Activating Executive Commitment to CX

At one point or another, we all experience fear of the unknown, especially in the world of business. Research shows that business leaders often struggle to embrace change, risking the chance of falling behind. As more organizations embark on customer success transformation, CX teams struggle to obtain commitment and involvement from senior executives. How can customer experience teams effectively secure and retain executive commitment?

When evaluating large organizations, Temkin Group Insight Report states, “55% aspire to be [CX] leaders within three years” (The State of Customer Experience Management, 2017, April 2017). Temkin Group’s latest research report, Activating Executive Commitment to CX – Six Levers for Engaging Leaders in Customer Experience Transformation, outlines six ways customer experience teams can build commitment from senior leaders.

Begin by clearly defining where CX efforts are heading and how they affect the company’s overall mission, says Temkin. Second, constantly reinforce the value of customer experience – so that your executives are convinced that customer experience matters. From there, amplify customer experiences by tugging at emotions and relating efforts to the executive’s personal goals.  

According to Temkin, customer experience teams must also recommend first steps executives, themselves, can take. Leaders can be prone to doubt and distraction; so it’s up to us to fuel ongoing confidence by assuring them of customer experience success and providing updates on any and all progress. It is crucial to get senior executives’ full involvement to lead communication efforts, model desired behaviors, align resources, set the direction, and hold the organization accountable.

Top companies, including Oracle, have begun their customer success transformations using many of the steps Temkin outlines. As I’ve mentioned, for Oracle, our objective was initially all about customer retention. Customer centricity was an essential element of the equation, but we have since expanded our focus to embrace customer success. We continue to include senior leaders in the conversation and take a strategic approach in our commitment to our customers.

Too often, individuals within organizations are passionate about their customers, but without executive commitment, the drive for real change halts. Strong top-down momentum is essential. Temkin’s study gives companies the keys to retaining senior executive commitment throughout the process. Also included in its report, Temkin’s Executive Engagement Assessment enables organizations to classify executive commitment across levels, which in turn helps identify which levers to apply. To learn how to drive sustainable customer experience and success improvements and take a deeper dive into the six levers for activating executive commitment to CX, visit: https://temkingroup.com/research-reports/activating-executive-commitment-cx/