What’s The Difference Between UX and CX At An Experiential Level?

Is there a difference between UX and CX? Yes. What is the difference between UX and CX? Allow me to answer this question by sharing my experience in dealing with a web hosting company.

The User Experience? Great!

I came across a web hosting company which appealed to me. Let’s call this company: NewWebHostCo. What appealed to me? The look+feel of the website: easy and appealing to my eyes. The navigation: well thought out and signposted. The content: written in plain English and as such is easy to understand – especially for non-technical folks like me.

So I chose to do business with NewWebHostCo. First, I searched for and then purchased a domain. I followed the instructions, paid through my credit card.  Second, I undertook a second transaction: transfer of an existing domain (from 123Reg) to NewWebHostCo, and the purchase of web hosting plan. Again the process of selecting and paying for that which I wanted was easy and quick. Shortly after each transaction, I got emails from NewWebHostCo confirming the purchases I had made.

At this point I was delighted. Clearly, someone had given considerable thought to the design of the NewWebHostCo website: my user experience was excellent in comparison to other web hosting sites which are busy and often confusing to me. So I was looking forward to being up and running (quickly-easily) with NewWebHostCo; I felt reassured by the promise of a 45 day no quibble refund and the promise of great support-service to customer queries.

The Customer Experience? Poor!

The next day I logged into my account at the NewWebHostCo website. I was surprised and disappointed to find that the domain name that I had purchased was not on my account. I did a web search for this domain name only to find that it was still available for purchase. I found myself puzzled. Previously, this had been such a straight forward matter: select domain, pay, wait several hours, domain is ready for use. Not with this web hosting company.

Later that day, I got an automated email from NewWebHostCo informing me that the transfer of the existing domain had failed. I was surprised as I had carefully read the instructions provided by 123Reg and thus unlocked the domain and made it ready for transfer to NewWebHostCo. And I provided the details that NewWebHostCo’s online wizard had requested. Nonetheless, I double checked everything and went through the transfer wizard a second time. Same result: I got another email telling me that the transfer had failed.

So I reached for support. Only to find that all support requests have to be made via email. So I filled in the requisite form setting out the issues that I was facing. Then I waited. And waited. And waited. Days went by and I received no response: no acknowledgement that anyone had received my email, nor any idea of when any action was going to be taken.

Back to the NewWebHostCo website and the support section. Once again I filled in the email support form. This time I took the company up on its offer to ring customers back. I reiterated the issues. I set-out my disappointment. And I asked to be rung back on my mobile.

The day after this email, I got an email response telling me that I had not provided all the required details for the domain name purchase. And asking me for the details of the second transaction – the domain name transfer and hosting package – so that the transaction could be annulled.  I did not find myself impressed.

So What?

My experience suggests that time-effort-money spent on UX is ultimately wasted unless the UX is one component of a great CX: the end-to-end experience of the customer.  How have I come to this conclusion? I cancelled my transactions with NewWebHostCo. And have chosen to keep doing with my existing web hosting provider (123Reg).

Another thought strikes me. I notice that folks in organisational worlds are besotted by technology. Which is to say that I find folks putting their faith in technology not human beings and the kind of service that can only be provided by human beings.  That strikes me as mistake: Technology fail! When technology fails the right kind of human service (responsive, considerate) can take care of the breakdown and build a stronger relationship with the customer. Lack of human service, on the other hand, shows the lack of care-consideration for the customer.

Why have I not named and shamed NewWebHostCo? Because the tone of the email that I received by the human being who finally did respond to my email request for help. The tone was human: apologetic and helpful. For me, humanity calls forth humanity. Is this something that folks that wield power in organisational worlds have forgotten? Or are they simply blind to the value of humanity?

Author: Maz Iqbal

Experienced management consultant living/working in Switzerland. View all posts by Maz Iqbal