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June 21, 2016
James O’GaraCEO / Founder, OnMessage
Securing executive alignment and clearly defined priorities
in support of the customer experience is crucial. Yet, so few
companies have a game plan for making this happen. In most
cases customer experience, as a priority within the business,
originates and stagnates within customer service or call center
departments. The initiative fails to gain traction in other
customer-facing areas of the business. It never receives
executive support and endorsement. As a result, the customer
experience never delivers material business results.
Why is this? For customer experience to translate into
improved financial performance and become a competitive
advantage it must be embraced enterprise-wide. It must be
implemented in a cross-functional manner — and, it has to
be a priority for the CMO, CEO and the entire C-suite.
Securing unwavering commitment from the CEO is a must. The fact is, to be successful the CEO must truly believe
customer experience matters. The CEO must commit to creating
an experience that will differentiate the company and grow
the business. Without this level of commitment, customer
experience becomes just another business fad. Something a
few members of the team talk about for a while before it quickly
fades to black. It’s never institutionalized. It’s never
operationalized. It does not become a cornerstone of the
company’s business strategy. In these cases, companies should
save their money or spend it elsewhere. But for those companies
where the CMO, CEO and the entire C-suite are fully committed
to making customer experience management a difference
maker, it is the best place the company can invest its money.
The Link Between the CEO, Customer Experience and Meaningful Results. There is a clear link between a CEO’s commitment to customer
experience management and business profitably. That’s the
key takeaway from a global study led by The Economist
Intelligence Unit. The study found that 58 percent of
companies reported much higher profitability than their
competitors when the CEO was in charge of customer
experience, and 59 percent experience better revenue growth
as a result of prioritizing strategic customer experience
investments. The study also discovered that 63 percent of
executives who make customer experience a priority actually
deliver a better customer experience than their competition.
How the CMO Can Lock-In CEO Commitment. There are a multitude of reports that explain one simple fact:
If the CEO is not actively evangelizing customer experience
management — the game is over. A company’s customer
experience has no chance of producing lasting and meaningful
results without unwavering commitment from the CEO.
Without it – the initiative will not sustain energy long enough
for the benefits to materialize in the customer experience.
Have the tough discussions. The very first step a CMO has to take in this process is to
get one-on-one time with the CEO and have a candid, open
discussion about the customer. Discussions about how
customer experience is changing the competitive environment;
why customer acquisition, retention, loyalty and advocacy
will determine future success; and why people, processes
and technologies must be centered on the customer for the
company to win. During this conversation, CMOs should be
prepared to surface relevant and meaningful proof points that
validate how a superior customer experience will improve the
long-term financial performance of the business.
10 Commitments Every CEO Must Make to Realize Customer Experience Success.
The CEO must truly believe customer experience matters.
Ask the difficult questions. In this meeting, you’ll also need to ask your CEO some difficult
questions. Such as, does your CEO feel leaders have a deep
understanding of the customer? Is the business centered
on the needs and desires of high-value customers? Is the
company’s go-to-market strategy rooted in deep, meaningful
customer insights? Is the company’s product and service
roadmap tied to current and future customer requirements?
Are C-suite conversations and decisions anchored in meeting
and exceeding specific customer expectations? Is the
company’s culture driven by a deep desire to create a
superior experience? Does the company have the people,
processes and technologies in place to deliver a consistent
customer experience?
Be prepared to deal with the answers.
Once you get these questions on the table, you will need to be
prepared for the answers — and, you’ll need to be prepared
to read between the lines. Where does the CEO take the
conversation? Does your CEO acknowledge challenges the
company has with respect to delivering a compelling and
consistent customer experience? Does your CEO recognize
the gaps that currently exist in your people, processes and
technologies? Does your CEO realize how the culture has to
change if the customer experience is going to change? Does
your CEO see how an improved customer experience can
become a strategic advantage in the marketplace? How the
CEO responds to these questions will tell you a lot about how
convinced he or she is that customer experience should be a
strategic priority for the business.
Make a business case. Be prepared to have multiple conversations. The CEO may ask
you to dig deeper, provide more insights about your current
customer experience and identify metrics that determine how
customer experience improvements will benefit the bottom-line.
If this happens, it is a great sign. It means your CEO is
interested. It means your CEO wants to know more and is
taking the conversation seriously. Your job is to help your
CEO assess and define the upside, then lock in his or her
commitment. Here’s what that commitment looks like.
10 commitments CMOs need from their CEO. There are 10 commitments you need to secure from
your CEO if you want to achieve customer experience
management success...
1. Commitment to Customer-Centricity2. Commitment to CXM Ownership3. Commitment to a Direct C-Suite Reporting Relationship4. Commitment to C-Suite Funding and Involvement5. Commitment to Cross-Functional Leadership Accountability6. Commitment to Organizational Change (People, Process, Technology)7. Commitment to Meaningful Performance Metrics8. Commitment to Measurement and Reporting Systems
9. Commitment to Realistic Timeline for Business Impact10. Commitment to Sustained, Company-Wide CX Cadence
All 10 are non-negotiable – if you want CX to be a difference maker. Based on our experience, if you want to deliver material
results, these are nonnegotiable. Each one of these represents
the commitment required for customer experience
management to translate into a competitive advantage. In
the coming weeks, we will identify the specific “ask” and
“actions” tied to each commitment. Things your CEO must
be willing to do if customer experience is to become a true
difference maker for your business.
More Information: To learn how you can bring a clear, compelling and
consistent story to life in the customer experience,
visit www.itsonmessage.com/resource.Your job is to help your CEO assess and define the upside, then lock in his or her commitment.