#57 | DCX - Perspectives and insights on digital customer experience
Mastering Organizational Change; 8 Educational Resources for CX Professionals; LI CX Professionals Poll of the Week; Links to Industry news, ideas, insights, and more!
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Mastering Organizational Change
The rumbling in your gut, that rising sense of anxiety, can only be one thing - change is on the horizon. I remember that distinct feeling; it was just after the announcement of a massive restructuring in our organization. The customer experience (CX) team, my team, was right in the eye of the storm.
As Lee Iacocca, the visionary behind the Ford Mustang and later the CEO of Chrysler, once said, "In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive." I believe this holds especially true for CX leaders. When sailing the choppy seas of organizational change, it's our duty to steer our team with unwavering focus, ensuring we navigate safely to calmer waters.
What does it take to lead a CX team successfully through change? It's a question that keeps many leaders awake at night. As CX professionals, we have a unique opportunity in times of change. We can be a source of stability for both employees and customers. We can provide empathy, insight, and a steadfast commitment to the customer experience. Here are five ways to lead your CX team through organizational change:
Cultivate a culture of adaptability. Encourage a growth mindset and embrace challenges as opportunities for learning and improvement. Encourage your team to stay curious and open-minded, and to embrace new technologies and strategies that can help them better serve your customers. Encourage cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing, and provide ongoing training and development opportunities to help your team stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and best practices.
Maintain an open dialogue. Honesty breeds trust, and trust is the cornerstone of adaptability. When change is on the horizon, invite dialogue and encourage questions. Suppressing fear and uncertainty only breeds resistance. Share information early and often. Be transparent about what you know and don't know and the timeline. Make space for employees to ask questions and express concerns. More importantly, truly listen to their responses.
Remember that change is a process, not an event. Often, in our rush to reach the end, we forget the importance of the journey. Take it step-by-step. Involve your team in the transition. After all, who better understands the customer's perspective than your CX team? Have you considered how they can contribute to managing this transition more effectively?
Embrace empathy. This transition is personal for your team members. Take time to listen and provide emotional support. Have regular one-on-one meetings to check in on how people are feeling. Celebrate small wins and moments of joy, even if they seem minor. Recognize that some days will be tough amidst the uncertainty. Offer resources like coaching or mentoring to help folks cope. Remind your team often that you're in this together!
Focus on CX fundamentals. Refresh journey maps. Get customer feedback through surveys, interviews, and social media. Have regular VOC meetings to spot trends. Enhance your voice of the customer programs. Align on ideal experiences and fix broken processes. Great CX provides stability during change.
With each wave of change, there is an opportunity for growth. For the CX team, it's about becoming better, stronger, and more adaptable. The tumultuous waters of change don't have to spell disaster; instead, they can be a path to uncharted territories of innovation and progress.
As a leader, your role is not to resist the tide but to teach your team how to surf the waves. Remember, you don't have to be in the water alone. Your team is your lifeline, your support. The question is, are you ready to embark on this voyage together?
Change can be overwhelming, no doubt. But let me assure you, the rewards at the end of this journey are worth the temporary discomfort. And the best part? You don't have to face it alone. Your CX team is with you, ready and waiting for your guidance.
Are you prepared to turn the tide of change into a wave of opportunity?
If you are in the midst of change right now, I challenge you to take the first step toward leading your team through. Begin with a simple conversation. Invite their thoughts, address their concerns, and, most importantly, reassure them that in the face of change, you'll navigate these troubled waters together. Turn this organizational change into a voyage of discovery and growth for you and your entire CX team.
Organizational change can happen at any time and brings uncertainty. But it also brings opportunities - to refine processes, explore new ideas, and renew focus on customers. How is your CX team preparing? What challenges do you anticipate, and what unique role can CX play? I welcome your insights in the comments. The winds of change may be blowing, but if we steer together guided by customer experience, we'll coast through the storm.
After all, change is the only constant. Why not make it an adventure?
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8 Educational Resources for CX Professionals
If you want to excel in the ever-changing world of Customer Experience (CX), continuous education is a must. As customer expectations shift and new technologies arise, you need to stay ahead of the curve to deliver the exceptional experiences that today's customers demand. Luckily for you, plenty of resources are available to help you keep up!
These resources offer a mix of theoretical knowledge and practical insights, covering everything from understanding Experience API statements to attracting and retaining top talent in the CX field. Whether you prefer joining a global community of CX professionals, attending a CX summit, or diving into comprehensive guides and eBooks, there's something for everyone.
By taking advantage of these resources, you can stay at the forefront of your field, drive innovation, and create memorable experiences for your customers. Remember, learning never stops in the realm of CX; every new piece of knowledge could be the key to your next customer experience breakthrough. Enjoy exploring!
1. Adobe Experience Cloud Community Join the world’s largest Adobe Experience Cloud Community to connect with other CX professionals and share knowledge.
2. Customer Experience Training - Customer Experience Specialist CX University offers a variety of courses and certifications for CX professionals.
3. The CX Trinity This book comprehensively explains the CX trinity: Customers, Content, and Context.
4. Attracting and Retaining CX and UX Talent This resource by Debbie Levitt provides insights into attracting and retaining top talent in the CX and UX fields.
5. CX Talks: The Customer Experience Summit CX Talks is a summit that brings together CX professionals to share ideas and best practices.
6. CX Primer | cxaccelerator This primer provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of customer experience.
7. The Eleven Sacred Cows of Customer Experience This article by Mohamed Latib discusses the eleven sacred cows of customer experience, providing a unique perspective on the field.
8. Making the case for CX investment This whitepaper by CX Network provides arguments and evidence for investing in customer experience initiatives.
Share your favorite or other resources in the comments.
This week I asked our colleagues in the Customer Experience Professionals Group on Linkedin, about whether CX is Art or Science, both or neither. Not a surprising result.
Looks like my recent poll about whether Customer Experience (CX) is an Art, a Science, a Combination, or Neither certainly stirred up some thought-provoking discussions among our industry's thought leaders.
A significant majority—81% to be precise—agreed it's a cocktail of art and science.
They believe that the ideal CX calls for a fine balance of creativity, empathy, and intuition (the art part) served up with a hearty helping of data, facts, and analytics (the science part).
Aileen Day, kicked off the discussion with an interesting position, saying: ‘If it were science, much of it would be replicable with the same expected outcomes, and although there are CX disciplines, there are so many variables in the human experience that this isn't the case and success really does become a little bit of science and a whole lot of heart... I mean art.’
Ben Phillips, brought up a salient point, underscoring the crucial importance of factual data, while interpreting 'art' as the meaningful communication of this data. However, the need for equilibrium in CX was emphasized by both Pedro Santana and Ben Wilson. They pointed out the crucial role of empathy, intuition, and adaptability alongside rigorous data use.
Interestingly, a role-specific perspective came from Mark Michelson, who suggested that experience designers might lean more towards the 'art' side, whereas managers might lean towards 'science.'
Offering a slightly different perspective, Scott Gilbey suggested that CX is more about understanding human behavior and refining the process, thereby diverging from the art-science dichotomy. He also expressed concerns about AI's limitations in replicating genuine human empathy within CX.
From these discussions, the consensus seems to be that a multi-faceted approach to CX, which judiciously combines art and science, is indispensable for delivering top-notch customer experiences.
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Twilio Introduces Generative AI for Service, Sales, & Marketing Teams - CX Today
Last month, Twilio launched a new AI offering, CustomerAI, which embeds generative AI into its Customer Engagement Platform to help businesses gain new customer data to use for service, sales, and marketing activities.
CustomerAI will also help with customer responses, campaign content, lead conversion, and more. It is intended to create a more cohesive customer experience and better collaboration between departments.
Retailers and brands need to shift their focus from points and discounts to providing better experiences in order to gain and maintain customer loyalty. This includes recognizing customers, understanding their purchase behavior, providing conveniences and solutions to problems, and collecting customer feedback. Brands should use customer data platforms to understand customer needs and measure loyalty progress.
Federal Executive Forum Customer Experience in Government | Federal News Network
This webinar will cover strategies and initiatives to improve customer experience by CX experts from the Department of Homeland Security, Internal Revenue Service, Education Department, and Agriculture Department.
Each week, I share a profile of a person from LinkedIn whom I believe can positively impact your life and career.
This week, meet Claire Cunningham, Founder and Director of The Customer Connexion in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, as well as the National CX Manager at Coles, a supermarket chain of over 800 locations.
Claire Cunningham is a passionate and innovative leader with over 16 years of experience delighting customers and empowering teams across various industries. Her expertise in sales growth and seamless customer experiences has earned her numerous awards.
As Chief Commercial Officer at CCX Media, Claire oversees revenue-generating operations. She thrives on finding creative solutions to drive growth and provide incredible service. Claire leads with enthusiasm and is excited about ensuring exceptional experiences.
Having worked extensively with Millennial and Gen Z markets, Claire has her finger on the pulse of what these audiences want and value. Her superpower is anticipating the evolving needs of all customers. Claire is the consultant and trainer you need to transform your business by putting customers and staff at the forefront.
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