Happy belated New Year to you and yours! Let's kick things off with a toast hoping that the Mayans are wrong. :-)
In my last blog, "Journey to the Center of the...Customer?", I discussed the renewed corporate interest surrounding the customer experience (CX), both within its marketing messaging, internal processes and its organizational structures. There's definitely an increasing "will," but that's the easy part. The hard work begins finding "a way" to make it work. The scope and scale of your CX strategy is largely dependent on your goals and the business itself. Some strategies could be relatively eas while others require a monumental effort. Regardless of the effort, there are some common CX themes. In the next few blogs, we'll discuss, debate and hopefully take something away from the discussion.
It makes sense to start at the foundation, which in my opinion is the most critical (and hardest!) step in the journey. We start on the inside...with the belief that in order for CX to succeed, it must become rooted into the culture of an organization. From the C-Staff to those in the trenches, CX must become your center.
- Leadership, at all levels, must buy-in to the concept, value and importance of creating a culture centered on CX. Each leader will play a role, each will need to lead by example and each will need to be held accountable for the CX-based performance of the team(s) they're responsible for.
- CX needs to be owned and have a seat at the grown-up table. Depending on the scope of your CX strategy, this will minimally be a full time equivalent (FTE). The owner(s) must have the time, bandwidth and visibility to enact CX strategies, measure CX data and communicate the results (rinse, repeat!).
- The CX owner will need to understand (and be able to articulate) exactly what needs to be achieved through CX. What is the goal(s) and how will CX be measured? To be successful, this conversation should involve the entire company. All members of the staff should feel like they're involved and that they have a voice. Initially, small wins are recommended. They're manageable, but more importantly, provide positive CX momentum to your staff and customer-base
- CX will become the responsibility of everyone in the company, not just those in a customer-facing role. Again, leadership plays a vital role here. Incentive-based "carrots" (rewards) and performance review goals specific to CX will prove beneficial.
- A culture rooted in CX does not necessarily mean "the customer is always right." It does mean however that the customer should always be listened to. Once listened to, acknowledge and resolve the issue if applicable...or educate the customer. When educating, tone is key! In either scenario though, there's a CX disconnect, understand it, then fix it. Note - Depending on the nature of the business, you could easily argue that the customer IS always right. If I ordered a hamburger with mustard and it was served with ketchup and cheese, it's a no brainer!
- Figure out how to harness the voice of your customers (VoC). Their voice is heard using several mediums: the tried and true survey, formal VoC initiatives and unsolicited feedback. This is incredibly important and a key driver in all CX initiatives going forward.