More and more companies are pursuing customer-centered approaches in the context of digital change projects. But where is the customer located in the company? How do I measure his or her behavior? Which feedback sources do we have? How can I analyze and visualize a cross-system journey? And: what do I conclude from this? A new position is created: The Customer Experience Manager (“CX Manager”). People with this job description are faced with a multitude of questions.
In fact, a CX manager should first understand what internal and external analysis is needed to make valid, reliable and qualitative decisions. And which outside-in and insight-out data already exists in the company.
A position as a CX Manager without authority to issue instructions and without access to all data and information of the contact points to the customer is often not enough. We can therefore recommend the following from a lot of software supported CX projects:
- Find a sponsor or get a resolution from the management
This simplifies and accelerates the implementation of important steps, as these are often cross-silo. Once the top level in the company is behind you, it makes sense to form a project team. There are usually a variety of contact points (touchpoints) to the customer beyond those the marketing department is aware of. This results in the following next tip:
- Build the project team out of employees from different departments
Marketing has, for example, more insights into the customer surveys and the online journey of prospects and customers, the service department provides more insights into the processes and service interactions, and distribution via the customer dialogue during the presales phase. This creates the big picture of customer journeys. But watch out:
- Always stay in the customer’s perspective
Too much altitude is too far away from the customer perspective. However, this is important in order to stay close to the customer and to keep an understanding of his needs. A healthy mixture of qualitative and quantitative view on the customers is necessary and should be documented for measuring purposes without any gaps and in real-time. IT supported journeys do not need to be reconstructed in mapping workshops, if they can already be extracted and visualized through a customer journey analysis. But where do I document this? In Excel and PowerPoint? This leads us to Tip 4:
- Establish a central data hub that includes all customer journeys and touchpoints, their customer feedback, and the performance of operational transactions with the customer
Best use a Customer Experience Management System. Holistic closed loop systems have the advantage that the data can be recorded in real time and upgraded to visually processed information along the journey. Over time, this information generates knowledge about customer behavior that, if handled correctly, can lead to the company’s core competency. But only when knowledge is applied competence can be created. Therefore:
- Create a higher-level CX / UX panel of representatives of all operational line departments
After all, the analyzes should not fizzle out. Why analyze the whole thing if the insights gained are not translated into actions and optimizations in the customer interaction? In the Customer Experience System of cx/omni, for example, it is possible to provide each person responsible for the operational execution with visually processed individual overviews and data-based recommendations for action (actionable insights).
Interested in trying that system? Visit https://cxomni.net/ to get more information and to request a free trial!
