This is according to Mark W. Schaefer’s Masters of CX report The Ultimate Customer Experience was Created 1,000 Years Ago an exploration of a theory that the foundations of the ultimate customer experience were created in medieval marketplaces.

Mark W. Schaefer is a globally recognised blogger, speaker, educator, business consultant, and author who writes for {grow}. We’re delighted to work with him on our Masters of CX series which features true marketing thinkers and industry heavyweights covering the issues surrounding the customer experience approach and strategy.

Find out more about the other authors and download all the reports at Masters of CX then join the discussion using #MastersofCX

In the meantime, here are a few takeaways from the report…

Medieval marketplaces

Here are a few things we know to be true of village commerce from 1,000 years ago:

  • It was highly personal and interactive. You stood face to face with a seller, looked them in the eye and confirmed transactions with a handshake.
  • There was immediacy. If somebody felt wronged or cheated, sellers knew it right away. Feedback on quality, service, and pricing was delivered face-to-face immediately.
  • Success depended on word of mouth. There was no advertising, mass media, or PR. It took peer recommendations to make or break a business. This also meant that if you wronged a buyer, word would spread quickly.

The parallels between the medieval marketplace and today’s digital, connection-based economy are clear.

Mass media

The thing that interrupted this natural course of business was the introduction of mass media. Marketers realised that they could sell efficiently and at a greater breadth by broadcasting using print media, radio and television.

This unfortunately created a divide between businesses and customers. The human side that people enjoyed interacting with became disengaged when we turned to mass advertising.

When the internet arrived, it was very easy for marketers to see it as a medium similar to television, where ads can be broadcast to passive viewers. Only on the internet it can be done for free.

However we’ve only recently learnt that mere ‘broadcasting’ on the internet doesn’t really work. It’s all about connections. Promoting engagement. Building lasting relationships. Building a community.

Although business leaders marvel at how the digital world has ‘changed everything’ the irony is that today things couldn’t be more similar to how they were 1,000 years ago, it’s just that we’re having to relearn techniques that became redundant 100 years ago.

Back to the dark ages

Here are some simple rules your business can learn from medieval commerce to improve customer experience.

  • People still want to know the humans behind your brand. Customers build emotional connections with products like they build relationships with their friends. Come out from behind the logo. Show the customers who you are.
  • A disgruntled customer can broadcast to 6,000 Twitter followers instead of just their immediate neighbours, therefore your brand must be listening and responding in real-time.
  • People will also talk endlessly about what they are buying, eating, viewing and listening to on social networks therefore personal connection and word of mouth validation are the most important marketing considerations for your business.

For much more insight on how adopting the medieval mindset can help your modern customer experience strategy download the free report.