Insights

What is the difference between customer service and customer experience?

Written by Joanne Lea | June 13, 2017

"Customer Experience" is a term we hear often but what does it mean? What is the difference between Customer Service and Customer Experience? Which one is more important and how much should an organisation be focussing on it?

This blog takes a look at the differences between the two and how your organisation can offer a positive "Customer Experience":

Customer Service is defined by the speed of delivery, the quality of the product and the service received if the product is faulty and needs to be replaced. 

Customer Experience is defined as the total of all the interactions and “experiences” a customer has with the organisation, from the first visit to a website or the first telephone conversation through every stage of their buyer’s journey to the delivery of the end product or service. As the customer will be interacting with many areas of the organisation such  as sales, marketing, finance and customer service all the interactions need to be positive ones and so all departments of the organisation need to focus on providing GOOD customer experience.

In an environment where a customer can communicate a poor customer experience at the click of a button it is essential that GOOD customer experience is embraced by everyone in the company.  A excellent customer service department is still essential to any organisation but focussing on your customer's overall experience elevates the working standards of the entire company.

To achieve the continuity across an organisation in delivering a positive customer experience every employee must live and demonstrate the company’s values and behaviours. BPS World use the following values to support the Customer Experience they want to deliver to their customers:

Commitment: Do what you say you’re going to do - Someone who demonstrates their commitment through taking accountability for their actions and outcomes.

Delivery: There is no substitute for the achievement of results - Someone who consistently delivers and creates customer delight through exceeding expectations.

Excellence: Pursuit of continuous improvement - Someone who demonstrates excellence and takes pride in everything they do from the smallest detail to the largest venture.

Passion: Inspire and be inspired -Someone who is passionate creates an inspirational environment.

To find out more on our values, please check out our company video:


The desire to create a GOOD customer experience will also nurture employee engagement as it empowers team members to be the best they can through living the company values. It also enables you to have a deeper knowledge about your customer and be more supportive to their needs. Focussing on customer experience can give any organisation a competitive advantage in attracting customers and employees alike.  A GOOD customer experience is the foundation of creating your company’s GOOD reputation and of strengthening the company’s brand. To find out more on the GOOD BPS World customer experience please click here to read our testimonials.

Do you have any GOOD customer experiences you would like to share?

For further information please contact Joanne Lea on joanne.lea@bps-world.com