Boating down the Rideau canal
More than a decade of research and what is now a global customer experience (CX) industry continue to demonstrate a close correlation between a person’s “journey” as a customer, their emotions, and key elements of loyal behaviour such as word-of-mouth referrals.
“The ultimate goal of city building is to compel visitors and residents who have unforgettable experiences to share them with others,” says Janet LeBlanc, president and founder of Janet LeBlanc + Associates. “The more people want to live, work, invest and play in your city, the more it will distinguish itself as unique and memorable.”
For over 20 years, Janet LeBlanc has been a leading advocate of integrating customer experience management into growth strategies. She describes customer experience as the practice of intentionally designing and delivering the ideal experience with measurable discipline. LeBlanc emphasizes that everyone, not just customer-facing employees, must be fully engaged.
Janet Leblanc
“Cities have brands just like organizations, products and services,” she says. “Designing an ideal experience requires a clear understanding of the brand promise you are trying to deliver and how you want people to feel at every step of the way. The customer experience brings your brand to life.”
Today, her team works with a diverse range of clients, including health care, utilities, tourism services, retail, higher education, the military, and government departments. The Ottawa-based firm has worked with multiple clients locally but also has clients across Canada and globally.
“There are many different touchpoints and occasions that may cause a customer to pause and evaluate how they feel about the experience,” LeBlanc says. “They may form an opinion, change their mind or make a critical decision. You want these defining moments to be positive, especially in a world where reactions and experiences have the potential to go viral.”
“When there is a clear intent to define the ideal customer experience, articulate the value proposition and deliver it consistently across all customer channels, you are planting the seeds for ‘wow moments’ that will outdazzle other brands,” she adds.
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