The customer experience pyramid is a simple, structured, and above all actionable model.
Each level allows you to understand what your customers really expect at each stage of their journey and to build a relationship over time, step by step.
We hear about customer experience everywhere, so if you're ready to beef up your strategy, you'll see that we have more than one trick up our sleeve.
The six levels of the customer experience pyramid
It's simple. This model allows you to structure the customer experience into six progressive stages.
It's a real tool to help you avoid moving forward blindly.
Each level builds on the previous one.
It's impossible to engage without reassuring, or to build loyalty without satisfying.
It's a bit like Maslow's hierarchy of needs, except that here we're talking about customer relationships.
The customer experience pyramid in 6 levels
Provide useful information
This is the foundation.
Your customers need to be able to find what they're looking for quickly without picking up the phone.
FAQs, guides, tutorials, chatbots... anything that saves them from waiting unnecessarily counts.
And it counts double when it comes to e-commerce.
Good self-service means fewer requests, less support, and more fluidity.
Without it, the experience stalls from the start and you'll have to deploy more resources to compensate for this shortcoming (through after-sales service, for example).
Solve a specific problem
Here, we're talking about a customer who has a problem that is unique to them.
And they expect a clear answer, not a general response.
What makes the difference is the attention paid to their case.
A personalized, human, and quick response.
It's also an opportunity.
You can turn dissatisfaction into real proof of reliability. And sometimes, into a loyal customer.
A well-managed customer service ticket is often worth more than a good slogan.
Responding to an expressed need
A customer asks you a question. But behind that question, there is often a real intention.
Your role is to understand what they really want. And to go one step further.
Offer a gesture, a surprise, a little bonus that shows you understand. That's what turns a simple response into a real experience.
Anticipate a stated need
You know your customers' habits.
Take advantage of this to simplify their lives.
Offer the right product at the right time, follow up without being intrusive, tailor your messages.
That's what useful service is all about.
A well-designed loyalty program can do the job. Provided you rely on the right signals.
Respond to an unconscious need
Sometimes, customers don't even know what they're going to ask you yet. But you can see it coming.
This is where behavioral analysis comes into its own.
A bug identified before it exists. A stock alert sent at just the right time.
Automation becomes a powerful ally here. When done right, the customer doesn't even notice.
They just feel... well taken care of.
Make the customer stronger and more valued
We're reaching the top.
What you offer is no longer just useful. It's a game changer.
The customer feels understood, recognized, inspired.
They embrace not only your product, but also your values.
Some brands achieve this by co-creating, personalizing to the extreme, and breaking the mold.
It's no longer loyalty, it's deep attachment.
The customer experience pyramid: a powerful retention lever
We often forget it, but loyalty cannot be decreed. It is built.
And not with discounts or promo codes sent out on a whim.
What really keeps a customer is the experience they have with you over time.
This is where the pyramid becomes strategic.
It helps you lay the right foundations, in the right order.
By not skipping any steps, you avoid building on shaky ground.
By structuring your actions, you naturally improve your key indicators.
A well-supported customer costs less to retain, stays longer, and brings in more revenue.
LTV, CAC, ROI... everyone benefits.
A customer who finds the information they are looking for, who is helped quickly when they have a problem, who is surprised with personalized attention... comes back more often.
And that's what LTV is all about.
Let's take a concrete example.
If your customer makes a first purchase of $40 and then returns twice in the year thanks to good follow-up and a smooth relationship, they no longer bring you $40, but $120.
Better still, if they feel valued, they may recommend the brand, refer a friend or relative, or become an ambassador.
Their real value far exceeds their average order value.
It's not magic, it's the pyramid : long live the pyramid!
Pssst... You might find this interesting!
Loyalty programs are strategic for your retention, and we can probably help. Check out our platform!
The customer experience is not the responsibility of a single department.
If support isn't up to scratch, if the product isn't aligned, if the developers don't understand the feedback... nothing works.
Everyone needs to be on board.
The pyramid cannot be built by one person alone.
The 6 pillars of customer experience in a table + tools
We're feeling generous, so here's a summary table of the 6 pillars of the customer experience pyramid, with a goal, a concrete action, and the associated tool for each one.
Customer Experience Pillars
Customer Experience Pillar
Main Objective
Possible Action
Associated Tool
Providing useful information
Enabling customers to find simple answers without help
Creating a clear knowledge base (FAQs, tutorials, guides)
Knowledge base, chatbot
Solving a specific problem
Providing a rapid, personalised solution to a complaint
Implementing a responsive, personalised after-sales service
Ticketing, after-sales tools
Responding to an expressed need
Going beyond the initial request to create a positive experience
Surprising with attention (e.g. discount)
CRM, conversational scripts
Anticipating an expressed need
Suggesting the right thing at the right time to simplify the customer's life
Offer recommendations via purchase data
Marketing automation, behavioural CRM
Responding to an unconscious need
Avoid irritants by acting before the customer perceives the problem
Correct a bug or alert automatically without the customer having to intervene
Machine learning, automated alerts
Make the customer stronger and more valued
Create a strong attachment to the brand by providing a differentiating benefit
Involve the customer in co-creation or advanced personalisation
UGC tools, customer engagement platforms
Develop customer experience and retention with Loyoly
Our goal is for your customers to want to stay, talk about you, and come back without even thinking about it. That's what true brand preference is all about.
At Loyoly, we firmly believe that loyalty should no longer be a promotional reflex. It is a strategic lever. A driver of engagement, image, and profitability.
What if you could turn your satisfied customers into truly loyal customers?
Turn your satisfied customers into loyal customers with our loyalty programs.