Achieving Requisite Variety in Customer Experience Research for Improving Marketing Relationship Performances

This special issue includes 27 customer experience (CX) trade tales as told in the words of real shoppers and customers. Some tales are of dilemmas and cognitive dissonance, whilst others share their elation at receiving the value, satisfaction, and respect they felt they deserved. When reading these accounts, you are likely to agree that there is much more to consumers¡¦ everyday buying decisions and experiences than what meets the eye of the customer care officer, the representative or business owner (collectively called marketers here) at first glance. The emotive language and illustrative narratives emphasize the affective, intellectual, emotional, and social impact of good and bad responses by organizations to interactions with customers. You will quickly notice how positively-inclined customers can turn from highly impressed, excited and actively engaged clients, to negatively valanced antagonists, defending their point of view, or (in sharp contrast) respond to a sales interaction with passive aggressive behaviour. Surface to deep assessment follow each trade tale. Many of the tales are useful materials for creating emotional and insightful learning dramas for improving empathy and communication skills of those among us who interact with customers.