The Heartbeat of Great CX: It's All About the People

But as we’ve seen in Professional Services, people truly fuel value. No matter how sophisticated your tools, without the right personnel, magic remains elusive. In Customer Experience, people drive the show, steering tech, vision, and data in unison. Getting ‘People’ right is difficult but it’s worth all the effort because at the heart of brilliant CX is a human touch. Intrigued by a people-centric CX approach? Keep reading.

There was a time when businesses believed their most significant assets were their proprietary software, machines, real estate, and intellectual property! But for the vast majority of my career, I’ve been fortunate to work in Professional Services teams, where people added the value to the organisations they engaged with. I have always believed, that whilst those other assets are essential, businesses’ most valuable asset has always been, and will always be, their people. You can have the most advanced technology, the best laid out vision, impeccable operations, and a minefield of data; but if you don’t have the right people harnessing those assets, the magic just doesn’t happen.

When we focus in on the world of Customer Experience (CX), the scenario is no different. Purple Square’s “5 Core Principles of CX” underscores this beautifully. While Vision paints the dream, Operations lay out the game plan, Data serves as the navigator, and Technology is the high-speed engine, the People, they’re the drivers, ensuring everything moves in harmony.

What does your team look like?

Like me, you might have been a part of, or at least witnessed, teams in the past that have struggled because they didn’t quite get the ‘People’ part right. Remember those times?

• Teams that played it too safe, sticking only to Business as Usual (BAU), resisting any whiff of innovation.
• Teams that are overworked or stressed and unable to make the changes needed to deliver incremental change.
• Teams where the smallest of errors would often slip through, only to snowball into bigger issues later.
• Or the high employee turnover teams, where every other week felt like someone’s first or last day, leading to repeated training and onboarding.

And let’s not forget the flexibility issue. A rigid team, incapable of adapting to the ever-changing business landscape, ends up being more of a liability than an asset.

Yet, with the right guidance and support, all of this can change.

Putting people at the heart of CX

This is often where Purple Square steps in, putting a laser focus on the role of People in CX.

Our offerings are quite diverse and tailored to ensure organisations are not just equipped but thriving:

1. CX Organisational Planning: Creating a structure where every individual knows their role in the larger CX vision.
2. CX and Marketing Enablement: Empowering team members with the right tools and knowledge to drive CX excellence.
3. Technical Enablement: Because it’s one thing to have the tech, and another to know how to maximise its potential.
4. Staff Augmentation: Whether it’s entry-level or leadership, we help fill the gaps, ensuring continuity and expertise at every step.
5. CX Training: To ensure everyone speaks the same CX language, understanding and championing the customer’s perspective.
6. Technology Training: Ensuring your team doesn’t just use technology but uses it effectively and efficiently.

While technology may become outdated, and software once celebrated might become obsolete, people, those who were nurtured, trained, and valued – they’ll be leading teams, driving innovations, and ensuring CX is not just a department but a mindset.

So, if you’re thinking about the next step in your CX journey, remember it begins and ends with the right people and organisation.