Elements of a Great Digital Customer Experience
Creating a quality digital experience for your customers is the key to winning online. Whether you’re a retailer building a robust, intuitive online store or an agency that has to build a backend customers can navigate with ease, the platform you build on will have a major impact on your final product.
Whether you choose a digital experience platform (DXP), a managed host, or you decide to self-host, there will be several benefits and drawbacks to consider.
In this article we’ll break down the differences between a DXP and a managed hosting platform, share our own approach to building a quality customer experience across your digital touch points, and share why WP Engine is a worthy foundation for your next great digital experience.
DXP vs MSP
Startups and Fortune 500 companies alike are competing for relevance online. To do that, they must maintain a digital presence that both informs and entertains. It’s extremely challenging for today’s digital experience creators to stay cutting-edge and keep pace with new technology while also staying on top of management and maintenance.
Two of the most popular foundations for building great digital experiences are DXPs and managed hosting providers.
Gartner defines a DXP as “an integrated set of core technologies that support the composition, management, delivery and optimization of contextualized digital experiences.”
A managed hosting provider, on the other hand, falls under the category of managed service provider. Gartner defines an MSP as a provider that “delivers services, such as network, application, infrastructure, and security, via ongoing and regular support and active administration.” While the term MSP was initially applied to infrastructure or device-centric types of services, the definition has since expanded to include any continuous, regular management, maintenance, and support.
MSPs may deliver their own native tools in conjunction with other services or technologies; for example, WP Engine provides managed hosting and tools specifically for WordPress users, so use of the WordPress CMS is required for customers to unlock all of WP Engine’s tools and services.
The differences between a DXP and a managed service provider, like a managed hosting service, come down to simplicity, cost, and specialization.
DXPs often require extensive development and custom API integrations to support a wide range of CMSs and technologies, making them a more complicated and often more expensive option, especially for small and mid-market businesses with less budget.
Managed service providers, including managed hosts like WP Engine, are more likely to specialize in a specific tech niche, tailoring their offerings and infrastructure to work seamlessly within that niche. This leads to less complexity for site developers because MSPs provide tools specifically built for their needs and requirements, as well as lower costs due to the streamlined experience.
Essentially, both DXPs and MSPs exist to facilitate a customer experience that is intuitive, performant, and personalized for each user. Managed hosting providers like WP Engine help alleviate the burden of management and maintenance by offering highly specialized services, allowing customers of all sizes to focus on building exceptional digital experiences.
Elements of an exceptional digital experience
Creating a seamless and engaging customer experience is essential for building trust, driving conversions, and fostering long-term loyalty. A great digital customer experience isn’t just about having a well-designed website built on a great foundation—it’s about meeting customers where they are, anticipating their needs, and delivering personalized interactions across multiple touch points.
From the moment a potential customer first engages with your brand to the post-purchase experience, every digital interaction plays a role in shaping their perception. By leveraging the right tools, businesses can create a cohesive, data-driven experience that resonates with customers and keeps them coming back.
Multiple touch points
According to Statista, 75% of people shop online at least monthly.
Because online shopping is always accessible, many customers are doing more than just shopping for a product—they’re comparing prices, seeking inspiration, and using the shopping experience to help inform their decisions about what, when, and where to buy an item.
The customer journey—the path someone takes from their initial search to making a purchase—is full of touch points that are make or break. These touchpoints are both offline and online and can often include lengthy periods of inactivity.
The digital experience is more than just getting people to your site. It’s more than awareness; digital experiences are essential for building loyalty and customer satisfaction post-purchase. Customer journey mapping, the process of documenting this customer journey, is important for understanding your audience and adapting to the future.
A DXP or MSP can help you create a suitable and engaging customer experience across your various online touch points, allowing you to personalize and integrate them with the most relevant technologies in your customer’s life.
While the DXP or MSP you choose will operate differently for different brands because of their various requirements, you can basically understand them as one service that uses integrated technologies to facilitate experiences across multiple touch points. For MSPs, all technology is built around one central platform. In WP Engine’s case, that central platform is WordPress.
Emotions
Choosing the right foundational platform to build your site can help you establish your brand and company identity. After all, customers care about more than just cost when deciding what to buy and what services to use.
This is especially true about young people. A study conducted by WP Engine and The Center for Generational Kinetics found that 65% of Gen Z, the generation born after 1996, are more likely to buy from a company that contributes to social causes, while 30% have stopped buying from a company that contributes to a social cause they disagree with.
Trust is important. An MSP or DXP equips you with the agility to build a brand identity that is rooted in authenticity and reliability. Not only will customers feel comforted by the performance of your site, they’ll be inspired by the unique and dynamic way you present yourself.
Understanding what customers want
You have multiple touch points, data is flowing in from various places, and your brand is continuing to evolve. How does a DXP or MSP help you understand what your customers want?
These types of foundational platforms integrate technology to keep your data connected. Powerful intelligence technologies are embedded into the platform itself and compile the information so that it is understandable and actionable.
Have you ever wanted to reap the benefits of artificial intelligence on your site but are weary of the way it’ll interact with technology you’re already using? With an MSP or DXP, those technologies come together seamlessly, consistently perform well, and are maintained regularly.
For WordPress users, WP Engine’s managed hosting environment compiles top-notch performance tools and optimizations to ensure reliable performance—and data—so you can better serve and understand your customers.
WP Engine’s pillars for providing exceptional digital experiences
DXPs and MSPs provide various interactive capabilities to customers, partners, and employees, allowing for maintainable management and giving companies control over their digital touch points.
The combination of open-source WordPress CMS with WP Engine’s managed hosting platform helps us to deliver on each of our four brand pillars: elevated expertise, people-focused culture, relentless innovation, and unmatched performance.
Elevated expertise
Elevated expertise ensures that customers receive top-tier knowledge and support from industry-leading professionals. Our team is composed of WordPress specialists who understand the platform inside and out, allowing us to build the best tools, troubleshoot customer issues, and offer strategic guidance.
This expertise translates into a seamless experience for customers, as they can confidently rely on WP Engine for performance optimization, security solutions, and cutting-edge development tools. By staying ahead of WordPress trends and challenges, WP Engine empowers businesses to create and maintain high-performing digital experiences without technical roadblocks.
People-focused culture
At the heart of WP Engine is a People-focused culture that prioritizes both customers and employees, fostering an environment of trust, support, and collaboration. Our commitment to exceptional customer service means businesses receive prompt, knowledgeable, and empathetic support whenever needed.
Internally, WP Engine cultivates a workplace culture that encourages innovation and professional growth, ensuring that their teams remain motivated and passionate about delivering outstanding service. This human-centered approach helps both our employees and the businesses that rely on our services feel valued and supported, strengthening long-term relationships and ensuring smooth digital experiences.
Relentless innovation
Relentless innovation is about driving continuous improvement and ensuring businesses always have access to the latest WordPress technologies, tools, and features. Through frequent platform enhancements, advanced security measures, and AI-driven insights, WP Engine enables customers to stay ahead of industry trends without having to manage complex updates themselves.
This commitment to innovation helps businesses maintain a modern, scalable, and highly functional digital presence and adapt to evolving customer expectations and technological advancements.
Unmatched Performance
Unmatched performance is WP Engine’s final customer-driven brand pillar—it’s all about ensuring websites load quickly, remain secure, and scale efficiently, even during high-traffic events. With built-in caching, global CDN integration, and enterprise-grade infrastructure, WP Engine delivers blazing-fast performance that enhances user experience and improves search engine rankings for our customers.
By eliminating downtime and optimizing speed, WP Engine helps businesses build digital experiences on WordPress that retain visitors, reduce bounce rates, and ultimately drive higher conversions, making us a great partner for brands that prioritize digital excellence.
Work with WP Engine to improve your digital customer experience
Specializing exclusively in WordPress, WP Engine sets the standard for building, launching, and maintaining enterprise-grade digital experiences. Our motive is to help you find confidence online, and we will support you, innovate for you, and guide you through every step in the progress
Check out our plans to start working with us today!
