Customer Experience Transformation – Top 3 Turnarounds

For CX professionals, customer experience transformation can be a real challenge. Changing culture on such a large scale can be like steering an enormous ocean liner, and even the best-made plans take time to implement.

That’s why it’s so important to remind yourself of success stories – companies that prioritised the customer experience and achieved great business results.

This is our top 3.

Customer Experience Transformation 1 – Microsoft

Back in the 90s, it seemed nothing could stop Microsoft taking over the world. But as the new millennium dawned, the tech giant seemed to be losing ground. For more than a decade, its stock price didn’t rise beyond its 1999 peak.

Then, in 2014, Satya Nadella became CEO. His priority was to establish Microsoft as a trusted partner in B2B cloud networking systems. And it was a success – by focusing on customer relationships rather than being some faceless corporation, Microsoft earned the trust of the business community. This year, Microsoft stock reached an all-time high.

If one of the world’s largest companies can re-orientate its business model towards customer-centricity, anything is possible!

Customer Experience Transformation 2 – Paymentsense

Paymentsense is a card processing company seeking to disrupt the payments market. Realising that CX was where they could out-compete their rivals, they enacted policies that delivered from a customer perspective.

One was 24/7 contact centres. The modern UK economy doesn’t shut down at 5pm, so call centres shouldn’t either. And for non-banking clients, they guarantee setup in three days or less.

Integrating the customer strategy into the overall growth strategy took around 18 months – and the process is ongoing. But the results speak for themselves – customer growth was 19%, revenue grew 18% and profits rose 11%.

These impressive achievements meant recognition for Paymentsense at last year’s UK Customer Experience Awards, when they won in the Transforming the Customer Experience category.

Book your seats at the UK Customer Experience Awards today!

Customer Experience Transformation 3 – Timberland

The fashion retailer wanted to create a more personalised experience for their customers, and they achieved this transformation using near-field communication technology.

Although this technology can be used for ecommerce, Timberland opted to do something different – use it for product information. Shoppers receive a tablet in-store, which they can press against products to bring up key details on a clothing item. As customers browse the store, personalisation software on the tablet means the customer receives more targeted recommendations.

Staff members in clothing stores can be helpful, but a sizeable number of customers want to shop without being disturbed. This app is perfect for them – it gives them all the information they need whilst allowing them to browse in peace. And if they do want to speak to a member of staff, that’s still possible.

Amongst other policies, this CX transformation has led to impressive business results – Timberland’s share price is more than double its 2014 level.

Each of these stories can teach us something about customer experience. In a B2B environment, it’s all about establishing strong customer relationships through dedication to their commercial needs. You have to understand customer priorities and work to them – not the other way around. And you need to deliver a personalised experience that gives each customer the specific information and assistance they need.

We’re still taking bookings for the UK Customer Experience Awards. Join the UK’s biggest celebration of CX today! 

For more stories on customer experience from Awards International, click here.