivering clear, compelling and consistent messaging

throughout each stage of the buying cycle.

In the Harvard Business Review article, “The Truth

About Customer Experience,” the author explains,

“ … organizations able to skillfully manage the entire

[customer] experience reap enormous rewards:

enhanced customer satisfaction, reduced churn,

increased revenue and greater employee satisfaction.

They also discover more-effective ways to collaborate

across functions and levels, a process that delivers

gains throughout the company.” In other words, the

customer experience is an “end-to-end journey”

in which the cumulative touchpoints throughout

the customer journey result in a relationship. How

the prospective customer experiences the journey

will define the relationship he or she has with the

company and is largely determined by messaging

continuity, or lack thereof, throughout the process.

FIVE STEPS TO CREATING A COMPELLING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE 3

MESSAGING CONTINUITY THROUGHOUT THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Prospects and customers must experience messaging continuity and consistency

as they journey from one phase of the buying journey to the next. The only way

to ensure this occurs is to develop and infuse a clear, compelling and consistent

message inside and outside of your organization.

A RECENT McKINSEY STUDY

IN DELIVERING A SUPERIOR

IS THE ABILITY TOCUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

DEVELOP AND DELIVER

#1 TRAITREVEALED THE

OF COMPANIES THAT SUCCEED

A CLEAR, CONSISTENT

MESSAGE.

OF YOUR BRAND PERCEPTION

YOUR CUSTOMERS HAVEIS BASED ON CONVERSATIONS

WITH EMPLOYEES.(ENTERPRISE IG)

In order to achieve messaging continuity and deliver a consistently compelling

customer experience, marketers must implement the following five steps.

1 DEVELOP AND DELIVER A CLEAR, DIFFERENTIATED CORPORATE MESSAGE.Corporate messaging equips your entire organization with a single,

trusted platform of strategic messaging and storytelling tools that drives

continuity throughout the customer experience.

2 TRAIN EMPLOYEES SO THEY CAN BRING YOUR CORPORATE MESSAGE TO LIFE.Messaging training provides employees at every level with the in-depth

knowledge and resources they need to bring your story to life in the

customer experience.

FIVE STEPS TO CREATING A COMPELLING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

FIVE STEPS TO CREATING A COMPELLING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE 4

FIVE STEPS TO CREATING A COMPELLING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE (continued)

3 PROVIDE SALES WITH ENGAGING MESSAGES, STORIES AND TOOLS.Sales enablement aligns your strategic messaging with sales tools and

selling conversations to create a consistent, compelling buying process that

increases business results.

4 EXTEND AND AMPLIFY YOUR STORY WITH COMPELLING CONTENT.Developing a consistent stream of brand stories that extend and amplify

critical elements of your corporate messaging platform so as to engage

your customers and prospective customers as they move along the

buying journey.

5 INTEGRATE YOUR MESSAGE WITH CAPTIVATING BRAND CREATIVE.Brand integration blends the narrative and visual brand experience

to create maximum engagement throughout the buying process and

customer experience.

Customer experience is born out of corporate messaging. Companies that

provide a clear, compelling corporate message delivered consistently

throughout the entire customer experience — from social media, sales

presentations, industry events and customer service phone calls to

casual conversations in the hallway — offer customers and prospective

customers a cohesive buying journey and a reliable customer experience

that builds trust and customer loyalty.

OF VENDOR SELECTION AND

IS BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE

SALES PROCESS.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

THEY HAVE IN THE(CEB)

© Copyright OnMessage, Inc. 2014 | All rights reserved.

About OnMessage

It’s more than our name.

It embodies our singular purpose and mission …

To grow our client’s business by helping them deliver a clear, compelling

and consistent corporate message throughout the customer experience.

OnMessage is a messaging infusion company with a proven model

for helping you develop a clear, compelling and consistent message.

Our methodology aligns your company’s strengths and true point of

difference with customer needs to create a messaging platform that

elicits optimal engagement throughout the customer experience.

This methodology, when combined with our employee training, sales

enablement, content development and brand integration services,

enables you to achieve a higher return on every connection you make.

For more information

For more valuable and informative resources that can help you improve

your customer experience go to: www.itsonmessage.com/resource.

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