The customer experience has become the competitive battleground for business. By delivering a consistent, memorable experience, companies can create a competitive advantage that increases customer engagement, conversion, loyalty and advocacy.

Today, almost everyone in a company plays a role in the customer experience — from HR to finance, operations, sales, marketing, customer service, even general employee connections and interactions. As a result, ownership and management of the entire customer experience has been elusive. That is rapidly changing. Over the next three-to-five years, 75 percent of marketers say they will be responsible for the end-to-end customer experience.

This series will provide CMOs and business executives with a deeper understanding of the strategies and tactics required to deliver a superior end-to-end customer experience.

/ About the Series

/ Upcoming Sessions: April - June

/ Upcoming Sessions: July - September

/ Upcoming Sessions: October - December

Download the complete Curriculum Guide and Register for Entire Series.

www.cmoeducationseries.com

The CMO and Marketing’s Role in the Customer Experience.

Learning Objective: You will walk away from this session with the context and understanding you need to make material changes to the role marketing plays throughout the customer experience.

James F. O’Gara, CEO and Founder, OnMessageStrategic consulting firm, specializing in messaging development and delivery in the customer experience.

/ About me

1,000s of Hours Workingwith CMOs / CEOs

HUNDREDS of Emerging Companies

DOZENS of Fortune 500 Companies

25+ Yrs Experience

Leading Brands

Expertise and Experience/ Customer research and analysis

/ Corporate messaging strategy and execution

/ Customer-centric culture development

/ Go-to-marketstrategic planning

Does your organization currently have a “customer experience” strategy in play?

If yes, how long has this initiative been active?

Do you own/lead this initiative?

If not, who does within the organization?

Do you believe the customer experience has dramatically changed?

Do you believe these changes impact your career and your field?

/ About you

/ Let’s talk about changeYesterday… Today…

Marketing pushed messages out through defined channels.

Your message is available on-demand, 24 / 7 from any and all channels.

Sales reps were the primary way customers got to know your company.

Customers consume your story without human intervention — when, where and how they wish.

Marketing’s priority was acquiring leads. Marketing is now responsible for acquiring customers and retaining, growing and increasing loyalty.

Brands were built through controlled campaigns, channels and messages.

Brands are defined by the story consumed and the experience customers have across unlimited touchpoints.

Product features and functionality were the basis of differentiation.

Products are being commoditized — a customer’s experience is now the means of differentiation.

Employee communication and engagement with the customer was limited, contained and controlled.

Customers can engage with employees through endless channels and communication vehicles.

Yesterday… Today…

Sales reps controlled the sales conversation and buying process.

The self-service buyer journey allows the customer to opt-out before the sales process even starts.

Executives served as thought leaders and the voice of the brand.

Every employee has a voice on the web and impacts brand perception and loyalty.

Message consistency was controlled through branding campaigns.

Explosion of online / offline channels make inconsistencies in your story immediately apparent to customers.

Sales and marketing alignment was the biggest challenge.

Alignment must be maintained across the employee population, partner ecosystem, and all channels.

Employee engagement was a given — they got a paycheck.

Employees want to work for a higher purpose and understand how they play a role in the company’s story.

Alignment of the story and strategy was most important at the leadership level.

Now every customer-facing employee must understand and communicate how the strategy and story align.

Poor customer experiences and stories about your business were contained.

Negative messages and stories can be shared with the world 24 / 7.

Customer loyalty was achieved based on the strength of very few, individual relationships.

Customer loyalty is based on minute-by-minute, day-by-day interactions with your employee population.

How customers interact with your company has fundamentally changed.

This changes the customer’s “experience.”

Customer experience is the product of the interactions between an organization and a customer over the duration of their relationship. This includes all of a customer's interactions with your company from awareness to discovery, purchase, use of products/services, loyalty and advocacy.

Forrester Research simplifies this definition to…

“How customers perceive their interactions with your company.”

/ Let’s get grounded in a definition

We just said …

How customers interact with your company has fundamentally changed.

“Analysis has found that only 29% of B2B

customers are fully engaged — that is,

emotionally and psychologically attached

to the companies they do business with.

The other 71% of customers are ready

and willing to take their business

elsewhere. This pattern holds true for

every type of enterprise.”

~ Gallup

/ We are operating in a different world

IMPLICATION

CMOs must capture greater

influence in the customer

experience to drive lasting

business results and control

their long-term success.

“B2B marketing has been all about how to

find the right message, figure out the right

value proposition, put the right offer out in the

marketplace, and target the right audience.

Now that dynamic has turned on its head.

Now buyers have control over the purchase

process and how they interact with sellers.”

~ Forrester Research

/ We are operating in a different world

IMPLICATION

Messaging consistency and

continuity is more critical than

ever before. The way you

develop and deliver your story

must evolve.

Change, while scary … creates opportunity.

"Chief marketing officers say top management

is increasingly expecting them to lead their

organizations' customer-experience efforts.

The opportunity to lead customer-experience

efforts is an opportunity for CMOs to gain more

influence within their companies, but they risk

leaving that influence on the table if they don't

take the reins soon. Now is the time.”

~ Gartner

/ Change creates opportunity

IMPLICATION

Ownership of customer

experience in most companies is

elusive. The door is open for

CMOs to capture the

opportunity.

"To become the “general manager” of the

overall customer experience — to launch and

drive a market-oriented management of

customer engagement — means most CMOs

will need to acquire new skills. Many

marketing chiefs may not be ready for this

transformation as it requires not only a change

in their own competencies and responsibilities,

but also changes in their mindset and the

mindset of the whole organization."

~ Constellation Research

/ Change creates opportunity

IMPLICATION

Fundamental changes in

marketing skills, staffing models

and operating procedures are

required. Changing executive

perception will also be critical.

Let’s get more specific. Trends impacting marketing’s role in the customer experience.

Trends impacting marketing

“Always On” / “The “always on” nature of consumerism has bled over to B2B. Unleashing a new

powerful element in the ongoing buyer revolution. We are about to enter an era of

the self-qualified B2B buyer.” ~ Forrester Research

Customer Data / Insights / “Evolving from capturing the voice of the customer (VoC) to connecting

employees with realtime customer insight — and using this information

to direct their daily activity — is the next big competitive opportunity.”

~ Forrester Research

/ “The company has to determine what it stands for and how it separates itself in the

marketplace. That positioning informs the company’s interactions with customers and

suppliers, and without it, the rest of the model falls apart.” ~ Gallup B2B Research

Purpose vs. Profits

Trends impacting marketing

Employees & Partners Play Critical Role / “When it comes to building buyer interest and trust, employees and partners are often

the best brand ambassadors.” ~ Forrester Research

“For the sake of their customers and their own business, companies need to rethink

how they engage and interact with their suppliers.” ~ Gallup

Culture Drives Experience / “Does culture matter for B2B companies? The answer is an unequivocal — yes.

B2B entities absolutely must understand how their customers feel about them and use that knowledge to shape their culture and the way they do business.” ~ Gallup

/ “The number one trait of companies that succeed in delivering a

superior customer experience is the ability to develop and deliver

a clear, consistent corporate message.” ~ McKinsey

Consistency + Continuity is King

Customer Experience is Redefining the Role of Marketing and the CMO.

Employees & Partners Influence on Experience

Culture Drives Experience

Consistency + Continuity is King

Customer Data and Insights

“Always On”

Purpose vs. Profits

=+++ BUT HOW?

“CMOs should step forward and take responsibility for turning the enterprise toward

the customer. This means taking on a more significant role on the executive team …

it also begs CMOs to lead innovation processes in the organization … the CMO, has

to create a more engaged customer relationship … only CMOs who rethink their

approach to marketing operations will pull it off.” ~ Forrester Research

What CMOs and marketing executives can do to win.

Modern marketing executives must…

/ Reach into customer-facing areas of the organization

/ Define enterprise-wide communication strategies and establish buy-in

/ Create the connectivity required to deliver a compelling customer experience

The job requires strong negotiation, collaboration, change management, cross-functional process and leadership skills.

Connectivity

Marketing must fully integrate

cross-functional customer-

facing areas of the business,

communication channels and

touchpoints that are critical to

customer experience success.

Culture

Marketing must fully align the

corporate strategy, story and

culture with the customer

experience.

The cornerstones of a successful model …

Customer

Marketing strategy, staffing,

planning, execution and

budgeting must be anchored

in rich customer insights and

aligned with the customer

journey.

Drive critical decisions in four key areas…STRATEGY/ STRUCTURE/

SYSTEMS/ STORY/

Customer

Connectivity

Culture

Customer Culture Connectivity

STRATEGYImplement repeatable

customer insight research —

discover what they truly value

and care about.

Invest in repeatable customer

journey research — how /

when / why they engage with

your company.

Realign marketing strategy

and investments with

initiatives that align with the

customer journey and drive

acquisition, retention, loyalty

and advocacy.

Demonstrate how you and

your team are the

indispensable “customer”

subject matter experts for

executives and business

leaders.

Defining

marketing’s

strategic

requirements

and role in the

customer

experience.

Develop VoE program to

capture insights that help you

understand what motivates

employees and connects

them to the company’s overall

promise to customers.

Define and secure a formal

role in employee onboarding,

engagement, performance

review and internal

communication initiatives.

Design and implement

sustained “customer

experience” education and

engagement communication

initiatives across the

enterprise.

/ Identify and audit relevant

data sources across the

enterprise and assess how

this information can be

integrated/aggregated to

surface meaningful and

actionable customer

experience insights.

Leverage insights from your

research to align systems and

marketing resources around

specific phases / aspects of

the customer journey.

Customer Culture Connectivity

STRUCTUREReset marketing operations

across the business

(departments, roles,

responsibilities, etc.) to align

with customer journey.

Eliminate channel or content

specific silos that fragment

messaging development,

delivery and marketing efforts

in the customer journey.

Define and fill a position

responsible for consistent

“VoC” and “VoE” insight

gathering and analysis.

Define formal integration

processes or secure formal

positions within HR / internal

communications to drive

consistent communication

across the employee

population.

Activate an internal “VoC”

knowledge management

resource / system to capture

and manage customer

insights, sharing and

activation processes across

the enterprise.

/ Form a cross-functional

“customer experience” lead

team consisting of executives

from all customer-facing areas

of the business.

Use this as a forum through

which to define and secure

commitment to shared

customer experience goals

and clearly establish

marketing’s role in the

“customer experience.”

Aligning

marketing with

customer

insights and

journey.

Customer Culture Connectivity

SYSTEMSDesign and document what a

compelling, cohesive and

connected customer journey

looks … identifying specific

channels, touchpoints,

interactions, messages, etc.

that create optimal

experience.

Clearly define the data-sets

that are most meaningful and

actionable for improving the

customer experience.

Create a systematic process

for capturing and analyzing

data that accurately reflects

customer engagement, loyalty

and advocacy throughout the

customer experience.

Define technology-enabled

and manual processes that

ensure online and offline

aspects of the customer

journey are connected and

aligned.

Create a data integration

strategy that taps into

information sources across

critical customer-facing areas

of the business (sales,

marketing, customer service,

delivery, support, etc.).

Provide frontline employees

with systems and processes

by which they can elevate and

share critical customer

insights and knowledge

(challenges, positive

experiences, product / service

improvement, innovation,

etc.).

/Defining data,

system and

process

integration

requirements

across all

customer-facing

areas of the

business.

Customer Culture Connectivity

STORYInvest in the research

required to re-discover your

true story. What you do that is

most meaningful, relevant and

valuable to customers.

Develop a formal “Messaging

Platform containing

“customer-driven” messaging

that aligns with your go-to-

market strategy.

Conduct a semi-annual

Messaging Platform review

process that takes into

account go-to-market strategy

changes, current market

trends, competitive

movement, customer

requirement changes and

customer experience insights.

Re-engineer and connect

enterprise-wide messaging

development and delivery

processes across all internal

and external stakeholders

(online and offline).

Deploy “Corporate

Messaging” standards and

guidelines for each critical

phase of the customer

journey.

Develop formal processes that

increase customer knowledge

sharing and messaging

consistency across your

partner eco-system.

Conduct semi-annual go-to-

market strategy and story

review sessions with the

executive team. Ensuring

continuous alignment.

Develop formal “messaging

infusion” programs that

ensure the entire employee

population understands,

internalizes and activates the

corporate story in daily work

activities (training, educational

tools, customer experience

best practices and internal

communications initiatives).

/Infusing a clear,

compelling and

consistent

corporate

message

throughout the

customer

journey.

What a winning model looks likeSTRATEGY/ STRUCTURE

SYSTEMS STORY

/

/ /

Customer

Connectivity

Culture

Formally document the

strategic intent, responsibilities

and goals for marketing’s role

in the customer experience.

Then secure appropriate

ownership within the

organization.

Identify and connect data,

systems and processes that

are crucial for delivering a

cohesive and consistent

customer journey.

Align marketing operations (roles,

responsibilities, processes) with

the customer journey; integrate

processes across customer-facing

areas of the business; and initiate

sustained culture development

programs required to deliver a

connected and compelling

experience.

Develop and drive consistent

utilization of a customer-centric

Messaging Platform inside and

outside of the organization that

aligns corporate Strategy, Vision,

Mission, Values, Purpose, Promise

and Core Value Messages.

A recent Heidrick & Struggles study found that 62 percent of CMOs view relationships with peers on the senior executive team as vital to their success. It should have been closer to 100 percent. Why? Because without philosophical and strategic alignment around the customer experience — a CMO will experience limited success.

Success is Predicated on the Executive Team’s Commitment to Change.

The Path to ProgressDefine & Document What Success Looks Like

/ Increase revenue per

customer

/ Growth of customer

lifetime value

/ Increase in market

share

/ Decline in customer

support/service costs

NOTE: These gains

typically start to impact

earnings per share

(EPS) two or three

years after the first

round of the customer

experience investment

Secure C-Suite Commitment

/ Clearly define roles

and responsibilities in

customer experience

/ Agree to stay the

course and create

change

/ Alignment re: time,

resources and dollars

required

/ Get 100% buy-in on go-to-market strategy,

vision, mission,

values, purpose,

promise and story

Maintain Accurate Picture of Customer & Journey

/ Define meaningful

customer data-set

/ Conduct repeatable

customer insight and

journey research

/ Develop cross-

functional

“experience” data

integration model

/ Maintain accurate

customer persona

profiles and journey

maps

/ Activate customer

insights to improve

experience

Commit to Long-Term Change

/ Secure cross-

functional authority to

drive change — no

sacred cows

/ Implement employee

-customer experience

feedback loop

/ Deploy corporate

messaging platform

/ Implement sustained

internal messaging

infusion processes

/ Foster culture that is

aligned with strategy,

story and customer

experience

Create ConnectedCross-Functional Processes

/ Align marketing

roles / responsibilities

with critical phases of

customer journey

/ Activate cross-

functional “customer

experience” lead

team

/ Develop enterprise-

wide messaging

development and

delivery processes

(internal and external)

Measure and Optimize

/ Deploy measurement

and reporting systems

/ Share progress reports

and challenges

/ Optimize critical

“experience” channels

and touchpoints

/ Refine messaging

development and

delivery processes

Questions?

Next Session April 28th La Cima Club in Las Colinas

Topic:Capturing Data and Insights to Improve the Customer Experience.

About the sponsor. OnMessage is a strategy consulting firm with 15 years of experience executing corporate messaging development and infusion initiatives that enable B2B companies to deliver a clear, compelling and consistent message throughout the customer experience. Our Messaging Development and Infusion™ Methodology aligns and activates your entire organization around a unified corporate story that increases customer acquisition, retention and loyalty. www.itsonmessage.com