What do the breakdance and customer experience have in common?

I took breakdance lessons back in 2010. Although I never mastered it, the experience was fun and challenging! I'm fascinated by how the breakdance combines creativity, playfulness, and fitness. No need to be serious all the time. Letting go of control. Being loose and free. Things that still fascinate me most in sports and life.

Breakdancing and customer experience (CX) may seem like an unlikely pair, yet they share many common skills and practices. Allow me to elaborate on what I mean!

Creativity and Innovation

Both breakdancing and CX involve creativity and innovation. Master in breakdancing refers to expressing yourself through moves, spins, and freezes, constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Similarly, CX professionals innovate by designing memorable experiences that surprise and delight customers.

Master in CX reflects a commitment to excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement in all aspects of the customer journey, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction and advocacy.

Spending eight years at a large retail consumer cooperative S-Group, where customers also hold co-ownership, was a game-changer for me. The vast scope of the business was particularly impactful: with over 40,000 employees, we catered to the needs of over 2 million consumer members and realized retail sales exceeding 13.5 billion euros.

Years later, I realized how unique experience and a real CX school it is to work for a consumer co-operative company.

In a co-operative, you don't choose to be customer-centric, you are born to prioritise and serve the customers and continuously improve the experiences.

Community and Collaboration

In my role at S-Group, my responsibility was to improve the benefits for customer-owners within the leisure travel sector. I helped our BtB partners in developing services and benefits that added value for customers.

My biggest playground was the purchase and voice of the customer data.

My favorite team to partner with was the customer data and analytics team. They did all the cool things like predictive analysis!

The most exciting voice of the customer concept was our very own customer panel, which allowed me to select a specific target group to trial services and offer feedback. Here's my little secret: I've always aspired to work more intimately with these panels, to truly have my finger on the pulse of the customer's needs!

In the same way, customer experience thrives on collaboration and businesses collaborate with customers, employees, and partners to co-create better experiences, breakdancing has a strong sense of community.

Complexity and Skill

In customer experience, businesses must navigate various aspects such as product quality, service, communication, and personalization. Like breakdancers mastering their moves, companies strive to excel in these areas to create memorable experiences for their customers.

Breakdancers constantly innovate by incorporating new moves and styles into their routines. They adapt to different music and environments. Similarly, businesses must adapt to changing customer needs, technological advancements, and market trends. Successful companies continuously innovate to enhance their customer experience.

Audience engagement

Breakdancers perform for an audience, aiming to captivate and entertain. CX professionals also focus on engaging their audience by understanding their preferences, emotions, and pain points.

Here are my top five research studies that have personally contributed to my growth in CX mastery emphasizing the engagement with customers to gain a deeper insight into their preferences:

• At 19, I undertook my associate degree practicum in Cyprus, visiting local ceramic studios as a test customer. The aim was to help local entrepreneurs in creating travel packages that would appeal to buyers. I still have the test ceramic I created as a test customer in my home. ?

• At the age of 25, when online travel shops didn’t yet exist (!), I helped young people plan their weekend city breaks and around-the-world trips at KILROY , and completed my bachelor’s degree thesis on "Design Management in Kilroy Travels" using qualitative research methods and in-depth interviews with 20 customers.?

• At 31, while living, working, and snowboarding in Finnish Lapland within the Arctic Circle, I did my Social Science Master's degree thesis as an assignment to DMO (Destination Marketing Organization) Lapland Marketing. The challenge was to investigate the brand image of Lapland Marketing through a quantitative approach, analyzing survey responses from 100 member organizations who were Lappish entrepreneurs Those years are filled with snowy memories.

• At 38, for my vocational teacher studies, I completed a diploma project for my employer, S-Group, focusing on "How to maintain and develop relations with existing customers?" This involved conducting in-depth interviews with stakeholders and creating a training program for the company's internal educational institute. Big playground!

• At 41, I helped the Danish user research company UserTribe, now known as GetWhy. with their research projects as a freelancer. This role enabled me to contribute to business growth by testing digital and business concepts for a convenience store in the USA, an agricultural cooperative in the UK, and financial services in Finland. It was an incredible opportunity and my most rewarding freelance job, which I balanced alongside a full-time position.

• At 43, I was delighted to assist the Danish marketing gamification platform Playable (formerly LeadFamly) with its internationalization strategy. I contributed Finnish market insights through a market research report and facilitated connections between the company and potential clients.

• Now, a few years on, I'm helping Zensai as a CX Lead and Senior Leadership Team member managing the CX strategy and initiatives, evaluating and enhancing CX performance, and driving cross-functional alignment around the customer journey(s). Exciting times!

Perform and impact

Breakdancers perform in battles, showcasing their skills and creativity. Their performances leave a lasting impact on the audience.

Exceptional customer experiences also leave a lasting impression. Positive interactions can lead to customer loyalty, word-of-mouth referrals, and overall business success.

So, while breakdancing and customer experience may appear unrelated at first glance, they both emphasize creativity, skill, adaptability, and the power of human connection.

Are you also passionate about human-centric business development? I invite you to share your own CX journey or breakdance move!

Marjoannika Nyman, the author of this article, is a learning generalist and customer experience evangelist with a mission to blur the lines between siloes. She masters snowboarding, longboarding, and kiteboarding but not breakdancing! Her next personal goal is to grow as a leader and continue to support businesses in driving success and fostering a culture where employee and customer satisfaction and loyalty are paramount, ensuring the organization's long-term success. Hey there, let's connect!