Why Innovative CX Starts With a Learning-centric Company Culture

Let’s face it. As technology professionals, our work and livelihoods are increasingly influenced by the data we collect (or don’t) and understand (or don’t) about our customers.

We’re constantly trying to answer questions like:

• • Where do my best customers come from?
  • Who are my best customers?
  • How do I acquire more customers?
  • How much does it cost to get a customer?
  • How long can I keep a customer?
  • How happy are my customers?
  • How do my customers use my product?
  • Why do my customers use my product?

If we intend to grow as leaders, it’s imperative that we are agile and take action. As the new pace of doing business continues to get faster, so will you — if you want to succeed. Now, if you really want to make an impact on your customer base and you haven’t implemented a learning-powered initiative, you’re probably doing them a disservice. That’s because it is a key ingredient in order to deliver a high-quality customer experience (CX) that people have come to expect. 

According to Salesforce’s Global Innovation Evangelist, Brian Solis, “We’re all competing on some level with the likes of Netflix, Uber, Airbnb, Apple” and others like them. 

How, you ask?

These companies are essentially grooming consumers by showing them what a great brand experiences should look and feel like. And, here’s the catch: All businesses must keep up to stay relevant. You don’t have to be providing a Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) service or making insanely great mobile devices. This includes B2B players, too.

This is summarized nicely by Paul Jun at HelpScout, “Those who aren’t open to learning and improving are invariably susceptible to stagnation and irrelevance.”

Great CX Requires a Learning-centric Company Culture

“As the rate of skills change accelerates across both old and new roles in all industries, proactive and innovative skill-building and talent management is an urgent issue. What this requires is a talent development function that is rapidly becoming more strategic and has a seat at the table.”

- World Economic Forum

How about that quote?

Let’s build upon it. According to Linkedin’s 2018 Workplace Learning Report, the biggest challenge for Talent Development orgs is getting employees to make time for learning. 

That leads me to believe the majority of companies don’t currently embrace or promote a culture of learning. If they did, workers would feel comfortable taking the necessary time needed to build their respective skill set. Need proof? That same report showed that  workforces don’t feel that way. That’s because the number one reason why employees say they are held back from learning is because they simply don’t have the time. 

Clearly, there’s an alignment issue. 

Related Reading: What All Successful Learning Programs Have in Common.

Keep in mind that your workforce is a living and breathing representation of your brand. Their actions define your CX. When your teams deliver on the brand promise, you continue to build trust with your customers. And if you delight them just a little bit, you can count on those customers then telling others about it.

Adding to this, your employer brand is equally as important — how else will you attract and retain the top-tier talent needed to level-up your CX?

High performers seek out opportunities to work for companies that prioritize their career growth and professional development. And when businesses do, they have a clear competitive advantage. Consider the following findings from IBM’s The Value of Training Report:

• • 84% of employees in Best Performing Organizations are receiving the training needed to accomplish their goals
  • Only 21% of new hires intend to stay at companies that do not offer training for their current jobs
  • 62% of new hires intend to stay when training is provided

People are your greatest asset. When employees are prioritized, customers will follow. 

Related Reading: Beyond L&D: Why Learning is Moving to the Frontlines of Business?

Meeting Customer Expectations Starts With Learning About Them 

Frankly, our customers don’t care about our marketing funnel or which business units (BUs) handle particular activities at Northpass. They only care that their expectations are met. 

While we know it’s impossible to meet customer expectations 100% of the time, we do make a point to level set as soon as possible and remain in communication to optimize on the fly. But, this is a reactive position.

When the best customer experiences happen, they tend to occur in a proactive situation. This is, overwhelmingly, made possible via customer and product usage data. How well we align our teams, collect relevant data and integrate our solutions across the technology stack can have a massive impact on the ability to deliver a fantastic CX. 

Customers Need to Learn Too

Having a learning-centric culture means engaging your customers so that they learn too. The more educated your customers are about your products, the more likely they are to be successful. As we all battle customer acquisition costs (CAC) and attempt to extend every customer’s lifetime value (CLTV), it’s important to make them stickier via learning-powered initiatives. 

Companies that are providing their customers with up-to-date product information and content that enables success, are able to reduce churn, decrease support costs and improve customer satisfaction (CSAT). 

In short, customer training leads to customer retention. 

When it comes to fast-growing digital platforms, customer training relies heavily on a combination of excellent communication and excellent design. When executed well, customers are able to learn in the moment —  when, where and how they choose. 

Today’s leaders are educating customers with webinars, podcasts, knowledge bases, live chat, online training courses and even through new mobile apps like Clubhouse. B2B software companies, in particular, are looking to customer education not just as a way to teach customers how to use their products but also as a way for their customers to be more successful in their careers. 

Related Reading: Extending Customer Lifetime Value With Customer Education.

A Focus on Customers Calls for Learning Ops

If you’re serious about CX, you can’t afford to overlook the impact of learning across the entire customer lifecycle. And, if you’re not currently embracing and promoting a learning-centric culture, you’re probably not doing CX at all. 

When you’re ready to institute a culture of learning at your company or take your learning culture to the next level, be sure to download our eBook.