More loyal customers, more efficient operations and connection between teams. This may sound like a utopia, but this is really possible!
Does it sound familiar to you that you work together on innovations in fragmented teams? And you don’t actually know which joint customer experience you are working on? We call this ‘company-centric working’, also known as an inside-out approach in which you and the organization assume what your customers may need.
The danger in this is that you lose sight of how the total customer experience is experienced. And in this way you cannot control the customer experience, let alone manage it.
but how ? with CX management!
This is a way of working in which you control your operations based on the desired customer experience. By taking a clear customer ambition as a starting point, you give direction to your entire organization. We call this ‘customer-centric working’, also known as an outside-in approach.
the 6 pillars of CX management
Many organizations want control over the total customer experience. Working with journeys, data and NPS is a good start, but not enough. A transformation is needed to implement CX Management within your organization. The challenge is that everything is connected, so where do you start? We introduce 6 pillars that support you in implementing and managing a customer-oriented approach across the entire organization; from marketing and digital to sales and support teams.
It differs per organization how far you are in a customer-centric way of working. That is why it is important to first map out how ‘mature’ you already are per pillar. You then create a roadmap with the steps you need to take to realize the transformation.
pillar: CX ambition
A CX ambition is formulated based on your brand needs and strategic objectives. These joint visions and strategies are important to ensure that your organization is working and structured in a customer-oriented way. This objective starts with a clear description of the targeted ambitions, goals and promises to the customer. This is also known as a CX strategy. A good CX strategy formulates targeted working methods for all processes and individual teams.
pillar: mentality & culture
To successfully implement CX management and create a customer centric way of working in the organisation, it is essential that everybody is aligned and on-board with the need to think and act customer-centric and aware of how this benefits the organisation and the customers.
There is not one right way to do this, as it requires a shift in culture and mindset. It’s important to reflect together on how you are currently working and understand what you can change or improve to work more customer-centric.
pillar: customer insights
Customer research is often used to map out the needs, wishes and desires of the customers. In customer need profiles and customer journeys, the needs of the customer are made clear in one overview. We see many organizations struggle managing all these individual customer journeys and see how they relate to each other. This makes it difficult to achieve a consistent customer experience across all channels. It is therefore very important to connect all these customer journeys in a hierarchy. We call this a journey framework. This gives everyone within the organization control over all the customer insights, the ability to manage their part of the customer journey and insight into how this contributes to the end-to-end customer experience.
pillar: governance
Creating and continuously improving customer experience is a team effort, in which all disciplines together contribute to the total customer journey. A clear set-up is needed for the management of the joint cx roadmap and backlog, with clear tasks & responsibilities and management based on progress and priorities. After structuring the customer journeys and prioritizing opportunities for improvement, the teams implement the improvements in actual customer interactions. We recommend putting together a multidisciplinary team in which design, technology and commerce together determine the final design. This way of managing forms the foundation for your total customer experience.
pillar: measurement
CX Measurement is about measuring the customer experience across all touchpoints throughout the customer journeys. With a CX measurement framework you map out your objectives from your CX strategy and how they can be made measurable. It is good to also establish the relationship between your main CX KPI’s and the underlying key drivers, and know what variables influence your customer experience.
To do this, bring together all proprietary data about value, customer behaviour and customer feedback, and then link that to customer journeys. This gives insight into what has the most influence on customer satisfaction and main KPI. A dashboard can help clearly show the relationship between customer experience (initiatives) and the desired business outcomes.
pillar: way of working
With ambition, journeys and governance defined it is time for teams to start adopting the customer centric way of working in practice. We often advice to start small and facilitate pilot projects with coaching in co-creation with your teams. This to ensure proper onboarding and fast learning to go from customer insights to implemented solutions. With many of the following benefits as result;
the impact and value of CX management
Effective customer experience management can have a range of positive impacts on businesses. Firstly, it can lead to a higher retention of customers as well as employees. When customers have a positive experience, they are more likely to return and recommend your organisation to others, leading to increased customer retention and growth. Similarly, when employees are motivated and committed to delivering excellent customer service, they are more likely to remain with the company, reducing turnover and increasing employee satisfaction.
Secondly, effective customer experience management can lead to more efficient operations. By understanding customer needs and preferences, businesses can streamline their processes and optimize their resources, resulting in greater efficiency and cost savings.
Thirdly, by creating a shared ambition between the company and its customers, a more seamless and clear brand experience can be achieved. This helps to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as boost sales.
Ultimately, a positive customer experience can also improve sales by attracting new customers, encouraging repeat business, and enhancing the company’s reputation. Therefore, effective customer experience management is crucial for creating satisfied customers and employees, improving sales, and creating a more efficient and successful business.
Need help implementing CX management? The Essense team is happy to think along with you. Contact us to discuss how we can help you.
