Getting your C-suite onboard with customer experience (CX) programs can be a real challenge. If you’re reading this, chances are it’s the same story at your organization! While there’s no silver bullet for getting boardroom approval on more CX resources or program renewals, we’re going to break down three elements that can help warm the execs to your Experience Improvement (XI) initiatives. Those three elements are:
- Reporting Frequency
- Content Formatting
- Cross-Functional Teamwork
Element #1: Reporting Frequency
One of the most important elements to consider when speaking your C-suite’s language is its preferred reporting frequency. You can figure out how often your C-suite would like reports by considering each executive’s thinking style, as well as those of your teammates. Some leaders are quantitative, and may want numbers-heavy reports more frequently. Others are qualitative and more concerned with the aspirational elements of your program. Reporting frequency preferences vary wildly between brands, but understanding those preferences is crucial to winning—and maintaining—that support!
Element #2: Content Formatting
This piece dovetails with reporting frequency quite a bit, which only makes sense, right? Once you determine how frequently your executives want reports, it’s vital to press that advantage by figuring out how best to present them. Usually, this presentation takes the form of scorecards, but we challenge you to use something much more powerful if you aren’t already: customer stories! Executives love seeing their brand vision presented in a human light, and stories of how that vision creates genuine connections with people go a long way toward program approval.
Element #3: Cross-Functional Teamwork
This is a big one. If you want to make sure your program is presented from all its best angles, you need a cross-functional team to do just that. Identifying and recruiting the folks you need from other departments is never a quick or easy process, but it’s essential for so much more than ‘just’ more budget. In fact, desiloing program data and uniting your organization around it can provide everyone the exact same customer profile. And when everyone is working off of that holistic, united customer view, every experience you provide will be meaningfully improved. Powerful stuff for your next presentation!
Going Deeper
How else can your team speak the C-suite’s language when it comes to Experience Improvement? Asia-Pacific Managing Director David Blakers has written a full-length point of view on this subject that you can read by clicking here. Check it out to gain additional, powerful insights on how to speak to executives, gain the program approval you need for brand success, and maintain those connections over time!
