Think about some of the interactions that you've had recently with a company, online or off. Which ones do you remember? Which do you value? Which did you tell a friend about? What makes you return again and again?
The Mark of Exceptional Experience has six points. They represent the six key principles that we believe define Exceptional Experiences online. They guide our thinking about the medium and how we solve problems for our clients.
Exceptional Experiences:
Recognize needs. The Internet is a user-driven, task-oriented medium. Users have specific goals. Great experiences are built around this simple premise. They are architected around users' unique needs. They segment users into logical behavioral groups to improve the relevance of interactions. They anticipate user problems and solve them proactively. Above all, they are useful and recognize a broader set of emotional motivators that make the brand and experience unique.
See relationships holistically. Exceptional Experiences see an online customer interaction in the context of a broader channel strategy. They see every communication touch point as an opportunity to learn more and to improve the relevance of the customer dialog.
Revel in the details. Online experiences are intimate, one-on-one encounters. Craftsmanship, down to the smallest detail is critical. Here are some examples: how your site presents an idea, how it responds to a mouse over or a click, how it maintains consistency, how it captures and holds attention, and how it guides your customer through a process. Exceptional experiences balance usability with functionality to create efficient and memorable interactions.
Showcase the brand. Great brands are unique and so are the online experiences that support them. Exceptional Experiences identify the authentic and differentiated qualities of your brand and bring them to life online through design, content, and functionality.
Evolve continually and easily. Exceptional Experiences are the product of a deliberate execute-measure-improve cycle. For every great front-end experience, there is a complex, back-end that enables it. Publishing, maintenance, governance tools and processes, promotional structures, and reporting interfaces must be flexible and manageable. They enable organizations to deliver long-term Exceptional Experiences.
Are profitable. When focusing on delivering Exceptional Experiences, you are making two crucial investments: in meeting customer needs in an engaging and emotionally satisfying way. Especially in today's competitive market, these investments pay off in greater levels of customer loyalty and, ultimately, higher revenues.
