"Moving Mountains” was this year’s theme at the CXPA Insight Exchange and, from my perspective, the CX industry is poised to do just that. With the goal of challenging status quo and spearheading transformation in their organizations, attendees were there to get real. Everyone in the room knows that CX isn’t easy, but they are doing it anyway. It was exciting to see so much generosity in sharing while also wanting to experience, learn and try. The drive, depth, courage, and heart of the all the CX leaders in attendance was inspiring. Key topics from the conference included:
- ROI Pressures – Perhaps the most talked about topic was CX measurement and accountability. Without rigorous financials, CX efforts are getting lost among other organizational priorities and funding becomes scarce. With so many jobs to be done, people can’t seem to do enough. The breakout sessions about finding and articulating business value were often at capacity. I was excited to see so many leaders attending Dove LeBaron’s Experience Economics® session where she shared North Highland’s model to measure the value of sustainable customer centricity. And, perhaps the most poignant statement came from Geeta Wilson when she reminded us, “There is no real impact until the customer feels it.”
- Driving Scale – As CX matures, the job shifts from ‘leading and doing’ to ‘empowering and enabling.’ Retaining consistency is nearly impossible, but many leaders are adding self-service tools and reframing their role to be more of a counselor so they can involve more people and move in the same direction. Preventing this is often the organizational silos and “ego-system” as Ian Golding called it. Those operating on a global scale also face cultural challenges, pace tolerance and “tin cup” efforts in each region, requiring even more persistence and tenacity to reach the inflection point. As a consultant for North Highland, I get to see best practices across industries and help solve these kinds of complex challenges every day.
- Changing Mindsets – One of the biggest hurdles facing customer-centric transformation is changing legacy mindsets inside organizations. We’ve proven that adding more listening posts, chasing shiny new ideas and tools, and collecting more survey results are not going to create the significant change we seek. Facts aren’t getting through. We must tell stories that bring emotion to life. Many CX pros, like Airbnb, have started using customer videos and launching employee immersion programs to add context, dramatize sentiment, and inspire action.
It is clear the CX evolution is just beginning. It is time to accelerate. We are ready.