The concept of Customer Experience didn’t suddenly appear out of thin air in the 1960s; it has deep roots in marketing theories, customer service, and various other fields. CX traces to the earliest days of trade, where interactions between buyers and sellers laid the foundation for understanding customer satisfaction. Its story intertwines with the evolution of business, adapting to technology, economics, and society. However, let’s start at the very beginning.
Even though CX didn’t formally emerge until the 1960s, the reason for its invention dates back a bit earlier. Trade, involving the exchange of goods and services, existed in prehistoric times, with its origins in southwest Asia. It’s no surprise, then, that the oldest recorded customer complaint dates as far back as 1750 B.C. in Mesopotamia. The text, inscribed on a clay tablet by Nanni, details multiple issues that arose during a transaction with a merchant named Ea-nāṣir. Multiple clay complaints found in the area suggest that Ea-nāṣir considered poor product quality, rude treatment, and the absence of refunds as an integral part of his sales technique. Archaeological evidence underscores CX’s significant impact, showing that Ea-nāṣir’s approach most probably led to his failure in entrepreneurial attempts. He had to give up parts of his home and re-brand.
