Taking the Leap into CX
What is Customer Experience? CX is an organization’s ability to connect to people’s reason, emotion and purpose across all interactions. From an individual’s perspective, CX is the sum of all interactions between an individual and an organization as they are perceived, understood, and remembered. We look for the “moments that matter” in key interactions. And the need for managed CX could not be greater today in the public sector.
But the leap into CX does not need to be overly complex or daunting. In our experience, moving from traditional customer service into the CX arena requires several important enabling actions:
- Establish Leadership and Accountability. Many agencies split their customer interactions based on organization chart. For example, in Workers Compensation, it is not uncommon to have one pathway for individuals injured on the job, and another pathway for businesses. There may be additional pathways for insurers, special claims, attorneys, and more. This approach may make sense looking from the inside out, but from the customers’ perspective, it often results in multiple phone calls, disjointed processes, and having to replay the entire situation for each new rep.
In defining the CX platform, government agencies should first focus on building the right leadership team and defining the scope of the CX environment. The team should comprise deep expertise in customer experience practices and a willingness to try new ideas and adapt. Reinforce CX with senior leadership reporting on customer satisfaction metrics.
- Establish the Right Focus. Unlike traditional customer service models that are largely reactive, the North Highland CX approach unlocks four key dimensions of CX that proactively address what is most important for the organization and its customers. Those four elements are:
- Empathy: Experiences are based on an in-depth understanding of customer behaviors, feelings, and motivations
- Ease: It is simple for customers to derive value from experiences. Experiences are apparent, accessible, effortless and uncomplicated
- Relevance: Solutions and services add value through utility and by meeting basic customer needs – all at the right time and the right place
- Orchestration: Specific interactions and touch points are designed and delivered as an end-to-end experience versus a discrete transaction
CX teams should be ready: flexibility and agility are key characteristics that define success.
- Mobilize for Results. Consider three key building blocks when mobilizing:
- Prioritize CX across the organization
- Focus on the right moments and processes
- Measure and modify what matters
These building blocks are your foundation, but they are not the end game. CX is not a destination. It is an evolution requiring the regular reevaluation of priorities and strategy. It permanently places the customer at the center of organizational thinking and requires organizations to constantly demonstrate their commitment to perfection.
Customer experience is quickly becoming an imperative in the public sector. As local, state, and federal government agencies are being tasked with more and given less to work with, CX is an investment in the constituents, placing them first.