Introduction
Have you ever found yourself lost in the labyrinth of customer journey maps, dashboards, and survey tools? You’re not alone. Many CX professionals are so enamored with the intricacies of customer experience that they sometimes forget the bigger picture. Today, let’s explore why focusing less on CX might actually lead to better results for your organization.
Start with Business Impact
One of the main reasons this topic is so crucial is that many CX professionals struggle to get the rest of the organization on board with their insights and strategies. They’re excited about the beautiful data and analysis they’ve gathered, but often fail to connect with the practical needs of other departments.
Imagine this: you’ve got stunning insights from your latest customer satisfaction survey, but your colleagues in finance or operations are not exactly thrilled about moving satisfaction scores from 7.3 to 7.8. The key change we need to focus on is business impact.
Step 1: Understand Business Problems
Start by talking to other departments. Ask questions like, “Dear manager from the back office, what are your three biggest business issues right now? What keeps you awake at night?” This approach makes your efforts relevant to them and ensures you’re addressing real problems.
For instance, many companies are grappling with high employee workload. This might not seem like a CX issue at first glance, but the consequences—like lower service quality—are directly related. By mapping the employee journey and comparing it with the customer journey, you can identify inefficiencies and propose solutions that benefit both employees and customers.
Examples and Practical Solutions
Here’s a practical example: Suppose employees are overwhelmed by their workload. This isn’t just about reducing tasks but also about changing perceptions. Techniques like tiny habits can help manage how workload is perceived, ensuring employees feel supported rather than pressured.
By using tools from your CX toolkit—like journey mapping and statistical analysis—you can show how improving employee engagement leads to better customer experiences. It’s about starting the conversation, understanding the issues, and brainstorming solutions together.
Tools and Their Proper Use
The current hype around journey management tools like TheyDo and Milkymap is another area where CX can lose its way. While these tools offer great features, they are not the end goal. Before diving into such tools, consider how they will be used, how they will integrate with journey teams, and what the cooperation between departments will look like.
Step 2: Start Small
Instead of mapping all customer journeys at once, start with one. Identify the most critical journeys using data-driven prioritization. Ask, “Which journey affects the most customers? Which one has the biggest impact on our metrics?” Then, pilot the journey mapping with these insights in mind.
Continuous Measurement vs. Actionable Insights
Continuous measurement is another area where CX can become more about the tools than the results. It’s not enough to collect data—you need actionable insights. If your surveys aren’t providing valuable information, it’s time to rethink them.
Ask yourself, “What can I do with the answers to each survey question?” If the answer is nothing, that question shouldn’t be in your survey. Surveys should lead to insights that drive action, not just gather data.
CX Strategy: Integration, Not Isolation
Another common assumption is the need for a separate CX strategy. In reality, CX should be integrated into the overall business strategy. A separate CX strategy can create a disconnect, making it seem like CX is an additional task rather than a core part of business operations.
Step 3: Align with Business Goals
Your CX efforts should enhance and support the overall business strategy. For example, if your business strategy focuses on ease of use, your CX initiatives should prioritize making processes simpler and more intuitive for customers.
Empowering the Whole Organization
One common struggle is the concept of CX ambassadors. While having dedicated CX advocates is important, it’s not enough to drive change across the organization. You need widespread involvement and buy-in from all employees.
Step 4: Create Energizing Themes
Instead of just asking for CX ambassadors, create themes that resonate with employees. Whether it’s “Customer Delight Angels” or “Firestarters,” these roles should be about making a difference, not just promoting CX. Ensure these roles are spread across departments, not just within the CX team.
Rethinking Leadership Roles
Finally, the idea of a Chief Customer Officer can sometimes be more hindrance than help. When a single person is seen as responsible for CX, it can lead to a lack of ownership across the rest of the organization.
Step 5: Integrate CX into All Roles
CX should be everyone’s responsibility. The goal is to embed customer-centric thinking into all roles, making it a natural part of the organizational culture. This means every project, every initiative, should consider how it impacts customers and employees.
Conclusion: Transformation Over Tools
In essence, CX transformation is about putting what matters to customers and employees at the heart of everything you do. It’s about purpose, not just processes. By focusing on business impact, starting small, aligning with overall strategy, and empowering everyone in the organization, you can achieve true CX transformation.
Remember Maya Angelou’s words: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” This mindset is the cornerstone of effective customer experience.
By integrating these principles, you can move beyond the tools and metrics to create meaningful, lasting improvements in customer and employee experience.
