Dataconversions guide to implementing a successful CX strategy
As discussed previously (link CX vs CS blog) Customer Experience is one of the biggest buzzwords in business at present.
With research suggesting companies that invest in CX have higher total returns than similar companies that do not, it is more important than ever to invest in this area.
At Dataconversion we specialise in ensuring seamless integration between your data, your software & your comms to create a comprehensive Customer Experience.
One of the biggest challenges we see clients face is that of implementing a CX strategy successfully.
Of course, we all know the benefits of CX but how do you go about creating a CX Strategy for your business?
We sat down with our Commercial Director, Anna Browne, to find out.
According to Anna implementing a successful CX strategy includes (but is not exclusive to) the following steps;
- Designing a Strategy
- Implementation
- Embrace, feedback and tweak
- Measurement
- Culture
Let’s look at each of these in more detail…
Design A Strategy
Step one is a fairly obvious one, there needs to be a CX strategy in place before implementing any CX project. Without a clear strategy in mind, you could risk undermining the entire project.
When creating a CX strategy you must first have a clear understanding of who your customers are. If your going to really understand customer needs and wants, then you need to be able to connect and empathise with the situations that your customers face.
This stage involves significant groundwork should you not have clear customer personas already in place.
However, investing significant time at this stage will pay off in the end as you will avoid implementing a strategy that is based on guesswork as opposed to genuine insight.
This strategy must then align with your data & business strategies as Anna puts it, CX can’t happen in a vacuum.
Implement
When implementing CX it’s important to find the right internal resources committed to the effort for the long term. For the project to be a success, you must ensure both the tech infrastructure and correct processes are in place for CX.
Assigning a management team to oversee the project might seem like an obvious step but it’s an essential one. It’s vital that CX receives top level buy-in as it must filter through the organisation and not simply be viewed as a project for the Marketing department.
Additional budget is another reason as to why CX programmes fail. Often companies don’t consider the ongoing costs of implementing a companywide CX strategy and look only to the initial set up.
However, if brands take this short-sighted approach they will likely fail in their endeavour as CX is ongoing, as opposed to a one and done endeavour. They should continually be evolving as new data flows through the organisation.
Therefore, it is always vital to create a business case ahead of time which seeks to set out the overarching aim of the CLP and showcase its commercial benefits.
Embrace, Feedback & Tweak
Once your CX strategy has been implemented must ensure that it is embraced by the entire organisation. CX must filter through the entire organisation.
From here a constant feedback loop must be in place so that employees can provide their input on the success of the project.
Insights gained from this can then be used to improve upon any issues identified.
Measurement
To measure the success of implementing CX you must ensure that goals are set at the beginning of the project so that you have something to measure results against.
Results should then be measured against goals set at regular intervals to ensure the project is on track to success.
It is important to create visible, unambiguous success as soon as possible because if your team takes a long time to show results, in any scenario, the organisation’s trust is going to begin to waver.
Short-term wins also help demonstrate the success CX can have to senior management by demonstrating short-term wins early and often.
Culture
Instilling a culture of CX won’t happen overnight. Top-down leadership buy-in is required to highlight the importance of CX to the company. You must ensure that as many people as possible understand and accept the vision.
To do this the vision you are communicating must be simple and repeatable. Avoid technical speak and jargon when communicating and select the channels of communication appropriately.
If implementing a CX strategy will cause a major shift in organisational focus a simple staff email won’t do!
Setting up training days for all members of staff so that they are clear about what you are trying to achieve is the best way to ensure success.
The concepts within the CX vision should be easy for everyone in the organisation to repeat. Everyone. Without exception.
