Customer experience (CX) has become the defining factor for most consumers when purchasing a product or service. To deliver an effective experience requires an integrated strategy that focuses on the following:
- Creating a customer-centered culture
- Instituting accountability across the enterprise
- Developing an understanding of the customer
- Improving customer experience design
- Measuring return on investment
- Designing a customer experience strategy
Several organizations offer certification programs, such as the one defined by the Customer Experience Professional Association (CXPA). CXPA is a non-profit organization for CX professionals that works to establish standards and concepts to ensure an exceptional customer experience and promote the CX profession.
Certification.
CXPA created a training certification process for organizations wanting to offer certification programs. Providers that pass the stringent accreditation process are identified as Authorized Resource Training Providers (ART). These programs enable individuals to receive international recognition once they pass the CCXP exam. Organizations such as the following offer CX certifications:
- Forrester Learning
- Medallia
- Prometric
- CX University
Although individuals do not have to take the recommended courses to apply to sit for the exam, they do need to meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Three years of full-time customer experience work
- Demonstrated engagement in all competency areas
- Bachelor’s degree
People with a high school diploma and five years of experience can also apply to take the exam.
Program content.
Whether through coursework or experience, anyone interested in becoming a CX certified professional must have demonstrable knowledge in the six competencies listed above. To successfully navigate the certification process, individuals must have more than a cursory understanding of the core content areas.
Customer experience strategy.
A customer experience strategy creates an actionable plan for delivering a positive customer experience. This process includes both pre-and post-experiences and is based on such factors as:
- Market research data
- Competitive analysis
- Customer feedback
- Company culture
Developing a customer experience strategy involves the entire organization. It is not just for customer-facing roles. Logistics has as much of an impact on the customer as customer support. Human resources is essential to maintaining an employee-centered environment that promotes customer-focused strategies. Every employee can benefit from customer experience training. A CX professional must be aware of how vital a well-articulated approach is to corporate success.
Customer-centered culture.
When everyone evaluates their decisions in terms of how it improves the customer’s experience, a company has created a customer-centered culture. With the right strategy, organizations can break down silos and develop cross-functional teams to deliver a better customer experience. When strategy and structure align, employees can focus on one goal.
Pursuing the same goal informs both external and internal communications. It leads to a shared language which makes collaboration possible. A CX expert understands that a customer-centered strategy recognizes each touchpoint’s importance on a customer’s journey, whether it is awareness or post-purchase.
Enterprise accountability.
CX professionals gain insight into how both back-office and customer-facing departments impact the customer experience. They also know how difficult it can be to change a culture with deeply embedded silos. Acquiring skills to help break down barriers is an essential part of a CX employee’s efforts.
Overcoming obstacles to customer-focused operations means:
- Surmounting isolating behaviors
- Eliminating dysfunctional operations
- Improve cross-functional handoffs
For example, how is a customer transferred to another resource within an organization? In compartmentalized organizations, a customer who contacts support for what becomes a sales issue is transferred to sales by placing them in a queue to wait for the next available representative. The divide between departments means that the customer is no longer support’s problem. How long the customer waits is a sales issue. Such behavior makes for a poor customer experience.
Customer insight.
Evaluating the success of a customer journey requires data. Without data, it’s impossible to make decisions on how and where to make improvements. How does a CX professional gain customer insights? Ask the customer.
Numerous touchpoints exist to collect information about customers and their experiences. Among possible points of contact are:
- Chatbots
- Text Messages
- Phone calls
- Websites
Valuable data about customers is available on all communication channels and should be collected to understand the customer’s expectations better. CX professionals learn how to use these channels to maximize the benefits of a comprehensive customer experience.
Experience design.
CX professionals design customer experiences and employee engagement through journeys and organization processes.
- Proactive Customer Service. Good customer service skills can differentiate customer experiences. Offering proactive customer service can add value to the purchase and increase brand loyalty.
- Customer Service Tools. Technology can provide tools that help deliver a seamless customer experience. They can also offer self-service options that meet customer expectations for the immediate resolution of problems.
- Beyond the Purchase. Customer service can help extend a relationship beyond the point of purchase, but so can other innovative offerings. For companies selling outdoor equipment, including tips on how to use the purchases or possible destinations for outdoor experiences are ways to add value.
Designing an exceptional customer experience requires a thorough understanding of the customer coupled with a strategy that measures its success in quantifiable ways.
Measurements and metrics
Collecting data is crucial to the success of any customer experience initiative. Without it, it’s impossible to know its success or failure. CX professionals must know how to collect data as well as analyze it to make data-driven decisions on how to improve the experience. They must understand how to present information that demonstrates the return on investment of customer experience expenditures. Being able to deliver statistically valid information ensures ongoing support for customer experience efforts.
Benefits.
CX is an evolving field, which makes it difficult to attract those exciting opportunities. Becoming a certified professional is one way to stand out from the crowd. It demonstrates to potential employers your:
- Credibility and expertise
- Growth potential
- Commitment to the profession
Becoming a CCXP is an investment in your future that leads to respect and acceptance of the CX specialist.