DCX #110 | Empowering Your CX Team: A Leader's Guide to Excellence
Discover how trust, collaboration, and customer obsession can transform your team into a CX powerhouse – insights from two decades in the field
Weekly inspiration, education, and coaching for customer-obsessed leaders.
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The key to delivering exceptional customer experiences lies in building extraordinary teams.
Through over a 20 year career in CX, I've discovered a fundamental truth:
While strategies, technologies, and processes all play crucial roles; it's the people—working together in harmony—who truly make the difference.
I've seen firsthand how a well-built team can transform customer interactions from mundane to memorable, from frustrating to fantastic.
The right team can anticipate needs, solve complex problems, and create moments of delight that turn customers into lifelong advocates.
The question is: how do you build such a team?
The article you're about to read, "10 Principles for Building High-Performing CX Teams," is the culmination of years of experience, countless interactions, and deep reflection on what truly makes CX teams excel.
I've been fortunate to build, work with, and observe numerous customer experience teams.
I've seen what works, what doesn't, and most importantly, what can transform a good team into an exceptional one. This article distills those insights into ten core principles.
They're practical, actionable strategies that I've seen drive real results.
I hope this article will inspire and guide you and other customer-obsessed professionals in building stronger, more effective CX teams.
Regardless of your current position, I believe you'll find value in these principles. They've been instrumental in my journey, and I hope they'll be just as impactful in yours.
I invite you to reflect on these principles and consider how they might apply to your own teams. Please don't hesitate to reach out with your thoughts or experiences. I'd love to hear how these resonate with you.
Here's to elevating the world of CX, one team at a time.
-Mark
10 Principles of High-Performing CX Teams
Let's explore each of these principles in more detail and how you can bring them to life in your organization.
1. We are customer-obsessed
Customer obsession goes beyond customer focus. It means putting the customer at the center of every decision, big or small.
It's about going beyond merely satisfying customer needs to anticipating and exceeding their expectations.
This principle involves deeply understanding our customers' journeys, pain points, and aspirations and using these insights to drive every decision we make.
To cultivate customer obsession in your team:
Implement regular "customer immersion" sessions where team members interact directly with customers.
Run "What If?" workshops to spark innovative thinking about customer experience.
Institute a "Customer First" veto power in decision-making processes.
2. We trust each other
Trust is the bedrock of high-performing teams.
When team members trust each other, they're more likely to take risks, share ideas, and collaborate effectively.
Building trust involves being transparent about our successes and failures, following through on commitments, and creating an environment where it's safe to take calculated risks.
To build trust in your team:
Lead by example—be vulnerable and admit when you don't have all the answers.
Implement a "no-blame" policy for honest mistakes.
Establish "Trust Falls"—regular sessions where team members share personal challenges.
3. We freely share ideas
In my experience, innovation thrives when ideas flow freely.
Teams that encourage open communication and idea-sharing tap into their collective intelligence, leading to more innovative solutions and faster problem-solving.
Prioritize creating spaces—both physical and digital—where ideas can be shared without fear of judgment.
To foster a culture of idea-sharing:
Create multiple channels for idea submission, including anonymous options.
Implement a "no idea is too crazy" policy to encourage out-of-the-box thinking.
Regularly review and act on submitted ideas, providing feedback on why ideas are or aren't implemented.
4. We are collaborative
Collaboration leverages diverse skills and perspectives to create outcomes that no individual could achieve alone.
In CX, where touchpoints often span multiple departments, collaboration is essential for creating seamless customer journeys.
To enhance collaboration in your team:
Create opportunities for cross-functional projects.
Use collaborative tools that make it easy for team members to work together, regardless of location.
Create a "Skill Swap" program where team members teach each other their expertise.
5. We push past established boundaries
Complacency is the enemy of excellence in CX.
The best teams I've led are those willing to question assumptions, experiment with new approaches, and push beyond their comfort zones.
Cultivate a growth mindset in your team, encouraging them to embrace change as an opportunity rather than a threat.
To encourage boundary-pushing in your team:
Allocate time and resources for experimentation.
Create a "Boundary Breaker of the Month" award for innovative thinking.
Regularly expose your team to new ideas through workshops, conferences, or guest speakers.
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6. Not only do we solve the current problem – but we head off the next one
In CX, solving the immediate problem is just the beginning.
True excellence comes from anticipating the ripple effects of our solutions and addressing potential future issues before they arise.
This forward-thinking approach not only improves customer satisfaction but also reduces operational inefficiencies.
To cultivate a proactive mindset:
Implement regular "future-proofing" sessions to anticipate potential challenges.
Use data analytics to identify trends and patterns that could lead to future problems.
Encourage your team to always ask, "What's the next problem this solution might create?"
7. We build relationships
Strong relationships—both within the team and with customers—are the foundation of exceptional CX.
Internally, solid relationships foster better collaboration and a more supportive work environment.
Externally, building genuine connections with customers leads to loyalty, advocacy, and valuable insights.
To strengthen relationships:
Implement a "Buddy System" pairing new hires with experienced team members.
Train your team in emotional intelligence and active listening.
Implement "Personal User Manuals" where team members share their work styles.
8. We are driven to continually improve
Standing still is moving backward.
Customer expectations are always evolving, making continuous improvement a necessity.
Foster a culture of learning where we actively seek feedback and use it to drive personal and team growth.
We're never satisfied with the status quo, always seeking ways to enhance our skills, processes, and outcomes.
To foster continuous improvement:
Host "Feedback Fridays" for constructive peer-to-peer feedback.
Implement a "Skill of the Month" focus for team-wide improvement.
Host regular "Lessons Learned" sessions after project completion.
9. We are accountable for customer outcomes
True customer-centricity means taking ownership of the entire customer experience, not just individual touchpoints.
I emphasize the importance of following through, measuring the impact of our actions, and taking responsibility for the results—both positive and negative.
To build a culture of accountability:
Clearly define what success looks like for each role and how it impacts the customer.
Implement a robust system for tracking and measuring customer outcomes.
Implement "Outcome Ownership," where team members 'adopt' specific customer outcomes.
10. We make a positive impact on our customer's lives
At its core, I believe exceptional CX is about improving people's lives.
This principle reminds us that our work has real-world implications beyond metrics and KPIs.
It's about creating moments of delight, solving genuine problems, and adding value in ways that matter to customers.
To bring this principle to life:
Regularly share customer success stories with your team.
Help team members connect their individual roles to the broader impact on customers' lives.
Create opportunities for your team to engage in community service or social impact initiatives related to your business.
Bringing It All Together
These ten principles form the foundation of how I build and lead high-performing CX teams.
Their true power lies in how they interact and reinforce each other.
Our customer obsession drives us to build relationships and continually improve.
Trust enables the free sharing of ideas and collaboration.
Pushing boundaries and proactive problem-solving lead to innovative solutions that make a positive impact.
As a leader, I see my role as not only embodying these principles but creating an environment where they can flourish. This means:
Leading by example, consistently demonstrating these principles in my own actions.
Providing the tools and resources necessary for the team to execute on these principles effectively.
Recognizing and rewarding behaviors that align with these principles, reinforcing their importance.
Continuously communicating the value of these principles and how they contribute to our team's and organization's success.
By integrating these principles into the fabric of your team's culture, you'll create a powerful engine for delivering exceptional customer experiences. Remember, the journey to CX excellence is ongoing.
I encourage you to embrace these principles, adapt them to your unique context, and watch as your team transforms challenges into opportunities, turning customers into lifelong advocates for your brand.
I’d love to hear from you as well - what would you add?
Thanks for being here. I’ll see you next Tuesday at 8:15 am ET.
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P.S.
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-Mark