How high are culture and vision on your customer experience strategy totem pole?
đ„ Hot off the press by popular demand from Aquarius Hospitality Solutions, here's our latest piece, "Raising the Totem: Culture, Vision, and the Bedrock of Extraordinary Customer Experience".
We explore why these elements shouldn't be just check-box items, but core drivers of your strategy, fostering credibility, employee engagement, and long-term sustainability.
Intrigued? Check it out, share your thoughts, and feel free to share it with your network. Here's to crafting an extraordinary customer experience together! âŹïž
Culture and vision. These two guiding principles stand as pillars in any organization, often setting the tone for the overall company strategy. However, when it comes to customer experience strategies, they can sometimes find themselves buried under a heap of operational tactics and immediate-term goals. Today, we challenge you to rethink their place on the totem pole of customer experience strategy.
First, let's dive into why culture and vision are crucial ingredients in the recipe for outstanding customer experience.
1. Culture: Your Organizational DNA
Culture defines how an organization thinks, behaves, and works. It embodies the values, beliefs, and norms that guide every interaction, both internal and with customers. It sets the rhythm for employee engagement, teamwork, and the way in which employees serve customers.
When culture aligns with customer experience strategy, it produces a seamless and genuine interaction that customers can trust. Companies that prioritize a customer-centric culture encourage employees to think like customers, to understand their needs, desires, and pain points. Zappos, for instance, is renowned for its culture of delivering âWOWâ service, and it's no coincidence that it's often rated highly for customer satisfaction.
2. Vision: The Guiding North Star
A compelling vision outlines what an organization aspires to be in the future. It is the shared goal that guides strategic decisions and offers a sense of purpose and direction. More importantly, it's the beacon that keeps the organization aligned and moving towards the same horizon.
Incorporating this vision into your customer experience strategy ensures that every customer interaction is a step towards realizing this vision. Take Disney's vision, for example: âTo make people happy.â This aspiration resonates in every aspect of their customer experience, from their theme parks to their movies, and even their customer service.
Culture and Vision: The Summit of the Customer Experience Totem
While culture and vision may currently fall somewhere in the middle of your customer experience totem pole, it's time to hoist them up. These components should not merely serve as check-box items but as core drivers of your customer experience strategy.
Here's why:
Credibility and Consistency:
When your culture and vision are the foundation of your customer experience strategy, it leads to consistency across all customer touchpoints. It lends credibility to your interactions, as customers see and feel the values that your organization stands for.
Employee Engagement:
Culture and vision directly influence how employees perceive their roles. When employees understand and connect with the company's vision and culture, they are more engaged and motivated to deliver exceptional service.
Long-term Sustainability:
While tactics can yield immediate results, a strategy rooted in culture and vision ensures long-term sustainability. It safeguards your strategy against changes in market trends, as these principles are timeless.
In conclusion, to design a truly exceptional and sustainable customer experience strategy, start by looking inward at your culture and vision. Raise them to the top of your totem pole, and let them guide your organization towards an authentic, consistent, and inspiring customer experience that leaves a lasting impression.
After all, your culture and vision aren't just part of your organization's storyâthey are the story. And when told right, it's a story your customers will want to be a part of.
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