The CX Glossary

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A

Accessibility

The practice of ensuring products, services, and experiences are usable by people of all abilities, removing barriers to interaction and enhancing inclusivity.

Advocacy

When customers become promoters of your brand, actively recommending your products or services to others based on their positive experiences.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The theory and development of computer systems able to perform or mimic tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages. In a business setting, AI systems are frequently used to automate routine tasks, freeing human agents to handle more complex interpersonal tasks.

B

Benchmarking

The process of measuring your company's CX performance against industry standards or competitors to identify areas of improvement.

Business Intelligence

The gathering of important or relevant information for the purpose of strategic decision-making. Includes information about clients’ experiences, perceptions, transactions, or competitors.  Abbreviated as intel.  

C

Customer Journey

The complete path a customer takes when interacting with your brand, from initial awareness through purchase and beyond to loyalty.

D

Decision Drivers

Any factor involved in a purchase decision that has the potential to drive the decision toward a conclusion. The five primary decision drivers, Quality, Price, Social Proof, Relationship, and Brand Identification, explain 92% of “worth it” conclusions.

E

Expectation Gap

The difference between a firm’s communicated offers through branding and marketing and the clients’ perceptions of what was actually received. A firm should understand its clients’ expectations when communicating their value proposition to avoid promising something that can’t be delivered.

F

Feedback Loop

A system for collecting, analyzing, and acting on customer feedback to continuously improve experiences.

G

Gamification

The application of game-design elements and principles in non-game contexts to increase customer engagement and satisfaction.

H

Hyper-personalization

Using AI, data, and analytics to deliver highly contextual and relevant experiences tailored to individual customers.

I

Interaction Design

The practice of designing products, environments, systems, and services with a focus on the quality of the user experience and culture.

J

Journey Mapping

A visual representation of the customer journey that identifies key interactions, customer emotions, and opportunities for improvement.

K

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Metrics used to evaluate the success of CX initiatives and track progress toward business objectives.

L

Loyalty Programs

Structured marketing efforts that reward and encourage customers for their continued patronage and engagement.

M

Multichannel Support

Providing customer service and engagement across multiple platforms and touchpoints while maintaining consistency.

N

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

A metric that measures customer experience and predicts business growth by asking customers how likely they are to recommend your company to others.

O

Omnichannel Experience

A seamless approach to CX that integrates all channels and touchpoints to provide a unified customer experience regardless of how or where a customer reaches out.

P

Personalization

Tailoring products, communications, and experiences to match individual customer preferences and needs.

Q

Qualitative Data

Non-numeric insights from interviews, open-ended survey responses, or observations.

Quality Assurance (QA)

Processes to ensure consistent, high-quality customer interactions and service delivery.

Quality Monitoring (QM)

Observing and measuring agent or process performance to maintain standards.

Quantitative Data

Numeric data that can be measured and analyzed statistically.

R

Real-Time Analytics

Immediate analysis of customer data to enable timely actions and responses.

Real-Time Personalization

Customizing experiences instantly based on current customer data or behavior.

Referral Program

Customizing experiences instantly based on current customer data or behavior.

Retention

Strategies and activities aimed at keeping existing customers engaged and continuing to purchase your products or services.

Retention Marketing

Strategies focused on keeping existing customers engaged and loyal.

Retention Rate

The percentage of customers who continue to do business with a company over a given period.

Return on Investment (ROI)

The financial benefit gained from CX initiatives relative to their cost.

Root Cause Analysis

Identifying the underlying causes of customer issues or complaints.

S

Scenario Planning

Developing and analyzing possible future situations to inform CX strategy.

Script Adherence

Ensuring agents follow approved communication scripts during customer interactions.

Segmentation

Dividing customers into groups based on shared characteristics for targeted CX strategies.

Self-Service

Tools and resources that enable customers to resolve issues or find information without direct assistance.

Sentiment Analysis

Using AI or analytics to determine customer emotions from feedback, reviews, or interactions.

Service Blueprint

A visual map of the service process, frontstage and backstage, to identify improvement areas.

Service Design

The activity of planning and organizing people, infrastructure, and materials to improve service quality.

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

A formal commitment to deliver a specific level of service.

Session Replay

Recording and playing back user sessions on a website or app for analysis.

Silent Monitoring

Supervisors listening to live calls without the agent or customer knowing, for quality assurance.

Single Customer View (SCV)

A unified, comprehensive profile of each customer across all channels and systems.

Social Listening

Monitoring social media channels for customer feedback and sentiment.

Speech Analysis

Technology that analyzes recorded calls to extract insights and improve communication.

Speech-to-Text

Technology that converts spoken language into written text for analysis or accessibility.

Stakeholder Mapping

Identifying and analyzing individuals or groups who influence or are affected by CX initiatives.

Supervisor

A person responsible for overseeing customer service teams and ensuring quality interactions.

Survey

See Customer Survey.

Survey Fatigue

When customers become less responsive due to too many survey requests.

System Usability Scale (SUS)

A standardized questionnaire to measure the usability of a system or product.

T

Task Completion Rate

The percentage of users who successfully complete a given task.

Text Analytics

Using software to analyze and extract insights from text-based customer feedback.

Thematic Analysis

Identifying patterns or themes in qualitative data.

Third-Party Review

Customer feedback collected on external platforms (e.g., Google, Yelp).

Ticket Escalation

Moving a customer issue to a higher level of support for resolution.

Ticketing System

Software used to track and manage customer service requests or issues.

Touchpoint

Any interaction or point of contact between a customer and a brand.

Touchpoint Analysis

Evaluating the effectiveness of each customer interaction point.

Turnaround Time (TAT)

The time taken to resolve a customer issue or fulfill a request.

U

Up-Sell

See Cross-Sell/Up-Sell.

Usability

The ease with which users can interact with a product or service to achieve their goals.

Usability Testing

Observing real users as they interact with a product to uncover issues and opportunities.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

The process of verifying that a solution works for its intended users.

User Centered Design (UCD)

A design philosophy that prioritizes the needs, wants, and limitations of end users.

User Experience (UX)

A person's emotions and attitudes about using a particular product, system, or service, focusing on utility, ease of use, and efficiency.

User Flow

The path users take to complete tasks within a product or service.

User Interface (UI)

The visual and interactive elements of a product that users interact with, such as buttons and menus.

User Research

The practice of studying users to inform design and development decisions.

V

Value Realization

The process by which customers achieve the promised benefits of a product or service.

Video Support

Providing customer service via video calls or tutorials.

Visual Design

The aesthetics of a product interface, including layout, color, and typography.

Voice Analytics

Analyzing voice data to extract insights on sentiment, intent, and quality.

Voice of Customer (VoC)

Programs and processes for capturing and analyzing customer feedback to inform improvements.

Voice of Employee (VoE)

Capturing and analyzing employee feedback to improve both EX and CX.

Voice User Interface (VUI)

Interfaces that allow users to interact with systems via voice commands.

W

Waittime Management

Strategies to reduce or optimize the time customers spend waiting for service, including queue management and appointment scheduling.

Web Accessibility

Designing digital products so they can be used by people with disabilities.

Webchat

Real-time text-based customer support on websites.

White Glove Service

roviding exceptionally attentive, personalized customer service.

Workflow Automation

Using technology to automate repetitive processes, improving efficiency and consistency in CX.

Workflow Mapping

Visualizing the steps in a process to identify redundancies or bottlenecks.

X

X-Factor Experience

The unique, distinctive element that sets a brand's customer experience apart from competitors and creates a memorable impression that customers want to share with others.

Y

Yield Management

Strategies to maximize revenue or utilization by adjusting offerings based on demand and customer behavior.

Yield Rate

The percentage of successful outcomes in a process, such as completed purchases or resolved tickets.

Z

Zero Friction

Designing experiences with minimal obstacles or effort required from the customer.

Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT)

The point in the buying cycle when a customer researches a product before the seller knows they exist.

Zero UI

Interfaces that rely on voice, gesture, or other non-visual interactions, reducing reliance on traditional screens.