Holiday Reading – Customer Experience & Process Transformation

Just updated the Articles page which connects to my LinkedIn profile.

It has been a busy 2018 so far – you can access all the new articles (15 in 6 months) covering all the latest themes in and around Customer Experience Process Transformation.

Click on the image to access the individual pieces, however, to whet your appetite three of the most popular articles:

The Customer Experience Management Office – The What and the Why

Three fundamental Building Blocks for CX

The Employee Experience

Everyone Loves Great CX

Additionally, the new book is in draft, “Everyone Loves CX”, and will be published early next year. If you want to join the list and get access to the preview, samples and associated materials register here.

With a dozen new case studies and terrific insights from global leaders, I examine some of the next practices and how you can deploy them with immediate effect in your own world.

 

Rockstar CX

If videos are your thing then do hook up with James Dodkins and the Rockstar CX initiative.

He interviews live on Facebook the leading CX Professionals from across the globe at:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/JDODKINS/videos/

OK, I am off to the beach now. Get that G&T ready, please!

How popular is Customer Experience #CX thinking and practice?

An important question if you are tasked with making Customer Experience  #CX work for your organization.

Let’s contrast and compare current trends!

Twitter – Trends emerge when you monitor hashtags, and the shorthand for Customer Experience #cx is a good starting point. When you contrast #CX with other popular management approaches such as #lean #lss and #bpm is interesting:

hashtags data by hashtagify.me

That puts #CX in the ascendency.

What about #CX with other associated interests?

hashtags data by hashtagify.me

 

Top of the Tweeters for Customer Experience is Colin Shaw @ColinShaw_CX with over 43,400 #CX tweets.
If you follow him you will never be short of material related to Customer Experience as he vacuums the web for interesting articles, in addition to his own contributions.

Jump to the latest on Twitter with https://twitter.com/hashtag/cx

What about LinkedIn?

A recent introduction of hashtags to this platform provides a good insight…
Searching LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator platform with #CX reveals 83.4K members using Customer Experience as part of their profiles (that is 10 times greater than those using #lean).

The demographics
of the 83.4K show a predominance of folks in the US.

  1. United States (25,513)
  2. United Kingdom (5,733)
  3. Australia (5,200)
  4. India (4,622)
  5. Brazil (3,527)
  6. Sydney, Australia (2,639)

If you slice the data into companies expressing their interest in #CX we can see Oracle way ahead.

  1. Oracle (3,783)
  2. Amazon (534)
  3. IBM (437)
  4. Microsoft (433)

Does this reflect a reframing of their products to emphasize Customer Experience as a top table strategic interest?

And What about Google?

Searching #CX reveals 317,000,000 results in 0.8 seconds. That is one helluva a lot of reading. Drilling down with Google Trends, and using the same comparisons with Lean, LSS, BPM and CX produces an interesting contrast with Twitters results. Here we do see a decline in interest with Lean however the interest is still significantly ahead of CX.

We will revist this analysis periodically. Now go away and start researching all those interesting sources!

The Successful Technique You Can Use to Transform Your Customer Experiences and Lower Costs, Improve Service & Grow Revenues simultaneously

Dr W. Edwards Deming’s famous quote “If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing” is truer today than ever in an increasingly customer-centric Outside-In world.

Perhaps we should upgrade the quote to encompass the focus on the customer?

“If you can’t describe what you are doing as relevant to a Successful Customer Outcome, you shouldn’t ought to be doing it”

Progressive Outside-In businesses understand this truth (think Amazon, Starbucks, BMW and Emirates) who are connecting everything they do to delivering these Successful Customer Outcomes. If activities and systems do not explicitly contribute to customer success they scrap them, and in doing so costs fall away, service improves and naturally, revenues grow.

Think about that for a moment from the customers perspective. It is certainly more pleasurable if interactions are simple and smoother. And if these experiences involve buying stuff, customers come back again and again for more. Even in public service, it stands to reason that reducing complexity will release more resources to do more meaningful work that delivers greater value to citizens.

So how would you approach your existing Customer Experiences and associated processes to move in this direction? Is there a formula that can be applied that is easy to use and produces immediate results?

Indeed, there is! We refer to this formula within the CEMMethod™, an approach developed originally in association with companies like Virgin and Southwest Airlines. The method, originally released in 2006, is now in version 11 and includes 50+ techniques that significantly improve business performance and customer success.

One of these techniques within the CEMMethod™ is referred to as the ‘Disruption Factor’ and quite simply allows you to calculate the potential for improvement in any Customer Experience. Additionally, it helps you pinpoint the areas that would benefit from immediate attention, and in doing so win the triple crown (lower costs, improved service, higher revenues).

If you want to know more about applying the Disruption Factor in your organization join us at the upcoming webinar register your interest here.

I will see you on the inside!

Additional Resources:

>> Disruption Factor Webinar –https://events.genndi.com/channel/BPGDisruptionFactor

>> Certified & Accredited CX Training
www.bpgroup.org/training

> More about me and the companies doing this stuff
www.stevetowers.com

> Rockstar CX with James Dodkins
http://www.rockstar.cx/podcast.html

> CEMMethod™
www.cemmethod.com

Recent Blogs | Schedule for end of 2018 | Announcement of the winner of the Draw

It might be Summer here in the northern hemisphere, however, we are busier than ever!
#CX #ACXM #CPP

>> UPCOMING ACX AND CPP MASTERS SESSIONS <<
(they fill quick so book quick!) <<
https://www.bpgroup.org/training.html

CPPM Johannesburg July 16-19
https://johannesburg_cppm.eventbrite.com

ACXM Johannesburg August 20-23
https://acxm_johannesburg.eventbrite.com

CPPM Melbourne August 27-30
https://cpp_melbourne_aug.eventbrite.com

ACXM Melbourne September 3-6
https://acxm_melbourne_sep.eventbrite.com

ACXM Denver September 24-27
https://denveracxm.eventbrite.com

ACXM Washington DC October 22-25
https://washingtondc_acxm.eventbrite.com

ACXM Johannesburg October 22-25
https://acxm_johannesurg_oct2018.eventbrite.com

ACXM Dubai October 28-31
https://dubaiacxm_oct2018.eventbrite.com

ACXM London December 10-13
https://londonacxm.eventbrite.com

https://www.bpgroup.org/acxp1819.html

>> RECENT BLOG POSTS <<
http://www.cxobsession.com

> One Day CX Transformation in Denver
> Customer Experience & Process Improvement transformation
> SIX proven steps to introduce the CX Management Office
> Successful Personal Outcomes Relaunches

>> BPG PRIZE DRAW For JULY <<

The winner for this month is (drum roll)
** Craig Burtenshaw ACXM® **
from Australia who will now receive the USD 500

https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigburtenshaw/

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!!

Next month we are featuring some of the recent Rockstar CX interviews from James Dodkins

See you very soon!
Cheers,
Steve Towers, CEO, ACXC and CPP Champion

One Day CX Transformation in Denver

The 10th Accredited Customer Experience Professional returns to Denver on Monday, September 24th.


With the latest and most effective CX techniques and toolkits wrapped in the CEMMethod, this is sure to be a terrific one-dayer.

https://www.bpgroup.org/denveracxp.html 

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.

https://www.bpgroup.org/denveracxp.html

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.

Please join us in Denver!

https://www.bpgroup.org/denveracxp.html

 

Successful Personal Outcomes Relaunches

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).

Without further hoodoo here is the short intro video… http://www.successfulpersonaloutcomes.com

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.

See you on the inside! http://www.successfulpersonaloutcomes.com

And to your upcoming Success,
Steve

 

PARTNERSHIP >> CONFERENCE >> $500 UP FOR GRABS!

BPG News Update:
1. New Partnership Launched
2. Upcoming Recommended Conference (featuring the CX Rockstar)
3. New Competition – Promote yourself and win $500

> New Partnership launched in Australia/New Zealand <<
IQ Group Australia partner with BPG to deliver CEMMethod™ training ‘down-under’ starting this month!
See the Press Release here: http://bit.ly/BPG_PR
Register your interest:
http://www.iqgroup.com.au/customer-experience-management-method-course/

>> 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!!

Ciao for now,
Steve

Bridging the Gap (Industrial Age > Customer Age)

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
Techniques
Effect based activity (value/ non-value added – waste identification – SPC etc.)
Causal based activity (what creates the work in the org. then let’s fix the causes)
Intelligent Processes
No mechanism exists to ensure processes are intelligent
Specifically designed to implement and mature intelligent processes
Customer
End to End working e.g. SIPOC
Centric working – the customer is at the heart of everything that happens
Are at the end and the beginning of processes
Are enlightened, Promiscuous, Rebellious, Prosumer, Multi-channel, high expectations
Enterprise objectives
Operational and tactical. Aims to fix process.
Strategic and Operational. Aims to implement a sustainable architecture.
Scope
Process based improvements
Enterprise-wide transformation
Other Customer Age resources to explore:
Outside-In The Secret: www.outsideinthesecret.com
CEMMethod™: www.cemmethod.com
Certified Process Professional: www.certifiedprocessprofessional.com
Training: www.bpgroup.org/training.html
 Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetowers/

CX Rockstar James Dodkins interviews Joseph Michelli – driven to delight?

Three fundamental building blocks for CX Excellence – Employee Experience

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.

Customer Trust = Employee Pride

 

Disney EVP, Lee Cockerell

 We are all Leaders

CX Guru, Shep Hyken

No Call Centres at Zappos

Zappos CX Leader, John Wolske

Further resources:

Turning the advice into action: BPG training page
More videos/podcasts on this theme: Rockstar.cx
CX Excellence Coaches: link to coaches

You can see this and more over at www.cxobsession.com