I know you have those memories that are “defining moments” in your life. Maybe it’s finishing a marathon, landing your first job out of college or backpacking through Europe without a backpack. Moments like these stick with you for a lifetime; they shape who you are. For me, it’s when I looked at my son and daughter in the eyes for the first time. Those two moments changed my life.

You might find yourself wondering why some moments stick in your mind while so many others are forgotten. I was fascinated to learn the answer to this question in the New York Times Bestseller “The Power of Moments,” by Chip and Dan Heath. In it, they teach business leaders how to think in moments. They reveal that our most memorable moments are dominated by at least one of four key characteristics: moments of elevation that rise above every day, moments of insight that give new self-realization, moments of pride of achievement and moments of connection that deepen relationships.

“Defining moments shape our lives,” writes Chip and Dan. “But we don’t have to wait for them to happen. We can be authors of them. They typically don’t just happen by accident. They must be built.”

Elevation, Insight, Pride and Connection
When you spot moments in your customers’ lives when they need you most and take decisive action to serve them well, you stand out and build loyalty. But this is easier said than done. Moments like these can be simple to conceive but frustratingly hard to bring to life. This is why, at Genesys, we focus on providing both the technology and wisdom to define and deliver these moments consistently for customers and employees.

Customer experience is today’s biggest competitive differentiator. Creating moments of elevation that rise above the every day are essential. That’s why 65% of the top global brands in customer experience choose Genesys to help make these moments happen.

As an example, TELUS, a leading Canadian telecommunications company, has the highest Net Promoter Score of all telecommunication providers in North America. TELUS worked with Genesys Strategic Business Consulting to define moments of elevation that rise above the experiences its competitors provide. With Genesys technology, TELUS agents can form a true relationship with every customer built on moments that create lasting loyalty.

While creating better, differentiated experiences can build strong customer relationships, powerful moments also can happen from just being present, listening and forming a connection. For Crisis Services Canada, creating these moments literally saves lives. With the first virtualized integrated voice, text and chat clinical platform, the organization ensures that no call from anyone thinking about or impacted by suicide ever goes unanswered. Watch the story of Kate Kuehn, a responder with Crisis Services Canada, who volunteers her time and creates positive moments of insight with individuals feeling despair.

Memorable moments often are etched in pride. In the case of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, connecting poverty-stricken South African youth with employers looking for talent has a life-changing effect on those who need it most. When Harambee required a contact center solution to support its growth, the company chose the Genesys PureConnectTM platform. Now, it has increased outbound call volume, better engagement with candidates and improved workforce productivity. Helping youth break out of the cycle of poverty creates celebrated moments of pride for both Harambee employees and the people it serves.

What’s changed over the past several years is that defining these moments for your customer doesn’t start and stop in the customer care contact center. For retailer Marks & Spencer, the challenge was increasing consistency between its online and in-store customer experiences. This meant undergoing the largest retail transformation in Europe to replace legacy contact center technology using the Genesys platform. Now all communication channels are connected with a real-time, 360-degree customer view across marketing, sales and service. Daily, Marks & Spencer creates connected moments throughout the customer journey to measurably improve customer experience.

The Power of Moments
Your company’s brand is defined by memorable experiences that are measured in moments. These moments aren’t accidental—and no one will have wished there were fewer. They are worth authoring and they are worth delivering consistently. So, it’s time to make every moment count.

Join me at Enterprise Connect to learn more about how to break down enterprise barriers to improve customer experience.