See http://ClearActionCX.com Contact us at OptimizeCX@ClearActionCX.com

1. First Global Business Customer Experience Management Benchmarking
Study Results Published
The world's first global benchmarking study of B2B practices in customer experience reports
increasing investment in internal capability for customer retention. Customer profitability and
customer centric culture techniques are explored, with recommendations for stronger customer
experience management strategy and implementation of under-utilized tools for initiative
momentum and cross-organizational cooperation.
Sunnyvale, California (PRWEB) January 6, 2011 -- The world's first global benchmarking study of business-to-
business customer experience management (B2B CEM) provides insights on the growing role of customer
experience in corporations. Four out of five B2B firms assign overall responsibility for customer experience
initiatives to a vice president or director-level executive, and half of the organizations have increased
investment in customer experience management over the past five years. One in five companies treats customer
experience inputs as a determinant of corporate strategy.
Current CEM practices are largely centered on revenue through customer retention and share of wallet. The
greatest success factors reported by B2B firms are executive sponsorship and employee engagement, and most
customer experience management programs are driven by Service, Marketing, or Sales organizations.
Company-wide implementation appears to be on the rise, although many firms still focus their CEM efforts on
a specific functional area such as customer service.
This study of business-to-business firms analyzed some elements unique to the B2B environment, such as the
role of social media and multiple buying influencers in customer experience management. While many
companies view word-of-mouth monitoring as irrelevant, other B2B firms are finding useful ways to capture
this important component of customer input. Improvement can be made in tapping into the perceptions of the
multiple influencers of buying decisions, and use of tools to stimulate ongoing progress, such as systems
thinking, knowledge management, data integration and change management.
The primary obstacles for B2B firms are the same as those reported in other benchmarking studies: lack of
cross organizational cooperation and lack of customer experience management strategy. Ten characteristics that
differentiate CEM from customer satisfaction or customer relationship management were assessed. The best
understood tenets of CEM reflect aspects of customer perception measurement. The lesser known tenets
describe the customer's high degree of control in characterizing customer experience, and the need for
organizations to maintain insatiable curiosity and uncanny adaptability for delivering superior customer
experiences.
Recommendations for stronger customer experience strategy, cross-organizational cooperation, and business
results are provided in the study. Participating companies are headquartered in North America, Europe, Asia,
and the Middle East, and industries represented include equipment, financial services, insurance, legal, medical,
manufacturing, publishing, telecommunications, technology, and transportation. This study was sponsored by
ClearAction and The Insight Advantage.
The second annual B2B CEM study is scheduled for publication in mid-2011. Access the First Annual
ClearAction Business-to-Business Customer Experience Management Benchmarking Study report at
PRWeb ebooks - Another online visibility tool from PRWeb

2. http://www.clearaction.biz/benchmarking.html.
About ClearAction
ClearAction is a customer experience consulting firm specializing in customer experience innovation,
enterprise-wide employee engagement in customer experience management, and customer relationship skill-
building. ClearAction emphasizes prevention of customer hassles for greater results in customer retention,
lifetime value, and sustained profitability. Lynn Hunsaker, head of ClearAction is author of three ebooks:
Innovating Superior Customer Experience, Metrics You Can Manage for Success, and Customer Experience
Improvement Momentum.
About The Insight Advantage
The Insight Advantage is a full-service research firm, providing a wide range of services (web surveys, focus
groups, telephone interviews) to help companies implement customer research for ongoing insight into their
customers' evolving needs and expectations. Jennifer Berkley Jackson, head of The Insight Advantage, is an
extension faculty member of University of California - Santa Cruz.
###
Page 2/3
If you have any questions regarding information in these press releases please contact the company listed in the press release. Our complete disclaimer
appears here - PRWeb ebooks - Another online visibility tool from PRWeb

3. Contact Information
Lynn Hunsaker
ClearAction
http://www.clearaction.biz
1-408-687-9700
Online Web 2.0 Version
You can read the online version of this press release here.
Page 3/3
If you have any questions regarding information in these press releases please contact the company listed in the press release. Our complete disclaimer
appears here - PRWeb ebooks - Another online visibility tool from PRWeb