Podcast ¦ CX Passport: The One Where Construction Becomes CX – Alyssa Staats E235

Key Take Aways

1. Emphasising small signals and attention to detail in service delivery enhances customer perceptions of care and professionalism.
2. Internal customer focus can lay the foundation for superior external customer experience, especially in technically complex industries.
3. Effective translation of specialised technical expertise into compelling stories strengthens external stakeholder engagement.
4. Differentiation in commoditised industries hinges on the experience of project execution, particularly during installation, commissioning, and handling issues.
5. Safety and organisational culture serve as key signals of care, impacting both worker experience and customer perceptions.
6. Demonstrating genuine care through everyday actions—such as advocating for safety—can significantly influence internal and external relationships.
7. Building a culture where human elements, such as safety and professionalism, are prioritised fosters trust and engagement with clients.
8. Collaborative work models, like design assist, promote transparency, early issue resolution, and improve end-user outcomes.
9. Consistent communication, relationship development, and technical fluency underpin successful integration of diverse project team members.
10. Marketing and storytelling play a vital role in highlighting the value of technical team contributions and reinforcing brand promise.
11. Cultivating a relationship-oriented approach with technical teams enhances trust, reduces resistance to new processes, and boosts performance.
12. Professional branding through social platforms and industry involvement is vital for knowledge sharing and networking within niche sectors.

Key Statistics

• SQL in North Texas: projects are extremely high profile, with significant investments in manufacturing, data centres and advanced infrastructure.
• On a Texas rooftop, technicians are working in temperatures up to 139 degrees Fahrenheit.

Key Discussion Points

• The importance of small signals, such as safety gear and site organisation, in reinforcing customer care.
• Transitioning focus from internal to external customer experience as a pathway to competitive differentiation.
• The challenge of creating experience-based differentiation when trade work appears procedurally similar across competitors.
• The role of culture, safety initiatives, and everyday signals in reinforcing organisational values and enhancing employee engagement.
• The effectiveness of personal advocacy and everyday interactions in demonstrating care and building trust on-site.
• The implementation of safety programmes like Smith driving and camera monitoring to improve safety culture despite resistance.
• The importance of conveying human elements, such as technical expertise and shared values, within highly process-driven industries.
• The need for project teams to work collaboratively, with early design involvement (design assist), to prevent misunderstandings and delays.
• The challenges of managing external trades and teams outside of official employment and how to integrate them into a unified project culture.
• The importance of language and relationship-building in technical industries for internal trust and external client satisfaction.
• The impact of storytelling and marketing in elevating the status of technical teams and highlighting their contributions.
• Ways in which internal and external communication strategies can reinforce organisational promises and humanise project delivery.

Podcast Description

This podcast explores how organisations, particularly within the architecture, engineering, and construction sector, can leverage customer experience principles to differentiate in a highly technical and commoditised industry. Through conversations with industry experts, it examines the significance of organisational culture, safety practices, storytelling, and collaboration in fostering trust, enhancing employee engagement and ultimately delivering superior client outcomes. It provides insights for senior managers seeking to embed humanity and care into their operational and brand strategies, illustrating that technical excellence alone is insufficient without a compelling customer and employee experience.