Zanna van der Aa

We often assume that if we want to create real impact, we should start with the customer. Design better journeys. Collect more feedback. Innovate around their needs. That if we just listen hard enough, structure smart enough, and automate fast enough the results will follow. But what if that’s only half the story? What if […]

If you’ve ever felt like your CX team is pushing water uphill—mapping journeys, conducting research, collecting insights, and yet… nothing really changes—this one’s for you. Because I’ve had that feeling too. And when I spoke with Rob about how they flipped that script at PostNL, it reminded me of something we all tend to forget:

Yes, I’ve told a potential client they were asking the wrong question. No, they didn’t walk away. In fact — they became a client. Let me take you back to a moment I’ll never forget. A senior leader — CFO, sharp, numbers-driven, razor-focused on ROI — looked me straight in the eye and asked: “But

“But Zanna… isn’t CX something for the Chief Customer Officer? What does that have to do with me as CHRO?” If I had a euro for every time I’ve heard that question…  Let’s get one thing straight: if you think CX is just about journey maps and dashboards, then yes — it’s someone else’s problem.

Let’s be honest: Customer Experience (CX) has become a bit of a buzzword. Over the past years, I’ve seen countless organizations invest in CX dashboards, workshops, journey mapping sessions… and yet, many of them miss the point entirely. Because here’s the thing nobody wants to say out loud: CX is not the goal. It’s a

Let me start with the obvious: almost every organization I work with believes they’re doing journey management. They’re mapping stuff. They’ve got sticky notes. There’s a tool involved. Maybe even two. Everyone’s super busy. But here’s the catch: being busy mapping isn’t the same as managing. In fact, most journey management programs I come across

When people think about customer experience, their mind often jumps to retail or B2C—fast-paced transactions, NPS scores, and omnichannel tools. But let’s be honest: if you really want to test your CX muscles, try building it in a B2B industrial context. Spoiler alert: there’s no “click to return” button there. That’s exactly why I was