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Spark connections between customers and staff with immersive, captivating experiences tailored for both groups.

Cultivate and maintain harmonious collaboration to strengthen relations (both within and outside the company); draw inspiration from the Indian fable of the blind men and the elephant to guide discussions on managing customer experience within our organization. A band of sightless men, all...

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– Foster harmonious collaboration for better relationship building, both within and outside the...
– Foster harmonious collaboration for better relationship building, both within and outside the company. The ancient Indian tale of the blind men and the elephant offers valuable insights when discussing the management of customer experience within our organization. A band of blind men, unfamiliar with an elephant's form, come together to understand it by feel alone. Each touches a different part, leading to conflicting descriptions that only reveal the truth when combined.

Spark connections between customers and staff with immersive, captivating experiences tailored for both groups.

In the spirit of the ancient Indian parable of the blind men and the elephant, let's delve into the world of customer experience, drawing valuable lessons from the fable that can transform our business relations, both internally and externally.

Imagine a group of blind individuals, never encountered an elephant before. They are granted the opportunity to explore different parts of the majestic creature. Each, based on their limited encounter, will describe the elephant in a unique manner. One must remember the trunk as a long, thick snake, another may compare the ear to a fan, and so on. Each has his own 'elephant,' embodied by the part of the creature he feels.

Similarly, within our organizations, if we are operating in silos, we might deliver inconsistent, disjointed experiences to our customers at touchpoints. We must strive to see the 'whole elephant,' understanding the customer journey holistically, and supporting our employees to share a common perspective.

In today's fast-paced business environment, delivering consistent and excellent customer experiences across touchpoints can be a serious challenge. Two prime reasons are at the heart of this quandary. First, organizations tend to function in silos—each department caters to its core functions, leading to disparate approaches to customer engagement. Secondly, we often concentrate on providing value to shareholders without considering the sentiments of our main evaluator—the customer.

To overcome this fragmented view, we need to embrace a more holistic approach when engaging with customers. As much as we desire to deliver consistent experiences at every touchpoint, we must also cater to the needs of our employees. By providing them with the means to grasp the customer's journey, regardless of "which part of the elephant they see," we can break the cycle of inconsistent customer experiences.

Betul Yilmaz, a seasoned CX consultant, proposes various strategies to deliver a consistent customer experience across touchpoints. One such approach is the formation of an Improvement Council convened to assess the customer journey and envision its redesign in collaboration with the customer. The council promotes cross-functionality, which experts like Jeff Sheehan refer to as the Improvement Council — an informal organization that brings together top management and mid-level managers.

Effective corporate Customer Experience (CX) programs require top-level buy-in from change-hungry leaders willing to engage cross-functionally. They also require a sponsor from the C-Suite, with a keen interest in driving collaboration through human-centered design principles. Involving mid-level management as members of the advisory board is advisable. Key areas to address in the initiative include teamworking, communications, data management, and a coordination office to manage the agenda.

Let's explore each of these areas:

Teamworking and the Improvement Council

The efficient management of CX relies on cross-functional working and collaboration. The Improvement Council is, thus, a crucial element in driving efforts toward a common front in support of CX. The council works on CX improvement initiatives encompassing listening, learning, and acting:

  1. Listening: Coordinating the collection of customer feedback at touchpoints
  2. Learning: Identifying root causes of customers' concerns, developing solutions, and conducting stakeholder analysis
  3. Acting: Implementing the lessons learned back into operations

Communications

Ensuring that change initiatives resonate with all internal stakeholders is vital. Symbols, mock-ups, and creative conversations between CX team members and their peers can help bring customer issues to the forefront of the organization.

Data Management

Data is invaluable when it comes to understanding customers' behaviors and emotions as they move across touchpoints. Effective data management is critical in discerning the difference between objective and subjective experiences. Capturing the right details from subjective experiences enables organizations to better grasp their customers' sentiments and respond positively.

| || --- || The Author: Kodwo Manuel, Management Consultant |

With a focus on cultural shifts, technology integration, and workflow redesign, organizations can break down silos, fostering a seamless living view of the customer experience where every team contributes to and acts upon a unified customer truth.

The Writer is a Management Consultant (Change and Customer Experience). He can be reached at 059 175 7205, [email protected], https://www.linkedin.com/Kodwo Manuel

  1. As a Management Consultant (Change and Customer Experience), Kodwo Manuel emphasizes the importance of forming an Improvement Council to redesign the customer journey, promoting cross-functionality within organizations.
  2. Effective communication within organizations is crucial to ensure that change initiatives resonate with all internal stakeholders, as every team contributes to a unified customer truth.
  3. Data management is critical in understanding customers' behaviors and emotions as they move across touchpoints, helping organizations better grasp their customers' sentiments and respond positively.
  4. To break down organizational silos, a more holistic approach is needed, ensuring that customer experiences are consistent across all touchpoints and catering to the needs of employees who are involved in this process. This can be achieved by providing them with the means to grasp the customer journey, regardless of their particular role.

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