TRANSFORM YOUR APPROACH TO CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE...generation, is transforming the way we think about customers’ attitudes and mindsets, not age. • Acknowledge that consumer comfort

CustomerExperienceCanada.com Page 1

TRANSFORM YOUR APPROACH TO CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Insight from Canada’s CX Experts

CustomerExperienceCanada.com

https://www.customerexperiencecanada.com/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=ebook&utm_campaign=cx


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With ever-increasing opportunities to engage with clients, the value of Customer Experience is at an all time high. We asked 6 of Canada’s World-Class CX leaders to share their tips to deliver next generation experiences and guarantee pro tability across the entire customer journey.

Our experts share their strategies to advance customer insight, ensure consistency across touch points and build a client-centric culture at your workplace. Continue reading to learn from their experiences.


Colin CrowleyVP of Customer ExperienceFreshly

• My main piece of advice to those building CX programs - and I will reference most specifically my experience in the customer support space in particular - is twofold: First, you should focus on infrastructure early and often and spend time and resources creating the skeletal foundation out of which your organization will growth. Infrastructure is very important to ensure that an organization functions efficiently and intelligently and it becomes more difficult to build and develop over time as more and more people (and therefore more and more complexity) is added into your organization. The early stages of any program provide a unique opportunity to set the rules and processes around which everything else will function and also provide early directional focus, forcing you to prioritize the components of a longer-term strategy and think more in-depth about what sort of organization you want to build.

• Second, you should shoot for excellence early as well, as opposed to kicking the can down the road and assuming you’ll conquer excellence when your organization reaches a certain threshold of maturity. It is easy to defer excellence when you’re relatively young as a company or an organization - and there are some forms of excellence that you may have to defer, logistically speaking - but, aside from pure logistical constraints, you should aim for KPI excellence early in your history.

• By hitting those targets, it (even morally) commits your organization to continue hitting them, because no CEO wants to show their shareholders a chart with a line heading in the wrong direction - and that, in turn, makes you more mindful about investing in excellence as your organization grows and prompts you to develop scaling strategies around maintaining excellence, rather than letting cost concerns dominate primarily on the basis (often unfulfilled) that you’ll invest in excellence later.

WHAT RECOMMENDATION(S) WOULD YOU PROVIDE TO SOMEONE LAUNCHING A NEW CX PROGRAM, OR ATTEMPTING TO IMPROVE ON THEIR EXISTING STRATEGIES?




• At the end of the day, the best means of convincing executives to invest in CX comes down to data. Data, like music, is a universal language of sorts that is able to unite people (if done properly and holistically) around key areas of concern. All too often, there is an unfortunate lack of data available when it comes to customer experiences - especially regarding the more intangible components of those, dealing with customer feelings and impressions - so you have to be mindful of collecting data proactively in these areas.

• You also have to make sure you understand how that data intermingles with other key points of data, such as its impact on retention, average order value, and the other more tangible types of bottom-line metrics. One of the best ways to gather data about something unknown is to ease yourself into it, collecting data along the way and building up a “portfolio” of facts that you can ultimately hand off to an executive. If you’re looking at adopting an expensive chatbot technology, for example, you might want to consider trying out a basic, low-level bot first through a company with a low price point - something that perhaps spits FAQ articles at customers rather than robust pre-built conversational experiences. This would reduce costs but also help to provide a baseline of expectations, because, if you can achieve X goals with a very basic bot, you know that any more expensive bot has to deliver at least X x Y% to be justifiable - with the flip side being that, if you CAN achieve X with a low-level chatbot, what else could you achieve with a more advanced version?

• This type of early experimentation using up-and-coming (and cheaper) technology companies can be used across the technological spectrum with AI and RPA solutions to prove use cases and build justifications for broader investments in technological infrastructure that would be harder to justify from the get-go.

HOW WOULD YOU INFLUENCE SENIOR EXECUTIVES TO INVEST IN CX WHEN THEY DON’T BELIEVE THAT IT WILL INCREASE BUSINESS PERFORMANCE? WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO GET STARTED ON A CX JOURNEY IN THIS SITUATION?




• The key to reliability when it comes to surveys and other types of information that are opinion- and whim-based is making sure you collect data in sufficient quantities and in sufficient diversity to be relevant. A survey system will only ever address certain components of a customer’s experience, so you need to make sure that you ask many different questions at many different points in the customer journey - before sign-up, right after sign-up, after the first product delivery, after customer support interactions.

• The multiplicity of data points helps to create a larger story of the customer experience rather than siloed stories or vignettes that don’t necessarily contribute to an overall narrative. You also want to maximize responsiveness to those surveys so you can be more assured the data you are getting is relevant, wth SMS being a particularly good delivery option for higher responsiveness. Another key idea is to make use of internal employees to serve as proxy voices of the customer, since, at the end of the day, a well-trained customer experience professional can analyze customer interactions often better than customers themselves, having a broader view of customer needs and expectations. In the customer support space, for example, you should invest in a robust QA program that seeks to metricize intangibles like empathy by breaking them down into component parts (what truly is empathy in a customer support interaction?) and then grading customer support agents minutely on those component parts, resulting in a score.

• This score can be tracked across agents and teams and cross-referenced with other data, like CSAT scores or LTV, to draw larger conclusions about how empathetic customer support interactions can be linked to higher loyalty and revenue generation, thereby magnifying the importance of empathy training among agents.

HOW CAN WE MEASURE THE EXPERIENCES WE DELIVER IN LESS OVERT WAYS SUCH AS SURVEYS AND FEEDBACK TOOLS?



Chris LordGlobal Head of Growth, Strategy and MarketingHGS

• Understand the consumer journey: Understand where your customer is trying to reach you, and what they’re trying to achieve. Customers will interact differently, so make sure you’re providing them with the right resources in the right place, so they can easily find the information they need. Generation C, The Connected Customer generation, is transforming the way we think about customers’ attitudes and mindsets, not age.• Acknowledge that consumer comfort comes first: The majority of consumers want to be in charge of managing the services they use including their transactions, troubleshooting and resolving a technical issue, buying a product, etc. As a result, they are more than ready to use self-help tools themselves to find an answer.• Be proactive: As new channels surface, consumers expect thatthe servicing brand will provide proactive information through all channels of communication. For example, a consumer wants to be constantly updated on the status of a shipment they ordered, without being the one to make the initial contact.• Understand the power of knowledge: In the process of developing an omni-channel consumer engagement experience, it is very important for businesses trying to deliver services through web self-serviceto provide agent-based communication channels. Knowledge management, in combination with online self-help tools, can help reduce manual overhead and provide dynamic engagement solutions.• Be tech savvy: With new channels evolving so rapidly, customer service reps need the ability to interact with multiple back-end systems in order to optimize the omni-channel environment and businesses need to stop using the channels and systems in silos.• Help your customer find what they’re looking for, as quickly as possible, guiding them to the most efficient channel. Increasingly, this means online, as Gartner recently reported that social media and digital self- help channels will be preferred by 2018, with approximately two- thirds of all customer interactions taking place there.

WHAT ARE SOME TIPS TO ENSURE SEAMLESS OMNI-CHANNEL INTERACTIONS WITH CUSTOMERS?



WHAT ARE SOME TIPS TO ENSURE SEAMLESSOMNI-CHANNEL INTERACTIONS WITH CUSTOMERS?

Jen RodstromCX TransformistHGS

Sara SchmidtSenior Manager, Corporate Initiatives and Strategic PrioritiesAgriculture Financial Services Corporation

Stephan SigaudEVP Marketing & DevelopmentPhase 5

• We need to recognize who a customer is regardless of the channel they use to reach out to us – be it through a contact center, online, mobile, or in person. By weaving together data from across different channels, companies can better understand the customer’s overarching journey and what the customer hopes to accomplish. This data can identify pain points where a customer is unable to do what they want in one channel and is forced to use a different channel. This insight helps companies to prioritize the interactions they need to improve. By looking across the entire journey, rather than at individual interactions, companies can make sure the overall experience meets customers’ expectations and needs. This all starts with linking customer data together across each channel.

• Journey map first, planning for the friction points where a client may run into an issue and want to switch channels. Then, thought-fully design the transition between channels.

• The right organizational structure, CX governance, and utilizing the right technology.

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Martin Lampman Director, Customer Support OperationsBritish Columbia Lottery Corporation

Roger PugsleyDirector of Service ExcellenceOxford Properties

• Timing – Good visionaries can see the need and the urgency for a strong CX strategy, but first it comes down to timing. Ideally this should be aligned ahead of your annual business and budget planning sessions. This way you can provide the runway and keep an eye on funds needed to make it a success.• Strategy – Customer Experience is not part of the strategy. It becomes tag line, after thought, or a measurement that we chase. If Customer Experience is your strategy, or a key pillar of your strategy, it should be interwoven and you should have a clear vision of how it works.• Culture – Leadership may believe it is the direction but if the culture doesn’t buy into it, it will meet resistance and roadblocks. If Customer Experience is a key strategy or Pillar that holds up your strategy this will help in providing an understanding of why and where you expect to go.

• Leadership commitment is vital to CX strategy success – do they understand that building CX into their overall business strategy will lead to better business results? Once a CX journey has begun, leadership will want justification in the form of links between CX and bottom line results – this has been a significant challenge for many in the CX field. Leadership support/communications/funding greatly accelerates a CX journey. • CX success is dependent on having the right person manage the CX strategy utilizing a time-tested CX program framework. Staff must have a customer-centric mindset to adopt CX best practices and hiring practices must align with this need. Another challenge is building organizational trust in CX metrics like NPS, especially if some component of compensation is tied to CX metrics

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE GREATEST OBSTACLES ORGANIZATIONS ARE FACING WHEN IMPLEMENTING THEIR CX STRATEGY?



Jennifer CampbellGM Influencer MarketingCanada Post

• It is easy to pay lip service to CX as part of a vision statement, or even annual objectives and there are many software tools that claim to simplify the process. The key challenge is connecting these two ends of the spectrum, and bringing it all to life in a seamless way. Organizational processes and policies get in the way. Typically, these are created with the organization, not the end customer, in mind. From service delivery to transacting and billing to employee and customer feedback, most companies who are starting to focus on CX need to un-do some of these processes, and re-work with this new lens. It can be done—but it takes time and commitment from all levels. • Empowerment with guidelines is critical for CX strategy to be successful. Employees need to understand, and buy in to, the role they play. This means that without the tools and latitude, the aligned goals and rewards, and seeing what successful CX examples and outcomes look like, it is very challenging to be successful.




Chris LordGlobal Head of Growth, Strategy and MarketingHGS

• Multiple stakeholders with conflicting priorities and siloed departments are often a barrier when implementing a CX strategy. There are often many parties inside an organization that touch the digital environment, whether it’s sales, marketing, website teams, analytics teams, agencies, PR, social media, or customer service. Each department has their own preferences when it comes to the type of technology they use. For example, the analytics team may prefer Google Analytics for website traffic, while social media may prefer Sprinkler, and customer experience may prefer LivePerson for chat.• A lot of questions need to be answered in regard to decisions and investments that have to be made, like “What is going to be our vision and our strategy?” “What does ‘great’ look like?” “Who are the people we need to support ‘great’?” and “Do we have those people or do we need to hire those people?” For example, “Do we need to invest more in data scientists and analytical tools that we can use to learn about digital customer behavior – their preferences, emotions and expectations to better service customers?” Also, “What processes and technology should we use?” It is with technology that a lot of the conflict comes into play. People are often reluctant to give up the tools they are used to using. Engaging a customer experience outsourcing company can provide a catalyst for change, de-politicize decision-making, and help gain consensus across the organization. Use Design Thinking to keep the focus on the customer and optimize their experience, don’t lead with technology; Lead with effort being easy to do business with – help your clients Get the Right Answer Fast.




Jen RodstromCX TransformistHGS

Sara SchmidtSenior Manager, Corporate Initiatives and Strategic PrioritiesAgriculture Financial Services Corporation


• Competing priorities make it very difficult for companies to implement their CX strategy. What these priorities are can vary by company. For publicly held companies, it can be the drive to meet quarterly revenue goals – leading to suboptimal experiences in order to close the sale. Some organizations are driven by the need to get the latest technology release out the door regardless of if there are bugs or areas that may be difficult for customers to navigate. Trying to keep CX top of mind at a company can be a big obstacle; ideally the CX strategy is in line with strategic objectives, but competing priorities can still make long-term change challenging.

• Underestimating the behavioural changes required by staff. Spending enough time up front planning the strategy and then planning the tactical steps to arrive at a (pre planned, well articulated) future state.

• Having a strategy! Many organizations don’t have one and just jump into tactics.




WHEN IMPLEMENTING CX TOOLS, WHAT ARE YOUR TOP MUST-HAVES AND WHY?

Sara SchmidtSenior Manager, Corporate Initiatives and Strategic Priorities Agriculture Financial Services Corporation


• A dedicated team who understands not only the client journey but also what is happening in the non-traditional spaces outside of your organization.

If by CX tools you mean VOC software, some of the top must haves are:

• closed loop process• distributed reporting• integration with other listening posts (esp. social)



IDEALLY, HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK A COMPANY SHOULD INVEST IN CX TO SEE A RETURN?

Sara SchmidtSenior Manager, Corporate Initiatives and Strategic Priorities Agriculture Financial Services Corporation


• 10% of their people resources as a dedicated team to work on projects and initiatives to represent the client perspective.

• Start with investing enough time on CX goals to find out the right dollar amount to invest to achieve those goals.


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TRANSFORM YOUR APPROACH TO CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE...generation, is transforming the way we think about customers’ attitudes and mindsets, not age. • Acknowledge that consumer comfort