How to build a customer experience vision

A customer experience vision is defined together with the organisation and is rooted in the company’s vision, business goals and understanding of the current state of customer experience.

👉 First read the background blog: What is a customer experience vision?

Why is a customer experience vision important?

A customer experience vision is a practical tool for different functions in the organisation: marketing, sales, product development and customer service. It must be concrete, distinctive and actionable. Bain & Companyn B2B and B2C elements of value provide a useful framework for sharpening the vision. What creates value especially for our customers ?

A strong customer experience is built in layers

Customer experience is not a separate function but the strategic backbone of the business. A clear vision enables consistent decisions and guides prioritisation in daily work. It is vital to ensure that the basics such as price, quality and ethics are in place before building additional value. The more layers are considered, the stronger the experience becomes, securing deeper customer commitment.

7 steps to creating a customer experience vision

Clarify the target group(s): Who are the most important customers for our business, and for whom are we building the experience?

Internal perspective: What are our strengths and development areas, what do we want to be known for, and what is the timeline?

Customer insight: What does the chosen target group value, how is this demonstrated, and what differentiates us from competitors? What are the key customer pain points, or where does the expected experience fail to materialise?

Formulate the vision: One sentence, easily understood, concrete, and capturing the distinctive value. Every word matters.

Concretise the principles: Define how the vision will be delivered. What are the 3–4 key principles, what do they mean in practice, and at which stage of the customer journey are they visible?

Test and refine: Both internally and with customers. Iterate and improve.

Define metrics: Systematically track how the vision is realised and what value it creates.

It is worth pausing to ask: how do we build a competitive advantage that our customers value? Companies that articulate a clear vision are rewarded with more committed customers and greater differentiation from competitors.