Customer Centricity Isn’t a CX Problem
It’s an everyone problem.
You’ve been in this meeting.
CX brings an issue.
Data checks out.
Customer pain is obvious.
People nod.
Then it starts.
“That’s not really ours.”
Sales looks at quota.
Finance asks about cost.
Legal flags risk.
IT says it’s not fast.
Ops says they’re stretched.
No one’s blocking.
Nothing moves.
And no one feels responsible.
This isn’t a CX failure.
It’s an ownership one.
Not because people don’t care—but because no one owns the outcome.
This pattern shows up differently in Sales, Finance, Legal, IT, and Operations—and it’s predictable once you know what to look for.
Why Buy-In Breaks
Most teams aren’t anti-customer.
They’re loyal to their metrics.
If CX feels abstract, it gets ignored.
If it feels like extra work, it slips.
If it threatens KPIs, it gets parked.
Agreement is easy.
Ownership isn’t.
Customer centricity doesn’t spread because people agree with it.
It spreads when people see where their decisions show up.
The Real Problem
Customer centricity doesn’t fail at the vision level.
It fails at the handoff.
Between insight and action.
Between CX and Finance.
Between CX and Sales.
Between CX and IT.
Between CX and Operations.
Everyone sees the same customer.
They just experience the consequences differently.
Until teams can see where their decisions show up in a customer’s day, CX stays theoretical.
This is the part most CX work skips: translating insight into decisions each function already owns.
What Actually Changes Things
It’s not asking people to care more.
It’s meeting them where they already operate.
Same customer.
Different incentives.
Different pressure.
When CX fits inside that reality, things move.
One Question That Opens the Door
Skip the CX pitch.
Ask:
“What decision do you make that customers feel, even if you never meet them?”
That question does more than alignment slides ever will.
Because now the work is specific.
Where Buy-In Actually Lives
It’s not in agreement—it’s in how each function defines success.
This is where most CX efforts quietly break.
Not because the insight is wrong.
Because the translation never happens.
Sales doesn’t resist CX the way Finance does.
Legal doesn’t evaluate it like Product.
IT doesn’t prioritize it like Operations.
Same customer.
Completely different decision logic.
The gap isn’t understanding the customer—it’s mapping decisions to consequences by function.
This article is meant to surface the pattern.
It’s not meant to solve it.
Because solving it requires going function by function—showing each team:
Where they help
Where they hurt
Which decisions customers actually feel
And how CX fits inside what they already care about
That’s not belief-building.
That’s execution design.
It doesn’t fit in a newsletter post—and it shouldn’t.
Most teams never make that mapping explicit—so CX keeps bouncing between functions without landing anywhere.
If You Want This to Actually Move
If you’re responsible for CX—and tired of carrying it alone—download this free guide: A CX Leader’s Guide to Organizational Buy-in.
It breaks down customer-centricity by function—where decisions are actually made.
For each function, it shows:
– the decisions customers actually feel
– the metrics that drive them
– where CX gets lost—or unlocked
It gives you the language, examples, and framing that make buy-in real—without asking people to “care more.”
Download it if:
Your CX work gets nods but no follow-through
You’re done repeating the same argument to different teams
You need traction, not alignment
Skip it if:
Awareness feels like progress
You think belief drives behavior
You’re fine owning CX by yourself
Otherwise, get the guide.
This article is the signal.
The guide is the system.
PS: If you’ve ever thought “everyone agrees, but nothing changes,” this guide is designed to break that loop.
What Successful CX Leaders Do on Sundays
DCX Links: Six must-read picks to fuel your leadership journey delivered every Sunday morning. Dive into the latest edition now!
👋 Please Reach Out
I created this newsletter to help customer-obsessed pros like you deliver exceptional experiences and tackle challenges head-on. But honestly? The best part is connecting with awesome, like-minded people—just like you! 😊
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