Emphasis on customer experience is greater among marketers than ever before. Experiences create value, deepen relationships between customer and brand, and can differentiate a brand from competition. There is just one problem: Is there clarity on what is meant by "customer experience?"

In the article "Defining the Customer Experience," marketing expert Don Peppers addresses the issue of lack of clarity for the meaning of customer experience. Peppers presents his own definition and proceeds to break down the key elements of that definition.

• How does Don Peppers's definition of customer experience differ from customer satisfaction, an outcome that has been a marketing priority for decades (search for a definition of customer satisfaction to use as a point of comparison)?
• Explain why managing customer experience would be a potentially more meaningful task for marketing managers to pursue than managing customer satisfaction.