Here’s the thing most companies ignore about customer experience services: they’re not optional, not isolated, and definitely not just about customer service. They’re baked into every tech decision you make—whether you realize it or not.
Tell me the last time you heard a customer say, “Wow, what a seamless software integration?”
Never. Doesn’t happen.
But that same customer will notice when something doesn’t work. And they’ll leave you for it.
Customer Experience isn’t a department. It isn’t the nom du jour for marketing. It’s not a project, or even a phase of a project. It is the project. The lifeblood of your brand. And you’d be surprised just how often enterprise tech decisions – from MarTech to traditional IT, and even digital transformations – are made with little more than a passing nod to the actual people they are supposed to serve.
You’ve probably seen it before: A team decides to modernize its CRM. The project charter is airtight. The project plan is laid out. Milestones are identified. Sprints are scheduled.
And at the last minute, some brave soul asks, “Wait, do we know what our customers want from this?”
Too late.
When technology decisions are made without a CX lens, even the best tools risk becoming fast, cost-effective conduits for friction. You end up optimizing for a wonky org chart, not happy customers.
Nobody builds a house and then figures out where the windows will go. But that’s how many companies treat customer experience: a final coat of paint before the keys are handed over.
CX should be the filter through which tech decisions are made, not a checklist at the end of a project. Want to deploy a new DXP? Start by mapping the journeys. Want to optimize your IVR? Use your IVR. In fact, use others’ too. Become your customer.
It’s not just for your buyers. The truth is, every system has a customer—whether it’s a guest, a client, a field rep, or a parent trying to reset their password at 11:47 PM on one of the eleventy billion apps parents are supposed to download (I’m not bitter!).
Your customers don’t care how your business is structured. They don’t know where marketing ends and IT begins. To them, your website, app, customer service, and billing platform are one seamless experience (or one deeply disjointed one). That means your decisions about APIs, architecture, or platform integrations directly affect how they feel about your brand.
What “Customer Experience Services” Actually Look Like
Forget the buzzwords. Real customer experience work isn’t reactive — it’s anticipatory. It’s about embedding CX thinking into every phase of the tech lifecycle: before you buy, while you build, and long after you go live.
Whether you’re rethinking a self-service portal or choosing between platforms, CX consulting services help you align those choices with actual human behavior, not just legacy workflows.
If you only apply CX thinking to front-end channels, you’re missing half the equation. Internal tools, data pipelines, and backend operations all affect the user journey, whether the user is a shopper, a technician, or your own employee.
The best CX services take an end-to-end view of the experience, including the invisible moments where frustration builds or trust is won. And with strategic CX support in place, your teams are empowered to respond faster, adapt smarter, and serve better—without burning out.
A Quick Gut Check: The CX Filter for Any Tech Investment
Before your team greenlights a new tool, ask:
- Who’s the customer here, and how does this help them?
- What journey moments does this impact (and improve)?
- Is this solving a fundamental human problem, or just streamlining a legacy process?
- Will anyone say, “That was easier than I expected?”
- Can we measure the CX impact, or will this just sit on a slide deck?
If your answers don’t make you wince, you might actually be doing CX optimization instead of just implementing software.
The ROI of Leading with Experience
- 54% of B2B customers will likely switch suppliers due to poor-quality digital customer experiences. – McKinsey
- Poor customer service could cost businesses a staggering $3.7 trillion annually, a 19% increase from last year’s estimated $600 billion loss, according to Qualtrics XM Institute. – Forbes: Qualtrics XM Institute
- Organizations that prioritize customer obsession see remarkable results—achieving 41% faster revenue growth, 49% faster profit growth, and 51% higher customer retention compared to their less customer-focused counterparts. – Forrester
As technology leaders, we often pride ourselves on precision, performance, and scale. But if we don’t pair that with a deep, enduring understanding of customers, we risk building systems that are elegant on paper and alienating in practice.
This is where strong CX support makes all the difference—not just fixing issues but building resilience into every customer touchpoint.
Yes, even your middleware has a customer. The person quietly curses at it when the screen freezes or the call drops.
So, let’s shift the mindset: Every tech decision is a CX decision. The only question is whether we’re brave enough to admit it—and smart enough to act like it.
About the Author
Mark Emery is Senior Director and Client Partner specializing in CX at Synoptek. With over twenty years in digital and experiential marketing and sales, Mark has collaborated with top-tier brands like IHG, American Express, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and others. His strength lies in his versatile approach—he navigates challenges by combining creative thinking, technical expertise, and a practical mindset to create effective solutions that resonate.
