In the customer relationship management industry, we have a few phrases to describe how and when customers interact with businesses. Companies are always perfecting the customer experience, or customer interaction. What if companies approached this process as a customer journey, and used analytics to make the trip a worthwhile one for them and their customers?

Customer experience experts at Exony (News - Alert) say that the customer experience is more like a customer journey, and perhaps the definition is a bit more spot on. The relationship begins from varying points, usually with some kind of purchase, and the path continues on with support, future purchases, social interaction, and recommendations to friends. It is up to the company to provide all the bells and whistles to make this “journey” a good one, and this is where analytics can play an important role.

As anyone who’s called into a contact center or interacted with a business via social media, the outlets by which to give feedback are important and necessary. These interactions, both positive and negative, are saved on record and provide beneficial information to the businesses serving their customer base. By having this information recorded and stored, managers can analyze the data for future products, services and overall performance analytics, not to mention where there is room for improvement. This sort of information is crucial in improving customer service, but it also lends to enhanced business success.

What’s more, there’s now the omni-channel experience means businesses are using technology to better obtain data and help customers in need. Consumers are now experiencing the power and the promise of converged and rich communication such as instant messaging, video sharing and buddy lists, which have introduced a new user experience.

Did you know that the multichannel experience means twice as many year-over-year improvements in customer satisfaction compared to peers using only a single channel? Recent analysis has proven this, and so it behooves businesses to start thinking about ditching the single channel solution and move toward a model that incorporates the various methods of communication out there. The information gathered by modern telephony and technology solutions means the customer journey is on the right path.

Customer experience is shaped by all the contributors to an organization’s processes, policies and culture, in addition to the physical product or service associated with the customer’s need. Thus, it is impacted by the degree of alignment among departments and the use of proper technology.