Interview with Nicolas Riedle, Kantar Insights – Premium Partner succeet22 What to do if your CX programme is not really taking off?

Most companies have recognised the importance of customer experience for sustainable growth. But designing CX successfully can be challenging – says CX expert Nicolas Riedle, Director Pre-Sales CX at our premium partner Kantar. In his presentation at the succeet22, he will show what is important and how to cope with barriers. Here’s an overview.

succeet: Mr Riedle, in your role at Kantar, you support companies across many sectors and industries in the introduction and implementation of CX programmes. How do companies currently perceive the topic of CX?

Nicolas Riedle: It can be positively stated that the vast majority of companies have recognised the importance of CX for their corporate success and for sustainable growth. Especially in the B2B environment, companies have so far been able to distinguish themselves from the competition through their products; differentiation through the customer experience was not as important. And that is changing right now, or has already changed significantly. Many of our clients tell us exactly that and are therefore on the way to transforming their organisation in the direction of customer centricity. However, we also see that this path is often very difficult for the companies and that after initial enthusiasm, the companies find that it is a great challenge to sustainably anchor the topic of CX and the orientation of the organisation towards the customer in the company.

► Find out more about this topic in Nicolas Riedle‘s presentation at succeet22: "Is your customer experience programme not running properly? More power on the road to success – the Kantar CX Accelerator is boosting your CX programme" on 20 October (in German).  Sign up here

succeet: Why do you think companies find it difficult to successfully shape the topic of CX?

Nicolas Riedle: We see a number of possible reasons or barriers for this. Certainly, not every barrier is found in every company or is equally pronounced in every company. But we talk to the different companies that come to us and we see parallels.

What we often observe is that the companies are not serious enough. And that is not meant in a bad way. It's just that many companies recognise that they have to do something in the area of CX and start working on it, but then their priorities change and the topic of CX moves into the background. That is understandable. But one must not forget: CX is not a detached and completed project, but the core of a long-term corporate strategy.

As a consequence, we often see that the foundation of CX in the company is not resilient, e.g. CX goals remain vague, there is no clear orientation of the programme and no connection to the brand promise.

succeet: Would you say that there are companies whose structure makes it easier or harder for them to focus on customer experience?

Nicolas Riedle: Certainly, it is somewhat easier for a young, small company, perhaps in the start-up sector. Usually the paths are shorter. By this I mean that it is easier for the people in the organisation who are responsible for establishing a CX programme to find support for their topics in the management but also in the specialist departments. In our experience, it is precisely these promoters who are needed to anchor the topic of CX broadly in a company.

And it is helpful if the office of the CEO or CMO is right next door and I, as the person responsible for CX, have more personal contact. But even in a ""rather young"" company, the task of bringing everyone along remains demanding. To assert yourself as a CX manager, even if this position is newly created and you come into the company from the outside, simply means to be very persistent in representing your issues.

succeet: What do you recommend to your clients to get a CX programme rolling successfully?

Nicolas Riedle: We recommend that the person responsible for CX builds a network of supporters and involves them in all decisions from the beginning. In our cooperation with a client, for example, we implemented a hybrid approach. We brought together different employees from the management and leadership level with employees from the specialist departments in working groups. There they jointly developed the contents of the customer survey, for example. Other colleagues were then responsible for another topic. This is how you get the buy-in of the decision-makers and the employees and the topic is anchored broadly in the company. This can be very effective, especially in rather hierarchically organised companies. Our client spoke of a revolution for the company, which has created a lot of momentum.

succeet: And what do you recommend to companies when the momentum slows down?

Nicolas Riedle: Then you have to look at what's holding you back. We recommend looking at all the building blocks of a CX programme and analysing which barriers stand in the way of progress. Besides the issue of commitment, which we have already looked at, there are many other possible barriers that need to be overcome. For example, we often see problems in the implementation of measures that aim to improve the customer experience. Departments develop measures completely uncoordinated with each other. This leads to the breaking down of the customer experience at the different touchpoints. That's why we recommend a holistic approach to developing measures that allows for different perspectives on the customer. That way the CX programme runs smoothly and successfully.

► Find out more about this topic in Nicolas Riedle‘s presentation at succeet22: "Is your customer experience programme not running properly? More power on the road to success – the Kantar CX Accelerator is boosting your CX programme" on 20 October (in German).  Sign up here

About Nicolas Riedle

Nicolas Riedle is Director Pre-Sales CX at Kantar Insights. In his role, Nicolas Riedle advises national and international clients in the area of customer experience. Nicolas focuses on the conception of CX and VOC projects as well as on how the generation of CX insights can have a sustainable impact on the business success of companies.

 
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