For my entire career, I’ve worked in B2B organisations, which adds an extra layer of complexity to creating a great customer experience (CX). Here’s why, along with potential ways to solve these challenges:
CX in B2B is Always Human-Centred
While your customer might be a business, the business itself has no feelings or expectations—it operates on metrics like time and
cost. Human emotions and decisions drive customer experience, meaning you’re always interacting with the PEOPLE within your business customer.
The Challenge of B2B Complexity
CX theory is often rooted in B2C scenarios, where the business sells directly to the end user. In these cases, feedback is straightforward, as the same individual experiences all aspects of the customer journey.
In contrast, B2B usually involves multiple players:
- The Enquirer: The person researching your product.
- The Budget Holder: The one setting financial constraints.
- The Decision Maker: The individual making the final call.
- The Administrator: The person or team that manages use of your product within the business.
- The End Users: The people using the product daily.
These roles may belong to different individuals with varying priorities, and sometimes you may not even have access to the end users to gather feedback. This fragmentation complicates understanding the full customer experience.
Staff Turnover Compounds CX Challenges
CX History Can Disappear: If the staff you’ve invested effort to impress leave, the business itself retains no memory of the relationship. New employees form fresh opinions, and you may not even know a new person is engaging with your product.
CX History Can Travel: Departing employees take their experience with your product to their next role. If their impression was positive, they might advocate for your product in a new business, creating opportunities for growth.
Reducing B2B CX Friction
Here are some strategies to simplify and enhance CX in a B2B context:
💡 Map the Stakeholder Journey
Create a detailed Customer Journey Map (CJM) to identify where different stakeholders interact with your processes. Tailor your approach to address their specific needs at each stage.
💡 Segment Customers by Size and Style
Small businesses and enterprise clients have different expectations and processes. Use segmentation to adapt your customer journey to better suit each type.
💡 Leverage Relationships for Targeted Feedback
During onboarding, collect contact details for key stakeholders, including product owners, finance teams, and end users. Tailor your feedback requests to each group’s involvement, reducing survey fatigue while gaining actionable insights.
💡 Capture the Voice of the User (VoU)
Build mechanisms into your product to collect direct feedback from end users. For example, integrate user experience (UX) feedback tools or usage analytics within your software.
💡 Monitor Leading Indicators
Track usage patterns, retention rates, and other metrics to identify potential issues early. Proactively address these friction points before they escalate.
💡 Go Deeper with Insights
Use larger customers as a resource for in-depth case studies or stakeholder interviews. These insights can inform improvements across your customer base.
💡 Spread Your Roots
Embed reminders of your excellent CX into every touchpoint, such as product packaging, invoices, and login screens. This reinforces your brand’s value across all levels of your customer’s organisation.
💡 Build a Customer Community
Encourage individuals within your business customers to join forums, webinars, or events. Collect personal contact details to maintain connections, even if they move to new roles.
💡 Encourage Referrals
Leverage your customers’ professional networks by incentivising referrals. Offer rewards for advocates who bring new clients to your business.
💡 Invest in Onboarding and Training
Simplify onboarding with clear, role-based training modules and dedicated support. This ensures all stakeholders can quickly realise the value of your product.
Conclusion
Creating a great CX in a B2B environment means acknowledging its inherent complexity while staying human-centred. By mapping journeys, collecting targeted feedback, and leveraging relationships, you can simplify the experience and build lasting connections with your business customers.
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