The Difference Between Customer and User Experience

At first glance, customer experience and user experience sound almost identical, as if they can be interchangeable. However, these two terms handle completely different experiences that interconnect but are not the same. So how exactly is customer experience (CX) different from the user experience (UX)? What does a user experience services provider do differently than a CX company?

For starters, CX involves all the interactions a customer has with a brand. It is exactly how a customer perceives their interactions with that brand. Whether it is a good or bad experience a brand delivers, this interaction is how the customer creates an opinion and expectation for the company. This interaction can be in person, on the website, via social media, etc. In order to avoid disappointing CX, one needs to establish and execute a strong customer experience program that assures the entire experience is great and not just one portion.

On the other hand, UX focuses on the optimization of a product/service in order to produce effective and satisfactory use. UX wants to make sure the product works and that the customer enjoys it and not on the customer’s experience with the brand. The improvement of the accessibility, usability, and happiness of the product/service is dependent on the level of user experience a brand gives.

So at first, these two terms do seem to sound synonymous to each other, but they are not. So next time you hear these two terms, you should be able to distinguish them from one another.