The New Battleground of Customer Experience: Competing Beyond Your Industry

Your customers aren’t just smarter today – they’re smarter and more demanding every day. Shep Hyken put it well during the 2025 CX-Senate webinar: “Customers today are smarter than they were last year, and the year before. They are getting smarter because they know what great service is.“

But what does this rapid evolution mean for your business?

It means your customers’ expectations aren’t limited by your direct competitors anymore. Instead, they’re continually reshaped by every exceptional experience they encounter, regardless of the industry.

Why Your Competition Isn’t Just Your Industry Anymore

Customers no longer compartmentalize their experiences by industry. They measure every interaction against the absolute best they’ve ever experienced. Today, the seamless convenience of Amazon, the attentive personalization of Ritz-Carlton, or Apple’s flawless digital ecosystem aren’t just isolated examples anymore. They are the defacto benchmarks.

This shift fundamentally transforms competitive strategy: your real competitor is now every brand setting a high bar for customer experience globally.

What Does This Mean for Your Business?

Simply aiming to outperform direct competitors won’t suffice anymore. You must understand and exceed broader expectations shaped by world-class experiences. This means asking yourself:

• How easy and frictionless is it to interact with your business?
• How personal and memorable are your customer interactions?
• How seamlessly do you integrate digital and human experiences?

Meeting these universal benchmarks will define your success in the new era of customer experience.

Exception: Brands Defining Their Own Playing Field

Yet, there’s an important caveat. Brands that clearly define and consistently manage their customers’ expectations carve out their own distinct playing fields. Take luxury hotels versus discount stores:

• Luxury hotel guests expect detailed personalization and exceptional service.
• Discount store customers expect convenience and low prices, not concierge-level attention.

Both succeed by clearly setting and reliably delivering on these defined expectations. The secret isn’t merely meeting expectations but strategically shaping what customers should expect.

Customer Experience as a Strategic Choice, Not a Department

Here’s a crucial perspective shift: CX is a strategic choice, not just another business function. A deliberate CX strategy clearly defines:

• Who your ideal customers are
• What exactly they should expect from every interaction
• How your entire organization aligns to consistently deliver on those expectations

For instance, I recently spoke with a company whose philosophy was simplicity itself: CX was “just about mastering the basics.” For them, this meant ensuring customers could easily find solutions, promptly get help, and always experience smooth transactions. By consistently mastering these basics, they’ve turned their simplified CX strategy into a powerful competitive advantage.

Turning Your CX Strategy into Competitive Advantage

The ultimate takeaway isn’t just to chase after the “best-in-class” benchmarks set by global leaders, but rather to deliberately craft and deliver your own version of excellence:

1. Define your CX vision: Clearly state what customers should expect when interacting with your brand.
2. Align your company: Ensure every department and every employee understands their role in delivering on that vision.
3. Consistently deliver: Make reliable delivery of your defined CX promise part of your company’s DNA.

Remember, your customer experience strategy isn’t about playing catch-up. CX is about proactively choosing who you serve, how you serve them, and consistently exceeding the expectations you set.

CX is your strongest differentiator, and the companies that own their CX strategy will own the future.