steve.towers@bpgroup.org - CX Obsession - for CX and Process people

🖐 The Five Avoidable Mistakes of 80% of Customer Experience initiatives

Strategic positioning of customer experience is now widely recognized as a key to business success.

If you’re customer-first and do it in a smart way, then it can help the company.
Gartner 2021

Unfortunately, the majority of many well-intended CX initiatives become a victim of organization inertia and bureaucracy and sink to the level of metrics on dashboards buried in functional departments.

At best these failing efforts deliver small incremental performance improvements rather than providing the customer and business insights necessary to strategic success.

We have identified five major errors and causes of failure

1. Top teams have unreasonable expectations of CX success

2. Customers needs are not clearly defined from the Outside-In

3. CX Initiatives are not implemented with transformation in mind.

4. CX Initiatives focus on the wrong measures, rather than successful customer outcomes.

5. CX Initiatives go way down deep into functional complexity

👉 Error #1: Top teams anticipate CX Success without understanding the enterprise was never designed to do this stuff.

Talking about customer experience and implementing the changes necessary to delivering CX success are two quite distinct things. Many organizations brief their senior people with the importance of the business transformations underway, why a focus on the customer is essential to survive and thrive, and why it is necessary that the dots are connected from every activity to the customer experience. Fair enough. However, Top teams then anticipate internal leadership towards customer centricity but at the same time do not enable the underlying functions to realign to achieve successful customer outcomes.

The organization structure, rewards systems and technology were never designed to deliver great customer experiences

The realization that the organization structure, rewards systems and technology were never designed to deliver great customer experiences, they were in fact originally designed with an industrial age mindset to achieve industrial age goals. To achieve strategic CX success, it is necessary to understand the limitations imposed by inside-out thinking (getting better at doing stuff faster) and help the organization migrate to Outside-In thinking and practices (alignment to delivering Successful Customer Outcomes)

👉 Error #2: Customers needs are not clearly articulated and underpinned by smart Outside-In metrics

The challenge here is two-fold. Do we understand who our customers are, and what success looks like from their perspective?

It is frequently observed that 80% of profit comes from 20% of customers however organizations are especially fickle when it comes to understanding where they should focus limited resource to get the maximum sustained return from the appropriate customers.

Good discipline here is about identifying the categories of customer and prioritizing them in terms of needs and success. That can mean migrating away from undesirable customers. Intrinsic in this failure is arbitrarily segmenting customers by circumstance (where they are based, the length of relationship, immediate spend available etc.) rather than categorizing customers based on their needs.

Needs assessment is NOT about asking customers what they want.

Needs assessment is NOT about asking customers what they want.
If you asked your kids what they want for dinner, don’t be too surprised if they say burgers, ice cream, chocolate and gummy bears, on one plate. That question is just plain stupid. So why go asking customers what they want?

Smart CX companies figure out their customer needs even when the customer doesn’t know them. Case in point would be the launch of the iPhone more than a decade ago.

Apple’s genius was in understanding the new customer and getting ahead of the game to design products and services that met, at the point of launch, something customers could never have articulated.

This is not, however, an excuse to stop listening to customers, that is more essential than ever before. Just stop asking them dumb questions which may cause you to do the wrong things (rather like Nokia did).

👉 Error #3: For CX initiatives delivering success will require change and transformation

This is a very common problem and is rooted in the idea that CX initiatives are just another thing to integrate into the existing ways of working. This couldn’t be further from the truth. A fundamental of successful CX initiatives is identifying and implementing the ongoing change required across the enterprise to align everything to Successful Customer Outcomes.

align everything to Successful Customer Outcomes.

Once the customer needs are articulated work backward to recraft the appropriate structures that will guide the enterprise progressively towards success. That will, of course, require potentially significant changes to the shape and technology of how work gets done. It will reach into every nook and cranny of the business. Ultimately the organization may look quite different from the industrial age model and will become shaped to achieve the ongoing change brought about by the digital revolution.

👉 Error #4: CX Initiatives focus on the wrong measures, rather than successful customer outcomes.

The Successful Customer Outcome is like the beacon on the hill; everyone should be aligned and progressively moving in that direction. If your metrics are not contributing to that alignment, you may be getting better at doing the wrong things (in the context of delivering an optimized CX).

There is a remarkable lack of science in this sphere of CX Initiatives.

Here’s a good question to ask anyone in the business “is everything you are doing aligned to delivering a successful customer outcome?” and if the answer comes back with anything other than “yes, 100%” you may be doing dumb stuff really well. The why of that is easy to understand – you get what you measure, and frequently companies excessively measure outputs (what is produced) rather than business outcomes (what is delivered).

If you task people to measure outputs and reward them for improving those outputs, there is often a repeated disconnect between the work performed and the end customer delivery. Getting a balance right here is essential.

There is a remarkable lack of science in this sphere of CX Initiatives.
Reliance on simplistic measurement systems, with ‘one question rules them all’ approaches is not only misleading but may cause you to do precisely the wrong things.

👉 Error #5. CX Initiatives go way down deep into functional complexity

CX Initiatives have lofty visions but all too often become bogged down in organization politics and the natural resistance to change. Often the local leadership pays lip service to the customer experience ‘it is not my job after all’ and this resulting crawl ultimately thwarts the CX initiative.

focus on winning the triple crown – simultaneously improving the Customer Experience, Reducing Costs and Growing Revenues

To deliver and ensure ongoing success, the guiding light of the Successful Customer Outcome and it is associated focus on winning the triple crown – simultaneously improving the Customer Experience, Reducing Costs and Growing Revenues – should be on every agenda in the business. Linking the triple crown across the departments and divisions dispels the practical objections as everyone becomes accountable for demonstrating their substantial triple crown contribution. This, in turn, ensures a significant contribution to delivering the ROI for the CX Initiative.

There are many bear traps and blind alleys to avoid on the journey to delivering CX success however an understanding of the most common errors will ensure a greater chance of success. After all the goal is to deliver strategic Successful Customer Outcomes that result in terrific and rewarding customer experiences.

Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

https://lnkd.in/djWxB8m

👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59

👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now

👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers

👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023

👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)

How to Meet the challenge of the Digital Customer

Executives are struggling. There is a collective fear of the Kodak Moment, where previously established businesses evaporate like the morning mist. This fear is driven by the unsettling realization that the Digital Customer is literally changing everything, and if your business relies on outdated techniques and approaches (you know who you are) then you will indeed experience a rather unpleasant surprise.

Executives are searching. Then there is the good news that online conferences, seminars, and workshops are full to overflowing with questful people looking for the answer. That’s good, however, 90% of what they hear and see is simply putting ‘lipstick on a pig’. It is the same old same old adopting fancy language and claiming salvation -if you would just follow the script and suspend your fear, uncertainty and doubt.

The new Kodak Moment is when you realize that Customer Needs have shifted so significantly from your products and services that it is too late to change

Avoid the Kodak Moment and let’s all get more scientific about the Customer Experience.
https://www.cxobsession.com/2016/05/27/how-to-meet-the-challenge-of-the-digital-customer-video-free-book/

Executives are frustrated. The foolhardy keep hoping that doing the same thing faster will produce a different result. Isn’t that the definition of insanity? Meanwhile inexperienced youngbloods advocate revolution and change, without fully comprehending how the future is actually, pragmatically going to work. But there might be hope for some.

Executives (increasingly) are getting it. There are some refreshing conversations driven by leaders who are guiding their people, customers and shareholders to higher ground and safety. They are building new capability and bringing a far sight vision into today’s reality.

The challenge? How do you engage with the enlightened and get with the survivors, nay the thrivers, for the next decade? Well, not surprisingly that is what many of my talks and work with global leading companies are all about. So when one of the most successful CEO’s challenged me to write something that would light the fire of those still gripped by fear I stepped up. Watch the two minute video and download the FREE book , and then join us on the journey.

Let’s all get more scientific about the Customer Experience.
https://www.cxobsession.com/2016/05/27/how-to-meet-the-challenge-of-the-digital-customer-video-free-book/

Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

https://lnkd.in/djWxB8m

👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59

👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now

👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers

👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023

👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)

See you on the inside.

Three Secret (Top Team) Reasons why we have to get more scientific about the Customer Experience

Complexity is an insidious thing. Humans seem unable to keep things simple and will add rules, reporting lines, and complications seemingly for the fun of it. And process people take it to a whole new level.

Why is that so? There is a simple answer, but many people don’t like it, or don’t want to admit it; if you pay people for doing dumb stuff they get really smart at it.

Are you rewarding people for doing dumb stuff?

Politicians are especially good at creating fiefdoms and empires, and the ones really clever at that rise above the rest, making the problem progressively worse by in-turn recruiting like minded people.

Now as much as humans have traditionally done this, there is a new kid on the block. And this new kid is defining a whole new way of being, one that is built and operated with the customer at the center of everything.

Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t that people haven’t talked about the customer before, just this time it is very different. The new game is all about customer experience management (CEM).

Here are a few of the meaningful stats that back this up.

According to Gartner, 89% of all businesses will compete on customer experience this year.
Another 89% believe customer experience will be their main differentiator by 2022.
The Temkin Group found that companies that earn $1 billion annually can expect to earn, on average, an additional $700 million within 3 years of investing in customer experience.
84% of companies who claim to be customer-centric are now focusing on the mobile customer experience.97% of global consumers cite customer service as important in their brand choice and loyalty.
CX also influences on-the-spot purchasing, too – as 49% of buyers have made impulse purchases after receiving a more personalized experience.
BPG Research 2021

And for those organizations effectively embracing the customer experience CEM is much more than journey mapping and the surface experience. For the leading companies, CEM is the opportunity to connect everything they do, from the customer interaction, right through to individual task, activity, and systems that support them.

Interestingly this eradicates unnecessary complexity and creates a virtuous circle. You figure out what a successful customer outcome looks like, you align everything you do to achieve it, the customer ‘gets it’ and comes back for more, and you evolve the customer experience to be even better next time.

It is a bit like a fitness regime as you get fitter, you get faster, you become better, and what was once difficult becomes easy.

👑 Those who Get It Win the Triple Crown

Not surprisingly great CEM drives down the cost of delivery, improves service and grows revenue. This triple crown of deliverables becomes the tangible measure of success for Customer Experience Management.

And as if this wasn’t motivation itself to do more CEM the work environment is simplified; we can increasingly reward each other for delivering results and outcomes (doing the right thing), rather than just measuring and rewarding what we do (doing things right).

That is what I mean when we say ‘let’s get more scientific about the customer experience’

Do you want to know more?

BP Group Signs New Partnership with The CX Group

BP Group
London, England

>> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <<

London, England Mar 11, 2021 / PRNewswire / — BP GROUP seals new African Partnership with The CX Group

As the Customer Experience begins to dominate the attention of global leaders BP Group, leaders in business transformation and Outside-In thinking and practice announced today their official partnership with The CX Group based in South Africa.

Yugeshree Frylinck, founder and Chief Experience Officer at The CX Group, confirmed that they have signed the partnership deal with BP Group to serve customers in Africa seeking to grow their Customer Experience and Process Management competencies.

The CX Group is well known across Africa and operates within private and government institutions, offering training and consultancy services delivered by a team of globally recognized CX consultants acknowledged as specialists in customer experience and realignment to meet the challenges of the 21^st century.

Eldon Phukuile, The CX Group Director of Customer Experience, explained that they decided to partner with BP Group as global leaders in the Customer Experience and Business Process industry with long term clients in 124 countries and another 29 partners across all continents. “The potential benefits of the partnership will be our incorporation of the Next Practice approaches”, said Eldon, “into medium and large traditional institutions needing to upskill and meet the increasing challenges presented by the shifts brought about by both the pandemic, evolving customer and opportunities of the digital age”.

Steve Towers, BP Group CEO, welcomed their newest partners. “Since 1992 we have led the way with the battle tested proven methods and approaches to help corporations and government institutions realise the benefits of delivering Successful Customer Outcomes”. He added, “we very much look forward to now supporting The CX Group in bringing progressive approaches to the African region and beyond. We are pleased to strike this partnership agreement as the CX Group is active in helping the complete CX community, through a number of associations including the CXPA, CXSA and CXCOP embrace progressive approaches to elevate CX into key strategic and operational roles.”

James Dodkins, CEO of Rockstar CX and BP Group Senior Partner, added “CX has come so far in the last few years and it is especially refreshing to see such explosive community growth across Africa. With this new exciting partnership, we will assist in growing the professionalism of individuals and organisations alike.”

Contact:
Steve Towers – steve.towers@bpgroup.org
+44 (0) 7429 518277
linkedin.com/in/stevetowers

James Dodkins – james.dodkins@bpgroup.org
+44 (0) 7809703073
linkedin.com/in/jamesdodkins

Eldon Phukuile – eldon@thecxgroup.co.za
+27 (0) 82 997 2990
linkedin.com/in/eldonphukuile

Yugeheree Frylinck – yugesh@thecxgroup.co.za
+27 (0) 83 367 5677
linkedin.com/in/yugeshfrylinck

About BPG (BP Group)

The BP Group https://www.bpgroup.org/ (established in 1992) is founded by Steve Towers https://www.stevetowers.com/, a global thought leader in customer-centricity and process excellence. With a network of global partners to deliver coaching, training and consultancy in CEMMethod®, BPG’s vision is to make transformations a reality for clients and reap the benefits of improved service, lower costs and higher revenues.

BPM Tips for 2021 (and Beyond)

Which #BPM skills will be hot in 2021?
Check out answers from 20+ experts! https://lnkd.in/eN3FM2a thanks to Zbigniew Misiak (LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/zbyszekmisiak/)

With contributions from:

Jim Sinur
Steve Towers

Tony Benedict
Lloyd Dugan
Marlon Dumas
Scott Francis
Ian Gotts
Barbara Hodge
Paul Holmes-Higgin
Cristian Ivănuș
Mathias Kirchmer
Holly Lyke-Ho-Gland
Jan Mendling

Jim Sinur – BPM Guru

Juergen Pitschke
Brian Reale
Adrian Reed
Pedro Robledo
Michal Rosik
Tomislav Rozman
Alec Sharp
Phil Simpson
James Taylor
Miguel Valdés-Faura

There are some notable Tips in there. I especially liked this one…

Innovation Democratization by leveraging Collaboration for Process improvement methods, tools and techniques

Jim Sinur in BPM Tips 2021

There are certainly many many tools out there but none, as far as I am aware, who can do that yet. Or Are There?

Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

https://lnkd.in/djWxB8m

👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59

👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now

👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers

👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023

👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)

6 Steps to Customer Obsession (and Why)

Disruption Rules…
For more than eleven decades, Gillette ruled the world of shaving. In 2010 it had a 70% market share, now today (2021) it is around 54%. The emergent market leaders are a pair of start-ups, Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club.

The newcomers’ secret includes understanding changing customer needs, a narrow product line, incisive data analytics coupled with social media savvy, no middlemen, right sourced manufacturing, and lower prices than Gillette.

It is happening everywhere, with previous industrial giants being displaced across many business categories, including Casper in mattresses, Barnabas in men’s clothing, Allbirds shoes and trainers, and Warby Parker in eyeglasses.

Direct to consumer brands captured an estimated 20% of all online retail sales in the US in 2020. Established brands, consumer or industrial, are under more significant attack than ever. New entrants face lower entry barriers and have no baggage of past business models and industrial age thinking.

Enlightened Customers

Customers have become ‘enlightened’ through social media and learn about new trends and better products and experiences at lightning speed. Through the pandemic, customers expectations rose, they have become more choosey and rebellious. In fact, you could say customers have become prosumers.

Coupling these trends and increasing aspirations necessitates companies to become progressively Customer Obsessed if they wish to stay in the game. This requires an unending exploration and understanding of customer needs (even when customers themselves may not be aware of them) and an ability to act on those needs. The objective is to actively listen to 100% of interactions 100% of the time to understand micro trends and undertake next level research to deliver increased personalization.

Customers reject the one size fits all industrial age companies in favor of agile, immediate, and empathetic organizations. Mass customization is now achievable at a decreasing cost, allowing companies to offer specific personalized experiences and stay connected at every customer journey stage.

Extreme Alignment

Business alignment concept, strategy and planning, white arrow on road background, vintage and retro

This extreme alignment of everyone and everything towards successful customer outcomes is the hallmark of companies like Adidas. They have established speed factory facilities in Europe and the US, with an ability to measure each individual customers stride, speed, and gait. From that information, use 3D printing, AI, and automated manufacturing to compact the time from order to delivery. This hyper-personalization is welcome so much that customers are prepared to pay significantly more for their unique product.

Adidas is just one example. Cast your eyes over all industry sectors’ leaders, and you will see customer obsession in every aspect of their systems, processes, and experiences right across the complete supply chain.

How aligned is your company?

1. How personalized are your services and products?
2. Do you enable customer co-creation of the products and services they consume?
3. What is your company doing to continually innovate across all aspects of the business?
4. Where are the pinch points in existing operations that prevent rapid execution of change?
5. Is there an established culture of customer obsession?
6. Are the dots connected and lines drawn between strategy, leadership, and execution?

Time is short

Those companies that are unable or unwilling to make the changes necessary to move from industrial silo thinking to customer obsession face an imminent existential crisis brought about by these shifting business models. If they cannot evolve quickly, they will go the way of the Blockbusters, Kodaks, Nokia, Circuit City, Borders, and so many others.

Put the theory into practice and join us for the online, the live and interactive Certified Outside-In Master® program.

Review the content and register at: https://cemnext.com/oi2020

The launch of the program in 2020 qualified 20 people as Certified Outside-In Masters.

BPG PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION ADDS NEW OUTSIDE-IN COURSE TO 2021 PROGRAM

Jan 8, 2021

New course offers Critical Training Organizations Need to Upskill Their Workforce and Gain an Edge in the New Normal

LONDON, England. January 8, 2021 — To accelerate business-critical training in the post-pandemic world and emerging customer-centricity, BPG Professional Education is adding a new timely courses to its 2021 line-up.

“The pandemic provides an ideal moment to embed customer obsession into businesses new operating models, and this will increase organisations’ ability to align everything and everyone to successful business and customer outcomes,” said Steve Towers, Executive Director of BPG Professional Education.

The Certified Outside-In Master® (COIM®) – starts on January 18th for 7 weeks at 3 hours per week –

‘Harness the power of cutting-edge approaches to create compelling new products and achieve game-changing innovation.’

https://cemnext.com/oi2020

Week #1: Introduction to an Outside-In world

Week #2: Reframing Around Customer Needs

Week #3: Focus on the Causes of Work

Week #4: The Disruption Factor

Week #5: Innovating Innovation

Week #6: Connecting the Dots and Drawing the Lines

Week #7: The New Normal of the Customer Obsessed organization

Over the 7 weeks the COIM program will feature 18 live interactive sessions backed up by tutorials, assignments and 1 on 1 coaching. With new case studies, videos and dedicated WhatsApp and LinkedIn forums.

The COIM program first ran in Spring 2020 and comes complete with Amazon best selling book (from 2020) ‘Dare! Behind The Scenes Of The Best Business Transformation Project In The World,’ and the book ‘Outside-In The Secret’ (published in 2010, now in its 10th edition – fully updated for 2021)

The Certified Outside-In Masters 2020 graduates

Coach & Guide:

Steve Towers, CEO & Founder BP Group. These expanded offerings complement BPG’s Professional Education with its Accredited Customer Experience and Certified Process Professional courses available to organizations around the globe.
For more information or to register, visit: https://cemnext.com/oi2020

ABOUT BPG PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

For 30 years, BPG Professional Education has provided business professionals worldwide a gateway to renowned BPG research, knowledge and expertise, through advanced professional programs designed specifically for them. Since 1992 more than 120,000 from 124 countries have qualified in programs ranging from Business Process Management, BPR, Customer Experience Management and Outside-In.

In addition to industry-focused, two-day to-seven-week Open Programs, BPG Professional Education offers individuals and teams the opportunity to take online, blended learning courses. Additionally, customized programs (leading to professional qualifications) can be delivered in specific industry sectors such as banking, retail, B2B, D2C, Utilities, Pharmaceutical, etc.

Testimonials from the 2020 sessions include:

Another fantastic learning, personal, and professional development experience with you! Lyall Shapiro, Australia

Thank you, Steve. Very intense but amazing, and already putting it into practice!
Edwin De Lange, South Africa

Thank you soooooooo much, Steve.. this achievement means a lot to me & colossal credit goes to you… looking forward to my next training.
Amal Shaira, United Arab Emirates

Thank you, Steve Towers, for an awesome
Time of masterful learning. I can’t wait to attend your next class!
Victoria Weaver, United States

Contact Information

Steve Towers
BPG
https://www.Bpgroup.org

+44 7429 518277
+1 970 368 5454

The five crucial things successful CX organizations do every day

Most successful CX organizations do these things to lift their game.
Let’s review their winning approaches.
Then Model your own strategy based on these leading CX ‘next’ practices.

The article is a build on terrific feedback from my recent ‘5 Critical Failures of 80% of Customer Experience initiatives’.
(You can see that here: http://bit.ly/5CriticalFailures)

“Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.”
George Bernard Shaw

So with that in mind, let’s move beyond the mistakes and uncover the winning strategies and how best can we implement those insightful approaches?

Based on our recent work and research my report from the CX front line should help you rethink your approach in our collective endeavor to get more scientific about the customer experience.

In the earlier article, we identified five major errors and causes of failure. Let’s review how winning CX companies reframe those into successful strategies.

1. Top teams understand CX success and get out of the way of their people to let them get on with it.

To achieve strategic CX success, it is necessary to understand the limitations imposed by industrial age thinking (getting better at doing the wrong stuff faster, functional specialisms, outdated reward systems) and help the organization migrate to Outside-In thinking and practices. At Zappos, for instance, it is more important to meet the customer (see Zappos hits the road.. http://bit.ly/Zappos2021) and gather insights, and provide input to reshaping the organization.

The top team is actually out there “We want to shake the customers hands, give them really big high fives and meet their friends — delivering happiness and memorable experiences along the way,” said Kristin Richmer, Senior Brand Marketing Manager, Zappos.

The task then is not overlaying the new insights onto an industrial age siloed world. It is actually to reshape the organization, its people, the reward systems, processes and systems to better deliver successful customer outcomes.

Tony Hsieh reinforced this feed forward approach “we actually want to talk with customers more as 70% of our business are repeat buys. Hiding our contact details and making it difficult to talk is not our way” http://bit.ly/TonyHseih

2. Customer needs are understood and developed to create the organizational alignment towards successful customer outcomes.

Leading CX Companies have developed an a-b-c strategy when boiled down includes
(a) stop asking customers what they wantl
(b) get your head around current customer expectations, and
(c) articulate customer needs even when the customer doesn’t know what they are.

This effort is not a ‘one and done’, it is about continual learning and then development of services and products that anticipate customer needs, rather than following the outdated mantra of those organizations seeking more and more (often meaningless) feedback. And Disney provides a demonstration of this a-b-c approach.

Consider this:

Disney World Orlando, is about 43 square miles, about twice the size of Manhattan. (pre pandemic) 30 million guests per year enjoy 4 theme parks: the Magic Kingdom, the Hollywood Studios, Epcot and the Animal Kingdom.

You can navigate to these parks by car, bus, monorail, boats and a ferry depending on your hotel – and that in itself includes over 20 themed for your delight. Coupled with Disneys wearable “Magic Bands” (see http://bit.ly/MagicBand) you receive a smooth personalized experience where ever you are.

This collection of entertainment is a dynamic living system focused on successful customer outcomes. With digital real-time feedback, Disney offers an integrated experience built around a co-ordinated set of business and customer outcomes, from the time you think of a trip, to the time you are back home with the kids.

3. Being customer-centric isn’t about projects – it is a state of mind.

A great mistake of many is approaching customer experience as an initiative, something with a clearly defined start and end point. Appreciating CX is a state of mind for the whole company is a major differentiator and allows successful organizations to continually tweak and evolve, rather than live in a permanent state of project stop-start crisis. The guiding principle is, at the heart of CX, change is desirable, welcomed and systematic. It impacts everyone and everything all the time.

4. Successful CX transcends measures and implements a rigorous feedback/feed forward framework.

A recent analysis in the banking industry suggested that more than 85% of the total key performance indicators measured outputs – things that get produced from activities. Successful CX companies however, have a very different profile and focus, their attention is on measuring outcomes – the result of what is produced. To these companies this is not a semantic distinction, it underpins the total CX strategy. As a result, the measurement systems are simplified, and the focus on results rather than activity moves the dial towards customer centricity so much more quickly.

Programs such as Disney’s True North set a direction with supporting metrics, and rather than measure everything that moves they focus on the results and outcomes that need to be delivered to achieve successful customer outcomes. In this context, more than 75% of measures are ‘Outcomes’ with less than 25% outputs.

Test this for yourself in the contact center.

What are your top ten measurements, are they output oriented or outcome based?
The former (outputs) would be things like average handle time, abandon rates, downtime and so on.
The latter (outcomes) would be the delivery of customer need, queries completely resolved (not the piece mean partial interim ‘first call resolution’ type things measured with a functional bias).
In summary, CX leaders have fewer measures and the majority are now Outcome-focused.

5. CX is both the strategy and the operational objective to overcome needless complexity.

A Forrester survey says 81% of CX professionals are mapping experiences from the customers perspective but only 21% are mapping the ecosystem (processes, people, technology). In this context there are two opportunities that successful CX companies exploit:

i. CX can only be successful if you build a complete CX ecosystem. This is a process of creating alignment from Customer Experience strategy to execution and connects the frontline who deliver the customer experience with those people and systems who provide the means of delivery. Amazon refer to this aspect as ‘North Start Alignment’

ii. CX Current state crisis. Successful CX companies can clearly articulate the what and how the organization should be doing to deliver great experiences.

They do not become mired in the exercise of mapping all the current external and internal processes and systems (which can take years to complete and provides little in the way of direction for what should exist.)

These companies understand the reality that the current structure and systems were never created with excellent CX in mind but were in fact designed around an industrial age, production system based model.

Hence, next practice is to utilize design principles that envision what should be, and then progressively mature and migrate the organization to that vision.

To conclude CX success doesn’t come from wishful thinking.

It is a deliberate and sustained effort to understand and articulate the ever changing customer. To build a new trust with them that goes beyond the platitudes of the past.

In the near term it is about becoming more scientific about the customer experience. In the longer term it is a guarantee of business success. We have codified these CX next practice approaches into the CEMMethod (now version 13). You can access that as a resource with others below.

The earlier article can be viewed here: ‘5 Critical Failures of 80% of Customer Experience initiatives’. http://bit.ly/5CriticalFailures

How to become Outside-In

Start here:
Your definition of Customer Experience is/may be wrong (3 minute video)
http://bit.ly/CXDefined (from James Dodkins aka CX Rockstar)

Then review this:
I have also just done a 3 minute explainer video for Outside-In – see it here:
https://bit.ly/OITheDifference

Then follow these 5 steps:
Step #1 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* | https://bit.ly/OI2021now

Step #2 – Get The Training:
Certified Outside-In Master® | https://cemnext.com/oi2020
Certified Process Professional Master® | https://bit.ly/CPPM21
Accredited Customer Experience Master® | https://bit.ly/ACXM2021

Step #3 – Get the Software:
The Experience Manager | https://bit.ly/TEM2021

Step #5 – Keep Pace with Change
Recent Interview | http://bit.ly/STInnovation

Business Mumbo Jumbo that frustrates everyone

Can we circle back and touch-base on this later?

Do you feel like you are being drowned by jargon? Grammarly recently researched the most popular phrases used in the work context and the list includes these gems…

Low Hanging Fruit
Leverage (do you leverage leverage?)
Open the Kimono (that is creepy, sexist and racist all at the same time!)
Giving 110% (which of course you can’t)
Learnings (what were yours last year?)
Out of Pocket (who’s pocket were you in and why?!)
Drink the Kool-Aid
Bio break (too much information)

You can review the full article and more of the same here.

Here is a great article on the same theme, published in New York’s ‘Vulture’ highlighting just one office workers experience:

https://www.vulture.com/2020/02/spread-of-corporate-speak.html

Don’t forget – ping me back with your thoughts!

Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

https://lnkd.in/djWxB8m

👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59

👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now

👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers

👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023

👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)

Your definition of customer experience is wrong (and what You can do about it Now)

Your definition of customer experience is wrong, and here’s why, right, there are lots of different definitions of what Customer experience is, and if we put them together, we might end up with something like this, the sum of the interactions, perceptions and feelings a customer has with your company.

A frustrated CX Professional having a problem because CX seems too theoretical …..

You might think that’s a pretty decent definition, but you’d be wrong. Most of the definitions you find will run along the same theme. Okay, the problem is that theme is entirely inside-out. These definitions take a company view of customer experience, not a customer view of customer experience. Go figure. Let’s say that we’re an airline…..

Watch the video and get the full transcript from here

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Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

https://lnkd.in/djWxB8m

👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59

👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now

👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers

👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023

👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)

Strategic positioning of customer experience is now widely recognized as a key to business success.

Unfortunately, the majority of many well-intended CX initiatives become a victim of organization inertia and bureaucracy and sink to the level of metrics on dashboards buried in functional departments.

👉 Error #1: Top teams anticipate CX Success without understanding the enterprise was never designed to do this stuff.

👉 Error #2: Customers needs are not clearly articulated and underpinned by smart Outside-In metrics

👉 Error #3: For CX initiatives delivering success will require change and transformation

👉 Error #4: CX Initiatives focus on the wrong measures, rather than successful customer outcomes.

👉 Error #5. CX Initiatives go way down deep into functional complexity

Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

Complexity is an insidious thing. Humans seem unable to keep things simple and will add rules, reporting lines, and complications seemingly for the fun of it. And process people take it to a whole new level.

Here are a few of the meaningful stats that back this up.

👑 Those who Get It Win the Triple Crown

Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

Disruption Rules…For more than eleven decades, Gillette ruled the world of shaving. In 2010 it had a 70% market share, now today (2021) it is around 54%. The emergent market leaders are a pair of start-ups, Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club.

Enlightened Customers

Extreme Alignment

How aligned is your company?

Time is short

New course offers Critical Training Organizations Need to Upskill Their Workforce and Gain an Edge in the New Normal

The Certified Outside-In Master® (COIM®) – starts on January 18th for 7 weeks at 3 hours per week –

Coach & Guide:

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Testimonials from the 2020 sessions include:

Contact Information

Most successful CX organizations do these things to lift their game.Let’s review their winning approaches.Then Model your own strategy based on these leading CX ‘next’ practices.

1. Top teams understand CX success and get out of the way of their people to let them get on with it.

2. Customer needs are understood and developed to create the organizational alignment towards successful customer outcomes.

Consider this:

3. Being customer-centric isn’t about projects – it is a state of mind.

4. Successful CX transcends measures and implements a rigorous feedback/feed forward framework.

Test this for yourself in the contact center.

5. CX is both the strategy and the operational objective to overcome needless complexity.

To conclude CX success doesn’t come from wishful thinking.

How to become Outside-In

Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

Disruption Rules…
For more than eleven decades, Gillette ruled the world of shaving. In 2010 it had a 70% market share, now today (2021) it is around 54%. The emergent market leaders are a pair of start-ups, Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club.

Most successful CX organizations do these things to lift their game.
Let’s review their winning approaches.
Then Model your own strategy based on these leading CX ‘next’ practices.