By: Jason Anderson
A director of customer experience discusses the steps that must be taken before building a CX strategy.
Let’s be honest. It can be intimidating when you look around and realize you are now the go-to person for all things related to the customer. Congratulations and welcome to the club!
Now let’s get past the “I don’t know how I’m going to be able to do that.” part. Realize it’s not about reaching the level of Amazon by EOB. It’s about making progress. Phew!
Where do you begin? Do you have a plan? A goal? Did you inherit an existing program? Whatever the case may be, you WILL need to develop or update some sort of customer experience (CX) strategy.
There are many resources on how to build a CX strategy. Heck, a simple search on the Google, will send your mind into overload. For simplicity sake, here is an article I like. The author well…Oh he’s just coolin!
Whatever resource (your own or referenced) you decide to utilize, be sure to include a section describing your PRE-CX strategy. Huh?
Pre-CX strategy
It’s time to make new friends. You remember making friends on the playground, right? Or how about the stuffy version, building workplace relationships. Anyway, by this time in your career/life, you should know how.
Back to the pre-CX strategy part. It’s only has three (3) simple steps (feel free to Ctrl-C, then Ctrl-V into the beginning of your CX strategy).
Introduce yourself – For example, Hi! My name is…
“When you introduce yourself, be who you are. Embrace the moment and the setting for what it says about you in that instance and not in comparison with titles or accomplishments.”
Have a conversation – Be sure to “Make it a point to listen before you speak.”
Remember – “To boost your memory storing powers we have to get visual and specific.” Check out Joshua Foer’s, an ‘accidental’ USA Memory Champion, TedTalk for pointers.
Lastly, work to condition yourself to…
All joking aside, the time spent developing these relationships will benefit you in the future, allowing you to advance your CX initiatives.
Relationship building
Surprise, your organization conducts business on a day-to-business through human relationships, which rely on other relationships. In other words, a network. Again, let’s keep it simple.
As a [CX] professional, workplace relationships start at day one (1). You will need to grow and foster these as you would with an old college friend or a former co-worker.
When you introduce yourself to your [new] co-workers, be sure they understand who you are, what you do, and why you do it. Give them a reason to believe (or at the least, remember the customer guy) as this is a crucial step in buy-in.
Where to begin
Take full advantage of your organization’s onboarding program..
If all you get is an orientation and a t-shirt, you’ll have to be more pro-active. Get up from your desk and go meet people.
Final thoughts
Connections are the key as you work across departments and functions to initiate and drive your CX program.
You’ll benefit from developing good relationships and a network with the front line staff to key stakeholders. Each will play a crucial role in your program’s success or failure. Forming a bond or connection will ensure your project [and career] stay on track.
About the author:
Jason Anderson, MS
Director, Customer Experience, BriskHeat Corporation
Jason is the Director of Customer Experience at the BriskHeat Corporation. He is driven to orchestrate positive customer engagements, develop customer loyalty, and improve the overall customer experience. He believes employees are the driving force for building meaningful customer relationships; and a critical component for any successful CX strategy.
Jason’s more than 18 years of relationship and leadership experience is spread across the biomedical, technology, and manufacturing industries. As the co-leader of the CXPA Columbus Network, he tirelessly works to grow and connect the CX practitioners and professionals within the central Ohio CX community.