Customer experience (CX) has long been a priority in B2C industries, but in the world of B2B—especially in knowledge-intensive professional services—it often struggles to gain the attention it deserves. Many senior executives dismiss CX as a buzzword or reduce it to a single measurement (usually the Net Promoter Score “NPS)”), failing to see its direct impact on revenue, customer loyalty, and long-term business success.
Why B2B Executives Can’t Afford to Ignore Customer Experience
Xenthe Bang, 2024 DBA Graduate and a seasoned B2B marketing leader with over 21 years of experience, challenges this mindset with her research on how digital and interpersonal touchpoints shape customer engagement in B2B services. As the Global Head of Enterprise Marketing Strategy & Demand Generation at S&P Global and a doctoral researcher at Grenoble Ecole de Management, she explores the tangible business outcomes tied to CX.
Her research provides compelling insights into why B2B executives need to take CX seriously—and what they stand to lose if they don’t.
The Problem: Why Is CX Overlooked in B2B?
Many CX managers in B2B organizations struggle to prove the connection between CX and business success. Unlike in B2C, where customer satisfaction often translates directly into repeat purchases, B2B companies deal with long sales cycles, complex service offerings, and relationship-driven decision-making.
A recent Forrester (2023) study found that most customer experience managers in B2B face difficulties justifying CX investments to senior leadership. This results in poor resource allocation, with companies underinvesting in areas that could drive customer engagement, loyalty, and revenue.
For industries like financial services, consulting, and technology—where trust and expertise play a critical role—the way companies manage customer interactions (both digital and personal) can determine their long-term success.
The Research: How Digital and Interpersonal Touchpoints Shape CX
Bang’s research builds on foundational CX theories from Lemon & Verhoef (2016) and Bolton et al. (2018), which define CX as a multidimensional concept that includes cognitive, emotional, behavioral, sensorial, and social responses to a company’s offerings.
Her study examines how digital and interpersonal touchpoints contribute to customer engagement in B2B, revealing that:
- Digital touchpoints have a direct impact on engagement. Well-designed digital experiences can strengthen customer relationships and drive long-term business value.
- Interpersonal interactions remain critical. In knowledge-intensive industries, human expertise plays a key role in maintaining trust and credibility.
- A hybrid approach is essential. Companies must balance digital efficiency with the personal connections needed to build strong client relationships.
- Low digital interactivity acts as a moderator. When digital engagement is low, the quality of digital experiences becomes even more crucial in influencing customer behavior.
Bang’s research challenges the notion that digital interactions replace human touchpoints. Instead, she argues that both must work together to create a seamless, engaging experience for B2B clients.
The Business Case: Why B2B Leaders Should Prioritize CX
Ignoring CX in B2B can have serious consequences, including:
- Loss of Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Poor experiences lead to customer churn and missed revenue opportunities.
- Weakened Customer Influence Value (CIV): Unsatisfied customers are less likely to advocate for your brand, reducing referrals and word-of-mouth influence.
- Reduced Customer Knowledge Value (CKV): Engaged customers contribute valuable market and product insights, helping businesses innovate and refine their services.
By investing in CX strategies that integrate both digital and interpersonal interactions, companies can unlock new opportunities for growth, improve customer retention, and gain a sustainable competitive advantage.
Actionable Takeaways for B2B Executives
- Invest in digital transformation—but don’t eliminate the human touch. Automation and AI can enhance efficiency, but personal interactions remain key for trust-building.
- Align CX with business outcomes. Build an analytics model that capture changes in trends from CX, revenue and customer engagement to gain executive buy-in.
- Create a seamless customer journey. Ensure digital and interpersonal touchpoints complement each other to drive engagement at every stage of the customer lifecycle.
- Measure and optimize CX performance. Go beyond NPS, monitor customer feedback data at different touchpoints to identify gaps and focused improvements.
Final Thoughts: CX as a Strategic Imperative
Xenthe Bang’s research reinforces a crucial message: B2B companies cannot afford to ignore CX. As customer expectations evolve, businesses that proactively invest in both digital and human-centered experiences will gain a clear competitive edge.
For B2B executives, the choice is clear: either embrace CX as a strategic priority or risk losing customers to those who do.
- DBA
