20 CX Commitments for 2020

I’m weirdly excited about this year. 2020 – a year of vision! (See what I did there?)

This time of year is all about the BIG plans. We’re going to eat healthier, get better sleep and drink more water, right? Of course. We’re also going to execute big strategies based on big plans in our businesses.

I have total faith in you. This is YOUR year.

But it’s a good idea to take a step back and commit to the basics again, too. To start your year off right, here are 20 commitments to make on behalf of your customers and your organization.

20 Customer Experience Commitments for 2020

1. Advocate for your customers. They don’t have a voice in the meetings, decisions and communications in your organization unless you give it to them.
2. Don’t tolerate complacency. Complacency kills great customer experiences. Change is a constant need in today’s environment. Don’t assume what worked is “enough.”
3. Dig into the data. Don’t nod along if you don’t understand why the data is telling you a story. Understand the story so you know what to do.
4. Communicate throughout your organization so everyone understands why customer experience is important and what you’re doing about it.
5. Have a customer experience mission and live it – every day.
6. Ask more questions than you answer about your customers. You might think you know them, but there’s always more to know.
7. Invite customers into the process. Co-creation sessions, customer advisory boards, or a simple conversation connects your customers with the outcomes they really want.
8. Know the journey. Get that critical outside-in perspective with customer journey mapping.
9. Innovate around your experience as a rule. Innovation is not a one-and-done idea, it’s a cultural value.
10. Walk in your customer’s shoes however you can. Call the customer service line, use chat support, look for a product.
11. Speak truth to power. One of the hardest, but most critical, parts of customer experience leadership is sharing the hard truths.
12. Build as many bridges as you can throughout the organization. Silos are the enemy of a consistent and meaningful customer journey.
13. Stay inspired. Pay attention to the customer experience stories in your world. Use that inspiration to take action for your customers.
14. Talk directly to customers on a regular basis. It’s easy to go weeks, months or even years without direct interaction with a customer. Commit to finding ways to connect.
15. Align your promises throughout the customer experience. If you promise ease, commit to that even if it’s not easy for your organization.
16. Document great ideas for the future. You might not have the resources, time or budget for an idea you know is great, but you might in the future.
17. Acknowledge the “exit” as part of the customer journey. How a customer leaves you is just as important as other parts of the journey, so make it count!
18. Thank your contact center agents, your service reps and all your frontline employees often.
19. Cheer on those team members who go above and beyond to help you deliver a great customer experience. Make them the example others want to emulate.
20. Stay positive and true to your goals. It’s easy to get discouraged or feel like it’s “never enough.” You are a champion for your customers and that is important work!

Commit to a great year and a great experience for your customers. You got this. And we’ll be right here with you.

Happy 2020!