That’s a tweet I posted based on an article I wrote not that long ago, Ian Spindley (@IanSpindley) responded with the following comment.

What Ian is saying is that there are different departments working on the customer’s journey. From marketing, which positions the company in the marketplace, to communications, which pushes the message out further, to sales, which is the official name we’ve given to the process of the point where the customer buys.

And then, once they are a customer, we try to get them to come back, moving them from one-time buyers to repeat buyers.

My original post was about creating a special department or team that focuses on creating loyalty from the casual or one-time buyer. I still believe that’s an effort worth investing in. But, Ian’s response warranted a response:

Customer experience is the job of all these departments and more. It’s everything that a company does that touches the customer or causes the customer to think about anything related to the company. And, when everyone does their job – when everyone understands their role as it applies to CX – then the customer does what all of us hope they will do: come back and talk about us.

I always think back to what my friend Tom Baldwin, former chairman, CEO and president of Morton’s The Steakhouse, shared with me years ago about Morton’s customer service and CX strategy. He said their best marketing and sales strategy didn’t come from a department at the headquarters. It all was on the front line, where employees interact with and serve their guests.

His philosophy was simple and profound: if the employees did a great job serving great steaks with exceptional customer service, customers tell others and come back. He believed that rather than investing in traditional advertising, instead he would invest in people.

In short, your best marketing, communication, sales, and loyalty strategies, when working well, can all be thought of as one big customer experience!

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com.

Follow on Twitter: @Hyken. Shep is a regular contribuor to 4Hoteliers.com.

(Copyright © 2018, Shep Hyken - Reprinted with Permission)