10 Non-Negotiables For Doing CX That Actually Matters
Think You’re Built for a Career in CX? (We'll see)
CX isn’t about the customer.
Not at first.
It’s about you—your mindset, your work ethic, your ability to care when no one’s watching.
I didn’t dream of a career in CX. I landed here by accident, like most of us.
One messy project. One angry customer. One fire I stayed late to put out.
Next thing I knew, I was “the CX guy.”
Since then, I’ve seen what works and what wears people down.
I’ve sat in war rooms at midnight. Read chat logs at 2 a.m.
Listened in on customer calls. Followed up on surveys.
Launched fixes that saved the day—and pilots that crashed on takeoff.
And here’s what I’ve learned:
Talking about customer experience is easy.
Changing it? That’s the real work.
So if you're serious—if you're done nodding in meetings and ready to lead—this is for you.
No jargon. No cheerleading. Just lessons that matter and moves that work.
The advice I wish someone had given me on day one.
10 non-negotiables for doing CX that actually matters
1. Care About People. Deeply.
If you don’t genuinely care about people, this job will eat you alive.
And I don’t just mean customers.
I mean your support agents.
The dev who pulled an all-nighter.
The analyst who sends you a spreadsheet late on a Friday.
If you can’t love the mess of being human, this job isn’t for you.
Real talk: Would your team say you care about them, or just the metrics?
🔧 Try this: Ask three team members this week what’s slowing them down—and then help fix it.
2. Learn How the Business Makes Money
You can’t help the business if you don’t understand how it works.
That means knowing the P&L, where the revenue comes from, and where it leaks.
Your job?
Show how great experiences make money.
Learn to talk Customer AND Finance.
Question: Could you walk into a CFO’s office and connect your work to the numbers?
🔧 Try this: Schedule time with your finance lead. Ask them to explain the P&L like you’re five.
3. Data Is Only Powerful If It Drives Action
NPS and CSAT are just numbers unless they lead to something.
Anyone can build a dashboard.
Great CX pros use data to spot patterns, tell stories, and drive decisions.
Gut check: When was the last time your data actually changed something?
🔧 Try this: Pick one stat from your last CX report and show exactly how it led to a change.
4. Get Good at Navigating the Mess
You’re gonna run into silos, politics, and teams saying “not our problem.”
It’s annoying.
But the best CX leaders don’t fight the system—they move through it.
They unlock progress.
They get stuck stuff unstuck.
Be honest: Do you solve problems, or just describe them really well?
🔧 Try this: Identify one cross-functional pain point. Call a 15-minute working session. Move it forward.
5. Results > Rhetoric
You don’t earn trust with talk.
You earn it by shipping.
Fix something.
Improve something.
Launch something—even if it’s small.
Slides are easy.
Progress is hard.
Quick question: What have you actually delivered lately?
🔧 Try this: Fix one broken thing this week. Tell no one. Just make it better.
6. Shadow the Frontline
Don’t guess what the experience feels like.
Go live it.
Sit in the contact center.
Read chat logs.
Walk the store floor.
You'll learn more in one afternoon shadowing than in 10 meetings.
When’s the last time you listened to a real customer call?
🔧 Try this: Block 1 hour to sit with a frontline agent. Ask zero questions. Just listen.
7. Prioritize What Matters
You can’t fix everything.
Not every feature request deserves a roadmap.
Not every journey map is worth building.
Learn to say no.
Prioritize what moves the needle.
Check yourself: Are you chasing impact, or chasing shiny objects?
🔧 Try this: Make a list of 10 CX projects. Kill five. Defend the survivors with data.
8. You’re Yoda, Not Luke
You’re not the hero.
The customer is.
Or the frontline team.
Your job is to help them win, not grab the spotlight.
The best CX leaders are the guide, not the star.
Ask yourself: Are you shining the light—or standing in it?
🔧 Try this: Next time you present, shift credit to someone else who did the hard work.
9. Learn to Tell a Damn Good Story
Numbers matter.
Results matter.
But if you can’t make people care, none of it lands.
You’ve got to sell the vision.
Make them feel it.
Move them.
Test: Can you explain your CX impact in a story that sticks?
🔧 Try this: Rewrite your next report as a three-act story. Setup, tension, resolution.
10. This Is a Mission, Not a Job
When you do this right, you change lives.
You help someone get medicine.
A mortgage.
A chance.
Don’t treat it like busy work.
This matters.
Reality check: Are you showing up like this work matters, or just getting through the day?
🔧 Try this: Write down one moment this week where your work made someone’s life easier. Tape it to your monitor.
Still with me? Then hear this last piece:
Start where you are.
Learn fast.
Ask better questions.
And above all—don’t fake the care. People can smell it a mile away.
This isn’t just a career. It’s a commitment. Treat it like one.
📌🚀 Make faster, smarter CX decisions in under 10 minutes
Say goodbye to overwhelm and hello to crystal-clear prioritization. Download your free set of 32 GenAI prompts right now. Prioritize smarter, communicate better, and achieve tangible results—starting today.
You’ll get plug-and-play prompts to:
✅ Rank initiatives by ROI, urgency, and feasibility (Prompt #7 = game changer)
✅ Clarify impact and align projects with business goals (Prompt #2 delivers fast insights)
✅ Run feedback sessions that surface real customer pain points
✅ Write persuasive stakeholder emails that get CX projects prioritized
✅ Adapt on the fly when customer needs or business priorities shift
Use these prompts with your favorite AI Chatbot to evaluate, prioritize, and communicate your CX initiatives more effectively. Let’s make prioritization less stressful and more actionable!
“These prompts gave us clarity in a single meeting that we’d been chasing for weeks.” - B.D. Sr. CX Manager
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! 😊
Here’s how you can get involved:
Got feedback? Tell me what’s working, what’s not, or what you’d love to see next.
Stuck on something? Whether it’s a CX challenge, strategy question, or team issue, hit me up—I’m here to help.
Just want to say hi? Seriously, don’t be shy. I’d love to connect, share ideas, or even swap success stories.
Your input keeps this newsletter fresh and valuable. Let’s start a conversation—email me, DM me, or comment anytime. Can’t wait to hear from you!
— Mark
www.marklevy.co
Follow me on Linkedin
Thanks for being here. I’ll see you next Tuesday at 8:15 am ET.
👉 If you enjoyed this newsletter and value this work, please consider forwarding it to your friends and colleagues or sharing it on social media. New to DCX? Sign Up.
📌🚀Grab my Free CX Leader’s Guide to Organizational Buy-In
Ready to cultivate a customer-obsessed culture? A CX Leader’s Guide to Organizational Buy-In is your playbook for ensuring that every department—customer service, sales, product, tech, finance, HR, and beyond—puts customers at the center of everything it does.
Learn how to rally every department around customer obsession, click the button below to get started:
✉️ Join 1,200+ CX Leaders Who Get the DCX Newsletter First
Human-centered insights. Plug-and-play frameworks. Smart tools that actually work.
All designed for CX pros who want to build with purpose—and deliver with impact.
👉 Subscribe today and get the tools to elevate your strategy (and your sanity).