Field notes on customer-experience operations. Written for the people who run onboarding, billing, and support, not just measure them.
Customer experience covers every interaction someone has with your company; user experience covers one product or interface. Here is the difference, a side-by-side table, where UX fits inside CX, and how CX compares to the customer journey and employee experience.
A customer experience maturity model scores how advanced your CX program is, usually across five levels from ad hoc to optimized. Here are the stages, the Gartner and Forrester frameworks, how to assess where you stand, and what it takes to move up a level.
Customer service is the broad discipline of helping customers across the whole relationship; customer support is the specialized, usually technical team that solves problems with a product. Here is the difference, a side-by-side table, who handles what, and how the two work together.
Response time measures how long until you acknowledge a request; resolution time measures how long until the problem is actually fixed and closed. Here is the difference, a side-by-side table, worked examples, and typical P1 to P4 SLA targets.
Invoicing is the act of creating and sending a request for payment. Billing is the wider process of charging a customer and collecting what they owe. Here is the difference, a side-by-side table, a worked example, and which teams own each.
First call resolution counts issues solved in one phone call. First contact resolution counts issues solved on the first interaction across any channel. Here is the difference, a table, a worked example, and which one to track.
Dunning is the in-house reminder sequence for overdue invoices. Collections is the harder, later pursuit of seriously past-due debt. Here is the difference, a table, and where one hands off to the other.
An invoice bills one transaction. A statement of account summarizes every open invoice, payment, and credit on the account. Here is the difference, a side-by-side table, a worked example, and why customers should never pay from a statement.
A quote is a fixed price you commit to. An estimate is an approximation that can move. An invoice asks for payment once the work is agreed or done. Here is the difference, a comparison table, and how the three connect in a real job.