Customer Engagement: Defining And Aligning

In the world of customer engagement, definitions have been fluid, leading to conflicting interpretations and marginalization of the function’s importance. Understanding how customer engagement organizations can be positioned for C-level reporting helps organizations select the best approach. Alignment between customer engagement functions increases the power and likelihood of success of each function as well as the overall customer engagement strategy.

Many B2B organizations continue to focus on acquiring new customers and miss an opportunity that’s right in front of them — to grow faster and more profitably by improving their engagement with existing customers. For example, a recent Forrester study found that 80% of the reasons for B2B buying decisions are linked directly or indirectly to previous customer experiences. In this report, we define and clarify customer engagement terms, discuss the pros and cons of customer engagement organizational options, and provide insight into how customer engagement functions can align for mutual benefit and maximum impact.