A Customer experience (Cx) strategy drives successful and distinctive businesses. The introduction and implementation of a Cx strategy are complex. What are the pillars of a successful Cx approach? And what are the main focus areas for each pillar? What are the do’s and don’ts? Read on!

Content

  • Introduction: The six pillars of Customer experience
  • The 6 Cx pillars explained
  • Conclusion and approach
  • More information

Introduction: The six pillars of Customer experience

I am a member and volunteer of the International Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA). Founded in 2011, CXPA is the premier global non-profit organization dedicated to advancing and developing the Cx profession. The CXPA supports the professional development of its members and advances the Cx profession by:

  • Sharing best practices
  • Developing standards
  • Networking opportunities
  • Creating a better understanding of the Cx discipline.

The six Cx pillars is one of the standards that have been developed in close collaboration with its members. I describe these standards in the next paragraph; I have added best practices based on my own experiences.

The pillars are:

  1. Cx strategie
  2. Customer-Centric Culture
  3. Organizational adoption & accountability
  4. Voice of the Customer, Customer insight & understanding
  5. Cx design, improvement & innovation
  6. Cx metrics, measurement en ROI

The pillars explained

1. Customer experience strategy

Customer experience strategieAlthough Cx is sometimes referred to as a “soft” discipline, Cx is definitely not soft. Cx must deliver a clear business value which is linked to the overall strategy and objectives of the organization. For example cross- & up-selling and efficiency objectives.

A successful Cx strategy:

  • is linked to the overall strategy and objectives
  • is in line with the brand. Customer experiences which, linked to the brand promise, are “brand worthy”.
  • starts with purpose; what do we stand for?
  • is in line with the products & services, staff, and processes & technology
  • last but not least, is feasible (and not a strategy that is put on the back burner indefinitely)

2. Customer-centric culture

Cx cultuur“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” is a famous quote from management consultant Peter Drucker. To be clear, he didn’t mean that strategy was unimportant; but a strong and stimulating culture is a surer route to organizational success. Certainly in the Cx field, a customer-oriented culture is of great importance for the success of Cx.

Good employee experiences lead to good customer experiences. HR KPIs should therefore be part of the Cx metrics. For example: absenteeism due to illness, employee satisfaction surveys, ranking as one of the best employers.

In a successful Customer-centric culture:

  • exemplary behavior from the top by putting the customer first in actions as well as words
  • integrated at all levels and in all departments
  • Cx best practices are shared, storytelling is a powerful method for this!
  • hiring employees who are customer-oriented
  • employees are trained and coached in customer-oriented behavior
  • front office employees are empowered to make decisions

3. Organizational adoption & accountability

Cx organisatie adoptie

Cx must have a “place” in the organization. Not as a project, but a structural place; depending on the organization and context: this might be a staff department, a Chief Customer Officer, marketing, etc. Linked to this, Cx must have clear governance at all levels:

  • At a strategic level; for example, a Cx steering group to determine priorities, budget and resources.
  • At a tactical level; for example, a Cx process team which has in-depth knowledge of processes and customer feedback.
  • On an operational level; for example, subject matter experts to support the process team.

Successful Cx organization adoption and accountability requires:

  • support and organization of company wide stakeholder management
  • a Cx roadmap
  • clear Cx policies
  • Cx and process owners which are mandated

4. Voice of the Customer, Customer insight & understanding

Customer experience InsightsCx is “thinking from the outside in”, also called thinking in terms of “jobs to be done” of a persona. This starts with understanding customers; “Listen” to customers with a Voice of the Customer (VoC) program. For example, by analyzing service calls, using text mining to analyze unstructured data such as e-mails and the results of customer satisfaction surveys.

An important – or perhaps the most important – resource is the Voice of the Employee (VoE). After all, the customer-facing staff has contact with customers on a daily basis and knows better than anyone what is going on.

A successful VoC program:

  • is linked to the Go 2 market (Voice of the Market)
  • is company wide – across the silos, across all channels (omnichannel) – organized
  • is supported company wide, both on C-level and management
  • has both qualitative (ethnographic, focus groups, one to one interviews) as well as quantitative (surveys, data analysis) research methods
  • shares the results at all levels, tailored where possible to the departments involved

5. Customer experience design, improvement & innovation

Cx designCx design – not to be confused with Ux design – is the process of optimizing customer experiences across all touchpoints. Design thinking is an example of a Cx design process. The customer experiences are linked to a journey that includes many touchpoints, from initial awareness and research to purchase and retention. Prioritization is therefore of great importance: which touchpoints lead to memorable customer experiences, what are the quick wins?

Successful Cx design initiatives:

  • “You have to start with the customer experience and work back to the technology, not the other way around.” Steve Jobs
  • are based on clear analysis, no assumptions
  • have personas as a starting point and map the related journeys
  • have a big picture approach from the total customer journey, not (isolated) touchpoint focus
  • have a clear prioritization, first things first

6. Customer experience metrics, measurement en ROI

Customer experience metricsThe Cx Metrics are the KPIs involving customer input. This helps to provide insight into whether we are on track with the Cx strategy. How loyal or satisfied are customers? The most popular customer experience metrics are the Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), and Customer Effort Score (CES). Metrics are also used as input for ROI calculations of Cx improvement initiatives.

Successful metrics:

  • are integrally aligned with the Cx program
  • for NPS measurements have a closed loop mechanism to follow up customer feedback
  • have reliable and consistent data
  • provide clear input for Cx improvement processes based on a clear prioritization and business case

A successful ROI business case:

  • has a focus on a Cx improvement initiative
  • is related to the most important revenues, revenue growth (referrals, cross selling, retention) and cost saving (improved self service, reduction in complaints)
  • has a clear ROI
  • is both in content and communication adjusted to the interests of the stakeholders

Conclusion and approach

A Customer experience strategy drives distinctive successful – customer-oriented – business. The implementation is complex and requires a thorough approach and, above all, a long-term commitment. An organization can’t make a successful transformation to a Customer-centric business in a short time! But, create quick wins in the short term.

The impact and size of the transformation depends on various factors; The organization (is it a start-up or an existing organization), the environment (necessity and sense of urgency for a transformation), the people (leadership and customer focus competencies) and process & technology (customer-oriented processes and systems such as a CRM solution).

With an Agile-based approach, the transformation can be implemented step by step with smaller to larger successes per sprint!
Would you like to know more and have a cup of coffee? I’d love to hear what your questions are and how I can help you! For example, I offer a masterclass in customer-oriented entrepreneurship with an integrated CRM and Cx program. In addition, I offer a short and powerful fasterclass customer-oriented entrepreneurship. Finally, through my network I have contacts with a wide range of specialists for specific parts of a Cx process.

Exchange views about Cx?

Would you like to know more and have a cup of coffee? I’d love to hear what your questions are and how I can help you! For example, I offer a masterclass in customer-oriented entrepreneurship with an integrated CRM and Cx program. In addition, I offer a short and powerful fasterclass customer-oriented entrepreneurship. Finally, through my network I have contacts with a wide range of specialists for specific parts of a Cx process.

Links

  • International Customer Experience Professionals Association. Link>>
  • Masterclass in customer-oriented entrepreneurship. Link>>