What Thomas Edison said in the early 1900’s still has meaning today. In the context of Customer Experience, all too often, the delivery of a CX strategy fails because of poor implementation. The right execution of a plan, whilst not always easy, is the only way to move from theory to tangible results and improvements in customer experience.
To overcome this, consider the following:
⭐ Accountability: Assigning clear accountabilities and ownership for executing customer experience initiatives is crucial. Holding individuals or teams accountable ensures plans are implemented effectively.
⭐ Resource effectively, empower & engage: Many organisations feel this can be done alongside their people’s day to day responsibilities but to drive meaningful change requires the commitment through resource and investment. Provide the autonomy and authority to support delivery and foster a culture of ownership and collaboration that works towards continuous improvement. Celebrate success and learn from failure to maintain morale and momentum.
⭐ Establish clear goals and action plans: Clearly define the objective using SMART which provides a clear direction for implementation. Break it down into actionable steps and develop detailed actions plans for each part so you can see where progress is being made and where potential blockers are.
⭐ Communicate: Provide regular updates on progress, success and even the challenges to maintain engagement in the delivery of the strategy but also alignment that together, you’re all working towards a common goal.
⭐ Governance & tracking: Establish a system for monitoring and measuring performance through OKRs and KPIs. Regularly review progress, identify areas of success and improvement and course correct if needed.
⭐ Remain agile: It’s important to accept that not everything goes to plan and that in the execution, things will come along you have not anticipated. Good planning helps mitigate some areas but accept there will be changes to the internal and external environment that might require you to adapt. Be open to changing tactics and resources based on new emerging trends and feedback. Encourage open communication and collaboration to solve any problems that may arise.
⭐ Commitment: Most importantly, stay committed and persistent. Too often other distractions or priorities come so remain resilient and persevere.
Only through effective execution can organisations achieve meaningful and lasting improvements in the customer experience.