Customer journeys that are only “satisfying” are no longer useful for businesses. They need some unique points to make consumers’ experiences with them really impressive. Only when will you be able to outperform your competitors. That said, you might look forward to the “best way” to do it. You can either partner with an external customer experience expert to achieve this milestone. Or you can design the experience all by yourself. The million-dollar question here is what approach will be a perfect fit for your business.

In general terms, you can name these strategies as “consultant-led customer experience” and “self-designed customer experience”. These are basically two very distinct paths that you take to reach the same goal. So, which can help you ensure “meaningful customer interactions”? When you bring in a specialist, they’ll, of course, offer expert insights. You’ll be able to identify gaps and get tailored solutions. This isn’t what your internal teams can offer. You see, they don’t have the “right experience” to design a better customer experience for you. Although they understand your customers, this lack of “expertise” can be a downside.

This guide will explain the top pros and cons of consultant-led CX and self-designed CX.

Comparing Pros and Cons of Consultant-Led CX vs Self-Designed CX

When it comes to comparing the advantages and disadvantages of both these strategies, you’ll see a big difference. When you’ve an experienced consultant on your side, they provide you with unbiased analysis. They tell you about the best practices to design a really winning CX. It can, however, be a costly approach. Something that a self-designed customer experience can address. Your internal teams might also have better knowledge of your consumers. But, there is a high risk of “internal bias” and “expertise gap”.

Below is a brief comparison of the pros and cons of consultant-led CX and self-designed CX:

1.      Pros of Consultant-Led CX

There’s no doubt that “internal politics” can be a big issue for many companies. When you work with an external expert to design the customer experience, they don’t have anything to do with this politics. That’s why you can get unbiased perspectives. Other pros include:

·         Specialized expertise

·         Best practices

·         Accelerated implementation

·         Access to advanced technologies

·         Data-driven decision-making

The recommendations you get from an expert CX consultant are always more credible. You know that these are the pros who can get the job done for you. So, you can implement the recommended strategies without any doubt.

2.      Cons of Consultant-Led CX

There are some downsides to this approach. For instance, you might have to spend more when hiring an expert. This is something that some companies might not be able to afford. That’s why managing finances for them can become difficult. Other cons can be:

·         Lack of internal ownership

·         Risk for cultural misalignment

·         Implementation challenges

·         Limited availability issue

·         Dependency on outsiders

Worry not, though. These aren’t the challenges that you cannot overcome. It’s possible to overcome the abovementioned issues by partnering with a trustworthy service.

You can visit enginecxdesign.com for more information.

3.      Pros of Self-Designed CX

When you decide to design the customer experience by yourself, you basically rely on your internal team for the whole process. No one might be able to better understand your products and services than them. This is why you might be able to implement a “tailored strategy”. Here are some other benefits:

·         Ownership and commitment

·         Better cultural alignment

·         Improved communication

·         Enhanced data security

·         Agility and faster adaptation

Your internal teams can establish “direct feedback loops”. This can be very beneficial in terms of further improvement. You can get and use customer insights to learn about the gaps in your applied CX strategy.

4.      Cons of Self-Designed CX

When you compare the self-designed strategy with the one offered by experts, the self-designed CX might have more disadvantages. You see, a customer experience design devised by inexperienced individuals can potentially be flawed. That’s because they don’t possess the relevant expertise. Some other cons that you should know about are:

·         Internal biases limit

·         Resource constraints

·         Siloed operations

·         Time-consuming implementation

·         Difficult scaling

Then, you might not be able to come up with some “innovative” solutions. Or your team might take too much time to devise a plan with a creative approach.

5.      Choosing the Right Approach for Your Business

You shouldn’t pick one approach just because it “seems” right. There are some factors that should influence this decision. For instance, you might want to prefer a self-designed customer experience if budget is a problem. It will also be a good decision when you already have a team of individuals whom you can trust with the task.

Companies with no financial constraints must work with customer experience consultants. It ensures quick implementation and rapid outcomes. There are many organizations where in-house teams lack the expertise to develop an effective CX strategy. You should opt for consultant-led CX if this is the case.

Looking for a CX Strategy that Impresses?

When it comes to designing a better customer journey, you can rely more on an expert. Self-designed customer experience might lack several important factors. But working with a professional can guarantee a better approach. Contact an experienced customer experience consultant now if you’re looking for a CX strategy that impresses.