Gartner : Are you trapped in the Customer Management Industrial Complex?

As customers, we often find ourselves scratching our heads at the actions of organizations that want to do business with us. For example, when my wife and I moved from Seattle to Southern California this past Spring, our car insurance premiums increased by 60%. I was considered a loyal, "platinum" customer - we insured several cars, a house, and an apartment with this insurance company. I knew California was expensive, but 60%? Seriously?

What bothered me the most was the lack of communication from the carrier: no explanations-just a reminder to pay your bill. Is that what it means to be a loyal customer? And our response? We switched insurance carriers and saved over $600.

What happened?

I was a victim of the Customer Management Industrial Complex - a persistent network of platforms, technology providers, service providers, and organizations that sell goods or services. The Complex confuses customer-centricity with operational efficiency. Organizations trade-off long-term customer relationships for short-term profits. Instead of getting an email from the insurance company that offers to explain the increase in my rates and keep my business, I get a reminder to pay my bill.

I bet you are victims of the Complex too. Not just at home but at work. How many unsolicited and off-the-mark calls, emails, and LinkedIn messages do you get in a day? Do you ever wonder what these companies are thinking?

The funny thing is we are all trapped in this quest for automation and efficiency to manage customers at scale. As if more technology is the answer to solving customer problems. In reality, we have lost sight of people. We need to add the R - relationships - back in customer engagement technologies like CRM.

Is there a way out of this trap?

Yes.

We call it CX CORE.

It is short for "Customers, Organization, Relationships, Experience" (CORE). It is a fresh approach to customer engagement that balances technology architecture and business architecture. But also one that balances customer empathy with organizations' short-term financial goals. Achieving this balance will not be easy, and it requires the entire organization to work together and achieve a level of customer-centricity they probably don't have today. A common language and common model are needed to engage all the different functions involved in customer engagement and show how interdependent they are.

You can learn more about CX CORE and the Customer Management Industrial Complex in this new research from Gartner: Rethink Customer Experience for a Disrupted World With the CX CORE Model: A Gartner Trend Insight Report

In the coming weeks, we will share more about this new approach and how you can use it to start to break free from the trap of the Customer Management Industrial Complex. We don't have to be victims.