From Ideation to Implementation: Starting a CX Program from the Ground Up
From Ideation to Implementation: Starting a CX Program from the Ground Up
I recently had the pleasure of facilitating the August AAM High! Webinar on how to start a successful customer experience CX program within an accounting firm.
In this discussion, PBMares, LLP Director of Marketing Julia Germeyer and Herbein + Co. Client Experience Manager Ryen Salo talked about what CX maturity is and why it matters, they talked about KPIs you can use to measure the growth of your own customer experience program, and they showed us what customer experience IS and what it IS NOT.
Let’s start with what customer experience is not.
- CX is NOT just customer service
- CX is NOT just UX
- CX is NOT just one department’s job
- CX is NOT just a feeling
Customer experience is the amount of time it takes to respond to issues; it’s how you make clients feel. It’s why they come back to you year after year. It’s the value they see in your firm and why they wouldn’t think about going to another firm.
CX Maturity – What and Why it Matters
CX Maturity refers to how advanced an organization is in delivering a consistent, intentional and optimized client experience within every client interaction. It reflects the organization’s strategy, culture, processes technology, and the ability to adapt to clients’ needs.
Ryen Salo said, “No matter where you’re starting, you’re in a good spot.” So, there is no time like the present to start your customer experience program!
Examples of CX at Different Stages
Here are the stages, as she defines them:
- Initial: CX vision and mission; Steering Committee and/or Army of Volunteers; Roadmap; Internal Communications
- Emerging: Survey program(s); journey map(s); Internal (and/or External!) focus groups; Internal Communications
- Defined: Policies & enforceable, trackable goals; Programs for Promoters, Passives, Detractors; Established reporting mechanism in place
- Integrated: Tech-enabled data analytics; customized survey programs; Crossfunctional skill-building; CX + EX
- Optimized: AI-powered & automated; CX in job descriptions; CX as a second language; silos eliminated
Why It Matters = Organizations with a mature CX framework see higher retention, revenue growth, increased client loyalty, more referrals and stronger brand trust.
Framework of a CX Program
Ryen provided a solid outline of a framework we can use to ensure our customer experience program is successful for years to come.
“You can do some of these things at the same time,” Ryen said. And make sure you ask the client, “Have I understood this correctly?” to make sure everyone’s on the same page.
CX KPIs
Julia Germeyer said there is no rigid set of KPIs that you must measure, but she recommends your firm blends a mix of perception metrics (Net Promoter Score) with operational metrics (how long it took to respond to a customer complaint) and behavioral metrics (cross sells, attrition).
“Balance the strategic and the ops metrics so that you have a mix of different views and you’re not getting caught either at the 30,000-foot view or down in the weeds.”
This will help you build a strong customer experience program while being strategic and working toward the future goals of your firm.
Action Items
A few action items that come out of this process would be to look at the behaviors that led to these metrics and outline the work that needs to be done to alter these behaviors. Tracking trends to see if responsiveness is improving over time is also a great way to keep an eye on the numbers.
To close out the webinar, Julia and Ryen highlighted their own firms’ customer experience programs, how they go about hiring and incentivizing for those teams and what metrics they track to ensure they’re improving their service over time.
Overall, this AAM High! Webinar was one of my favorites so far this year because it gave us actionable steps to take to improve the customer experience at any CPA firm, big or small. And they gave us all the formulas we need to accurately measure these metrics.
You can watch the recording, here. Members can get the recording free with their membership.
About Dawn Wagenaar
Dawn Wagenaar is Principal of Ingenuity Marketing Group, LLC, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ingenuity works with accounting firms across the country on branding, research, marketing and growth to make their professionals famous. Dawn is past chair of the AAM Conference Committee and Virtual Education Committee and past member-at-large for AAM National Board of Directors.
About Dawn Wagenaar
Dawn Wagenaar is Principal of Ingenuity Marketing Group, LLC, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ingenuity works with accounting firms across the country on branding, research, marketing and growth to make their professionals famous. Dawn is past chair of the AAM Conference Committee and Virtual Education Committee and past member-at-large for AAM National Board of Directors.
Welcome to CPA Growth Trends — your source for information, insights, tools and best practices to drive growth within an accounting firm.
Beyond the Database: Building a CRM That Fuels Business Development
Nikki Burgeson | UHY-US
In this episode, Chris Camara speaks with Nikki Burgeson about the critical role of CRM systems in business development, particularly within professional services.