Editor’s note: Stacy Bolger is head of CX consulting at computer software firm MaritzCX, Lehi, Utah. This is an edited version of a post that originally appeared here under the title, “Why CX governance matters.”
As the type of person who is constantly seeking connections – physical, emotional, strategic – I find myself drawing parallels between my personal and work life. Since I have three young children, this can not only be quite comical and frustrating but also incredibly enlightening.
Never was this truer than the other night as I heard “Mommy!” for about the 15th time, a good 45 minutes after we’d put them to bed. Any parent who’s read the book, Go the F**k to Sleep knows exactly what was running through my head. But trying to channel the skills of my supermom friends, I sucked it up and patiently asked what my middle child needed. Between work travel, kids’ activities and other community commitments, we’d been running to and fro for the last several weeks and been lax on rules. We have always been a family that has thrived on routine.
As I lay on the top bunk in my son’s dark room pondering how we were ever going to reestablish our routine, I realized what I was experiencing sounded remarkably like the work on my desk downstairs – a client proposal for establishing CX governance. And, like I was feeling, my clients sometimes find the idea of CX governance to be overwhelming. So let’s break this down piece by piece – because, while the first step can be tough, the process and benefits of establishing CX governance are rewarding.
What is CX governance?
CX governance is the structured approach an organization takes to soliciting, responding and taking action on feedback from customers.
“Structured approach” essentially means an organization is being deliberate about how they manage all things related to the experience their customers are having with their brand. And while being deliberate may seem simple on the surface, consider a global CX program encompassing multiple regions, diverse lines of business, 45+ languages, interfacing with millions of customers around the globe. Suddenly, we see the value of the basics: goals, accountabilities, routine (cadence), rules and standards.
Goals
Our goal for bedtime is 8 p.m., with no extra trips upstairs after the kids are down. It is a goal that is easy to measure with easy-to-spot indications of success or failure. The same goes for organizations – the first step in establishing CX governance is to establish clear goals about what you are trying to achieve with your CX program and ways in which you measure your progress toward goals. With this step complete you can begin to answer questions about who you need involved in your CX governance structure, what each person’s role is, how frequently you need to meet, your team’s rules of engagement and your expectations of each other.
Accountabilities
In our household, my husband and I oversee the operation and planning but with the schedules we keep, there’s no way we can also manage all the tasks. The same thing applies to CX governance – roles and accountabilities are critical, from the C-suite to the front lines. Without a lead advocate with influence on CX, investment and business strategy, a program may get off to a great start but wither as interest and resources are reallocated to the next shiny object. Even with the greatest of advocates and resource backing, without those who truly understand how to leverage these for impact to key areas of the business – contact centers, sales, marketing, back-office support – the program will not drive ROI and will be forced to the back burner. With CX program goals and KPIs in hand, you are well-positioned to identify those individuals across the organization with the greatest bearing on goal achievement. And it’s these folks who are best positioned to help you make connections between their work and your company’s CX aspirations.
Routines are critical
As demonstrated in my example above, routines are critical to sustainable operations in my household. And yet, even with the best of intentions, our life can get messy. As we all can attest to, our organizations are in a constant state of flux. In this environment, the value of establishing a routine or cadence by which you can review progress on CX initiatives and projects becomes apparent. It is an opportunity for core CX governance team members, each juggling numerous and diverse work efforts, to come together to focus on progress and strategically plan for the future.
Rules and standards
Rules keep my family safe, happy and functioning at optimal levels.
The same goes in CX programs. Think back to the global organization I described – multiple global regions, languages, cultural norms, lines of business and most importantly, customer needs. There is no doubt these things call for some level of program customization. But before that customization is done, one must consider both customer and business needs. For example, often an individual consumer is a customer of multiple lines of an organization’s business. Be sure you’re checking if this individual is being asked for feedback by both entities. If so, is this being done congruently? Or in such a way that the customer may wonder if the right and left hands are talking to one another, which ultimately impacts brand perception. And who hasn’t received this question from the C-suite: “So, how do these results compare across lines of business/regions/fill-in-the-blank?” Without the CX governance team establishing detailed program rules and standards, the program could be at risk for delivering on its stated goals.
Establish the guideposts
When I present the idea of CX governance I’m often met with groans and comments like “we need to be agile” and “we need to keep it simple.” Frankly, I couldn’t agree more. When CX governance is done right, it allows for agility, flexibility, autonomy and employee discretion with minimal complexity. I had an employee say to me once, “I’m pretty independent but let me know where the guideposts are and I’ll fly.” Establishing these guideposts is exactly what CX governance done right should accomplish. It should allow your employees – and your CX programs – to fly!