Come to find out, Customer Experience (CX) work is dangerous work. One of my inspirational heroes growing up was Chuck Yeager. This could be because my Dad was a P-38 pilot in WWII or because I grew up in Merritt Island, FL watching Apollo 17 launch into the December night time sky for the last manned moon mission, but I digress...
Upon breaking the sound barrier Chuck said "You concentrate on what you are doing, to do the best job you can, to stay out of a serious situations. That's the way the X-1 was. When we got it above Mach one without it flying apart, you can laughingly say now, ‘Well, I was disappointed because it didn't blow up'." CX work can be a lot like that - there is a natural force field in every company that is generated by its long standing organizational structure and traditional business models. This force field can unknowing kill off Voice of Customer (VOC) feedback loops, and starve CX initiatives looking to transform the organization. The collateral damage of this could look eerily similar to my LinkedIn profile. ;-)
I’ve had the honor to work for some of the largest and most successful high-tech brands the world has ever seen. I grew up in the Customer Support/Service arena getting to assist customers on the back side of the customer lifecycle. Years later I was able to sit in the front side of the lifecycle as a leader in the Marketing and Sales.
What I’ve learned is the simple truth that we teach customers how to treat us, based on timeless equity of the Golden Rule. It’s really quite simple - Know what you stand for, Keep your word, Always do the right thing for customers and associates alike. These truths worked when I was a Florida Today paperboy, and when I was the Global EVP of Customer Experience for Sage Software three and a half decades later.
Most organizations are the way they are, for very good reasons; the business models / organizational structures that allowed them to succeed are the same structure that can be threatened by introducing the VOC and front line associate point's of view into the traditional command and control systems. It’s been said that CX work requires you to run around and “tell everyone that their babies are ugly". I see it differently - I believe my role is to help cure “Institutional Blindness” and help good people see the impact of their companies actions, and re-think how to better insert the customer’s perspective into every key strategic and tactical decision they take. Simply put - every customer touchpoint should matter.
The urgency to solve this CX dilemma is best highlighted by Geoffrey Moore's recent blog post "Sorting Out 2016: Seven MegaTrends". If you do feel these pressures on your business today - you might need to plot a new vector for your business plan. If you don’t feel them, let’s talk about the concept of Institutional Blindness.
My mission, I believe, is to help coach brave CX leaders in the art of inspiring their organizations - committed to customer centricity - how to deliver purposeful associate experiences, that naturally generate branded CX impressions to create sustained success. I also believe that Commerce is the common economic engine across all businesses - that can drive planetary stewardship, while enabling the fullest potential of all individuals. Being the Father of 5 (3 of them under 8 yrs old) - I have a vested interest to create a better world - enabled by the proven physics of Customer Experience.
I am blessed to live an amazing life in Southern California - married to my best friend and business partner, looking forward to the opportunity to apply my proven CX practices to your organization’s long term success. I coach organizations of all types, all around the global, to navigate their way to Customer Advocacy & Success.
Call us - I, and my network of fellow CX pirates, stand ready to help.
We can be reached at +1-888-669-0570
Vector Business Navigation, Inc | founded JANUARY 1, 2016