Interview with the CX specialist Joakim Thörn
We have interviewed Joakim Thörn, the CX specialist who has many years’ experience inspiring and helping companies create better interactions along the customer journey and optimise their customer experience (CX).
What do you think is the strongest argument for why companies must increase their customer focus?
– There are a couple of important insights here. From a customer perspective, companies need to be loyal to me as a customer in order to earn trust in the relationship. They must make it easy for me as a customer, deliver based on my perceived expectations and make it emotionally positive and fun. They need to acknowledge my needs in order for me to continuing liking them as a brand and remain as a customer. The concept of ‘emotionally positive and fun’ is something very few companies attempt to implement in their selling.
From a company perspective, there are two arguments. First and foremost, it influences strong sales growth which is sustainable because as a customer, I stay longer, pay more and recommend the company or product to friends and colleagues – imagine emotional loyalty. Secondly, customer-focused companies are significantly more profitable.
Why is emotion so important in customers’ purchase decisions and how does it affect them?
– Everything I do is about leading and inspiring both people and organisations. I want to show them how to create authentic and passionate communication in all interactions they have, as this creates a world with more wow-feeling moments and joy. This is why I think it’s important to talk about emotions. All of this is only possible if we understand how emotions affect us as people and how it guides us in our daily decisions.
Is there any “touchpoint” in the customer journey that you want companies to spend more time and commitment too?
– You need to stop focusing on individual interactions. Today it is the entire customer and employee journey that you need to keep track of. Customer journeys don’t take any account whatsoever of silo structures! Start today, so the time until 2020 will be a much more enjoyable journey with your team and customers – put people first!
