Thought Leadership

Cross-posting here for additional reach (and thanks to ​@AlonsoC for the suggestion!One of the things I’ve learned in my career is that it’s often valuable to separate the message from the messenger. Regardless of what you think of Elon Musk, he recently gave a US federal agency’s customer experience survey as an example of waste; seemingly, not so much due to the cost as due to the fact that it wasn’t used to identify tangible business insight or, in his words, to create “feedback loops.”In our practice at the National Library of Medicine, we’ve known from the jump that we’re not gathering customer feedback because it’s interesting or for its own sake, but to identify business improvements that we can implement, test, and validate. It’s essential for building credibility and underscoring the value of what we do. Elon Musk was shocked by the amount of waste and fraud found by DOGE #foxnews #shorts #elonmusk

TL;DR: The research identifies shifting consumer channel preferences and highlights the importance of adapting strategies to meet these changing demands.Key points:Consumers increasingly prefer digital channels for interactions, especially mobile and social media. Personalized experiences are becoming crucial in engaging customers effectively. Trust and transparency are key factors influencing consumer decisions. Brands must harness data to anticipate and respond to customer needs. Sustainability and ethical practices are increasingly valued by consumers when choosing brands.The full content is about a 5-minute read.https://www.xminstitute.com/research/consumer-channel-preferences-priorities-2025/How is your organisation planning to adapt to the changes in consumer preferences?

One of the things I’ve learned in my career is that it’s often valuable to separate the message from the messenger. Regardless of what you think of Elon Musk, he recently gave a US federal agency’s customer experience survey as an example of waste; seemingly, not so much due to the cost as due to the fact that it wasn’t used to identify tangible business insight or, in his words, to create “feedback loops.”In our practice, we’ve known from the jump that we’re not gathering customer feedback because it’s interesting or for its own sake, but to identify business improvements that we can implement, test, and validate. It’s essential for building credibility and underscoring the value of what we do.Elon Musk on actionability of CX surveys

I think it is fair to say the XM Community appreciates and values the myriad of different cultures around the globe 🌍 A quick look at the top 1000 members reflects this diversity with folks from Germany, Vietnam, USA, India, Columbia , Belgium, Singapore and Denmark to name but just a few! Three examples that illustrate how culture influences and determines the customer experience:NPS does not fare well when the same questions are used in different countries. A company with a +50 NPS in India may have much less loyal customers than a company with a -20 NPS in Japan. Or take the way how colours are perceived differently for example. In the Netherlands, orange is the national color and associated with the Dutch Royal family while Egypt, on the other hand, associates orange with mourning. Home Depot's venture into China is a costly example of not taking culture into account when  it had to close all seven of its outlets when the Chinese ‘do it for me’ culture clashed with the US  ‘do it

TL;DR: The blog outlines significant shifts and emerging trends in customer and employee experiences that organisations must adopt.Key points:Companies are focusing more on understanding customer needs for better relationship building. Employee satisfaction has become a priority, as engaged employees lead to improved customer service. Technology advances are driving new ways of gathering experience feedback. The importance of integrating customer and employee journeys is highlighted. Organisations that adapt quickly to these changes can gain a competitive edge.The full content is about a 5-minute read.https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/a-landmark-year-for-customer-and-employee-experience/How has your organisation adapted to changes in customer experience this year?

We asked attendees at X4 in Salt Lake City to vote on some key questions. They think its either 1 or 2, how would you vote?  

Although the bulk of our effort usually focusses on the 3rd phase through the use of surveys and metrics like CSAT, NPS and the like, I'm curious if and how the customer sentiment is measured (and managed) during the 2nd phase which arguably when the most intense emotions and memories are created. experience intensity along the customer journeyI see our experiences categorized into roughly 3 categories or phases: before - prior to buying or consuming a product or service there is the period where the potential customer discovers and orients themselves on it. From the provider's perspective this covers first the marketing and then sales cycles. It is during this phase that the customer expectations are generated during - is the period or moment where the product or service is actually acquired or consumed and experienced. The emotions and sentiments usually run highest in this phase and are when the core of the customer experience is created after - arguably the longest phase of the bro

Hello All,I manage our Support Cases Satisfaction Survey’s that are sent out after a case is closed. We are running into a challenging question around whether we should still send a survey for a proactive case or an auto-closed case. Proactive cases are opened on behalf of a customer based on a trigger within their own product usage. This type of case warns them of risk within their system.  Auto-closed cases are closed when a customer has not responded over a certain period of time. These types of cases are hurting our response rates and on occasion our CSAT scores. How do you handle this type of audience within your organization? Why did your organization make the decision to send or not to these audiences?

I am looking for any articles or research on the impact of a merger/acquisition announcement on:the volume of customer survey responses increase/decrease in customer loyalty scores NPS SEE Preferably from the perspective of the organization being acquired. Any insights you can share on this would be greatly appreciated.Thanks!

Does anyone have any special techniques they leverage to assist in open commentary engagement? Looking for ideas that may help our digital clients provide more insightful recommendations or comments when leaving a product CSAT score.   Thanks, Marisella 

Calling All CX Trailblazers!Are you ready to inspire a global audience of CX professionals and share your expertise with some of the brightest minds in the industry? The CXPA Rochester Network is looking for dynamic Customer Experience speakers to join our lineup for 2025!With over 500 CX professionals from brands like AT&T, L.L. Bean, General Motors, Qualtrics, Verizon, and more, our network is the perfect platform to showcase your ideas and leave a lasting impact. Our monthly online presentations consistently draw 50-100 engaged participants from across the U.S. and countries like Brazil, India, South Africa, and the UK.Why present with us?Amplify your reach through LinkedIn, Eventbrite, and the global CXPA website. Share practical, actionable insights with a community hungry to learn. Be part of a network committed to connection, authenticity, and championing excellence in CX.Whether you're a seasoned CXO or a passionate practitioner with a story to tell, we want YOU to take the

What role does trust play in customer experience, and how can brands rebuild trust after a significant failure?

Hello community,I’m curious to see if some people have experienced DXA and have best practices to share or common errors to avoid as I’m in the early stages with this feature. Thank you for sharing your knowledge to the community. 

Hello! I’m new to the XM Community and have worked in CX for over a decade now. I’m intrigued by the ever evolving nature of this field!According to Qualtrics 2025 Global Trends Report, trend 1 reveals a decline in loyalty among customers even as brands spend more. As an independent consultant for small businesses communicating the value in investing in brand development is difficult especially as it may not bear fruit until later in the future. Any thoughts on how you frame the value of investing in brand development? I would especially love to hear from other independent consultants or small business owners! Much thanks!! 

Qualtrics defines XM (Experience Management) as "a holistic approach to listening to the voice of customers, employees, and other stakeholders and using the knowledge, understanding and insights to design and improve the experiences you deliver. It’s used by organizations to launch new experiences based on powerful market research to uncover unmet customer and employee needs, and then to continually optimize those experiences as their market and their stakeholders’ needs change".*  Although Lord Kelvin and Peter Drucker’s quotes may be a bit tongue in cheek, they do make one wonder how XM is actually managed. And when done well, how does one show a holistic promise being delivered on? Translating a qualitative experience into a quantitative measure is of course a challenge. Or is it? *What is Experience Management (XM)? | Qualtrics