Human Experience: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

What Is Human Experience or HX?

Human Experience or HX refers to the interactions, emotions, and perceptions of an individual with a business. 

The concept is anchored on the importance of human-centered relationships across industries. It further describes that the roles of customers and employees are rather interconnected. 

NOTE: It is essential to have authentic human connections for life, and it’s the same in business. Hence, the importance of HX.

With the rise of automation, human interactions have become scarce across touchpoints. While the interactions between technology and humans can benefit the business on some level, there are still touchpoints where human-to-human interactions are crucial. 

If we are correct, it’s for the same reason you are here now. You understand how crucial it is to identify and conserve touchpoints where these human-to-human interactions are of utmost necessity. 

How Is Human Experience Related to CX and EX?

HX can be considered as an evolution that integrates customer and employee experiences. The concept recognizes that the customers and employees are both vital stakeholders in an organization. Thus, it bridges the gap between CX and EX. 

It further explores the direct effect employee experience has on customer experience. 

For instance, consider an organization that offers a positive and nurturing environment. As a result, the employees there will feel valued, engaged, and motivated to perform better. This leads to greater customer service and a better customer experience. 

This interconnection means that the improvement in one side can lead to the improvement in the other. Or in other words proving how human experience connects CX and  EX.

Now that’s covered, let’s have a look at the key principles of human experience.

What Are the Principles of the Human Experience?

There are mainly four principles that organizations should abide by if they want to focus on human experience. They are as follows. 

Principle 1 - Purpose

The key purpose of HX is to create a meaningful connection with people. Organizations can start by understanding the goals, motivations, and aspirations of customers and employees. Moreover, they should strive to align their offerings with the purpose and values of customers and employees. 

Principle 2 - Empathy

This is one of the crucial aspects of human experience. Every organization should possess empathy, the ability to connect with people on an emotional level. Only then they will be able to provide a more personalized experience. 

Organizations prioritizing empathy can understand the feelings and perspectives of customers and employees better. Thus, it leads to a personalized experience.

Principle 3 - Authenticity

Human experience requires organizations to be genuine, transparent, and vulnerable in their interactions. 

The intent behind this is to enable organizations to learn how to deal with vulnerabilities and communicate authentically. By following such practices, they will be able to build trust and stronger relationships with customers and employees.

Principle 4 - Reciprocity

Ever heard of the term two-way street? HX is more or less the same. It gives importance to two-way interactions where both parties feel valued. Organizations should provide value by listening to feedback and responding to the needs of customers and employees. 

With that concluded, let’s see the key benefits of the concept. 

4 Key Benefits of Aiming for Human Experience

Aiming to improve human experience is good, but how good? Well, here are some crucial benefits you can expect from adopting this concept.

Benefit 1 - Increased Customer Loyalty

Organizations prioritizing human experience often connect with their customers on an emotional level. As a result, they are able to foster a sense of (brand) trust amongst the customers. This leads to satisfaction, which further leads to loyalty.

As everyone knows, satisfied customers tend to stay with the brand and even become advocates themselves.

Pro Tip 💡: Try running NPS surveys to calculate customer loyalty.

Benefit 2 - Enhanced Employee Satisfaction

Employees working in a supportive and engaging work environment are generally more productive. With HX, organizations recognize the employees as human beings with unique needs and aspirations.

When employees feel valued and understood, their engagement level rises, helping organizations provide greater customer service. In other words, happy employees can lead to happy customers.

Benefit 3 - Handle Challenges Better

Understanding and adapting to changing customer and employee needs makes companies more resilient. Companies that prioritize HX can respond to the challenges and disruptions (that come with the change) better.

How? by paying attention to the emotional and practical needs of individuals. This way, companies can adjust more smoothly during tough times, ensuring stability.

Benefits 4 - Bridges Customers and Employees

Emotional engagement is crucial to loyalty and satisfaction. Companies that highlight HX will be able to create experiences that resonate emotionally with customers and employees.

Furthermore, they can understand the feelings behind the interactions, making way for a more tailored approach. This emotional resonance boosts brand loyalty and can increase how much customers spend over time. 

Some Real-Life Human Experience Examples

Here are some organizations that have implemented strategies to build and foster human experience. The examples don't completely dive into how effective the changes have been, but will provide insight into how to proceed.

With that being said, let's look at some good examples of companies striving for human experiences.

1. SurveySparrow

SurveySparrow, as you may already know, is an experience management platform. As such, it's only logical that the company is at the top of the list here.

The company conducts a monthly program called "Ask Me Anything". The idea behind it is simple - act as a portal to interact with employees and offer transparency on company goals and performance. Leaders within the company will hear out complaints, opinions, and thoughts from the employees and offer explanations and solutions.

The thoughts and concerns of employees are collected completely anonymously. Thereby the company offers a safe portal for employees to express themselves.

This way, SurveySparrow is closing the gap between employees and improving the work environment. On top of this, SurveySparrow is also offering flexible hours, engagement activities, supporting career advancement and more. All these leads to better employee satisfaction.

Happy employees😄...happy customers😃!

2. Zappos

What Zappos did was something simple yet powerful. The organization gave complete autonomy to their employees and empowered them to go above and beyond. Their aim was to emphasize HX through exceptional customer service.

3. Nike

This brand is all about emotional connections. One of the greatest examples is their take on women in sports and athletes. The ad has garnered attraction from all around the world...not just at the time. It's still circulating all over social media further boosting brand image.

They have used empathy correctly, aligning their target customers' personal values and experiences. Hence, they were able to connect with the customers beyond the product itself.

4. UnitedHealth Group

Recognition programs were what UnitedHealth Group tried out in their organization. They implemented trust and recognition initiatives that make employees feel valued and appreciated. In doing so, they were able to improve the overall experience and engagement at work.

We could give you more examples, but in most cases, they are more or less the same. 

What Are Some Ways to Foster Human Experience in Your Organization?  

There are many ways to go about it. However, the following are some effective methods you can consider implementing.  

Let's have a look at them.  

1. Cultivate a Sense of Belonging  

Creating a culture of belonging is essential for enhancing HX. This mainly includes the following.   

• Recognizing individual strengths  
• Encouraging open communication
• Promoting inclusivity  

Each employee possesses unique abilities. It's your duty to identify and utilize them. Assign tasks that align with their skill set, increasing job satisfaction and performance.  

 Secondly, it is important to build an environment where employees feel safe to share their ideas and feedback. Try scheduling regular team meetings and anonymous feedback channels to ensure all voices are heard.   

And lastly, promote diversity and inclusivity. Create employee resource groups and encourage perspective in decision-making. This can enhance psychological safety and engagement.   

NOTE: This is where programs like "Ask Me Anything" come in handy. The program allows the employees to ask their concerns or opinions anonymously before the program. The leaders at the company will address each of them, providing clarity and solutions for each.   

2. Engage Your Employees  

Engaged employees are more productive and committed to their work. To boost engagement, you can start by acknowledging and rewarding employees for their contributions. Recognition can be peer-to-peer or through formal programs, fostering a culture of appreciation.   

Encouraging team-building activities is another way to go about it. Organize social events and team-building exercises to strengthen relationships among employees. This can include both in-person and virtual gatherings to accommodate all team members.  

Another way to engage is by offering opportunities for mentoring and skill development. Encourage your employees to pursue their personal and professional goals, which can lead to greater job satisfaction and loyalty.  

3. Nurture Open and Transparent Communication  

Transparency is one of the crucial elements to build trust within an organization. By keeping employees informed about company goals and challenges, they will feel assured about their job security and the new heights they can achieve with the company.   

4. Provide Flexibility & Autonomy  

This is perhaps one great way to support and promote employees for career advancement. Understand their capabilities and offer them a work environment they can control. 

You can offer options like remote work (or WFH), flexible hours, and personalized workspaces.   Understand their preferences and provide for that.   

As for autonomy, try encouraging employees to take ownership of their work. While, for some, it can be challenging at first, the opportunity can help them grow their skills - especially decision-making. 

How Can SurveySparrow Help with HX?

The best way to understand what's on the mind of your customers and employees is to connect with them. And the best way towards it is surveys.

SurveySparrow offers a range of tools to help you enhance the human experience for both customers and employees.

For CX

1. Conversational Surveys:

The tool's chat-like survey interface makes the feedback collection more engaging and interactive, leading to a 40% higher response rate than traditional methods.

2. VoC Programs:

The platform supports omnichannel distribution, allowing you to reach where your customers are. Also, you can gather insights from various touch points across the customer journey. This way, the feedback is collected in the most convenient manner, paving the way for improved customer experience.

3. AI-Powered Insights:

Features like CogniVue analyze responses to identify customer sentiments and key drivers behind customer satisfaction. This can help you understand what exactly the customer expectations are and tailor the offerings. Moreover, following such a path can lead to a more responsive and human-centric approach towards customers.

4. Feedback Loop Management:

Its ticket management feature allows you to follow up on customer feedback effectively. This means faster issue resolution, leading to a better customer experience. A personalized follow-up can improve the human touch in interactions, strengthening customer loyalty.

For EX

SurveySparrow helps you enhance employee engagement through ThriveSparrow. You can expect the following to help with EX.

1. 360-Degree Employee Surveys:

Enable complete performance reviews that consider feedback from all directions. This includes but is not limited to peers, subordinates and supervisors. The constructive feedback can lead to personal and professional development.

2. Pulse Survey:

Regularly check in with employees through pulse surveys to measure their satisfaction level.

3. Onboarding & Exit Surveys:

Collect feedback during the onboarding to make sure the new hires have a smooth start. Collect exit survey feedback to understand why they are leaving and act on it to improve retention.

4. Analytics & Reporting:

SurveySparrow provides a robust analytics dashboard that helps HR teams interpret employee feedback. By following such a data-driven approach, the tool helps in performance appraisals. You can also identify areas that need improvement in the workplace.