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 so excited to speak with Eliza, who leads the CX hub for EMEA at Honeywell, a giant in the industrial space. We talked about real business impact, employee empowerment, and how long-term CX success isn’t about fixing individual transactions—but about reshaping how your company listens, collaborates, and delivers.
Let’s dive into the insights that actually matter.
1. The Most Human CX Happens in the Most Unexpected Places
You might think industrial companies are all about process and product. But Eliza painted a very different picture.
In industrial B2B, you work with the same customer for 5, 10, sometimes 15+ years. Relationships aren’t just long—they’re deep. You know the names, the birthdays, the history of each account. There’s trust. There’s patience. And when something goes wrong? You can’t hide behind a bot or hope for a 3-star review.
That’s why true customer centricity in B2B is about human connection, not customer journeys.
“You need to be able to bond, you need to be able to listen to the person and build that strong relationship so that then you can resolve.”
2. Don’t Act Like a Partner. Be a Partner.
There’s one thing Eliza said that stuck with me:
“Performance is your best protection and your best marketing campaign.”
You want to be seen as a strategic partner? Start by delivering. Every. Single. Time.
But once you’ve built that foundation, you have a golden opportunity to move from operations to transformation. Here’s how Eliza’s team did it:
- Joined annual sales kick-offs
- Attended strategy sessions
- Showed up alongside sales during customer visits
She didn’t wait to be invited—she just showed up with value.
“That’s when the magic happens. Because then you’re talking like partners.”
Takeaway: If you’re still chasing credibility with the business, start with reliability. Then build relational capital by joining the rooms where strategy is shaped.
3. Transforming the Employee Experience Isn’t About Cake
Let’s be honest. I love a good fruit basket as much as anyone. But real employee engagement doesn’t come from perks. It comes from purpose, autonomy, and progress.
Eliza led a major transformation at Honeywell—turning a shared service team of nearly 400 into empowered CX champions.
Her three building blocks?
- Listening. Not with surveys. With skip-level conversations. Ask what’s not working, and show you have their back.
- Purpose. Help your teams connect the dots between “resolving a case” and “being the reason our customer stays.”
- Leadership by example. If you expect your people to go the extra mile, you better be running two extra yourself.
“If I’m expecting my team to go the extra mile, I go the extra mile or two. Then I can authentically pull them with me.”
I mean… goosebumps, right?
4. Human-Centric Leadership in the Age of McKinsey Overload
Can I just say it? If you’re a leader today, it’s easy to feel like you’re always getting it wrong.
One day it’s: “You need a compelling vision!”
The next: “You’re too focused on results!”
Oh, and don’t forget: “Are you empowering your team enough?”
So I asked Eliza: how do you stay sane as a leader when the bar seems impossibly high?
Her answer? Beautiful in its simplicity:
“Know your values. Stay curious. Be authentic.”
She didn’t model her leadership after one big-name guru. Instead, she picked traits from multiple leaders, filtered them through her own compass, and stayed open to learning—from peers, from customers, even from her own team.
(Side note: shoutout to Ada, one of her team members who introduced her to Copilot. Proof that the best leaders also stay humble learners.)
5. AI as a Burnout Buffer (Yes, Really)
While everyone is panicking about robots stealing jobs, Eliza sees something different:
“Sentiment analysis can protect our people from emotional burnout.”
She’s right.
In CX, especially in service-heavy roles, our people are absorbing customer stress daily. But AI can become a buffer, identifying root issues, removing repetitive tasks, and giving space for the human part of CX to shine.
Not to replace the people. But to protect them. To enable them.
That’s the kind of AI story I want to hear more of.
Let’s Wrap It Up with a Bold Truth
If you’re working in CX today, it’s time to stop trying to prove you belong at the table.
Show up. Deliver. And then—lead.
Because as Eliza reminded us:
“Don’t feel like you are just a service department. Know your place at the table.”
What This Means For You
Whether you’re in B2B or B2C, industrial or digital, here are 3 questions to reflect on:
- Does your team feel like a partner—or just a processor?
- Are your employees connected to purpose or stuck in procedures?
- Are you showing up in strategy conversations—or waiting to be asked?
CX is not about touchpoints. It’s about trust. Not just for customers—but for your people too.
So next time someone asks: “But what’s the ROI of CX?”
Just smile and say: “If we’re still asking that in 2025, we’re having the wrong conversation.”
