CX - Making it Stick!

My Dad would frequently tell this story of how he was hired for his first sales position at the start of his young business career.  He was invited to interview with the President of Deluxe Corporation for a field sales position.  During the interview, the President asked my father, “Why should I hire you as a salesperson?”  My Dad thought a bit and then told him that he and his friends would often have buffalo-chip throwing contests behind the barn of a neighbor’s farm.  The President was intrigued by the example and asked, “Could you throw it farther than anyone else?” His question meant if you could that would indicate your skills would be keen at beating the competition.  When Dad replied no he couldn’t, the President seemed disappointed.  Dad assured the President that while he couldn’t throw it farther than anyone else, he could make the chips stick to the side of a barn better than anyone else!  He was hired and worked his way through the company to become National VP of Sales. 

Dad made it stick.  Isn’t that what we want with our CX initiatives too?  We can develop the strategies, create the journey maps, listen to the voice of the customer and measure our success to our heart’s content.  All these activities will contribute to our success in creating better experiences for our employees and customers.  However, if we can’t embed them into our organizations so that they become part of the fabric of our culture, then we will fail.  We will fail because we will lack the sustainability that is so important in creating exceptional experiences.  We will fail because we will only scratch the surface of what needs to change in our organization.  We will fail because we will feel good internally while our customers still suffer through our business practices. 

Making our CX initiatives stick is the only way to achieve true transformation that our customers recognize and appreciate.  What does it take to not throw our initiatives farther but instead make them stick to the side of the barn better than anyone else’s?  Here are a few suggestions:

·       Don’t have vague strategy statements.  Do have strategy statements that are clear, aspirational,
and easy to understand across the organization. 

·       Don’t create either or situations. Either we buy a new piece of equipment or we invest in CX.  Rather, link the investment in equipment to measurable improvements in customer experience.

·       Don’t create themes of the month.  Do incorporate CX initiatives into the goals and objectives of all employees within the organization.

·       Don’t try to do everything all at once.  Do pick initiatives that produce early successes and create momentum. 

·       Don’t be focused solely on the short-term business performance.  Do balance both the short-term and the long-term business objectives to achieve sustainable results. 

·       Don’t force employees to participate.  Do give them reasons to support the transformation by providing WIFM (what’s in it for me) statements.

·       Don’t become discouraged with slow progress or lack of acceptance.  Do seek out colleagues who share your passion and can be ambassadors of the transformation.

Our success in executing an effective customer experience transformation is directly dependent on our ability to create sustainable change from within the organization and its leaders.  As CX professionals, we often know what it will take to provide better experiences for our customers but sometimes the how is what trips us up on our journey.  Take heart in knowing there are lots of resources available to help you on your transformational journey. 

Ultimately our goal isn’t to throw it the farthest, it’s to make it stick!  Well said, Dad!