[PRESSRELEASE] DENVER, COLORADO – August 31st, 2022
BP Group, the leader and creator of the CEMMethod® in 2006, announced that Multichoice Group Executive Head of Customer Experience and Operations, Roland D. Naidoo, successfully completed all the requirements to qualify as an Accredited OKR Coach fully.
For the full Press Release, go here OR click the button below.
When Steve Jobs kicked off the Customer Experience (CX) movement in 1997 (video here), he crystallized the idea of understanding customer NEEDS before doing anything else.
At the same time, another CX genius, Jeff Bezos, was three years into creating the most profitable company on the planet and precisely understood the working backwards imperative.
A young fresh-faced Jeff Bezos
There is this Need (even though customers don’t know it yet), and I can create the desire and meet that Need now. The rest is history. Watch the 2-minute video here.
Jeff Bezos
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
Corporate communication is a broad field that deals with the different public and internal facing aspects of a company. It involves various methods and approaches to share information about a company’s brand, products, services, employees, and so on with a broad internal and external audience.
Communication as a whole is complex as it involves many stakeholders and audiences. Moreover, effective communication requires strong connections between people at all levels of the organization.
To be able to communicate effectively within your organization and with the outside world, you need to understand what corporate communication is, its benefits, and how you can implement it in your organization.
That is why in this article we will discuss everything you need to know about corporate communication so you can get your message across!
What Is Corporate Communication?
When we talk about communication in business, we are primarily referring to two things – one is the process, and the other is the outcome of the process. The process consists of the steps involved in communication, for example – sending the message, the channel through which it is sent, the time frame, and so on.
The outcome of the process refers to the impact that the communication has had on the person who received it.
That is why communication is often described as a process through which we create an understanding between people who are not in the same place at the same time. In this sense, corporate communication is the process and activities through which organizations create a strong connection via employees with the outside world for the purpose of brand building, increasing reputation, and the acquisition and retention of customers.
Why is Effective Communication Important?
Communication is the process of exchanging information and ideas between two or more people. For this process to be effective, certain factors need to be in place. To start with, there should be an understanding between the sender and receiver of the message.
Communication is all about sharing information, and if the information is not understood, it won’t be useful to anyone. We have a saying that ‘a message without meaning is like a bird without wings’. It is because of this that communication is an important aspect of any business venture.
The right words, carefully selected and strategically placed with the correct tone, can be a very powerful tool. They can make for an excellent culture, your brand more recognizable, and encourage customers to buy your products and services.
Benefits of Effective corporate communication
Stronger relationships – The biggest benefit of effective communication is that it strengthens relationships. Whether you communicate with the members of your team, customers, or anyone in between, a strong connection will lead to better results.
Greater productivity – When people understand each other and have a clear idea of what their role is within the organization, productivity increases. This is especially true for organizations where employees have a say in shaping the communication process – for example, when they have the opportunity to voice feedback and suggestions, and when they have the power to participate in the decision-making process.
Better decision-making – When communication is effective, decision-making becomes much easier. This is because the information you share will be well-understood.
Better brand recognition – A strong connection with your audience will not only bring them closer to your brand, but it will also make them more loyal to it. Moreover, the brand of your business will become more recognizable as you take part in various communication activities.
Types of Corporate Communication
Internal communication – This is the communication that happens between employees. It can happen in a number of ways, including one-on-one meetings, group meetings, emails, and so on. Internal communication is important because it helps people work together more effectively and efficiently.
External communication – This is the communication that happens between your organization and the outside world. This could be in the form of marketing campaigns, public relations, social media posts, and more.
Customer communication – This is communication between your customers and your organization. It can happen in a number of ways, including through a company’s customer support or customer service department, through social media posts, and more.
Summing up
Communication is an essential part of any business venture, and it can make or break an organization. The success of your business relies not only on the quality of your products or services but also on how well you communicate that quality to your customers.
When you have strong relationships with your audience, when you can make better decisions, and when you can recognize your brand better – you have stronger communication.
To achieve this, it is important to implement effective goal-driven communication in your organization. This can be achieved by focusing on the type of communication you engage in and by making sure that your communications are all aligned to Successful Customer and Business Outcomes.
Collaboration is a crucial component of any endeavor, yet it may be difficult. In this blog post, we’ll look at ways to work with people who can help you reach your goals.
Collaboration is an essential part of any project, but it can be challenging. Not everyone has the same skill sets, so finding the people who can work together effectively can be challenging. To be successful, you need to collaborate with the right people. In this blog post, we look at how to collaborate with the people who can help you achieve your goals. We’ll look at the different types of collaboration and how to develop your dream team. No matter where you are in your collaboration journey, you can take steps to improve your effectiveness. Let’s get started.
Collaboration is when two or more people work together to achieve a goal. This can take many forms, including team brainstorming sessions, project meetings, and regular collaboration activities. The most critical factor in successful collaboration is finding the right people to work with. Finding the right people to collaborate with requires carefully assessing skill sets and personalities. Find out where your strengths lie and hire people who can support your strengths. If you have a strong sense of communication or project management skills, find people who have those skills. You can also look for other ‘soft’ skills, such as cultural understanding, different life experiences, and emotional intelligence. These can be the difference between collaboration and a breakdown due to poor collaboration. You’re less likely to have issues when you hire people with similar skills to you, rather than trying to hire people who have a completely different skillset from you.
Why is collaboration essential?
Collaboration can help you better understand your team and each other. This can help you find your strengths and hire people who can support you. It can also help you identify areas where you need to develop skills. This may seem like common sense, but it’s essential to understand why collaboration is important. Poor collaboration can lead to misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and other problems. These issues can be costly. For example, if you hire new people, they are likely to want to work with people who are effective collaborators. If you’re not a good collaborator, then they may not fit in with your team. Poor collaboration can also lead to high stress. Working with people who aren’t effective collaborators can lead to high stress, leading to burnout or poor performance.
First, you need to find collaborators. Finding the right people is a challenge, but it can be done by carefully assessing skill sets and personalities. Next, you need to work with your collaborators. Working with your collaborators requires effort, but it’s important to remember that collaboration is a skill. If you’re not working on your collaboration skills, then you’re likely to fall back into old habits. One way to work on your skills is through deliberate practice. This means putting in the effort each day to improve your collaboration skills.
Collaboration types
There are different types of collaboration, which can be useful to know. We’ll look at the most important types of collaboration in this blog post. –
Long-term or permanent collaboration – The classic collaboration type is working with one or more people for a specific period of time. This is likely to be the most common collaboration type. –
Short-term collaboration – Another type of collaboration is working with one or more people for a specific amount of time. This is likely to be the type of collaboration that you’re most likely to experience. –
Co-location collaboration – This is working together in the same physical location. You may want to co-locate with your collaborators to increase collaboration. The advantages of co-location are often related to the advantages of working together in the same physical location.
Finding the right collaborators for your team
Now that you know the types of collaboration, you can start finding the right people to work with. Start by identifying the skill sets and personalities that matter most to you. For example, if you want to work on a team with a specific skill set, you can start using that skill set on a résumé or LinkedIn profile. Next, identify people with the skill sets you want. One way to do this is to identify people who have skills similar to yours. For example, if you’re going to work with data people, find data people applying for jobs. If you have multiple skill sets that you want in your dream team, then you can identify people who have those skill sets. You can also look for people with skills that are different from yours. This can help you identify people who have different skill sets that you want in your team.
Now that you’ve identified the people you want to work with, we can talk about developing your dream team. You can work on building your dream team by deliberately practicing collaboration skills. This means putting in the effort each day to improve your own co-operation skills. You can also work on building your dream team by actively communicating with your team members. This means exchanging ideas with your team members and actively listening to them. You can also work on building your dream team by actively building your team.
Wrapping up
Collaboration is essential, but it can be challenging. Not everyone has the same skill sets, so finding the people who can work together effectively can be difficult. To be successful, you need to collaborate with the right people. You can identify the right people by carefully assessing skill sets and personalities.
It’s difficult to imagine implementing significant change within a large multi-national B2B organisation while dealing with the complexities of COVID and supply chain issues. However, this case study achieves the triple crown of business benefits by increasing revenue, decreasing costs, and significantly increasing value by reducing “time to respond.”
This organisation achieved outstanding results by taking an outside-in approach to customer outcomes and driving results through goal-driven collaboration. As a result, they were able to expand on a large scale during the COVID period.
I wasn’t always an expert in Customer Experience and Outside-In
In fact, when I became an Industrial Engineer I didn’t have the first clue about how to deliver Successful Customer Outcomes.
I’m going to share a personal story with you about one of my early failures…
It’s a little embarrassing to share, but I think it will inspire you.
It was a quest of five years looking for a standardized Home Loan process and system for a world-leading bank. My team and I visited 30+ countries, reviewed more than 40 IT suppliers, and talked with other top banks and mutual lenders. We sat down with the best business professors, authors and researchers and attended dozens of events on our quest…
And just as in Monty Python and the Holy Grail we returned home empty-handed. You can imagine the investment of time, energy, and budget to realize there isn’t such a thing as an Ideal Home Loan process and system (despite what the big consultancies and IT vendors had told us).
Our senior executive team in the bank was incredulous. In fact, deep down I doubted my own capabilities, I was exhausted and had failed with one of the biggest projects in the bank’s history. Or so I thought…
That is when the truth hit me square between the eyes. We were thinking of our business in the wrong way. My enlightenment was complete when Steve Jobs, in the same year 1997, said the now immortal words “You have got to start with the Customer Experience and work backwards to the Technology, not the other way around”
I had finally got it – we had to think Outside-In, put the customer at the center of everything, and realize using out-of-date business thinking has no place in the 21st century.
1997 – Apple World Developers Conference
Everything changed for me in May 1997. Since then I have worked with the world’s leading companies learning and adopting Outside-In as a way of being. Trust me, if I can do this so can you.
In fact, you even have it better than me. You can bypass all the trouble I went through by simply learning from my mistakes.
What do you most admire in the ones you love? Remind yourself that is one of the many reasons you love them, whether it is a partner, child or stranger. Think about that and enjoy the feeling.
Being uncomfortable should be comforting as it demonstrates you are in a change state. Learn to foster discomfort and make it your friend, It is indeed wise counsel.
Steve Towers
What do you most admire in the ones you love? Remind yourself that is one of the many reasons you love them, whether it is a partner, child or stranger. Think about that and enjoy the feeling.
Steve Towers
You are only as good as the way you feel. That’s why you need to focus on things that make you feel good. What is the one thing that today could make you fell grateful? Then you will feel good.
Why should Individuals & Organizations adopt the ACXP Program?
Better business results begin with Accredited CX Professionals guiding and leading their organizations.
By establishing a cadre of accredited people organizations are demonstrating their drive towards customer-centricity which delivers immediate results and pleases employees, customers, and stakeholders.
The Accredited Customer Experience Professional (ACXP) is a program underpinned by practical exercises based on the work underway in the enterprise. Individuals and teams are coached and assessed by ‘been there and done it’ CX professionals regarded as top of their profession.
Less on the theory, more on the practice the ACXP program uses ‘now’ case studies (frequently not in the public domain) so attendees can see ‘next practices’ and quickly incorporate them into their individual, team, and organization work.
Underpinned by proven approaches and techniques, such as the CEMMethod™ (launched in 2006 and now in Version 14), the ACXP program is designed for individual advancement, organizational maturity, and ultimately business transformation to become truly customer-centric.
The ACXP is the first step on the ladder leading to a progressive and more advanced understanding and delivery of Customer Experience next practices.
The portfolio of levels includes ACX Master®, ACX Champion® and ACX Mentor®.
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
Thank you, the experience was enlightening, empowering, educating, encouraging and engaging.Natasha Doren, South Africa
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
Another fantastic learning, personal andprofessional development experience with you!Lyall Shapiro, Customer Experience Specialist,Sydney, Australia
Thank you Steve, very intense 4 days butamazing and already putting it into practice!Edwin De Lange, Manager: Customer Experience Design,Mercantile Bank South Africa
Thank you so much Steve..this achievement means a lot to me& huge credit goes to you.. looking forward for my nextAmal Shaira, Senior Manager, FAB, United Arab Emirates
Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?
Successful CX outcomes are akin to preparing for a major sporting event. Operating without a playbook or preparation dooms your efforts to be perceived as “wishful thinking.”
Accelerating CX adoption relies on your ability to connect strategy, organizational design, process management, people concerns, and digital/technology.
CX is a Team Sport – Play It To Win
Senior leaders are fiercely competitive. Many enjoy competitive sports in general. Many view their organizations as part of a highly competitive team sport. It is perplexing, then, that Customer Experience (CX) adoption has not been more rapid and widespread[RN2]. Great CX requires every player on the team to understand how their role contributes to success, and play within the system, adapting quickly to evolving customer needs.
Too often, CX efforts are relegated to reliance on fragile subjective metrics like NPS. So much so that the original inventor of NPS, Fred Reichheld, says ‘I had no idea how many people would mess with the score to bend it, to make it serve their selfish objectives’. This has led to leaders’ belief that #CX is disconnected from the reality of daily business, the product of people great at talking but not walking.
There has never been a better, more pressing, time to get more scientific about CX.
To build long-term success, CX programs must deliver business results by catalyzing forward-facing, objective, and connected measurement systems. CX leaders must help organizational decision-makers to “connect the dots” and appreciate the role everyone has to play in delivering successful customer outcomes.
The BP Group’s North Star is indeed this upskilling of practitioners, professionals, and masters of Customer Experience. We teach an underpinning approach that has been tried, tested, and deployed in leading global corporations which aims to educate, inform and deliver immediate results that both charm senior leaders, excite customers, and consistently deliver growing shareholder value.
CX is indeed a team sport – let’s play it to win. You can Review the program here: https://bit.ly/ACXP2022.
