Podcast ¦ Punk CX: Why businesses need to invest in both brand and customer experience – Interview with Martin Gill of Forrester

Key Takeaways

• Decline in Customer Experiences: Forrester’s research indicates that customer experience (CX) scores are declining globally, with companies often struggling to meet basic expectations.

• Importance of Reliability: Businesses that excel at the basics of customer service create a foundation of trust and credibility, leading to higher customer loyalty.

• Unified Experience Measurement: Forrester is introducing an integrated score that combines customer experience and brand experience, reflecting the interconnectedness of these two dimensions.

• Problem Resolution as a Priority: Aligning efforts towards improving problem resolution is key to enhancing customer relationships and overall satisfaction.

• Focus on Culture: Organizations need to evolve their cultures towards customer-centricity to enable improved customer experiences effectively.

• Use of Context in Digital Interactions: Companies should leverage contextual data to enhance customer interactions across various channels and tailor experiences to meet specific needs.

• Employee Engagement: Greater involvement and training of employees in customer-centric practices is essential for driving meaningful change.

• Change Management Skills: Leaders must develop skills in managing change, particularly as organizations navigate increasingly complex environments.

• Incremental Improvement: Organizations should prioritize small, manageable changes over large-scale transformations to create a sustainable impact in customer experience.

• Trust Measurement: Trust can be measured through specific frameworks, enabling organizations to understand its correlation with customer loyalty and behavior.

• Technology Adoption: The rapid pace of technological advances necessitates that organizations stay agile and receptive to emerging platforms and tools for customer interactions.

• Mental Well-being and Performance: Spending time in nature and detaching from negative stimuli can positively affect employee morale and productivity.

Key Statistics

• Global decline in CX scores has been observed, with particular regions experiencing flat or negative trends.

• Forrester’s brand and customer experience indices suggest potential revenue uplifts of 2.2 to 3.5 times for aligned organizations.

• Interestingly, 70% of change initiatives in organizations fail.

• Executives reported an 183% increase in the amount of change they manage from 2019 to 2023.

Key Discussion Points

• The necessity of being “brilliant at the basics” in delivering customer experience.

• The significant connection between trust, emotional engagement, and customer loyalty.

• Challenges organizations face with scoring metrics like NPS leading to misaligned incentives.

• Examples of how context affects customer choices and experiences, especially in digital spaces.

• The importance of journey mapping from the customer’s perspective to align with their goals and needs.

• The need for a cultural shift toward customer centricity and how leaders can foster that.

• The role of technology in delivering superior customer experiences and its rapid evolution.

• Insights on how brands can differentiate and offer better customer experiences amid increasing complexity.

• The recognition that customers are willing to engage with brands that offer quality service, even if it requires more effort.

• The role of leadership in managing change and the current challenges they face.

• Understanding that experience metrics should focus on customer actions and inputs, not just outputs.

• The therapeutic benefits of nature on mental well-being, and how this can translate into better workplace performance.

Podcast Description

The Punk CX Podcast, hosted by Adrien Swinscope, explores innovative insights into customer service and experience, featuring industry experts and thought leaders. This episode includes an insightful conversation with Martin Gill, Research Director at Forrester, discussing the declining trends in customer experience, the importance of reliable service, and the necessity for organizations to cultivate a culture of customer-centricity. Tune in to glean actionable strategies for improving both customer and employee experiences through foundational practices and effective leadership.