Customer experience has never been more important.
89% of companies now expect to compete mostly on the basis of customer experience.
87% of buyers will pay more for a better customer experience.
ACXP attendees will learn the world famous CEMMethod. The CEMMethod was created in 2001 when BPG was working with the Virgin Group. They realised together that to progress in an ever-changing world, you have to have an explicit, outside-in focus on the customer in everything you do..
Since then, the CEMMethod has evolved, consolidating tools, techniques and mindsets from some of the best performing and most innovative companies in the world. People like Apple, BMW, Bentley, IBM, Amazon, Emirates Airlines, Zara, Zappos, State Farm, Disney, Google, Facebook, Uber and many more.
Professionals using the CEM Method are simultaneously lowering costs, growing revenues and delivering outstanding customer experience in more than 4,000 companies around the world. These individuals are the driving force behind some of the world’s best performing organizations.
The secret to the CEM Method’s success lies in its ability to link external customer experience to internal back-office operations. This is a claim that no other method can make. Learn the methodology that the best-performing companies in the world are using as their customer experience backbone.
Companies wishing to build customer loyalty in the midst of a world being digitally transformed need to introduce the Customer Experience Management Office.
Existing approaches such as Program Management Offices do not address the need of the organization to become customer-centric. According to the Project Management Institutes definition “PMO’s serve as a means to standardize project-related governance processes and facilitate sharing of resources and tools. Others serve as centers of excellence, and still, others align project and program work to corporate strategy across an enterprise.”
1. Evolving from a Program Management Office (PMO) to a Customer Experience Management Office (CXMO).
You may be doing things right, but are you doing the right things?
There is a requirement to call out the need for Customer Centricity in literally everything the enterprise does.
Recently I was working with a global retailer who claimed that they managed Customer Experience via the projects orchestrated by the PMO, so I asked for their measures of success within the PMO.
Interestingly the primary metrics focused on three things – coming in on time, to the budget and achieving agreed project deliverables. So, digging deeper revealed the ‘deliverables’ were mostly aligned with functional objectives and only 15% of those talked to the challenge of becoming customer centric. Even more so – less than 10% talked about joined-up thinking across the silos on behalf of better customer experiences.
Therefore, evolving the PMO to a CXMO is required to centralise the enterprise-wide approach to ensure a consistent and strategic effort.
Find out more and register for the CXMO webinar >JOIN HERE <
Connecting everyone to Successful Customer Outcomes
2. The CXMO is not another functional forever specialism
This isn’t another excuse for empire building. The strategic CX justification revolves around enhanced/redefined Customer Experiences that deliver improved service, lower costs and higher revenues (referred to as the ‘triple crown’) initially from the enterprise-wide consolidation of customer-centric effort, then through systematically aligning everything to contribute to Successful Customer Outcomes.
Hence the CXMO usually has a limited lifespan of 3-4 years as once the discipline is established and everyone is aligned to Successful Customer Outcomes the resources can be devolved back into the business.
In summary, establishing a CXMO is a systematic and strategic initiative.
Co-ordinating everyone, from the boardroom to the tea room, is essential to ensure the shift from the industrial age to the customer centricity age delivers practically and immediately.
Find out more and register for the CXMO webinar >JOIN HERE <
3. Harnessing the disparate CX efforts requires a CXMO.
The majority of people can agree on the valuable benefits of becoming customer centric (triple crown etc.) however departments and divisions will need to be aligned.
For example, the IT systems underpinning current operations were never designed with customer centricity in mind. Their purpose was to automate tasks and activities associated with functional activities such as Accounting, Sales, Customer Call Centers and so on. Sometimes there are efforts to integrate data across these silos but even enterprise-wide systems still have a focus on outputs, rather than delivering well-crafted Outcomes.
Hence migrating the critical to mission systems requires a strategic, top-down driven effort, so that changes are planned, consistent and co-ordinated against customer experience priorities for every part of the organization.
Find out more and register for the CXMO webinar >JOIN HERE <
Reward structures
A significant challenge impacts the Rewards and Remuneration structures. In industrial Age, thinking employees are rewarded for doing things, and not necessarily in delivering results.
A simple way to test this hypothesis is to look at the metrics that drive business performance and see whether there are a majority of the measures targeted at counting outputs, rather than customer outcomes. Typical call centres, for example, will be measuring things like Number of Calls, Average Handle Time, Abandon rates and so on. How many of these does the customer actually care about?
Progressive Customer Centric companies shift the emphasis to measuring the Customer Outcome desired. This fundamental shift in the metrics requires that employees are rewarded for delivering results, rather than completing tasks, and therefore a strategic enterprise-wide rethink to ensure all the dots and connected.
Find out more and register for the CXMO webinar >JOIN HERE <
Walking the Talk by the top team requires an enabled CXMO.
In the example of the Call Center, what is in a name? A lot it would seem. Imagine renaming the Call Center to a Customer Experience Center… Naturally, measures of success should shift to emphasizing the actual customer experience rather than just processing calls as in a production line.
The top team needs to take ownership of the challenge as all too often they can be heard talking about how important the customer is, how we should be customer focussed, how much the customer matters to us while at the same time reminding the Call Center people that Average Handle Time (AHT) is king.
If you work in an environment which prioritizes AHT as a leading measure of success your concern about delivering a Successful Customer Outcome becomes secondary. So, it isn’t just about talking the talk, it is about the top team actioning a customer-centric vision supported by creating the right Attitudes, Behaviours and Culture.
Find out more and register for the CXMO webinar >JOIN HERE<
Where to Start?
This really isn’t a choice. You have to start where you are now, move quickly and begin to harvest the benefits of customer-centric operations. An early objective is to examine the deliverables for all current projects and ask the question ‘how will achieving this contribute to improving the customer experience?’.
You will meet resistance from some folks who say ‘this project has nothing to do with the customer… it is an IT systems change, a change to internal processes, a new accounting approach etc.’ Your response is the natural ‘everything should contribute to Successful Customer Outcomes, and if we are doing things that don’t they should be stopped’.
Connect the dots to every customer interaction
The principle here is one of connecting the dots through to every customer interaction, which leads to another objective; identifying the critical customer experiences and mapping those in the context of their linkages with internal processes, rules and digital dependencies. This will then produce a prioritised list of targets for improvement.
There is no doubt some heavy lifting involved, not least of which is planning the migration from current state PMO to future state CXMO. There are many objectives to consider and your overall approach should be determined by the maturity of your organization.
To review the options join us in the webinar walking through recent CXMO case studies and emerging ‘next practices’.
Find out more and register for the CXMO webinar >JOIN HERE <
This hugely popular initiative, Successful Personal Outcomes, now in its third year, is once again available. With half a dozen videos and supporting materials, I walk you through how to model the approaches that have created success for people like Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Anthony Hopkins and Tony Robbins.
To preview the contents and get onboard click the link (and I will see you on the inside).
It is an EIGHT video FIVE-week program with handouts and LIVE closing webinar. These are the techniques we use actively in all our work with global clients. Tried, tested and proven they really do make that difference in whatever work and lives we have.
>> CEM Telcoms 2018 <<
Los Angeles, October. This groundbreaking event features the latest bold discoveries in the realm of CX, including the appearance of our very own James Dodkins as Customer Experience Rockstar. And yes he is bringing his guitar and will be playing onstage – now that is a conference with a difference.
Steve Towers will also be keynoting on the theme of the Outside-In Strategic Matrix.
Review the event here: https://cemtelecoms.iqpc.com/speakers
Ping me if you want to be there, and we’ll get you a discount:
mailto: steve.towers@bpgroup.org
>>> Competition and Promotion Time! << This is how to win $500 by doing something really simple.
Here is my LinkedIn name:
Steve Towers, CEO, ACXC and CPP Champion – https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetowers/
So how do you get your hands on five hundred bucks?
Simple, put your qualification after your name!
Here is the list: ACXM – Accredited Customer Experience Master ACXP – Accredited Customer Experience Professional ACXC – Accredited Customer Experience Champion CPPM – Certified Process Professional Master CPP – Certified Process Professional CPPC – Certified Process Professional Champion
So change your LinkedIn title, drop me a note on LinkedIn to say you have done it and we will put you in the monthly draw… oh and good luck!!
During my encounters with global business leaders, I am frequently asked the question of what is the difference between Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and Outside-In thinking and practice?
Often the question is prompted as a consequence of the huge investment many large corporations have made into up-skilling their people and processes to LSS. Many times those same executives are querying the return on those investments and hence now looking at more progressive alternative approaches to evolve their business performance.
For those familiar with Outside-In thinking and practice the difference is fundamental however if you haven’t been exposed to such training or working in one of the worlds leading Outside-In companies it would be good to have a short comparison of the key thematic differences.
In the interests of full disclosure, I was an Industrial Engineer qualified as a Lean Master and Six Sigma Master black belt and I see and witness the significant differences every day. Does the implication of the difference mean we should abandon LSS? No, far from it. In fact, integrating the Outside-In perspectives into existing programs is a proven tried and tested way of advancing LSS to the centre stage of winning performance.
Case in point is a North American plastics extrusion company. They had previously been a powerhouse of Six Sigma, grown into and become a Lean ‘Toyota way’ dynamo only to run into the problem of diminishing returns.
Plastic extrusion starts with pallets
Investing just as much in getting better the decreasing returns and eroding margins made it an issue at the top table. In true pragmatic Texan style (their CEO is from Dallas) they embraced Outside-In big time. Over 6-9 months people were upskilled for the Customer Age and then let loose to transform the organization. Not only did they save their bacon they are now a world-leading company. And what do they call their program? OIL – Outside-In Lean. Nice eh?
So be pragmatic. Look for the bridges from here to there and you can have the best of both worlds.
Table 1: Comparison of some differences between Lean Six Sigma and the CEMMethod™.
Element
Lean Six Sigma
Customer Experience Management/Outside-In
Mindset
Industrial Age
Customer Digital Age
Focus
Improve current work
Align to achieve SCO’s
Intent
Process will exist at the end of a review
Processes may be removed
Results
Focused on improving outputs
Focused on delivering Outcomes
Cost reduction
Triple Crown achievement (Cost/Service/Revenue)
Structure
Accepts the functional hierarchy
Proposes the appropriate structure to deliver SCO’s
Turn your customer experience up to 11 with one of our engaging, entertaining and inspirational rockstar themed workshops for your team or event attendees. http://www.rockstar.cx/workshops.html
Three excellent mini videos from best selling author and Rockstar.cx founder James Dodkins that really frame current thinking around #CX and its key component the Employee Experience #EX.
With insights from Shep Hyken, Disney and Zappos go grab a coffee and enjoy a 10-minute break and look through the lens of Customer Experience Excellence.
Google trends tell the story that Design Thinking (DT) tops many executive’s interests in helping deliver progressive services and products in a volatile 2018.
Consultants, Design studios, and so-called business experts have spawned new revenue streams as other management fads, sorry, approaches have declined in popularity.
Just do the math on google with ‘Design Thinking’ harvesting 15.2 million results in 0.4 seconds and the top ten results including training courses, how-to workshops and top team offsites offered by consulting firms. In fact, Epictions reports typically 10 DT articles a day currently being produced, consumed and naturally circulated around our senior executives.
No doubt you will know of new functions becoming a reality with DT central to their remit, but what exactly does this catchy label represent?
Is Design Thinking a real thing?
Is it different? Can DT be useful in navigating our increasingly volatile world? Are there genuine benefits to adopting DT enterprise-wide?
As an engineer and design thinker (note the lower case) for the best part of the last four decades, this concept is not new. The successful creation of new services and products always relies on the marriage of creative thought processes harnessed to pragmatic objectives to deliver bottom-line success. Sorry if that doesn’t sound as sexy as some of the DT consultants would have you believe.
But wait, there is good news… incorporating DT into industrial age approaches can breathe new life and significant business benefit for not just enterprises and employees, but most importantly customers and shareholders.
So what is this Damn Thing?
A critical element to understanding DT is that, unlike most commonly deployed methods, is not a linear 1-2-3, A-B-C endeavour. It is not a prescription and relies on the ability of organisations and their people to understand, learn, prototype and reinvent simultaneously the processes and customer experiences that deliver success. New services/products must articulate needs of customers (even when potentially the customer doesn’t know them) and move the needle in terms of cost, revenue and service simultaneously (the fabled ‘triple crown’).
So, a significant measure of DT success is winning the triple crown. Anything else that doesn’t convert the creative process into a top and bottom line success is just moving the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. It might look better, give us a different view, but it is still doomed and will ultimately fail to deliver.
To be successful you need to create an organization and individual mindset that understands ever-changing customer needs, expectations and
Is Design Thinking winning the Triple Crown?
fosters an approach of learning, rather than the silo-based, industrial age metrics common to many.
I am going to delve deeper in an upcoming article so if you would like to get the pro’s and con’s, the potential pitfalls and the how-to to ensure success join me again soon. If you register your interest here I will ping you the ‘how to’ piece as soon as it is ready.
[contact-form to=”stevetowers@gmail.com” subject=”Design Thinking – the next steps”][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″][/contact-form]
Increasingly enterprises are understanding the need to align everything they do with delivering Successful Customer Outcomes. Disney refers to this as “True North” alignment.
As the science of delivering True North develops organizations are upskilling their leaders to mentor all employees, from the lunchroom to the boardroom.
In the vanguard of these new professionals are the trainers, coaches and mentors using proven tried and tested approaches from the world leading CX companies such as Zappos, Amazon, Emirates and Zara.
When you are tasked with delivering business change, whether that is through the Customer Experience or Process Transformation using the latest techniques (rather than outdated industrial age) will guide you to immediate success.
All BPG Coaches and mentors are qualified to implement the CEMMethod customised to the industry and challenges you face and with the objective of aligning everything to delivering Successful Customer Outcomes.
You can review some of the latest folks to become licensed to lead these CX and Process Transformations – link with them below and dig deeper.
Upcoming sessions in Johannesburg, Dubai, Washington DC, Denver, Sydney, London, Lake Como (Italy), Montreal, Brussels – see the latest dates and venues
Upcoming sessions in Johannesburg, Dubai, Washington DC, Denver, Sydney, London, Lake Como (Italy), Montreal, Brussels – see the latest dates and venues
We have got to get more scientific about the Customer Experience.
The ACXP™ program is designed to introduce, develop and deploy the leading techniques and approaches that connect Customer Experience with immediate and sustained business impact.
Join us in a city near you and transform your approach to Customer Experience with immediate and tangible results.
Using pragmatic hands-on skills-based approach professionals get access to over 60 discrete techniques developed in the world’s leading CX companies.
CEMMethod™
Wrapped within the progressive and structured CEMMethod™ all levels of the organization are engaged to deliver the promise of CX success through delivering the Triple Crown –lowering costs, growing revenues and enhancing service simultaneously.
If your enterprise is demanding results from CX the four-day ACXM™ will get you in the right place double quick.
Existing CX measurement systems are fundamentally flawed, subjective and misleading
Connecting the dots from the customer experience to business impact is not just necessary, but essential for credibility and ongoing CX investment
Upskilling to proven tried and tested techniques and the CEMMethod will guide you to immediate results
Building an Outside-In dashboard that links everyone to Successful Customer Outcomes encourages the top team and enterprise-wide support
Recent validations…
Thanks very much for an amazing course! You are a fantastic facilitator and I’m truly blessed to have you share your wisdom with us. Jenny Simpson, Senior Consultant, Business Improvement, National Australia Bank
I’m writing to endorse BP Groups program. It completely changed the way I think about the customer experience and process. The program provided me with the ability to apply all the learnings immediately after the training. Very effective training with a wealth of knowledge to share. This is a must training for everyone who’s interested in making a process better! Maria T Ferreira AVP – Client Experience & Process Improvement at Citi
Thanks for your time and the fantastic course, delivered in Auckland recently. Looking forward to attending the Masters in June – will see if I can bring some colleagues!! Neal Ross, Chief Information Officer at Konica Minolta Business
Brilliant Workshop. The speaker was awesome and gave great guidance on matters I am finding in the workplace. Cindy-Lee Muller, Planning & Roadmap Manager, MTN (Pty) Ltd
The workshop is highly recommended for anyone who wishes to simplify and expedite processes thereby enhancing customer satisfaction. The speaker is immensely knowledgeable and demonstrates vast experience in the subject. David Mulovhedzi, DPSA (South Africa)
Strategic Changes
I did the Masters two weeks ago and it completely changed my world.
Since then things are going really fast within our organization. The rest of the guys in our executive team are completely sold on the concept.
I am now taking the rest of the staff through some sessions. We plan to work on and optimize 6-10 key processes in the near future. We are also:
• Revamping our organization structure to go to the “customer inclusive” model.
• We are going away this weekend to re-think our business plan (which was based on old thinking)
• We are actively considering getting rid of all our titles and silos in the organization and only having “the business we really are in” on the business cards.
• We are completely changing the KPI model to only focus only on and rewarding for an increase in revenue, cost savings, good service and most of all successful customer outcomes.
• We have appointed a staff member to begin talking to clients and to start understanding and managing their expectations.
To be honest I did not think it would happen that quick. Nachiket Gole, Chief Information Officer – PowerNET Computer Consultants
…you’ve fundamentally changed the way I think about every process.
And inspired me to try Outside-In (OI) in all walks of life.
The first two levels should be included in educational curriculums (yes, even at the junior levels).
If everyone started applying OI, the world would be… where it should be. Mahesh Mirchandani, CEO at BhumiTech
The secret to the CEM Method’s success lies in its ability to link external customer experience to internal back-office operations. This is a claim that no other method can make. Learn the methodology that the best-performing companies in the world are using as their customer experience backbone.
