Why most customer experience efforts fail

It is no secret among Customer Experience (CX) professionals that most CX efforts fall flat. Forrester found that only 25% of CX professionals say their companies’ CX programs actually improve customer experience, and Avaya recently published a study indicating that 81% of organizations have seen their Customer Experience Management (CXM) initiatives fail in the last three years.

“The problem,” writes Augie Ray, Director of Global Voice of Customer Strategy at American Express, “is that most companies view Customer Experience as a program and not a purpose–something to be assigned to a couple of employees while the rest of the company goes about its business improving efficiency, acquisition and margins.”

“In the future, brands will not succeed because they have CX programs. They will succeed when CX is driven from the top, is integral to company culture, guides the behavior and actions of all employees, spans silos, and ensures that products and services satisfy consumers’ most important needs. Tomorrow’s success stories are today focusing at the top of the pyramid, while the future Kodaks, Borders and Radio Shacks of the world are all anchored to the bottom.”