Abstract
- Essential synergy. Integrating CX and EX increases employee engagement and customer satisfaction.
- Apple example. The Apple Store experience highlights the power of combining CX and EX.
- Measurement is important. Continuously monitoring CX and EX metrics enables more agile engagement.
Delivering a top-notch customer experience (CX) requires employees with a great employee experience (EX). The two are intricately linked, and engaged employees focus their energy on satisfying customers. Smart marketers recognize this CX and EX synergy and incorporate it into their strategies.
Success through synergy between Apple’s CX and EX
Who's running this great program? It may seem puzzling that there are lines outside Apple Stores every time a new iPhone model is released. After all, why wait in long lines when you can pre-order online? The answer lies in the Apple Store experience. You'll receive a warm welcome and get to play with your new gadget while the knowledgeable store staff eagerly explains its features. If you're feeling carried away by the excitement, just grab your latest iPhone and go. This exemplifies how powerful experiences are in attracting and retaining customers.
As a CMO who strives to drive growth, I focus on curating positive experiences. Here are my top 3 tips for fostering CX and EX synergy within your marketing framework:
1. Anchor marketing centered around real customer insights
Today's consumers are digitally savvy and expect personalized engagement. Attacking them with general promotions will backfire. Before conceptualizing targeted campaigns, take the time to understand your microsegments and listen to them through online community interactions and social media. Deliver a seamless omnichannel experience. For example, satisfied website visitors become loyal retail customers. Build familiarity and trust with consistent messaging across channels.
Related article: Has the time come to make CX and EX “one experience”?
2. Engage employees through internal branding
EX directly impacts CX. Engaged employees provide a better customer experience. Inspire your staff by co-creating a value proposition that reflects your company's purpose and vision. Make them your brand ambassadors through training, feedback, and incentives. Enable two-way communication through town halls and surveys. Build friendships through team activities. When employees feel valued, that reflects in customer satisfaction.
Related article: CX and EX: Why focusing only on CX is a bad idea
3. Prioritize real-time measurement for agile efforts
Continuously measure CX metrics like NPS surveys and mystery shopping. Also ask for employee feedback. Analyze your data to identify friction points that impact CX and EX. Address these quickly through reviews of policies, processes, and technology. Share the actions taken to close the loop. Staying on top of CX and EX metrics drives agility to continue optimizing engagement.
I'll also share some additional ideas you can consider for CX-EX integration.
- Create an employee journey map to match your customer journey map.
- We will jointly conduct a CX-EX idea generation workshop.
- Create a cross-functional CX-EX council (this can snowball for the better)
- Empower your employees to interact directly with customers.
- Communicate customer feedback to front-line staff.
- Build executive-level CX and EX roles.
- Most importantly, celebrate your internal and external customer service wins together.
The most important goal is to foster a customer-centric and employee-centric culture. Initiatives like the ones above will help spread the CX-EX mindset throughout your company and make it a reality.
Related article: Comprehensive equation: Why HX = CX + EX
Marketing wins with CX-EX synergies
Marketing success depends on prioritizing both customers and employees and continually creating experiences that delight them. The future belongs to brands that sow and reap this CX and EX synergy.
As marketing undergoes a paradigm shift from one-way communication to two-way engagement, brands that focus on human-centered experiences will earn loyalty.
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