The Intersection of Agility and the Customer Experience

The pandemic highlighted two defining characteristics of successful companies — agility and the exceptional customer experience.  To help explain the importance of each of these characteristics, Thom Singer and Craig Brown are joined by Agile World principal Greg Kihlstrom. Greg is an expert on the intersection of customer experience, employee experience and digital transformation.  In this episode he defines the customer experience, explains what exactly happens at the intersection of agility and experience, and takes a look into the incredible possibilities that are waiting to be realized in the future of work.  And no matter what level your position is in your company, you won’t want to miss Greg’s insights into simple and effective ways to improve the employee experience.    On today’s podcast, you will learn:   Defining the customer experience   Customer experience is the customer’s perception of their holistic experience within an organization.  Every employee has a touch point with the customer, from software engineers to the frontline retail employees.  It is essential that everyone understands their role in maximizing the customer experience.  Measuring the customer experience can be challenging because it has to encompass the interaction with the entire company.    Innovation or customer experience — what makes the market?  There has been a major shift in how consumers spend their time and money, leaning the market toward the customer experience.  90% of brands consider the customer experience to be their main differentiator.  The pandemic has only heightened the demand for a high quality customer experience.    The intersection of agility and experience  The customer experience is a series of moments in time, and companies have to be nimble and able to adapt to changing technologies.  Continual adaptation and adjustments are essential within progressive companies.  The pandemic has proven the importance of making adjustments quickly.  Successful companies are the ones who actively stay ahead of changes.  Qualitative, quantitative, product and process measurements all provide data that helps maximize the customer experience.    Looking to the future of work Machines are better at completing jobs than humans (in some cases). Humans are going to be elevated to more creative levels of work in both strategy and operations.  There is a growing place for independent workers, which creates greater autonomy for employees.  Rules have to be dictated by humans, not by machines.  Resilient companies were not as adversely affected by the pandemic as they could have been, which indicates a positive future.    How to improve the employee experience Improving the employee experiences starts with understanding the whole journey of the employee.  Seek to understand and empathize with employees about their first 30- or 90- days or first year at a company.  Identify a clear trajectory that defines the path that employees can expect to take at the company.  Excellent leadership is key to a great employee experience.    Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.   Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series   The Agile World Podcast with Greg Kihlstrom