Business Reporter: Customer experience needs a bigger definition

Better customer experience starts with understanding what people need, not simply optimising the interactions that already exist

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, September 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In an article published on Business Reporter, Sarah Beams, Managing Director of The Harris Poll UK, argues that improving customer experience should start with a better understanding of what people actually need, rather than simply optimising existing processes to improve satisfaction scores.

People interact with businesses while managing work, family, finances and countless other demands. Understanding those needs and pressures gives businesses the opportunity to anticipate where customers may encounter friction and design it out before it becomes a problem. A form that asks for information already provided, a chatbot that sends customers in circles or a problem that could have been resolved before contact all add to that burden.

The opportunity is not simply to make those interactions better. It is to understand why they are happening in the first place and, where possible, prevent the need for them altogether.

This requires businesses to look beyond individual touchpoints and understand the wider context in which customers are making decisions and interacting with brands. By identifying needs earlier, organisations can make better decisions about what an experience should look like, where to simplify it and where to remove unnecessary effort altogether.

That matters not only for customer satisfaction, but for how people ultimately perceive a brand. The Harris Poll UK’s analysis of the 100 most visible brands in the UK found a 0.79 correlation between customer experience and corporate reputation, showing just how closely experience and perception are connected.

The Harris Poll UK partners with organisations to understand how brand experiences shape customers’ lives, using research and consultancy to prioritise investment, strengthen reputation and build lasting loyalty.

To learn more about why better customer experience starts with understanding people’s real needs, read the article.

About Business Reporter

Business Reporter is an award-winning company producing content published on Business Reporter online hubs on Bloomberg, Fortune, USA Today, Wired, Independent, Die Welt and Business Insider Germany and Le Figaro, delivering news and analysis on issues affecting the international business community. It also hosts conferences, debates, breakfast meetings and exclusive summits.

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About The Harris Poll UK

The Harris Poll UK, a Stagwell company, is a research and insights consultancy that brings together hard data and human truths to understand what really drives people. Through research, analytics and consultancy, we uncover what matters to people, where their needs aren’t being met and where those unmet needs create opportunities for organisations to make better decisions and grow.

https://www.theharrispoll.co.uk

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