Brands with IQ but no EQ are harming themselves through their lack of empathy.

To solve this a really good customer journey is invaluable. It organises the efforts and done well makes is a big step towards customer centric experiences. However too often they are they are discipline centric UX process charts or information dumps which step through the functional/physical experience. Whilst useful for the technicians for certain tasks they don’t identify the true emotional needs of customers and enable the team to create holistic experiences.

Instead the customer journey for each persona or segment should feel like a story in itself. A ripping good read showcasing the insight about people's real life hopes, expectations and fears relating to your category. Something every person and team, internal department or external supplier in the chain can get on board with, relate to, and then layer on their own expertise and discipline.

With an increasing number of interactions happening via remote digital channels, and even more forecast for the future, there is a pressing need to be more than politely invisible in your brand experiences.

It's not enough. Whether you are in automotive, energy, or financial services the challenge is to find a value proposition for customers, and staff, that is genuinely meaningful. One that stirs the soul in the upper tiers of the pyramid. Delivering that with precision and in the style of the brand through increasingly digital interfaces is modern marketing battleground.