Why is it important to organisations?
Organisations are finding it difficult to gain a true understanding of the internal and external state of their customer experience. Due to the evolving nature of the customer, no longer can we rely solely on measuring customer satisfaction scores to gain a true understanding of whether our customers are happy or not. Recently, organisations have started to use Customer Experience (CX) Maturity Models as a tool to distinguish how mature they are in their CX practices. CX Maturity Models are distinguished through a level based framework that assesses specific CX areas in the business. While this may seem like your average measurement tool, CX maturity models offer value in their ability to pinpoint which CX areas do well as well as which areas require improvement.
What does a CX Maturity Model do?
Most maturity models are simple tools used for providing a good benchmark to organisations initial phases of assessing how mature they are in their customer experience.
CX Maturity Models give a clear indication of what the current state of their CX looks like while also providing the starting blocks to building a roadmap for improvement. In other words, it allows you to identify where you are and what you should be focusing on to move up to the next level of maturity wherein bettering your customer experience within the organisation.
The CX Maturity Model Assessment
A CX Maturity Model comprises a simple assessment in which key stakeholders in the organisation rate how well they think specific CX areas are doing in the organisation. Each question is related to a level of maturity. Most organisations use 5 levels of maturity to compare against, where 1 is the lowest level of CX and 5 is the highest. The levels clearly articulate the various stages of where an organisation could potentially sit at and provides the steps needed to move up to the next level. The assessment could be either in the form of an online survey, face to face interview or a questionnaire. The important thing to remember is: when deciding on your methodology, make sure you have a key list of important stakeholders who are going to be able to give you the right information you are looking for.
It’s about assessing…
- Whether the organisation has a CX that is designed, implemented and practiced in a disciplined way for the customer.
- How well it has been shared and integrated into the organisation.
The idea is to gain a context specific overall picture to assess all areas that require attention so as to reach an overall achievable organisational goal.
The Challenge
The difficulty with CX Maturity Models is that so many different models exist, which creates uncertainty around whether you have chosen the ‘right’ model for your organisation. Forrester, Maritz CX, Sitecore and My Customer are some of the well-known CX organisations who have created their own CX Maturity Models that while all focus on a similar framework, are slightly different from one another. It’s your job to ensure that the right maturity model is suited to your current CX within your organisation.
Last Note
Many organisations such as Amazon, Apple, and Samsung have demonstrated that providing a seamless and superior customer experience leads to business and financial growth. Ensuring your brand is known through an experience rather than a product or service you offer has now become a key organisational goal to achieving business success. A CX Maturity Model can guide you on the path to achieving business success!