Unlocking Customer Excellence: Master the ACX Program with Insider FAQs!

šŸ‘‰šŸ‘‰ The BP Group provideĀ­s a professional qualification titled the ACX Program. It is for peĀ­ople interesteĀ­d in customer experieĀ­nce and process managemeĀ­nt.

Here are theĀ­ key points about the ACX Program: The AccreĀ­dited Customer ExperieĀ­nce (ACX) program’s design helps participants beĀ­come qualified professionals in customeĀ­r experienceĀ­ and process management.

AtteĀ­nding workshops (in-person or online), completing courseĀ­work, and passing an endorsement from a Coach and MeĀ­ntor are involved. Advanced qualifications, likeĀ­ ACX MasterĀ® (ACXMĀ®), exist for those seĀ­eking to lead transformation initiatives.

ExpeĀ­rt guidance from Steve ToweĀ­rs, an expert in the fieĀ­ld, supports the program. He provides coaching, keĀ­ynote speecheĀ­s, books, and social media content to aid the leĀ­arning process.šŸ‘šŸ‘

Visit us atĀ https://www.bpgroup.orgĀ 
Download the ACX overview: ACX Brochure
Review the next program with Steve Towers: ACX Master

#cxĀ #customerexperienceĀ #processĀ #bpmĀ #bprĀ #acxsĀ #acxpĀ #acxmĀ #cxpaĀ #ccxpĀ #bpg

The Advanced CX program Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Accredited Customer Experience (ACXĀ®) Program?

The AccreĀ­dited Customer ExperieĀ­nce Program is an expert qualification for peĀ­ople needing practical customeĀ­r-centric understanding. It shows how to harness CX poweĀ­r, organize using customer-centric principleĀ­s, and guide/mentor organizations.

This program equips individuals with improving customeĀ­r experienceĀ­s and operational efficiency within organizations.

TheĀ­ knowledge and skills are taught in a hands-on, pragmatic style.

2. What are the eligibility requirements for the ACX Program?

AnyoneĀ­ can take the ACX Program – thereĀ­ are no eligibility requireĀ­ments. If you want to learn about customer-ceĀ­ntricity, you can participate.

It’s a hands-on, workshop-based course. WeĀ­ll-suited for customer expeĀ­rience managers, direĀ­ctors, consultants, professionals, agents, specialists, and leĀ­aders.

3. What are the benefits of the ACX Program?

Participants understand customer ceĀ­ntricity practically. They learn to harness CX poweĀ­r, organize around customer-centric principleĀ­s, and become organizational guides/meĀ­ntors.

This course follows a hands-on approach, ceĀ­ntered around workshops – perfeĀ­ct for CX leaders, expeĀ­rts, and specialists. It helps build customer ceĀ­ntricity skills practically.

The ACX Program guides you through harnessing CX’s poweĀ­r and adopting customer-centric principles. You can meĀ­ntor others too.

BPG and global partners deliveĀ­r this program. Participants can become licenseĀ­d ACX Mentors who can upskill their companies and partneĀ­rs.

4. How long does it take to complete the ACX Program?

The program is available as an open eĀ­nrollment or in-house option. You can completeĀ­ it flexibly, at your own pace. HoweveĀ­r, it typically takes 1 to 3 months to finish.

The course is hands-on, designed around a workshop, and well-suited for customer experience managers, directors, consultants, professionals, agents, specialists, and leaders.

Participants demonstrate their understanding by completing practical exercises based on their own work. It is a learning-by-doing process!

5. What is the CEMMethodĀ®?

The CEMMethodĀ® is a customer-centric management framework developed by BPG. The framework is based on the best practices of leading exponents of customer-centricity and is the basis for the ACX Program.

Initially developed in 2002-5 (with companies like Virgin) and now in version 15. It is the foundation of the Accredited Customer ExperienceĀ® Program and is based on the codified Next practices of the worldā€™s leading exponents of Customer Centricity.

6. What is the CX Transformation Ecosystem?

An organization’s CX Transformation Ecosystem deĀ­scribes its unique offerings, customeĀ­r experienceĀ­s, processes, and expeĀ­ctations. It strategically and operationally aligns with successful customeĀ­r outcomes. The ecosysteĀ­m defines neeĀ­ded offerings, channels, opeĀ­rating models, and capabilities.

Those seeking to deepen their expertise and lead transformation initiatives within their organizations can pursue advanced qualifications, such as the ACX MasterĀ® (ACXMĀ®) or Certified Process Professional MasterĀ® (CPPMĀ®).


Steve Towers, an expert in customer experience, enjoys spreading his enthusiasm for this field through coaching, keynote speeches, books, and social media content.

He helps companies win the triple crown ā€“ the simultaneous ability to increase revenues, decrease costs, and enhance service ā€“ through the CEMMethodĀ® now in version 15.

With over three decades of experience working with large enterprises worldwide, Steve has distilled the successful strategies of top-performing organizations into a proprietary methodology that can be easily imparted to CX teams and executives.

His forte lies in envisioning the future of customer-centricity, customer experience, process management and realizing long-term benefits from business transformation.
Steveā€™s approach combines customer-focused thinking, cutting-edge technologies, and a human touch.
Also an entrepreneur and an early-stage investor in software companies like Parallel.

Steve Towers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetowers/

Maximizing Customer Success: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Satisfaction

šŸ‘‰šŸ‘‰ 32 Years and stronger than ever! With 140K+ professionals across 137 countries qualified in customer experience, business transformation, and process management, we upskill individuals and organisations to achieve the next level of performance. Here is a celebration of some of those people. Thank you All! šŸ‘šŸ‘

Visit us atĀ https://www.bpgroup.orgĀ 
#cxĀ #customerexperienceĀ #processĀ #bpmĀ #bprĀ #acxsĀ #acxpĀ #acxmĀ #cxpaĀ #ccxpĀ #bpg

Scroll of Honor

Recent ACX & CPP Professionals and Partners

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Customer Success Metrics: What metrics does the BP Group use to measure customer success and business transformation?

The BP Group tracks how organisations are serving customers using various metrics. These focus on customer outcomes, efficiency, and growth. We use industry-leading measures such as the CX6, the Disruption Factor and Outside-In Dashboards, and the Customer Effort Score. We encourage financial measures like revenue growth, cost savings, and customer lifetime value. The specific metrics used depend on the organization’s goals and the size and scope of transformation.

2. CEMMethodĀ® Application: How can organizations implement the CEMMethodĀ® to achieve the triple crown of increasing revenues, decreasing costs, and enhancing service?

Organizations can start by understanding theĀ­ main ideas behind the
CEMMeĀ­thodĀ®, such as thinking from the customer’s perspeĀ­ctive and focusing on achieving successful outcomeĀ­s for customers.

There areĀ­ training and certification programs available to gain expeĀ­rtise in this method. After geĀ­tting trained, organizations can apply the CEMMethodĀ® to theĀ­ir processes. This involves mapping out theĀ­ customer journey, pinpointing critical moments, and reĀ­designing processes to improveĀ­ the customer expeĀ­rience while also increĀ­asing operational efficiency.

3. Professional Qualification: What are the steps to become qualified in customer experience and process management through the BP Groupā€™s programs?

The BP Group offers programs to help individuals become professionally qualified in customer experience and process management. The Accredited Customer Experience (ACX) and the Certified Process Professional (CPP) programs involve attending workshops (in the room or online), completing coursework, and passing an ‘understanding endorsement’ from your Coach and Mentor.

Those seeking to deepen their expertise and lead transformation initiatives within their organizations can pursue advanced qualifications, such as the ACX MasterĀ® (ACXMĀ®) or Certified Process Professional MasterĀ® (CPPMĀ®).

Steve Towers, an expert in customer experience, enjoys spreading his enthusiasm for this field through coaching, keynote speeches, books, and social media content.

He helps companies win the triple crown ā€“ the simultaneous ability to increase revenues, decrease costs, and enhance service ā€“ through the CEMMethodĀ® now in version 15.

With over three decades of experience working with large enterprises worldwide, Steve has distilled the successful strategies of top-performing organizations into a proprietary methodology that can be easily imparted to CX teams and executives.

His forte lies in envisioning the future of customer-centricity, customer experience, process management and realizing long-term benefits from business transformation.
Steveā€™s approach combines customer-focused thinking, cutting-edge technologies, and a human touch.
Also an entrepreneur and an early-stage investor in software companies like Parallel.

Steve Towers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetowers/

Discover 23 Must-Attend Top-Notch Customer Experience Conferences in 2023!

Overview of customer experience featuring 23 must attend conference in 2023

As a business leader, you know the importance of customer experience (CX) and its impact on your success. But do you know about the must-attend customer experience conferences for 2023?

Must-Attend Customer Experience Conferences in 2023

Now that you know the importance of customer experience, letā€™s take a look at the must-attend customer experience conferences in 2023:

January 2023

February 2023

March 2023

May 2023

June 2023

July 2023

August 2023

September 2023

October 2023

These conferences are great opportunities to learn the latest strategies in customer experience, network with other industry professionals, and gain invaluable insight into the customer experience industry.

Conclusion

Customer experience is an essential part of any businessā€™s success. It involves understanding customer needs and developing strategies to meet those needs. It also involves creating customer-centric strategies, setting customer goals, and measuring customer satisfaction.

Attending customer experience conferences is a great way to learn the latest strategies in customer experience, network with other industry professionals, and gain invaluable insight into the customer experience industry.

Review these 23 top-rated CX Conferences for 2023 to start your journey to become a customer experience expert!

Connect with me: https://linktr.ee/stevetowers

The Complexity of Corporate Communication: How to get your message across!

The complexity of corporate communications

Corporate communication is a broad field that deals with the different public and internal facing aspects of a company. It involves various methods and approaches to share information about a companyā€™s brand, products, services, employees, and so on with a broad internal and external audience.

Communication as a whole is complex as it involves many stakeholders and audiences. Moreover, effective communication requires strong connections between people at all levels of the organization.

To be able to communicate effectively within your organization and with the outside world, you need to understand what corporate communication is, its benefits, and how you can implement it in your organization.

That is why in this article we will discuss everything you need to know about corporate communication so you can get your message across!

What Is Corporate Communication?

When we talk about communication in business, we are primarily referring to two things – one is the process, and the other is the outcome of the process. The process consists of the steps involved in communication, for example – sending the message, the channel through which it is sent, the time frame, and so on.

The outcome of the process refers to the impact that the communication has had on the person who received it.

That is why communication is often described as a process through which we create an understanding between people who are not in the same place at the same time. In this sense, corporate communication is the process and activities through which organizations create a strong connection via employees with the outside world for the purpose of brand building, increasing reputation, and the acquisition and retention of customers.

Why is Effective Communication Important?

Communication is the process of exchanging information and ideas between two or more people. For this process to be effective, certain factors need to be in place. To start with, there should be an understanding between the sender and receiver of the message.

Communication is all about sharing information, and if the information is not understood, it wonā€™t be useful to anyone. We have a saying that ā€˜a message without meaning is like a bird without wingsā€™. It is because of this that communication is an important aspect of any business venture.

The right words, carefully selected and strategically placed with the correct tone, can be a very powerful tool. They can make for an excellent culture, your brand more recognizable, and encourage customers to buy your products and services.

Benefits of Effective corporate communication

Stronger relationships – The biggest benefit of effective communication is that it strengthens relationships. Whether you communicate with the members of your team, customers, or anyone in between, a strong connection will lead to better results.

Greater productivity – When people understand each other and have a clear idea of what their role is within the organization, productivity increases. This is especially true for organizations where employees have a say in shaping the communication process – for example, when they have the opportunity to voice feedback and suggestions, and when they have the power to participate in the decision-making process.

Better decision-making – When communication is effective, decision-making becomes much easier. This is because the information you share will be well-understood.

Better brand recognition – A strong connection with your audience will not only bring them closer to your brand, but it will also make them more loyal to it. Moreover, the brand of your business will become more recognizable as you take part in various communication activities.

Types of Corporate Communication

Internal communication – This is the communication that happens between employees. It can happen in a number of ways, including one-on-one meetings, group meetings, emails, and so on. Internal communication is important because it helps people work together more effectively and efficiently.

External communication – This is the communication that happens between your organization and the outside world. This could be in the form of marketing campaigns, public relations, social media posts, and more.

Customer communication – This is communication between your customers and your organization. It can happen in a number of ways, including through a companyā€™s customer support or customer service department, through social media posts, and more.

Summing up

Communication is an essential part of any business venture, and it can make or break an organization. The success of your business relies not only on the quality of your products or services but also on how well you communicate that quality to your customers.

When you have strong relationships with your audience, when you can make better decisions, and when you can recognize your brand better – you have stronger communication.

To achieve this, it is important to implement effective goal-driven communication in your organization. This can be achieved by focusing on the type of communication you engage in and by making sure that your communications are all aligned to Successful Customer and Business Outcomes.

The pioneer of all things Outside-In?

Who started #customerexperience ? Well, there has always been a customer experience, however, it is only in the last 20 years that companies have realized the need to get scientific about shaping and innovating #CX. Who was the pioneer that did that first? And in doing so shifted the emphasis from Industrial Age thinking to Outside-In practice. Let’s jump into the time machine and rediscover Steve Jobs back in 1997.

Moving from Product to Customer-Centric

Back then it wasn’t understood that designing Customer Experiences and delivering Successful Customer Outcomes went way beyond being product-centric. Steve Jobs anticipated this shift towards customer-centricity, and evolved Apples approach to rapidly shift to Outside-In strategy and operations.

Many of the concepts we accept, such as defining the customer experience from the customers perspective, and not the organizations, were developed in the cauldrons of Apple mountain. In fact, one of the key techniques within the CEMMethodā„¢ was initially referred to as the ‘Apple Innovation Approach’.

Why so many still get it wrong

Here’s a great mini video explaining the difference in viewpoint Inside-Out v. Outside-In.

The CX Rockstar tells us why many get the definition of CX wrong.

James Dodkins aka CX Rockstar has many similar takes over at rockstar.cx

We saw that at work in Outside-In design of products like the original iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. Now taken for granted the last century was a mish mesh of competing chunks of technology (think the early MP3 players) that often required an MSc to understand the menu system and driver updates.

It isn’t what they want, it is what they NEED

Nowadays the major consumer product companies understand the requirement to articulates the needs of customers, and only then design products that meet those needs. That is Outside-In in action.

You would be right in saying he was the pioneer of Outside-In.

If you would like to dig deeper I talked about the difference in approaches of Industrial Age v. Customer Age/Outside-In in this article.

This item has caused quite a stir over at LinkedIn, you can join that discussion here.


Other Outside-In resources to Explore


6 Ways to Transform Process and the Customer Experience (at the Same Time)

Steve Towers Keynotes

Where do I start?

I was keynoting a conference in Europe recently, and senior executives in the room were getting the rationale behind moving Outside-In. However, there seemed to be two perplexed groups in the place.

One was what a refer to as the ā€˜traditional process guysā€™, and the other ā€˜the customer is first peopleā€™, and interestingly they both asked the same question ā€œWhere do we start?ā€

My honest and most direct answer is ā€œYou do not have a choice. You have got to start where you are and go from there!ā€ OK, I get what youā€™re thinking, how could they take that away and begin to transform their organizations?

So, I walked them through TWO distinctly different ways to navigate to Outside-In working and practice, depending on your mindset, enterprise history and maturity. For the two categories of customer in the room, the NEEDS are the same, just the way they navigate to achieving them is different.

What are the Results?

From a results perspective, both approaches focus onĀ winning the triple crown, that is Improving Service, Growing Revenues and Reducing Complexity (and hence lowering costs).

ApproachProcess EngineeringCustomer First
FocusProcess is the starting pointStarts with Customer Needs
ScopeReengineering the ProcessesAligning everything to Customer Needs
IntentionBuild out from Process to Department to Division to EnterpriseArticulate Successful Customer Outcomes and Remove the complexity of things that do not contribute to it
BenefitsLocal wins building to business-wide transformationImmediate delivery against Triple Crown benefits
Executive Buy-inSlow burn, however when they see the benefits and ā€˜get itā€™ the support is significantStarts at the strategic level so influences everything the organization does
RecommendationIf your remit is just ā€˜improving processesā€™ this approach will get you their steadily, however, the challenges facing traditional business are seismic so is there time? So, make immediate gains but push hard for more quickly.By demonstrating the value of ā€˜customer firstā€™ in terms of the triple crown the enterprise can align quickly and effectively. Importantly avoid the ā€˜soft and fluffyā€™ sentiments expressed by many in the customer experience world.

How can I Implement?

Back in 2006 the BPG launched the CEMMethodā„¢ and built out an approach, using the 50+ techniques based on global next practice from companies like Virgin, Zara, BMW, Zappos, Apple and Emirates. Since then more than 3,000 companies in 116 countries have become accredited and certified to transform their processes and organizations.

Now in version 11, the choice you make in deployment is based on your ambition and remit within the enterprise.
If you are a leader needing to embrace the digital customer ā€˜Customer Firstā€™ leaps out as the main option. Alternatively, if you are in a traditional process-based business (lean, six sigma, BPM etc.) the more conservative ā€˜process engineeringā€™ approach may be preferred.

You can access the following resources that will help you make an informed choice:

CEMMethodā„¢ – review its potency and pedigree:
www.cemmethod.com

Outside-In The Secret of 21st century companies (free access): http://bit.ly/StevesOIBook

The Accredited Customer Experience Program 2018-19: https://www.bpgroup.org/acxp1819.html

The Certified Process Professional Program: https://www.bpgroup.org/certifiedprocessprofessional.html

I look forward to guiding you to transformation when you are ready!

How much do you need to know to know you know you know enough?

Knowing what you don’t know is a great starting point

>> We start out not knowing what we donā€™t know

>> We then get a bit better and we know what we donā€™t know

>> It gets better, we then know what we know

>> And ultimately, we then donā€™t know what we know

Think about when you were learning to driveā€¦

As kids traveling with Mum and Dad, they drive the car and we get there (eventually)

We then get to teenage and start to drive that same car ā€“ OMG ā€“ the gas pedal, the watching, friggin hell the other road users, the SPEED, the signals!

And then we settle into it, it starts to become second nature, until

We do the Route 66 road trip, enjoy the bars, the people, however we donā€™t remember much but arrived safe and well because there was no blood on the hood!

So what? The CEMMethod feels the same!!

And yes it is a helluva ride, but you will get there. Itā€™s proven.

Join us soon inĀ Denver, Washington DC, London, Dubai, Johannesburg or Melbourne.

Seriously, you gotta know this stuff to know you donā€™t (spooky eh?)

Dubai calling for the 4 day ACX Masters program – Upskill now…

What are you doing in the GCC this April? The Dubai ACXM and this Award winning class should be high on your options list.

Podcast with Roland Naidoo | Live stream – rockstar.cx | Business Awards…

Live broadcast with James DodkinsĀ Ā Rockstar.cx


This was an interview across the continents
(I am currently in Colorado, James is in England)
https://www.facebook.com/JDODKINS/videos/1425739797553815/

Do get along to the link – James will be hosting CX Rockstars from all over the globe šŸ™‚

Business Leader in South Africa provides his views on Customer Centricity

Roland Naidoo, Senior Executive, Multichoice
Roland Naidoo, Senior Executive, Multichoice

 

Roland Naidoo (ACX Master) is a highly respected senior executive in the global entertainments business. As part of a podcast hosted by Futurologyā€¦

https://itunes.apple.com/za/podcast/futurology/id1078860959?mt=2&i=1000397468049

You can reach Roland here to progress the discussion:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/roland-naidoo-b403a029/

Award won by yours truly!

I was deeply honoured by the PEX community at the annual conference in Florida last month and received the Global Community 2018 Award. Needless to say (but I will) this is as much down to you guys and your great transformational work, so I graciously excepted the Award on your behalf. Thank you so much :

See the snapshot here:Ā https://buff.ly/2EEE9Im

Next time we will be reviewing highlights of the upcoming 2018 conferencesā€¦

The Shocking Truth about Customer Experience


The single biggest piece of advice I give to senior executives setting out on the Customer Experience journey is to STOP. Yes seriously, the vast majority of CX efforts are completely misaligned.

CX Efforts Misaligned

Donā€™t get me wrong the intentions are good. Unfortunately, it goes something like this:

  1. Top Team are listening and decide they need to get with this customer centricity/Outside-In/working backwards thinking.
  2. Senior Management makes noises that the customer is THE thing the business must focus on.
  3. The Executive engage the marketing and sales guys to get with it and start pushing the message.
  4. Functional leaders hear the noise and bluster. They start using the language, whilst thinking this is just more fluff and nonsense. They make the right noises for now but keep their heads down, because they know this will go the same way as so many other ā€˜strategic initiativesā€™.
  5. Fundamentally functional heads carry on working with the out of date reward system that promotes sub-optimal industrial age thinking and practice.
  6. The Executive see the usual inertia, results not coming through, apathy and indifference and decide their business isnā€™t really an Amazon.
  7. Top Team then reverts to just getting better at what we are doing, then when someone in ‘our industry’ proves it we will follow.
  8. Functional leaders breathe a sigh of relief and invest even more in industrial age systems and training. The illusion of doing something, in this case, is actually worse than doing nothing.
  9. The businesses failure is noted by customers who move to those who do understand and deliver Customer Experience success.
  10. The company becomes another footnote in the history books. Talked about at business schools and picked apart because of the failure to get the new Outside-In customer-centric mindset.

Making Customer Experience Successful everywhere all the time

This isnā€™t rocket science (unless you are NASA of course). Understanding that the structures and ways of working from the industrial age were NEVER designed to be customer-centric. They were established to make things faster by optimizing production lines.

And oh, donā€™t think because you are not in manufacturing you are OK. It is likely your complete ways of working will be making everything look like production management systems, with talk of leaning out, waste reduction, standardization, efficiency, productivity. Sound familiar?

Understanding this Customer Experience misalignment is fundamental.

I encourage doing three things before re-joining the CX road-march:

  1. Understand how big the gap is between what you are doing and what Successful Customer Outcomes you need to be delivering.
  2. Audit the current key performance indicators.
    Are they mostly about outputs?
    Usually, the balance will be 80% output metrics (like calls answered, Average Handle Times, Abandoned Rates, Projects completed on time to budget etc.).
    Meanwhile, the really important measures that tell you a Successful Customer Outcome is being achieved will only be a small proportion.
    What you measure is what you get and no amount of Customer Experience drum banging will work unless those measures of Outcomes become the most important.
  3. Create an awareness of what real CX success is all about.
    This isnā€™t just the stories. It is about the actual things on the ground that need to change. The WHY and the HOW go hand in hand. Often times upskilling a group of key players at all levels to make them Ambassadors for the Customer achieves way more than massive corporate investment in branding and image.

In conclusion, Customer Experience cannot be treated just like another corporate initiative. To achieve success requires a significant shift in mindsets, and when that is achieved the realignment of the Enterprise to Outside-In can really begin.

Want more guidance and tips like this?


ā˜‘Ā More Articles like this one
ā€“ visit my CX Obsession resources

Ā ā˜‘Ā Upskilling and mentoring ā€“ Every level from the boardroom to the lunch room ā€“ BP Group

ā˜‘Ā In person and virtual training ā€“ The ACXMā„¢ program

Ā ā˜‘Ā Executive briefings and keynotes ā€“ How to get your hands on me and other CXperts (see what I did there?)