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I had to field an interesting question today and it got me thinking: Who owns the Customer’s Experience? In many cases folks would say – Marketing owns the customer relationship before they buy and Support owns the customer relationship after they buy. If a company is “very” forward thinking they may have people specifically assigned to customer accounts to ensure their success. These are all fine – but, the question still stands – Who owns the Customer’s Experience?

Here’s the answer You. Yes you. The marketing department can’t brand it, the support department can’t solve it. The only way to create a meaningful customer experience is if You own it. The problem is we have been systematically trained that it is “not my job”. I work on widgets. I make them more efficient. I don’t engage with customers that is the (insert department name here) problem. That is the issue. All of us engage with the customer at some level even if it isn’t directly. Our work directly impacts their opinion and experience with the company.

Don’t believe me? Look at how Tony Hsieh runs Zappos. Even the execs at Zappos have to spend time in customer service and order placement. He built it into the DNA of his company and has had great success. The web has a massive palette of tools that companies use to improve their customer experience. At the end of the day, it is the people that matter. You own the customer experience.