Why Leadership Is Key To The Customer Experience
When it comes to the customer experience, we now live in a world where convenience, speed and personalization are not only possible—they're standard. As a result, service expectations have skyrocketed. One study found that 73% of buyers expect better personalization as technology advances, and 67% expect a resolution to a reported issue within three hours. With access to countless choices and instant feedback channels, poor interactions can prompt customers to switch to a competitor. PwC found that 1 in 3 customers will walk away after a single bad experience, even with a brand they love.
With increasing demand for real-time updates, immediate support and tailored experiences across every touchpoint, a new bar has been set for all industries, not only e-commerce and technology. As businesses strive to adapt, they often find that their internal structures can't keep up with evolving expectations. The widening gap between the demands of clientele and what organizations can deliver has resulted in what I believe is a customer experience (CX) crisis. So, what can be done to address this challenge?
The Role Of Management In CX Success
When companies struggle with client experience, it's common to focus on front-line staff or outdated systems. However, these symptoms often reflect deeper organizational challenges, particularly in management. When leaders are misaligned on priorities and lack the training they need to empower their staff, teams suffer and so do consumers.
Let's look at a hypothetical scenario to see how this domino effect takes shape: A B2C company integrates a service chatbot to increase efficiency. Supervisors are unclear on its effects on customer-related key performance indicators, leading to mixed messages for their staff. Employees become confused as to when they should step in to communicate with a consumer or let the chatbot handle questions. Service quality declines and wait times grow. Customers sense the difference and don't hesitate to take their business elsewhere.
In addition to affecting employee performance, management has a significant impact on another essential element of client service: employee satisfaction. A growing body of research shows a direct link between engaged employees and happy buyers. According to Gallup, companies with highly engaged personnel report 10% higher customer loyalty and engagement and 23% more profitability.
When staff feel motivated, valued and understand the goals they are working toward, they are more likely to deliver empathetic, proactive service. Conversely, when employees feel underappreciated or unsure of their priorities, their demeanor and performance often suffer. Simply put: We can't expect a disengaged workforce to create five-star buying experiences.
Using Leadership Development To Promote CX Success
Supervisors are typically positioned at the intersection of leadership strategy and client-facing execution. They're responsible for translating vision into action and guiding their teams through competing demands. They also have a distinct opportunity to create alignment, rally their staff and empower their employees to succeed.
These valuable competencies take time to build and, unfortunately, LinkedIn's Workplace Learning Report found that half of supervisors lack proper support. Without effective development, people leaders may struggle with translating top-down directives into team actions and objectives, leading through large-scale change, motivating personnel under pressure and empowering staff to elevate productivity and performance. These skills are essential in both engaging the workforce and supporting their capacity to positively shape the customer journey.
To bridge the gap between internal operations and external expectations, management training is a vital component of a successful CX strategy. Effective development programs should include:
More formalized training and feedback sessions can help managers develop the ability to support, encourage and grow their teams rather than solely dictating tactics.
It's important to teach leaders how to manage stress, cultivate strong working relationships, navigate interpersonal dynamics and de-escalate tense situations.
Clear frameworks can enable supervisors to prioritize competing demands, allocate resources effectively and think strategically under pressure.
Avoid micromanagement by empowering teams with ownership at every level.
Encourage a culture of continuous improvement through routine, honest and kind communication.
The CX crisis is not just a service issue—it's a leadership challenge. It stems from a disconnect between what organizations value and how they train their people to deliver on those priorities. The majority of consumers want more human interaction and that begins with positive internal relationships between employees and their bosses. I believe the companies that will thrive in this era of high expectations will be the ones that understand this truth: Inspired customer experience begins with inspired leadership.
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