When we hear “CX” today, we think of customer satisfaction surveys, Net Promoter ScoreSM, and digital feedback forms. However, the practice of customer experience is as old as commerce itself.
CX: More Than Just Modern Acronyms
If we travelled back 2,000 years and asked a Roman merchant about ‘CX’, he would tell us it meant 110 – ‘C’ being 100 and ‘X’ being 10 in Roman numerals. While the acronym meant something very different then, the principles we associate with Customer Experience today were very much alive.
Trade Routes: The Original Customer Journey Maps
The history of humanity is undoubtedly linked to the history of commerce. From the bustling markets of ancient Phoenicia to the legendary Silk Road, from the spice routes of the Indian Ocean to the colonial trade networks between Europe and the Americas, our world has been shaped by commercial relationships.
These historic trading networks weren’t just about moving goods – they were complex systems of customer experience management:
- Merchants had to understand their customers’ needs and preferences
- They needed to maintain quality standards across vast distances
- They had to build and maintain reputations in different cultures
- Their survival depended on customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth
The First Documented Customer Complaint
Perhaps the most fascinating evidence of ancient customer experience practices comes from Babylon. The British Museum houses a 4,000-year-old clay tablet that contains what historians consider the oldest recorded customer complaint[1]. A dissatisfied customer named Nanni wrote to a copper merchant named Ea-nāṣir, detailing his grievances in cuneiform script:
“Tell Ea-nasir: Nanni sends the following message: When you came, you said to me as follows: ‘I will give Gimil-Sin (when he comes) fine quality copper ingots.’ You left then but you did not do what you promised me. You put ingots which were not good before my messenger (Sit-Sin) and said: ‘If you want to take them, take them; if you do not want to take them, go away!’ What do you take me for, that you treat somebody like me with such contempt?”[1]
The effort required to create such a tablet – carefully inscribing cuneiform characters into clay – speaks volumes about the customer’s determination to be heard. This wasn’t a quick one-star review or an angry tweet – it was a painstaking process driven by genuine disappointment.
The Mystery of the Merchant’s Response
What happened after this complaint? We can only wonder what Ea-nāṣir’s response might have been. Today’s best practices would suggest offering a refund and a sincere apology. If he ignored the situation, word of his poor service would likely have spread through the community and neighbouring villages. In ancient times, when business reputation relied heavily on word-of-mouth, such negative publicity could have been devastating to his copper trading business and social standing.
The Universal Language of Customer Satisfaction
While ancient merchants didn’t use terms like “Voice of the Customer” or “Customer Journey Mapping,” they understood these concepts intuitively. Their survival depended on:
- Understanding customer needs
- Maintaining product quality
- Building strong relationships
- Managing their reputation
- Handling complaints effectively
Lessons from History
Modern CX professionals might use sophisticated tools and metrics, but the fundamental principles haven’t changed much in 4,000 years. Customer satisfaction, quality products, and good service have always been the foundation of successful business relationships.
References
[1] “Complaint tablet to Ea-nāṣir.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, accessed January 22, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complaint_tablet_to_Ea-n%C4%81%E1%B9%A3ir
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