One of the benefits of my role as Chief Relationship Officer at CEO Connection is the opportunity to have fascinating business conversations with a number of mid-market CEOs. Last week I spoke with the head of a rapidly expanding, international company who has garnered remarkable growth statistics in her industry.
The most interesting part of our conversation centered on her belief that driving double-digit growth for more than ten years straight would not be her most challenging accomplishment. Rather, it’s the one ahead of her: creating a holistic approach to customer experience in all parts of the organization and in every store across the globe.
The Project Mindset
This CEO understands that her company is entering a new phase where growth will come from customers’ experience with the brand rather than from rapid, physical expansion. But the challenge she is facing is her executive team is viewing “customer experience” as a “project.” It is anything but.
Customer experience is part of a company’s culture. And culture starts within, with each employee.
Hospitality, for Example
One important aspect of customer experience we discussed was hospitality. This isn’t something you can “turn on” when you open a store in the morning and “turn off” when you close at the end of the day.
For a customer to genuinely feel that they’ve been treated warmly and with sincere friendliness you need employees who are like this by nature; you need a company that is like this by nature. And you need an organization that is hospitable in its approach to each other as work is done in corporate offices and on store floors.
The same holds true for every other aspect of customer experience, including respect, quality, and the higher purpose on which the company was founded, often aspirational in nature.
Essentially, it’s about Culture
And thus the need for a holistic approach to customer experience rather than a “project” mindset. When corporate employees create a company-wide project or strategic initiative there is a tendency (in my experience) to create written guidelines that are approved by the legal department and then communicated in a systematic manner via the corporate communications team, who may know nothing about the realities of day-to-day operations. Communication efforts are tallied, actions are recorded, surveys are done to measure internal results, and ultimately teams move on to a new project.
A holistic approach is entirely different. It’s about creating a culture built on solid values that says and inherently exudes, for example, “This is who we are. We are a company that believes in hospitality and respect. We believe in quality products and quality of life. We, as individuals, believe in something larger than ourselves.” And it’s about both customers and employees experiencing this as deep-seated beliefs that permeate all aspects and parts of the company.
Customer experience is not a project.
What do you think?
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32 Response Comments
There’s right, and there’s dead on. This is dead-on right. Well-said, Lisa!
Thank you, Steve!
Agree with you and have seen from 10+ years doing customer experience work for a range of firms that it also needs to be a) enshrined in strategy, b) one of the CEO’s measurables. Otherwise, when the shareholders are demanding more return, customer experience becomes a discretionary expense. The other argument for enshrining customer experience is that when the goals are set it moves from being a project to a cross organization responsibility. The key task is to reduce the wide variability in people’s interpretation of what it means. That way customer experience becomes a profit driver, not a cost.
Excellent insights, Alan, thank you for sharing them. You bring up a great point that some may view it as a discretionary expense, while this CEO knows it’s the key to revenue and profit growth for their company. Thanks again!
I once did work for a large financial services business where quite a lot of the senior management thought that customer experience was ‘fluff’. That was until the CEO published his personal customer experience goals on page 3 of the annual report. The fluff disappeared very quickly.
I think the key to success is to avoid fluffy goals for customer experience and instead describe them in terms of outcomes for the customer and for organization, e.g., improve margins by reducing customer service errors. both sides of the equation get to see benefit.
I love that, Alan – thank you so much for sharing this experience and the keys to success!
This approach to excellence in customer experience is the same whether you’re selling a physical product from a physical location or designing an online experience delivering a service to someone. It’s about understanding your customer/user, what will delight them, and how you can provide a product/service that delivers delight. You can’t do that with a planning document, but as you pint out, you can with a holistic approach reflecting the values of the organization and with everyone on the team aligned with those values.
I agree, Peter. When online products become undiscernable, a customer’s experience will set you apart, leading to revenue and profit growth. And as you point out, values are key and the team must align with those values. Thank you for adding this critical point!
Hey Lisa,
Long time, no comment 🙂
As one who has lived through these kinds of “exercises” and I use that term because after as many as I have been thru, that’s what they are, and unfortunately many are an exercise in futility. I say that because in my experience a company can preach all they want about servicing the customer and coming up with a fancy new name for their Customer Loyalty Program or what have you but at the end of the day, of course… actions speak louder than words.
Far too many times have I seen these catchy-named programs fall by the wayside after a few months.
It’s refreshing to hear that at least one person – the woman you referred to, is genuine in her willingness to not make customer service a one-time thing, if you know what I mean.
Thanks Lisa!
Steve O
Steve, It’s great to see you. 🙂 Yes, she’s serious, which I agree is refreshing. I think the more the C-suite understand the direct link to profit, the more they will understand the need to begin in the very center of the organization, at its cultural core. Thank you for being here – I always appreciate it!
Lisa,
PREACH! Here’s what I’ve learned after 15 years in the customer experience arena – the ones who truly “get” customer experience holistically are the ones who hire people like me. They are constantly reviewing, gathering feedback and generally caring about their customers. The organizations that don’t get it would never take that first step. The ones who execute a project and expect a windfall of profit are the ones who will never get it anyway. It’s ironic, but true. Companies who care are the ones who worry the most about their experience, even though they are typically delivering a far superior experience than their competition. The ones who suck at it will just continue to believe it’s someone else’s problem.
Thank you for writing this! It’s amazing when leaders really get it. 🙂
Jeannie,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience here! Given your expertise I sincerely value your feedback and absolutely agree with you – it’s amazing when leaders really get it. I’m very fortunate to work with some who genuinely do. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Jeannie!
I absolutely love this post Lisa. I consistently beat the drum that says babysitting adults as a means of ensuring customer service is a gigantic waste of time. Culture will drive the decisions and will sustain growth and expansion.
Thanks for such a well presented post!!
Can’t thank you enough for the kind words, William! And love what you said about culture. 🙂
Definitely agree with you Lisa. A customer experience mindset needs to be etched in the DNA of an organization’s culture so its innate to every employee. This sets the foundation for creating memorable experiences customer, after customer, after customer…
Eloquently said, thank you!
You are right on target here. As a healthcare consultant I work with healthcare organizations all the time that want to improve their patient experience. My message has always been that the patient experience (or the customer experience) comes from a deeply rooted culture. Good or bad the experience reflect the culture. Trying to change that experience requires a deep commitment to cultural transformation. Thanks so much for your words of wisdom.
Thank you, Joel, I appreciate your kind words. And you’re right, this type of change requires a deep commitment, which is something leaders need to be prepared for. Thank you for taking the time to comment and share your personal experience!
Hi Lisa! Her executive team won’t be able to view it as anything else but a “project” ! The front line team will/can/should have “step up” meetings for the execs in my humble opion … it’s a different world 🙂 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkhP_xECgO0
Interesting thoughts, Cate! I hadn’t thought of that perspective. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Great post Lisa and I of course am completely on board with your perspective. Customer service is not a division of a company like buying office supplies. Our customers are the lifeblood of why our business exists. No matter the size of the client they are all important. Customer service training is key though. Those in an organization that think that customer service does not apply to their department since that attitude translates towards how they treat their teammates which if that is bad then the corporate culture is again diluted. Great post and great reminders!
Thank you, Jonathan and I sincerely appreciate you pointing out the critical importance of training. I think another way to view that would be clear communication of values and purpose as well – as the foundation of that training. I always appreciate you being here; have a fantastic weekend!
Lisa: Great post! In a recent CXM Tweet Jam I participated in (via CMSWire), there was a consensus that serious CMX will both a CEO who is willing to lead, and a troika of CIO, CMO and CIO who can execute to succeed. So as is already being said, a cultural shift supported by people, processes and tools that can in fact deliver on the vision. From one introverted leader to another, well said!
Thank you, David, and it’s encouraging to hear there’s a general consensus about this out there! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience in that Tweet Jam!
I live in Brazil, Sao Paulo,
I talk to my personal support, especially after helping a client who is experiencing difficulties with our products, I hear them that I have a good conversation.
This is not true, I always try to understand the customer’s problem and find a solution to solve the problem.
People do not have the habit of being courteous and understand that a happy customer is a satisfied customer and will always return and even if you change of job it will always be your customer because you know how it helps and how to support them.
I always say that courtesy is not charity for a business, is is a way to strengthen the ties with customers and make it always will be faithful and when buying a new service the first person to which it will remember is you.
Be courteous with your customers.
I love the post, and the title really says it all. Well done!
Thank you, Claire!
Well said. You are right that customer experience shouldn’t be just another initiative that gets delegated or receives attention when the CEO has some spare time. It needs to be a way of doing business that’s infused into every project, every decision, every day.
Thanks for letting me know this resonated with you, Jeff! I appreciate your insights and you taking the time to comment. 🙂