How can you lead a Customer Experience team through uncertainty?

This is very important because every team needs to be adequately informed of the trajectory and goals of the team. At every point in time, team members should be aware of what is to be achieved and how it could be achieved. This will give a sense of direction to the team and it's members. Constantly keeping the team informed creates a sense of responsibility and determination towards the actualization of desired goals and objectives.

Regular communication is more important than ever, as many of the CX team are working remotely. The goal is to create a unified workforce that feels connected to the company. Not doing so could mean losing your best people.

I generally agree with these statements. Also, I think these statements are valid, not only for CX leaders, but also all managers. When you don’t communicate with your team in these uncertainty times, people will start to come up with their own thoughts and predictions and that can lead gossip and spread some wrong information. To avoid that, constant and sincere information with the team is critical. This will lead to your team’s trust on you and they’ll put more afford to solve problems and overcome the challenges.

Leading a Customer Experience Team through uncertainty is difficult if you don’t have trust, a plan or truly don’t understand the transformation of the company. Trying to lead with “feelings” or “I have a plan” with no direction never works. However, let your team have some skin in the game and decision making. When you allow a team this small thing, you will be amazed at how they collaborate for the good of the company and customer. Always provide the proper tools and training they need to be successful. As leaders, put ego aside and learn to "Listen". Communicate to your team what the goal is and how you're going to get there together. Continue to build TRUST; And remember, it's ok to fail and make mistakes, thats how we learn.

It requires clear communication, empathy and a focus on adaptability. Regularly update the team on changes, encourage open dialogue to address concerns and emphasize the importance of flexibility in responding to evolving customer needs. Foster a culture of collaboration, where team members support each other and prioritize the well-being of both customers and the team during challenging times.

Employee participation in the decision-making process is critical for them to own and implement decisions. Although, CX team generally not interact with customers daily, of course they know customers’ needs and expectations better than their managers. In addition, when you ask your employees for their opinions, they feel valued and people who feel that try harder to create a value. Of course employees look for their managers in uncertain times for making critical decisions, but making these decisions together will effect more positively.

Any changes at an Org level is bound to bring uncertainty to an already well oiled engine. To avert this, the best possible way is to ensure that team members are part of the discussions where changes are being discussed so that an open and collaborative approach can be enforced. By doing so, team members feel valued and respected with regard to the changes happening and thus, can help in navigating seamlessly. Delegate responsibilities based on strengths and expertise to empower your team.

Em situa??es de incerteza, engajar a equipe na tomada de decis?es n?o apenas enriquece o leque de ideias da lideran?a, mas também cria um senso de pertencimento fundamental entre os colaboradores. Essa abordagem n?o deve ser limitada apenas a momentos de crise, mas sim cultivada como uma cultura de colabora??o contínua. Ao mantermos essa mentalidade colaborativa ao longo do tempo, garantimos que, em períodos de incerteza, toda a equipe esteja profundamente envolvida, o que resulta em solu??es mais rápidas e assertivas.

I agree that Involving the team in decision-making during uncertain times fosters a sense of shared responsibility and enhances problem-solving capabilities. The leader not only gains diverse perspectives but also empowers the team to contribute solutions. This collaborative approach instills a sense of ownership, boosting morale and commitment. It's akin to steering a ship through stormy waters where each crew member feels engaged and invested in reaching calmer seas. This inclusive decision-making process not only navigates uncertainty more effectively but also strengthens team cohesion and resilience.

Involving your team in decision-making in customer service fosters collaboration and enhances feedback. Organize regular meetings to openly discuss experiences and ideas. Use anonymous surveys to gather honest opinions without fear of judgment. Form a think tank with members from various levels for a diverse perspective. Encourage mentorship for continuous learning and experience sharing. Finally, implement real-time feedback tools for quick and effective responses.

The world is changing. You can’t implement last year’s solutions today mostly. Therefore we have to be updated of all technological improvements, politically, economically, socially and environmentally changes. For example, companies shouldn’t use customer journeys which be drawn before the pandemic. Because most of the customers’s unseen barriers about online channels were crashed. Their needs and expectations were changed. Because of that, good CX leader should spend time with customers, obverse them, talk with them and try to understand their updated need. Both qualitative and quantitative researches are helping CX professionals in terms of understanding customers’ new expectations. These researches must be updated and execute regularly.

Flexibility and Agility: Be ready to pivot strategies as customer behaviors and market conditions change. This requires a culture of flexibility within the team. Customer-Centric Approach: Always put the customer first. Tailor experiences to meet their evolving needs and expectations. Investing in Technology: Utilize technology to better understand and serve customers, such as CRM systems, AI, and data analytics tools. Innovative Thinking: Encourage creativity and out-of-the-box thinking to find new ways of enhancing customer experience. Empowering Team Members: Empower your team to make decisions and take action. This can increase their ability to respond swiftly to changes.

It is important to engage everyone accountable for the customer experience in boundary scanning and connecting to the external environment to become aware of emerging opportunities and threats. Skill up leaders/managers and team members on how to detect and respond to volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). The result would be deploying every member of the organization, to be aware of, and prepared to contribute to the organizations adaptability for success.

Agility in meeting evolving customer needs is key. Understanding their shifting preferences, pain points, and emotions demands empathy and keen observation. Utilizing data, surveys, and analytics becomes a compass, enabling leaders to navigate customer behavior and satisfaction. Empowering your team with flexibility, empathy, and proactive skills is a strategic move. In times of uncertainty, diverse channels, tools, and techniques ensure the delivery of personalized and relevant experiences. Here's to staying sharp and crisp in our approach, aligning seamlessly with the dynamic landscape of customer expectations.

Manter a calma e o otimismo s?o fundamentais para enfrentar desafios, garantindo um servi?o de excelência aos clientes. Adaptabilidade e resiliência s?o essenciais para navegar pelas incertezas com sucesso.

In challenging times, it’s crucial to concentrate on the purpose of our efforts. Whether we face economic challenges from external forces that impact nearly everyone, internal challenges such as organizational restructuring, our focus should be undivided where We must remember why we are here, assess our current position, envision where we aspire to be, and set a timeline to achieve our goals. Addressing negative sentiments or rumours during such times can best be managed by reasserting our collective mission. Staying connected to our 'why' helps us maintain perspective and propels us toward our desired future, together.

I have to admit that it’s so hard to focus on long term vision in uncertain times like pandemic. Because everything is so unclear and you can not know if your long term vision will still be valid when uncertainty disappears. I suggest instead of focusing on long term vision we can focus on our values for motivating our employees and find our way in the foggy road. Processes, visions, goals can change but your company’s values shouldn’t.

There will always be some form of uncertainty whether it is the economic environment, a pending merger, organizational restructuring, etc. As leaders, we have to be clear in the purpose, strategy and goals for the team and how those fit with the broader organization. With this, it's important to also be clear in what we don't know. In my experience this builds trust with the team and helps to facilitate better communication.

Emphasize the importance of maintaining consistency in service quality and customer satisfaction. Revisit and realign the team with the overarching goals and values of the organization. Encourage the team to think innovatively while keeping the long-term objectives in mind.

Long-term vision is important, certainly. But be cautious about leaning too hard on long-term strategy in periods of uncertainty. We're seeing CX budgets under attack, and the tenure of CX leaders can be short. There's a lot of uncertainty, and the ability to keep people engaged isn't done only by focusing on a five-year plan when leaders are demanding to know short-term ROI to defend budget and jobs. So, yes, have a vision, but also focus on the ways you and your team can demonstrate the way that improving CX, strengthening customer relationships, and building customer satisfaction drives short-term results like organic sales, upsell and cross-sell, retention, and lifetime value.

I’m not sure it effects so much. Instead of general improvement, it would be better to organize trainings to get more information about uncertain situations. For example, for pandemic, you can organize how it has started, how virus effected people’s lives and preferences etc. Otherwise team can think that you’re trying to avoide uncertain situation and stall the team.

Lastly, ensuring that team members are easily navigating these changes effectively would be to be in their shoes and understand how they can grow during the phase. Enabling them to succeed / grow is pivotal and should be one of the key areas a leader should be focussing on. Provide mentorship opportunities or coaching to help team members grow professionally. Foster a culture of continuous learning and development within the team.

Coaching and guidance are some of the key skills as a leader. So especially in uncertain times, to also support their confidence and trust, help your team members find out what works well for them, what might work not so well. Where is some additional support needed. Where is room for growth. Where do they see themselves. But not just that, uncertain times also call for personal growth. Dealing with uncertainty can be quite the challenge. Provide your team members with guidance through this phase. Think about how you can help them grow their mindset and see the bigger picture of what is happening.

During hard periods, it's often the right moment to invest in your CX team's development. Seize the potential for learning and improvement by providing training, coaching, and mentoring. Encourage individual learning goals and create a supportive environment for open communication and learning from mistakes. By fostering continuous development, you not only equip your team with new skills and knowledge but also enhance their ability to navigate uncertainty and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Hable anteriormente de desarrollar la habilidad de ADAPTABILIDAD INSTANTANEA Las personas que poseen esta habilidad se caracterizan porque: Aceptan y se adaptan fácilmente a los cambios. Responden al cambio con flexibilidad, pero sobre todo con VELOCIDAD. Son promotores del cambio Manejan adecuadamente las múltiples demandas, reorganizan pronto las prioridades. Lo urgente vs lo importante. Adaptan sus respuestas y tácticas a las circunstancias cambiantes endógenas y exógenas. Su visión de los acontecimientos es sumamente flexible. Esto se logra Capacitando, Desafiando, Promoviendo la Mejora Continua y Reconociendo a los Integrantes de nuestro equipo por su esfuerzo, dedicación y compromiso en dar la mejor experiencia al cliente.

Communicate whenever it feels right to do so. Be available. Be aligned to the messaging but don't just regurgitate memos - flex the tone to your team. Stay calm and pragmatic - they know you're hurting too. Listen and let them know you've understood. Watch out for behaviours that suggest they're not engaged or are anxious. Acknowledge the challenges but keep an eye on what things will look like after the storm. When it gets bad, just take a day/week at a time. Use the time to bond, to learn about each other and to look out for each other. Remind them how important their role is in keeping and attracting customers. And remind them that at some point, most companies go through tough times and come out the other side better for it.

1. **Comunica??o transparente:** Cultive confian?a compartilhando informa??es, promovendo entendimento comum e fortalecendo o la?o entre líder e equipe. 2. Flexibilidade e adapta??o:Incentive ajustes rápidos, focados nas necessidades do cliente, para enfrentar desafios em um ambiente incerto. 3. Desenvolvimento contínuo da equipe:** Invista em treinamentos para fortalecer habilidades, aumentando a resiliência da equipe diante de mudan?as e incertezas. 4. Empatia e suporte:Demonstre compreens?o às preocupa??es da equipe, proporcionando um ambiente de trabalho positivo e sustentável. 5. Foco no cliente:Mantenha a equipe centrada nas necessidades dos clientes, orientando as a??es diárias para oferecer um servi?o consistente e de qualidade.

Here are my suggestions to manage customer experience in VUCA times: 1-Stay away from scripts: In VUCA times, yesterday’s solutions may not work today. So, following call center scripts may not work. We have to give empowerment to agents and motivate them to use their EQ. 2- Be open to new solutions: Especially in an environment where ambiguity is high, it is very important to embrace change. So we should know customers' new needs and expectations, and develop new solutions to their problems. 3- Focus on values: You need values to guide you in uncertain environments. Customer representatives should take actions according to these values and customer promise in situations that are not in written texts and need to respond quickly.

Unlike the usual business routine, customers exhibit varying moods during periods of uncertainty due to the influence of micro and macro factors that directly affect the quality of products and services they expect. It is crucial to carefully evaluate the disparity between the expected CX and the delivered CX, and make decisions using the 80/20 principle: 1. Devote our attention to the majority of clients, approximately 80%, by adopting a general approach 2. Allocate specific focus to the remaining 20% of clients, particularly important key clients, by customizing our approach to meet their unique needs.

Comunica??o é a palavra-chave de uma boa lideran?a, n?o somente em Experiência do Cliente. O time necessita saber qual a estratégia e qual o foco deve ter para conseguir desenvolver atividades de forma assertiva.