DYK # 34: Did you know… that treating CX as a project, not a strategic priority, sets you up to fail?
Over the last few weeks, we’ve focused on understanding how organisations position CX internally. Is it a strategic priority at C-suite level, or a functional role or “program” of work sitting somewhere within another team? And the results were interesting.
Let’s look into this.
When I work with organisations, the question of “Where should CX sit?” often comes up.
The truth is, CX needs to be treated as a collective effort (or as a Team Sport as I like to call it), since every function has its role to play in shaping customer experiences. But in practice, CX still needs a place in your organisation and someone accountable at the right level to drive it forward.
Having CX resources “at the right level” seems to be the challenge for most organisations though.
Our recent LinkedIn polls show that CX leaders don’t always have a seat at the executive table. CX roles are often part of wider teams, such as Marketing or Operations, often across Manager, HO or GM level, but don’t always have a seat at the executive table.
It is, however, reassuring to see that we have more CXO (Chief CX Officer) and Chief Customer Officer roles emerging.
So where does that leave us?
Treating CX as a project or program of work, rather than a strategic priority, results in fragmented activities, lack of alignment, and most importantly lack of buy-in and accountability across the organisation.
Unlocking success
For CX to be successful, you need to:
Make CX a C-suite priority. Ensure there’s accountability at the highest level.
Give CX a home. Establish a function with governance, tools, and frameworks to enable the business.
Build a culture of customer centricity. CX leaders can’t do this alone, every function must buy in.
A CX leader’s role isn’t just to design experiences, it’s to enable the entire organisation to deliver them consistently, every day.
In Detail
1.Make CX a C-suite priority.
Firstly, what is the implication of having CX sit under another C-suit leader? If we think of Marketing or Operations, those executives already have a full agenda and priorities to drive forward. CX in that case, would be one of many focus areas.
The challenge with CX, as just mentioned before, is that we need the entire organisation to buy into this. In order to be successful with “CX” (and it often depends on how you define CX and CX success), you must create a culture of customer centricity that spans across all departments of an organisation. Adding this on top of a CMO’s or COO’s to-do list is quite a task.
Without a dedicated C-suite resource, you run the risk that your CX priorities don’t get the attention they need and deserve.
2. Give CX a home.
Secondly, while CX must be treated as a collective effort, someone still needs to drive it forward. You need governance, structures, tools and processes, aside from being tasked with building a culture focused on customers. If everyone was responsible for doing this, I’m sure you can imagine how that would result in chaos and inconsistencies, quite the opposite of what we’re aiming for.
When I work with my clients, I always emphasize the importance of building a “CX function” alongside creating a mindset shift. The number one priority of the CX leader is to enable the entire organisation to deliver great experiences, every single day. From Customer Service to Product teams, Marketing or Sales, your CX team is the enabler. You provide guidance around:
What CX is and what great looks like / what we’re aiming for
Tools, processes, and frameworks (Insights / VoC, HCD capabilities, journey mapping, etc.)
And of course guidance and support
You shape the strategy and vision, but in alignment with the rest of the business.
Not a small task.
3. Build a culture of customer centricity.
And thirdly, the culture transformation is the most crucial to success. Again, the CX leader can’t do that alone, they must work with their peers to change mindsets and shift the culture. Change management, collaboration and communication skills are vital here.
(More on this later, so don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn!)
Summary
To sum it up, make sure you have a seat at the table to position CX as a strategic priority, establish your team, and of course, play nicely with your peers!
As always, we hope this DYK was insightful and helpful for you and your teams. Any questions, don’t be shy to reach out. We’re here to help.
#CX #CustomerExperience #CXTransformation #VoC #CXstrategy #culture #CXTeamSport #StrategicPriority