Has the Term “CX” Lost All Meaning?

Without a doubt, CX is one of the most widely used buzzwords right now!

Every brand claims to prioritize it, every vendor promises to enhance it, and every leader wants to measure it. But lately, a growing number of industry voices have started asking whether the term itself has lost meaning.

Here Keith Stapleton unpicks why “CX” is now so overused that it risks diluting the very principles it was meant to champion. And he ponders what the future might hold…

Turn the Clock Back Less Than 10 Years and the Term CX Didn’t Exist

Turn the clock back less than 10 years and the term CX didn’t exist, or at least if it did, it wasn’t called that or given much thought by so many people.

So, why has it become so central to discussion about how businesses interact with their customers? I have some ideas…

In the mid-90s, it became obvious that calling an organization was going to be complemented by electronic communications via websites and emails.

Whilst these proved popular, calling wasn’t going to be replaced; customers simply embraced the new range of choice.

Moving forward 10 years to the mid-2000s, and websites became more complex, as did the information and interaction with them.

To facilitate this, communication methods – including webchats, social media interactions, callbacks, and others – were adopted.

The result was far from perfect for businesses, customers, and staff because the choices resulted in more work, greater complication, and inconsistency.

And businesses quickly realized two things were needed:

1. Rationalization
2. Guidance for customers

This is ultimately why CX has come about, as an overview of how the business interacts with the customer. Quite simply, a wrapper for customer service delivery amongst other things.

For advice on making CX work in your contact centre, read our article: How to Turn CX Promises Into Accountable Actions

It Was No Longer Enough Just to Measure Your Interactions

It was no longer enough to measure your interactions; you needed to understand why they occurred and if the outcome was good enough.

Yet the Theory Is Easier Than the Implementation

I don’t think you can dispute that a strong strategy and delivery of CX is a valuable asset to any business.

However, it’s my belief that CX has not driven an improvement in customer satisfaction, nor has it supported businesses in growth or sustainability and, importantly, given clarity to staff.

This is because the theory is easier than the implementation, so customer satisfaction and staff retention have been negatively impacted.

Quite frankly, I feel it has delivered a brutal set of conditions in which businesses are prepared to deal with their customers, efficiency, and cost effectiveness in such a way as to have made processes suit the needs of the business foremost – ahead of customers and staff.

“If you don’t fit in, go elsewhere” is the reality for many customers, and these people have no voice as they are not represented in most scorecards or KPIs.

Sales Pitches Have Also Diluted and Generalized Its Purpose

CX has also become a sales pitch, which has also diluted and generalized its purpose.

Illuminati have adopted the term to add credence to their beliefs, and it has become the responsibility of the few rather than of everybody.

This has happened because:

• Businesses have not been clear on what CX means to them, their customers, or staff
• Decisions concerning customer interaction are about affordability and efficiency – not outcome
• Technology has been presented as a solution rather than an enabler
• Delivery and understanding have been disseminated to individuals through role title, with few tangible outcomes
• CX means little to customers and staff

If you are looking to run a CX audit and want advice to get you started, read our article: A Quick Guide to CX Audits

Can CX Be Turned Around?

Fortunately, there are ways to rescue the situation and turn CX around to everyone’s benefit, including to:

AI Will Have a Role to Play in CX Delivery Too

AI deserves a mention here too! As it’s the most recent innovation in customer contact, and has taken over our thoughts and conversation, some think it threatens to leave CX as partially delivered or even to kill it off.

However, much like CX, it lacks clear definition:

• What it really is
• Where it takes its information from and how that information is monitored for accuracy
• How predictable and safe it is
• What human interactions it will replace
• What human interactions it will complement
• Will customers trust it

I believe AI will have a role to play in CX delivery and that role will be beneficial to businesses and most customers and staff.

A price will be paid by some customers who do not fit in (or are not willing) and some staff whose role is replaced or who cannot adapt to the change in role.

For the longer term, CX should point AI to where it’s required, not the other way round, and it’s up to the people involved to remind each other of that.

CX Must Be Held Accountable for the Strategy of Customer Service

All in all, CX must be held accountable for the strategy of customer service.

It would be very easy for businesses to follow a path of automation and outsourcing any customer contacts through complementing it with their technologies such as AI support.

CX Can and Should Be a Good Thing

Not all of what I have written will come to fruition, be that good or bad, but the following points, I believe, are the most pertinent:

• CX can and should be a good thing, but it’s not being deployed well enough so has not delivered.
• Don’t replace CX with technology (AI) – technology is an enabler not a deliverer.
• CX is everyone’s responsibility, not just the few.
• If customer service is important to you, support those delivering it through your CX strategy.
• Retaining in-house call centres is not a given, but CX and technologies can save as well as remove them.
• Customers are getting more used to accepting what’s on offer, battling to keep things the way they are is unlikely to work.

What do you think?

Written by: Keith Stapleton, Director/Consultant, Select Planning Ltd.

For more information to improve CX in your contact centre, read these articles next:

• 10 Game-Changing Ways Emotion Will Shape the Future of CX
• Stay on Top of Social Media Like a CX Pro
• Why Immersive Experiences Are the Future of CX

Reviewed by: Jo Robinson