Key Points

Customer experience is the sum of every interaction a customer has with your brand.
A great customer experience builds loyalty, boosts lifetime value, and sparks powerful word-of-mouth marketing.
Focusing on retention, advocacy, and awareness helps turn happy customers into your best brand ambassadors.

Explore how to create an outstanding customer experience and unlock all these benefits for your business!

Having a great customer experience looks different for everyone. For some, it’s the convenience of paying with their preferred method. For others, it’s the smooth design and usability of a website.

One thing is certain, though—customer experience can make or break someone’s relationship with your business.

It’s no surprise, then, that improving customer experience has become a bigger priority—up 19 percentage points between 2019 and 2022, according to McKinsey & Company.

Still, because “customer experience” can feel broad and a bit abstract, many businesses struggle to define and improve it. In this guide, you’ll get clear answers on what customer experience really means—and practical ways to make it better.

What Is Customer Experience (CX)?

Customer experience (CX) is the sum of every interaction a customer has with your brand—from the moment they first discover your business to long after the sale. When done well, CX builds loyalty, boosts customer lifetime value, and fuels powerful word-of-mouth marketing.

Why Is Customer Experience Important?

Filip Pejic, founder of Pearly, a DIY bubble tea business, sums it up well: customer experience is about “making sure the customer feels heard at all steps in the buying process. Resolving any issues or pain points as easily as possible, delivering a unique, seamless, and unexpectedly awesome experience.”

A strong CX strategy delivers powerful benefits for your business:

Improves retention and advocacy. Customer experience has a direct impact on loyalty. In fact, a May 2022 survey revealed that 94% of customers are more likely to buy again after a positive experience.
Boosts brand awareness through word of mouth. According to eMarketer, 84% of customers would recommend a company after an excellent experience.
Creates happier employees. Around 45% of organizations report that better customer experience also improves employee satisfaction.

Every touchpoint with your brand is an opportunity to strengthen—or weaken—the customer relationship. Investing in CX ensures more of those interactions leave a lasting, positive impression.

What’s the Difference Between Customer Experience and Customer Service?

While the terms customer experience and customer service are often used interchangeably, they’re not the same thing.

Customer experience (CX) covers the entire journey a customer has with your brand—from initial discovery and awareness to post-purchase interactions. It includes every touchpoint across both online and offline channels.
Customer service is just one part of that bigger picture. It focuses on the support and assistance a company provides when customers have questions, issues, or concerns.

In short: customer service is a piece of the puzzle, while customer experience is the whole picture.

What Is a Good Customer Experience?

A good customer experience looks different for every business—it depends on what your customers value and what you can consistently deliver.

Still, there are a few universal qualities that define a great experience:

Delight in every interaction. Even small moments, like a quick support reply or a helpful shipping update, should leave customers satisfied.
Seamless and consistent journeys. Whether customers shop in-store, online, or through support channels, the experience should feel effortless and connected.
Personalized communication. Tailor messages and offers to customer needs, preferences, and behaviors to make them feel valued.
Proactive support. Anticipate customer needs with FAQs, self-service tools, community forums, or well-prepared support teams.
Engaging and memorable experiences. Stand out with creative design, exceptional service, or unique touches that differentiate your brand.
Responsiveness and empathy. Show genuine care and resolve issues quickly, proving customers can count on your brand.

In short, a good customer experience is consistent, personal, and memorable—leaving customers eager to come back.

Causes of a Bad Customer Experience

A poor customer experience can quickly damage your brand’s reputation and weaken customer loyalty. To improve, the first step is recognizing what typically goes wrong.

Common causes include:

Inconsistency across channels. Customers expect the same level of service whether they interact online, in-store, or through support.
Unresponsive or unhelpful support. Long wait times or poor issue resolution frustrate customers fast.
Unclear processes. Complicated purchasing, returns, or account management create unnecessary friction.
Low product or service quality. Even great marketing can’t make up for disappointing results.
Technical issues. Website downtime, slow load speeds, or payment failures break trust instantly.
Ignoring feedback. Customers want to feel heard—brushing off reviews or complaints sends the wrong message.

Think about the last time you felt frustrated as a customer. Chances are, one of these issues was at play.

How to Measure Customer Experience

Believing your business offers a great customer experience is one thing—knowing it does is another.

The only way to be sure is to measure it. Tracking the right metrics helps you understand what’s working, where customers struggle, and how to improve. Here are some of the most effective ways to measure customer experience:

Customer Effort Score (CES): Evaluates how easy it is for customers to complete a task or resolve an issue.
Net Promoter Score (NPS): Measures customer loyalty by asking how likely they are to recommend your brand.
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): Gauges overall satisfaction with a product, service, or interaction.
Time to Resolution (TTR): Tracks how long it takes to resolve customer issues, reflecting support efficiency.

By combining these metrics, you’ll get a clear picture of customer sentiment and where your CX strategy needs attention.

Customer Effort Score (CES)

Customer Effort Score (CES) measures how much effort customers need to put in to interact with your business. Put simply, it reflects how easy—or difficult—it is for them to resolve an issue or complete a task, such as getting help from your support team.

Tracking CES is essential to ensure your customer service team is making interactions as smooth as possible. The easier the process, the happier the customer—and the better the overall experience.

Most CES surveys focus on a single core question:

“How easy was it to deal with [your brand] today, from 1 (very difficult) to 5 (very easy)?”

In many cases, CES surveys also include a space for open-ended feedback. These additional comments provide valuable context and help you identify specific pain points in the customer journey.

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is one of the most widely used metrics for measuring customer sentiment. If you’ve ever interacted with a customer service team, chances are you’ve seen an NPS survey in a follow-up email or message.

Like CES, it’s popular because of its simplicity. An NPS survey usually asks a single key question:

“How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?”

The wording might vary slightly—sometimes using “family member” instead of “colleague”—but the scale is consistent, usually ranging from 1–5 or 1–10.

NPS surveys are quick, effective, and versatile. You can deliver them via email, SMS, or even in-app prompts to capture feedback at the right moment.

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)

The Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) is another widely used metric for measuring customer experience. It reflects how happy or satisfied customers feel about your business, product, or service.

CSAT surveys are typically sent after a purchase or interaction, making them a great way to capture feedback while the experience is still fresh. Unlike CES or NPS, CSAT often includes more open-ended or varied questions, giving you richer insights into customer sentiment.

CSAT surveys can include multiple-choice questions, sliding scales, or free-text boxes that allow customers to explain their thoughts in detail. This combination helps you go beyond a simple rating to truly understand the overall customer experience and identify areas for improvement.

Time to Resolution (TTR)

Time to Resolution (TTR) is another key metric for evaluating customer experience. Unlike CSAT or NPS, this one isn’t based on customer surveys—it’s an internal measurement that tracks how long it takes your support team to resolve an issue.

The longer the TTR, the greater the chance of a poor customer experience. To get deeper insights, businesses often track First-Time Resolution (FTR) alongside TTR. FTR measures the percentage of support tickets resolved in the very first interaction versus those that require multiple follow-ups.

To measure TTR and FTR effectively, you’ll need customer support software that tracks ticket performance and completion rates—tools like HelpScout, Zendesk, or Freshdesk can help.

Customer Experience Example

Scenario: Online Product Return John recently purchased a pair of shoes from an ecommerce store. When they arrived, he realized they were the wrong size. To exchange them, he went through the company’s online return process.

Customer Effort Score Survey After completing the return, John received an email with a Customer Effort Score (CES) survey. It asked him to rate the ease of the return process on a scale from 1 (very easy) to 7 (very difficult).

Overall, John found the process straightforward. The website had a dedicated returns section with clear instructions and even provided a prepaid shipping label. However, he had to print the label himself, which he found inconvenient. Because of this, he rated the process a 2 out of 7.

Analysis and Improvement The CES data revealed a clear opportunity for improvement. The company could make returns more convenient by offering pre-printed labels in the package or enabling digital QR codes that can be scanned at the carrier’s location.

By tracking CES, the company can identify small friction points in the customer journey, improve processes, and ultimately boost satisfaction and repeat purchases.

Best Customer Experience Management Tools

Shopify Inbox

Want to connect with your customers across Instagram, Facebook, and more—all from one place? Shopify Inbox makes it easy. This free messaging app lets you chat with customers in real time and even shows you what’s in their cart when they reach out. That way, you can answer questions, resolve concerns, and turn conversations into conversions—all without leaving the app.

Wonderment Post-Purchase

Few things frustrate customers more than not knowing where their order is. Wonderment Post-Purchase helps solve that problem by sorting orders by fulfillment status, carrier, or region.

With this tool, you can proactively notify customers about delays before they reach out with a support ticket, reducing frustration and building trust. By optimizing the post-purchase experience, Wonderment makes tracking, communication, and customer satisfaction smoother from checkout to delivery.

HubSpot

If you’re already using HubSpot for CRM or email marketing, the official HubSpot for Shopify integration makes customer experience management even more powerful. With it, you can better understand customer interactions, leverage automation, and segment audiences to deliver more personalized experiences.

The integration also syncs customer data from your Shopify store directly into HubSpot, turning valuable insights into actionable marketing signals you can use to improve campaigns and strengthen relationships.

Build Better Customer Experiences for Your Shoppers

A strong customer experience strategy is the foundation of every successful ecommerce business. It not only boosts engagement but also reduces churn, helping you turn one-time buyers into loyal customers.

By applying the tips and tools in this guide, you’ll be well on your way to creating an experience that delights customers at every interaction—while also strengthening your bottom line. A win-win for both your brand and your audience.

Customer Experience FAQ

What is meant by customer experience?
Customer experience (CX) is the sum of every interaction a customer has with your brand. It includes customer service, branding, packaging, marketing, and any other touchpoint throughout the entire journey.

What are the 3 main components of customer experience?

Personalized shopping experiences
Excellent customer care
Meeting (and exceeding) customer expectations

What is an example of customer experience?
Imagine a shopper browsing an ecommerce website: they explore products, read reviews, check social media, add items to their cart, complete checkout, and later receive post-purchase support. This full process—from discovery to delivery—represents the customer experience.

What is a good customer experience?
A good customer experience is seamless, personalized, and easy to navigate. Customers feel valued and satisfied thanks to quality products or services, empathetic and timely support, and consistency across every touchpoint.

What Is Customer Experience? Definition, Examples & Tips (2025)