John Rheinfrank, Shelley Evenson, and others developed a model of the ideal “experience cycle” as they worked on a usability design strategy for Xerox in the 1980s. This experience cycle has revolutionised thinking about the processes customers go through when they interact with suppliers or producers (in other words whoever sells to them). Instead of having a funnel-like structure which focuses on making the quick sale (as the traditional sales cycle has), the experience cycle aims at building long term relationships with customers and servicing them every step of the way.
Umlungu’s latest newsletter is about how the experience cycle can be applied to your online offering. (If you missed it, you can read it here.)
To learn more about the differences between the traditional sales cycle and the customer experience cycle, read this article by Evenson and Hugh Dubberly. Look out for a very interesting example of the cycle in relation to Apple.