What does customer experience encompass?

Customer experience encompasses the totality of an individual's interactions with a service provider or brand, which includes both functional and emotional aspects. This understanding is crucial because it highlights that customer experience goes beyond just the tangible elements of service delivery, such as how efficiently a service is rendered or how well it performs its intended tasks.

The functional aspects refer to the practical and objective measures of service performance—things like reliability, speed, and ease of use. However, these are only part of the equation. Equally important are the emotional interactions, which include feelings of trust, satisfaction, and connection that a customer develops through their engagement with the service. These emotional responses can profoundly affect customer loyalty and overall satisfaction.

By recognizing customer experience as the sum of both functional and emotional interactions, organizations can tailor their services to meet not only the basic needs of their customers but also foster positive emotional connections, leading to enhanced satisfaction and loyalty. This holistic view is fundamental in ITIL 4's approach to Driving Stakeholder Value, as it encourages organizations to consider the entirety of the customer journey and their perceptions at each touchpoint.