A recent Walker research paper reports that by 2020 Customer Experience will overtake Price and Product as the key brand differentiator in the marketplace.
That’s huge.
This is a major shift in the business world, and forward thinking organisations are already aligning, or in the process of aligning their strategy to reflect the central importance of Customer Experience. But with this shift in strategic focus comes some challenges that every organisation needs to overcome.
Organisational-Wide Buy-In
Moving Customer Experience into the core of an organisation’s strategy is going to create the need for change, and change is always a bumpy ride. The bigger the organisation, the more turbulence is likely. The key is to ensure buy-in happens on more than just a Tow-The-Party-Line, lip service level. It needs to sink in deep. The change needs to bring with it an authentic appreciation that this strategic focus will tangibly help them win in the marketplace.
Aligning Perceptions
Customer Experience is one of the most used buzz words at the moment, but what does it mean? Ask ten employees and you will likely get ten different answers. The solution here is aligning everyone's perception of Customer Experience by enlarging their current understanding and broadening their insights at the same time. Getting teams on the same page in regards to what Customer Experience means, how it can practically be leveraged, and how it effects all areas of the business results in greater synergy with team members across the whole spectrum of the business.
Empowering Teams To Implement
The research is clear. Those that succeed in delivering the best customer experience will win in the marketplace. Organisations all over the world accept this and are shifting their strategy to reflect its importance. However, for this strategy to succeed teams need to be empowered in such a way that they can embed the Customer Experience into their own workflow and projects, regardless of their position or function. The challenge of supporting staff to understand and appreciate the value of Customer Experience and empowering them with the tools and resources to implement it will be a major factor in how successful an organisation is in rolling out their Customer Experience strategy.
Clarity Is King
With the rise of Customer Experience, the old king, Content, has been dethroned. It’s not fallen far, and still wields great power, but it has been replaced. In the new world where Customer Experience is the key brand differentiator, clarity is king. The task is now with organisations to be clear on what they want their Customer Experience to be and how effectively they build their plans off this clarity to make it happen.
Organisations that do this well at getting employee buy-in, alignment on what Customer Experience means in context to their business, and support required for individuals and teams to succeed through the right training and development programs will develop and implement the processes and programs required to move Customer Experience from an abstract concept to a tangible metric, one that not only moves the needle, but has the potential to usher in an era of significant business transformation.
Article by Mick Mooney. (mickmooney.com) Connect more on Facebook & Twitter.