Transform Customer Experience

Chapter 4Personalising the experience

Choice was the first casualty when 20th-century mass production ground into gear. Products were standardised so they could be manufactured cheaply on a huge scale. Fridges, stoves and washing machines were referred to as ‘white goods’ because they were. When they started appearing in colour, it was as novelty items that only the wealthy could afford.

Computerisation has changed all that, because products and services can now be flexibly designed. It’s feasible to customise goods to an individual’s needs in everything from clothing to computers to cars, and services are going the same way. Customers are often prepared to pay a bit more for a pair of jeans that fit perfectly or a holiday that’s more than a package tour. And they have access to an unprecedented range of independent sources of information to help them choose what they want. One thing you can be sure of today is that you can’t treat all customers as if they are the same, because they aren’t and they won’t tolerate it.

To make a mark in this increasingly competitive market, businesses need to offer their customers a unique value proposition that is personalised: ‘If you buy what I’m offering, it will make your life better in a way that nothing else can.’ In some situations, this can be achieved only by tailoring your offering to the customer. In others, it is enough to design things flexibly so different customers can use them in different ways. This is especially the case with ...