“If I had asked them what they wanted they would have said faster horses” Henry Ford
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Tag: Customer Experience
Employee Liberation for Successful Customer Outcomes!
I am happy to invite you to the #VIIICongresoDEC, a reference event in CX in which I will be participating as a keynote speaker.
This year it is about Employee Experience and its relationship with Customer Experience. October 5th. Do not miss it!
https://asociaciondec.org/eventos/congreso/congreso-2021/
Employee Engagement
It should stand to reason that great Customer Experiences are born with fantastic Employee Engagement. Why is this so often not the case? There are three attitudes that top teams can apply to help their people provide the ultimate experiences – both engineered and free-flowing.
Successful Customer Outcomes
A concept not well understood comes from Apple’s playbook of crafting Successful Customer Outcomes. One of Steve Jobs most famous quotes highlighted a different starting point to craft truly successful customer outcomes. For many leaders, the stark contrast between Industrial Age thinking and Customer Age/’Outside-In’ practice provided a platform to liberate their employees from scripts, tasks, and outputs. The best of these examples shows us all a better way.
Measurement Systems
How are you currently measuring success? Is it by the number of jobs done, tasks completed, and outputs achieved? If those things represent your major Key Performance Indicators, or the more fashionable Objectives and Key Results then you may need to think again.
Why so? Liberating employees from the shackles of these measures will produce better customer experiences, improved bottom lines, and enhanced shareholder value from the get-go. Creating Results-Oriented Communication (Jim Sinur) is a quantum leap from the industrial era praxis. We will review those next practices and layout a plan to deliver immediate and sustained results.
Here’s a piece on flawed measurement systems: https://www.cxobsession.com/2020/07/27/call-canters-fail/
So please join me on CX day 2021 in Spain and we will demonstrate a better way!
https://asociaciondec.org/eventos/congreso/congreso-2021/
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59
👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now
👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers
👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023
👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59
👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now
👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers
👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023
👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)
Five insights from the Customer Experience icons we should all Act on.
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59
👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now
👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers
👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023
👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59
👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now
👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers
👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023
👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)
What Rests, Rusts. Step Up to the Bright, Shiny New Accredited Customer Experience® Program
Australia & Oceania | Americas | South Africa | Europe | GCC – Middle East
The ACX Program features the Accredited Customer Experience Professional®
(ACXP® 2 day x 5 hours per day)
LIVE online INTERACTIVE
Australia & Oceania | Americas | South Africa | Europe | GCC – Middle East
The ACX Program also includes Accredited Customer Experience Master®
(ACXM® 4 day x 5 hours per day)
LIVE online INTERACTIVE
Australia & Oceania | Americas | South Africa | Europe | GCC – Middle East
Australia & Oceania | Americas | South Africa | Europe | GCC – Middle East
Australia & Oceania | Americas | South Africa | Europe | GCC – Middle East
Australia & Oceania | Americas | South Africa | Europe | GCC – Middle East
Australia & Oceania | Americas | South Africa | Europe | GCC – Middle East
Testimonials… hear what others say…
It’s been an honour and privilege to participate and attend the ACX-M course, It was an eye-opener and quite a revelation for me, I became conscious of these important concepts and aspects of customer experience, Thank you for showing us the way.
Product Specialist at Laerdal Medical, India
Thank you Steve for the high quality & insightful training you delivered
Your innovative approach, critical thinking & up to date case studies facilitated this achievement 👍
Muath Al-Azzam, Principal Services & Operations Specialist at Dubai Municipality
I have to say, every day since I left Denver, I have been able to apply some bit of learning that I got during the ACXM event into not only my job, but my personal life as well. Thank you so much for everything that you’ve done to advance the field of customer experience!
Brett Gill, United States
Thank you Steve for another enlightening and engaging course that just keeps challenging the way we do things®
Edwin De Lange, South Africa
Thanks again for four great and inspiring days.
Christian Becker, Germany
It’s been great training with lots of new tools that we will be able to implement soon I hope. Super interesting information, I am looking forward to reading your book as well. I really appreciated your energy and enthusiasm throughout the training.
Silvia Fernandez Calvo, Spain
Let me take this opportunity to thank Mr. Steve. Your teachings are timeless and they stick perfectly and forever in our minds. We shall never forget you wherever we find ourselves on this planet. Thank you so much, Steve 🙏
Benignus Otmar, Tanzania
Thank you, the experience was enlightening, empowering, educating, encouraging, and engaging.
Natasha Doren, South Africa
Thank you, Steve, I have never enjoyed anything more than the CX course, The weight of knowledge I gained and the enlightenment that I got is indescribable.
Reem Elsadig, Sudan
Thanks, Steve for such an excellent program, the dedicated manner you use to share with us your wonderful knowledge and wisdom in CX, and the time to respond to all our questions! God bless you, thanks a lot!
Yanese Angeles, Dominican Republic
You started me out on this journey my friend. Thanks for letting me live out my passion!
Molly Redenbaugh, Iowa, United States
Thank you! It’s been an amazing journey and you have been a great mentor.
It was an honor taking your class, I am now a confident CPP Master🙏🏾
Masele Masudi Msita, Tanzania
Thank you Steve for your high-quality wonderful Master. I thought the course was brilliant. Thank you for everything.
Ashraf Mohamed, Philadelphia, USA
Thanks again, Steve. Not only have you been a fantastic mentor to me but you have taught me how to mentor others. Thanks for being so supportive and getting me through.
Chandan Chhabra, Delhi, India
Another fantastic learning, personal and professional development experience with you!
Lyall Shapiro, Australia
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59
👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now
👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers
👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023
👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)
BP Group Annual Survey 2021: FIVE significant CX Challenges and the emerging Next Practices
Introduction and Background
The BP Groups 30th Annual Survey focuses specifically on developing challenges facing the adoption of Customer Experience and Customer Centric practices.
The survey contributors are senior people Accredited in Customer Experience for a minimum of two year and the questions asked through 2020 and 2021 (during the pandemic).
Contributors identified 50+ challenges and from these, we distilled them down to five with subsequent deeper dives to explore how people were meeting and overcoming the challenges.
Over the next six weeks, we will review each of the main challenges and the emergent Next Practices to overcome.
The Five CX Challenges (and Next Practices)
Here is a summary of the major findings:
Customers Have Changed Forever
https://bit.ly/BPGSurveyW1
CX Metrics Are Just Not Good Enough
https://bit.ly/BPGSurveyW2
Mindsets Are Getting In The Way
https://bit.ly/BPGSurveyW3
Too Much Theory, too Little Delivery
https://bit.ly/BPGSurveyW4
Communication is an Enormous Problem
https://bit.ly/BPGSurvey_W5
Watch the Complete Webinar and
Download the Resources:
Join ‘Five Challenges (and Next Practices)’: https://cemnext.com/cx5registration
Review the LIVE Program that codifies the ‘Next Practices’: https://bit.ly/COIM21
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59
👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now
👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers
👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023
👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)
FIVE significant CX Challenges – “Effective Communication is An Enormous Problem ”(Pt. 5)
Last week we reviewed the 4th of the five main CX Challenges -Metrics Are Just Not Good Enough (link). This week, in the final segment, we asked the question “Are CX Communicatons working well?”
The BP Groups 30th Annual Survey focused specifically on developing challenges facing the adoption of Customer Experience and Customer Centric practices.
The Five CX Challenges (and Next Practices)
This week we ask the question “Are Your CX Communications working well?”
Here is the Video from the recent webinar:
Additional Resources:
Join The Webinar and FULL Five Challenges (and Next Practices): https://cemnext.com/cx5registration
Review the LIVE Program that codifies the ‘Next Practices’: https://bit.ly/COIM21
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59
👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now
👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers
👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023
👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)
FIVE significant CX Challenges – “Too Much Theory, not Enough Delivery”(Pt. 4)
Last week we reviewed the third of the five main CX Challenges -Mindsets Are Getting In Way (link).
The BP Groups 30th Annual Survey focuses specifically on developing challenges facing the adoption of Customer Experience and Customer Centric practices.
We have now reviewed 3 of the 5 challenges, let’s see how industrial era metrics prevent a customer-centric evolution
The Five CX Challenges (and Next Practices)
This week we ask the question “Is Your CX Measurement system working well?”
Here is the 12 minute Video from the recent webinar:
Additional Resources:
Join The Webinar and FULL Five Challenges (and Next Practices): https://cemnext.com/cx5registration
Review the LIVE Program that codifies the ‘Next Practices’: https://bit.ly/COIM21
Next week we will review CX Challenge:
“Communication Is An Enormous Problem”
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59
👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now
👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers
👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023
👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)
🏭 Industrial Era Outputs To Successful Outcomes – it’s Not Rocket Science! 🚀
You may have seen the recent posts discussing the difference between inside-out (industrial era) and Outside-In (Customer Age) thinking and practice. At the heart of the difference is the contrast between Outputs and Outcomes.
In the Industrial Age Outputs were king in the form of cars made, factories built, pizzas delivered, and so on. It was simply good enough to improve efficiency and productivity to deliver success. Not so in the Customer Age where Outcomes delivered has become the thing.
It really has become a differentiator between those who are succeeding, despite the pandemic, and those who are struggling.
Since I wrote the book ‘Outside-In The Secret’ in 2010 I have had so many conversations at all levels in global companies describing the huge difference in this mindset of delivering successful business and customer outcomes in contrast to old industrial age outputs.
Unfortunately people who should know better are still confused. In this article we will:
- Define the seismic difference between Outputs and Outcomes
- Provide recent examples
- Share useful resources
Let’s start with definitions:
An Output is what we produce, what we make.
Say a completed car.
A Business Outcome is a result of what we make. In the car example, it would be Revenue.
But wait, in the Customer Age there’s more…
A Customer Outcome is what we deliver for the Customer. For the new purchase, it could be Joy at buying the nice bright shiny new car.
The problem and the confusion.
Most businesses have inherited a legacy of measurement systems focused on outputs. So say for instance in a customer contact center we would have metrics like calls handled, abandoned calls, average handle times, first-time response, customer satisfaction stats, net promoter scores, and so on. But these are all output measures.
Another example might be in the Program Management Office where measures may include things like the number of projects underway, the progress against budgets, and achievement of the deliverables.
Now here’s the rub. If you connect the achievement of these outputs with rewards systems you will potentially fail big time. And if in the contact center people aren’t caring about the outcomes (the results of the outputs) we might get really good at doing dumb things. In the Program Office if the deliverables aren’t aligned with Successful Customer Outcomes we may become really efficient at delivering the wrong things.
And another thing people familiar with outputs often argue the case that Outcomes are less quantifiable. Not so. Business Outcomes include things like Revenue, Cost Optimization, Service Delivery, Effective compliance, and so on. You can’t get any more quantifiable than that. Now with Successful Customer Outcomes, we may have a description of what that feels like – BMW’s ‘Joy’ for instance or Hallmark Cards ‘Expression’.
Connecting the Dots
Over the last two decades, a model has emerged that literally links Outputs to Outcomes. There is a hierarchy that connects Tasks to Activities to Outputs to Business Outcomes and ultimately Successful Customer Outcomes.
We will review that model and thinking in the next article.
For now look at your metrics. Are your measures of success outputs or outcomes?
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59
👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now
👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers
👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023
👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)
FIVE significant CX Challenges – “Is Your organization fully attuned to YOUR customer?”(Part 3)
Last week we reviewed the second of the five main CX Challenges – Customers Have Changed Forever (link).
The BP Groups 30th Annual Survey focuses specifically on developing challenges facing the adoption of Customer Experience and Customer Centric practices.
Over the next few weeks, we will review each of the main challenges and the emergent Next Practices to overcome.
The Five CX Challenges (and Next Practices)
This week we ask the question “Is Your organization fully attuned to YOUR customer?”
Here is the 12 minute Video from the recent webinar:
Additional Resources:
Join The Webinar and FULL Five Challenges (and Next Practices): https://cemnext.com/cx5registration
Review the LIVE Program that codifies the ‘Next Practices’: https://bit.ly/COIM21
Next week we will review CX Challenge:
“There is Too Much Theory!”
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59
👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now
👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers
👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023
👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)
FIVE significant CX Challenges – “Does Your CX Measurement System Work Well?”(Part 2)
The BP Groups 30th Annual Survey focuses specifically on developing challenges facing the adoption of Customer Experience and Customer Centric practices.
Last week we reviewed the first of the five main CX Challenges – Customers Have Changed Forever (link).
Over the next six weeks, we will review each of the main challenges and the emergent Next Practices to overcome.
The Five CX Challenges (and Next Practices)
This week we ask the question “Does Your CX Measurement System Work Well?”
Here is the 10 minute Video from the recent webinar:
Additional Resources:
Join The Webinar and FULL Five Challenges (and Next Practices): https://cemnext.com/cx5registration
Review the LIVE Program that codifies the ‘Next Practices’: https://bit.ly/COIM21
Next week we will review CX Challenge:
Customers Have Changed Forever
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
👉 Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://lnkd.in/dANgYX59
👉 Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* https://bit.ly/OI2021now
👉 Step #3 – Connect With The Community: https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers
👉 Step #4 – Keep Pace with Change: Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023
👉 Step #5 – Review the Testimonials Accredited Customer Experience Professional – BPG (bpgroup.org)