As consumers, we all understand that the experience of buying from some brands is better than from others. We may find similar products at similar prices elsewhere but some brands make the whole experience feel more like one we want to repeat.

In its simplest form, this is what we mean by customer experience. It is the sum of everything involved in a commercial transaction that ultimately decides whether somebody will feel positively or negatively about their experience with your business.

Customer experience is more complex than customer satisfaction (at least in the way that customer satisfaction has traditionally been measured). It goes beyond the customer service interactions to consider the entire experience set against their individual buying priorities.

For many sectors, customer experience can appear complex to understand, but the principle is simple. It means understanding, in detail, how critical customer journeys look and to build a customer contact management programme that focuses on the value to the customer at every stage.

Analysing customer experience means understanding what it is like to deal with your organisation – the day to day detail as well as what makes you a more attractive option in the first place. It means facing up to potentially some uncomfortable questions about doing things in way that is convenient and better for you, or building them around the experience for your customers, but to improve you must meet these head-on. And if you value your customers and the revenue they bring, you will see the return for your organisation in doing it.