Customer Experience 
We all want to deliver consistently amazing experiences for our customers—but it can be daunting to figure out how to improve CX, especially when it involves changing established processes.
That’s why our Chief Evangelist Edwin Margulies lays out his proven eight-step discovery process in his new book, Mastering the Customer Experience, to give businesses a comprehensive roadmap for enhancing customer experiences.
In this post, we’ll cover the first part of the process: teaming and goal setting, which are often overlooked. You have to start from the ground up, so don’t skip these crucial steps! They will help you form a solid CX foundation and avoid issues down the road.
Keep reading to learn the key aspects of teaming and goal setting, and you’ll be well on your way to CX success!
Six Essential Stakeholders and Why You Need Them
There are six key stakeholders who should be involved in your eight-step discovery process from the very beginning. With so many different perspectives to manage, it’s critical that you start out by organizing a kickoff call to bring all parties together.
This meeting will not only get everyone on the same page, but also give them each a sense of ownership in the process before you begin. Below, we’ve outlined each stakeholder type and the essential role they’ll play in the discovery process!
Executive sponsor: This person sets the tone for the project and provides the necessary resources required to get the work done. They will also help align your activities and outcomes with corporate goals.
Line of business representatives (LOB): As managers, these LOB representatives have a deep understanding of how their business works, so they can outline business practices, rules, and policies that need to be followed and considered. LOB representatives will also be responsible for creating budgets and calculating ROI, overseeing specific business lines that will give you crucial data.
Consulting leads and project managers: These important stakeholders can help confirm that the project is on the right track! They can offer valuable insights and feedback at this critical early stage. You should check with them to make sure the metrics you’re using to justify the project accurately represent customer activity and are based on the latest available data. Be sure to designate a point of contact for project managers to reach out to daily to help you seamlessly oversee the discovery process and track the project’s progress.
Subject matter experts and developers: Loop in your subject matter experts and developers at the beginning of the project to help them understand the requirements and avoid any surprises along the way. Both stakeholder groups can also assist with ideation, scope definition, budget constraints, and resource allocation.
Aligning Corporate Directives and Project Goals
Next, it’s time to set goals and consider any directives that should guide the process.
Corporate directives are the starting point of the discovery process, and they’ll determine the boundaries of the project. Sometimes, corporate directives conflict with project goals. Now is the time to bridge those gaps and see how you can get everyone aligned!
An example of a measurable project goal might be to increase call deflection by 8%, and a corporate directive might be to decrease operational expense by 15% in the next quarter. Your team should meet to create a plan for how you can accomplish both outcomes, which could be done through automation like using IVR in the contact center. Make sure to discuss it and decide on strategy!
One more thing: Always confirm corporate directives with the executive sponsor. Check for conflicts, rationalize the gaps, and get guidance on priorities where needed. It’s also a good idea to document the directives and keep them visible during discovery, both to inspire your team and to stay on track!
Putting CX into Practice: The Five Compass Points in the Customer Journey
Now that we’ve covered essential stakeholders and alignment of directives and goals, we can dive into the key touchpoints along the customer journey and how to handle each one. Each “compass point” represents an opportunity within the stages of the customer journey to nurture and foster a customer relationship at critical moments.
Of course, there are many touchpoints in the course of the customer journey, but over his 40-year career, Edwin Margulies has identified the following five compass points as the most crucial opportunities. Check out each one in more detail below!
Educate: This compass point coincides with the Awareness and Consideration stages of the customer journey, when customers initially discover your brand and decide to learn more. Now is your chance to make a great first impression! Inform and engage customers with educational assets like webinars and eBooks, brand positioning, and email campaigns. It’s important to incentivize them to engage with your brand, so you can move them further along in their journey.
Deal: The next compass point aligns with both the Decision and Purchase stages of the customer journey. This touchpoint is about persuading customers to sign a contract/agreement or to purchase your company’s product or services. The most crucial element of this step is demonstrating the value of your product/service and getting them to commit. Are there any last-minute hurdles to address that could prevent the deal from moving forward? How can you make a purchase even easier for the customer?
Onboard: This compass point occurs directly after customers sign a deal or make a purchase, and it aligns with the Adoption/Use stage of the customer journey. This is your opportunity to deliver on your promises and reinforce customers’ trust in your brand! The main goal in the first 30 days after purchase is to avoid buyer’s remorse —make them feel like they’ve made a smart decision in trusting you!
Although onboarding is often associated with technology adoption, the idea can be applied across industries and products/services. In this stage, you should focus on helping customers understand how the product or service works and guiding them on their journey, perhaps through newsletter or email onboarding.
Sustain: Sustaining the relationship is all about making customers feel valued, which coincides with the Retention stage of the customer journey. Basically, listen to their thoughts and feedback! They’ll respect and appreciate you for it. Try to anticipate their questions and help with troubleshooting when needed to build a sense of deeper loyalty to your brand. Check in with them to ensure they feel that they are being heard and understood.
Upsell: This last compass point refers to selling additional products or upgraded offerings on top of what customers already purchased. How can you use your established relationship with them to offer them more features, solutions, or products to enhance their lives?
In terms of the customer journey, this could occur at several different stages, depending on their needs and experience—but if you’ve turned a loyal customer into a superfan, it’s much more likely they’ll continue to buy from your brand! Customers who’ve had a poor experience in one or more stages of the journey are unlikely to be receptive to upselling. That’s why it’s so critical that you follow through on all five compass points!
These compass points are not an exhaustive list of all the customer touchpoints you might encounter, but they’re a helpful guide. Add more touchpoints or reorder them, and make them work for your business!
Teaming and Goal Setting To-Do List
As you go through the five compass points, corporate directives, and project goals, it’s important to run them by the six stakeholders mentioned earlier and get their feedback and buy-in. You’ll collaborate with them throughout this process and receive ongoing support from this team, so make sure you foster that healthy team environment early on!
Here’s a quick list of items that you should discuss and agree on by the end of the teaming and goal setting stage of the process:
- Confirm your team’s project goals and corporate directives.
- Get guidance and clarity on any gaps or conflicts before getting started.
- Write down your goals and directives to inspire you as you go! Make notes for use in discovery steps later on.
- Set expectations and determine the scope of the project to keep things on track.
- Discuss the customer journey and assess where your team can make a positive impact. This is the best part!
The Full Picture: Exploring the Eight-Step Discovery Process
Want to dive into the remaining steps of the proven CX discovery process?
Get your copy of Edwin Margulies’ book, Mastering the Customer Experience, to learn more! It’s full of expert advice and strategies to help you deliver even more amazing customer experiences.
