“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. But if we’re talking real transformation, the kind that moves an organization forward, then CX becomes everyone’s responsibility. And especially yours, dear CHRO.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through five benefits and five behaviors that make CHROs not just relevant — but indispensable to customer experience transformation. Whether you’re a CHRO looking for your next lever of impact or a CX leader trying to engage your people-focused C-suite colleague, this one’s for you.
First, a reminder: CX ≠ Surveys
Before we dive in — a quick reminder of what I mean when I say “CX transformation.”
I don’t mean:
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Mapping 27 journeys in 6 months.
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Measuring NPS at every touchpoint.
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Creating dashboards that no one looks at.
I do mean:
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Shaping a human-centric culture.
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Connecting customer insights to daily behavior.
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Aligning employees, customers, and purpose to drive business outcomes.
With that in mind, let’s talk CHRO.
5 Reasons Why the CHRO Should Lead the CX Charge
1. Attracting and Retaining Talent
We’re not in the 1990s anymore. Today’s employees — especially the younger generations — want to work for organizations that mean something. That have a purpose. That make a difference to customers.
You don’t need to be saving the planet. Maybe you’re designing tires for cars that race on ice (true story). But if you want to attract and keep the right talent, you need to connect their role to a bigger “why.”
That’s where CX transformation comes in. It gives you the drivers of customer happiness and turns them into storytelling fuel for recruitment and retention. It lets your people say, “This is how my work impacts real people.” And trust me — that’s worth more than a ping pong table and a fruit basket.
2. Elevating Employee Experience (EX)
This one’s obvious, right? No great CX without great EX.
But here’s the catch: most organizations measure EX all wrong. They rely on eNPS or a few vague statements and then wonder why they don’t know what really drives engagement.
What we’ve learned? Purpose is key — and most often, that purpose is connected to helping customers. When you understand what matters most to customers (through driver analysis) and link that to employee routines, magic happens. Employees feel seen. Energized. Fulfilled.
One of my favorite quotes from a program we ran:
“This makes my work more fulfilling.”
Goosebumps, right?
3. Making Culture Tangible
Culture change is one of those beautiful, fluffy, impossible-to-measure goals that everyone talks about and no one knows how to do. Until now.
Use CX transformation as your vehicle for culture transformation.
Instead of vague values on a poster, we define clear behaviors linked to real customer needs. What does “customer-centric” mean for a call center agent? For a manager? For the CEO? We make it visible, trackable, actionable — and yes, measurable.
We’ve even built surveys that track how customer-focused, purpose-driven and human your organization feels — from the inside out. Now culture isn’t just an aspiration. It’s a movement.
4. Driving Measurable Business Impact
I’ll let you in on a secret: both CX and HR often suffer from the same problem.
We stay in our silos. We speak our own (fluffy) language. And we forget to connect our work to business goals.
It’s time to change that.
When EX is designed as part of a broader transformation — one that’s tied to real business outcomes — we can show:
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Reduced time-to-productivity during onboarding
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Lower attrition through meaningful engagement
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Increased customer impact via empowered employees
No more “nice-to-have.” This is strategic.
5. Earning (and Owning) Your Seat at the Table
Too many HR departments are still stuck in the operational zone: contracts, policies, compliance, internal training logistics.
Important? Sure. But transformational? Not even close.
If you want a seat at the executive table — a real one — you need to show up as a strategic partner. CX transformation is your ticket. It allows you to co-lead an agenda that touches every part of the organization and delivers value to employees, customers, and shareholders alike.
5 Behaviors CHROs Can Start Today
Benefits are great, but behavior is better. So what can a CHRO do to support CX transformation?
1. Integrate CX into Leadership Development
Leadership eats culture for breakfast.
Design leadership programs that go beyond abstract skills. Embed customer impact, purpose and cross-silo collaboration. Include assessments to help leaders understand what CX means for them — and how they can role-model it.
Make it concrete. Make it ongoing. Make it count.
2. Link Purpose to Performance Metrics
Don’t tell people to be customer-focused if their KPIs are only about output and efficiency.
Performance management must reflect your values. Add metrics around contribution to customer happiness, or team energy, or cross-functional collaboration. Even simple tweaks — like recognizing service heroes — can shift focus dramatically.
3. Redesign Onboarding to Spark Purpose
Please, let’s stop with the all-day PowerPoint marathons. Day One is sacred.
Instead, invite new employees to:
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Share their proudest moment at work (best-self exercise)
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Work on a real customer problem as a team
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Meet customers and hear their stories
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Reflect on their personal purpose
And maybe — just maybe — save the IT login details for Day Two.
4. Use Tiny Habits to Create Big Change
Want to change your culture? Start with behavior.
Tiny Habits (based on BJ Fogg’s method) help embed meaningful change in daily routines. For example:
“Before I enter a meeting, I ask myself: how do I want others to feel after this meeting?”
We co-create tiny habits per role (team leader, frontline, back office), nudge them over time, and build a rhythm of reflection and iteration. It’s fun, energizing and wildly effective.
5. Bring Purpose into the Recruitment Journey
Don’t just tell candidates what the job is. Show them why it matters.
Share real stories. Talk about the impact your team makes. Invite them to connect emotionally — because that’s what moves people to join and stay.
One simple tip? Have the hiring manager share why they are proud to work here. It changes the dynamic immediately.
Be the Transformation
If you’re a CHRO reading this: you are not on the sidelines of CX transformation.
You are — or can be — at the center of it. Your work touches every employee. Your leadership shapes culture. Your decisions ripple into customer experience every single day.
So don’t wait for someone to hand you a seat at the table.
Pull up your chair. Ask better questions. Challenge your C-level peers. Bring energy, reflection, and purpose into every decision.
Because transformation doesn’t start with a plan.
It starts with a person.
And that person might just be you.
