CEM integration - Definition and Overview

In customer experience management, the key goal of integration is to deliver a seamlessly integrated customer experience. This can be accomplished by following the steps mentioned below:

• Integration provides differentiation: Because integration is rarely done well and is so different from most business campaigns, it is extremely attention getting.
• Integration provides deep connection with customers: Integration engages customers intellectually and emotionally
• Integration saves costs: using an integrative approach to connect with customers, the company speaks with one voice and does not dissipate communicative impact in communication clutter

Three Types of CEM Integration are:

• strategic integration from head to toe: linking analysis, strategy and implementation
• integration within implementation domains: signatures. domain themes
• integration across implementation domains: linkages

Integration within Implementation Domains: Some experience providers for the implementation domains:

• For the brand experience: the company or brand name and the logo, ads, store design, and the Web design, and the web design.
• For the interface: interactions with salespeople, a chat session on the Internet, and a personal sales call.
• For innovations: new goods, new services, line extensions, brand extensions, and new buzz campaigns.

Integration across Implementation Domains: Providing integration across implementation domains is more complex than accomplishing the forms of integration previously discussed. This is because implementing the customer experience in a given domain requires specific training and expertise.

• Linkages between the Brand and the Interface: Experiential promotions can provide linkages between the brand experience and the customer interface. These are promotional events in the store, on the web or at any other interface that provides a link to the brand experience.

• Linkages between the Brand and Innovation: These linkages are "experiential gadgets", they are products that are new to the company or brand and that exist solely to reinforce the brand experience.

• Linkages between the Interface and Innovation: To create linkages between the interface and innovation, the company must provide "experiential encounters". For example the company may organize annual customers events such as the open-house reunions of Harley-Davidson, Saturn, BMW, and other companies.