Finding CX Gold Isn’t a Matter of Luck – Let Segmentation Research Be a Guide

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

~Seneca, Roman Philosopher

Breakthrough customer insights can come from many sources. But have you considered how findings from customer segmentation research can uncover meaningful CX insights? Customer segmentation research fosters a deeper understanding of your customers’ needs, motivations, and experiences. And yet, it’s sometimes overlooked. It’s not always easy for stakeholders to turn the results into CX improvement action plans.

Results from other research methodologies that focus on CX touchpoints are much easier to execute against. For instance, it wouldn’t be far-fetched for a poignant customer story, shared in a focus group, to spark a new product idea. Likewise, interactions with customer service professionals often uncover overlooked pain points in your customers’ journey that need attention. But, when it comes to customer segmentation research studies, it can sometimes seem as if success is a matter of luck. However, with careful preparation upfront and strategic follow through at the end, you’ll find that the results are bound to help you find CX gold.

To be fair, there can be a bit of uncertainty regarding the potential outcome of segmentation research. You can’t always be sure what types of customer segments will be uncovered. Although the exact customer segments aren’t necessarily predictable, they are always based on the underlying data. Therefore, the way to ensure your segments generate rich information is to prepare upfront by fully understanding all your key stakeholder needs and then ensure your survey design will allow you to meet those needs.

The reality is that virtually every business unit can benefit from gaining a deeper understanding of your customer. For instance, could your product development team benefit from having an in-depth profile of the needs and behaviors of your high potential customer segments? What if your customer service professionals could identify a customer’s segment type with a few key questions? Would that insight help them better empathize with your customers, leading to more positive outcomes?

Engaging with your stakeholders upfront will reap multiple dividends. It ensures your segmentation study will be strategically designed to uncover targeted customer insights. Plus, key stakeholders will be primed to integrate a much deeper understanding of your customers into their decision making. Most importantly, your future customers will enjoy the way your improved products, services, and personalized interactions enhance their brand experiences.

You may have done all the right things up front to ensure you have solid information to make informed decisions, but your job isn’t done yet. Without an effective communication plan to share this new knowledge, the information will not inspire new customer initiatives. Because your stakeholders have unique information needs, the best way to accelerate the education process is to customize how you distribute your findings. Product development teams might benefit most by participating in workshop sessions. Walk them through what you’ve learned and help facilitate brainstorm sessions that generate executable ideas. Frontline employees may find succinct customer personas an easy way to learn how to recognize different types of customers, empathize with their needs, and quickly react with targeted solutions. Dashboards depicting key customer segment data, in an easy-to-read format, can be useful resources that brand marketers can use for inspiration and guidance. Bottom line, you want your employees’ experience of learning about and acting on new customer insights to be inspiring, motivating, and rewarding.

At the end of the day, the truth about customer segmentation research is that you can’t be exactly sure what you’ll learn and where the findings will lead you. But that doesn’t mean a successful study comes down to luck. With detailed attention to the needs of your internal stakeholders and a single-minded focus on enhancing your customers’ experience, leave luck behind for the intentionality and purposefulness that comes with practicing well thought-out marketing research.

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