20 Easy Ways To Celebrate CX Day and Customer Service Week

20 Easy Ways To Celebrate CX Day and Customer Service Week

by | Sep 27, 2022 | Company Culture & Employees

Have you heard about CX Day? Every October, people worldwide celebrate with their employees, agents, and clients. It reminds me of “Mother’s Day” or “Father’s Day.” It’s a time when we intentionally celebrate and express gratitude to people who matter in our lives. It doesn’t mean we stop appreciating people all other days of the year. It’s a time to pause, reflect, and take actions that are extra purposeful. CX Day falls in the same week as National Customer Service Week (NCSW) and has a similar meaning, yet not the same.

CX Day & Customer Service Week: The Basics

CX Day was established ten years ago by the Customer Experience Professionals Organization (CXPA) to empower and unite companies, CX networks, and all people around the world to come together annually on the first Tuesday of October (4 October 2022). Though there are benefits to being a CXPA member, you are not required to be one to take part in the festivities.

Customer Service Week was created in 1991. The U.S. Congress signed a proclamation in 1992 establishing Customer Service Week as a nationally recognized event. The goal is to emphasize the importance of customer satisfaction and listening to customers as critical components of building a successful business. Since then, the commemoration has spread across the United States and internationally to more than 60 countries. Celebrations this year are happening Oct 3-7, 2022.

Who Celebrates?

I recommend everyone in your company celebrate because everyone has a CX job, even if it’s not in their job title. If you’ve never be an active participant, then pick a few activities and build on from there. Take the lead, bring cross-teams together and start. You’ll see it will quickly become an annual company tradition.

20 Ways to Participate With Purpose

As people are recovering from the mental and physical impacts of the global pandemic, 2022 is an excellent year to assess how your company is advancing customer experience and service principles. It’s an ideal time to raise awareness, promote involvement, and express gratitude to those who make customer excellence possible. And it’s an opportunity to show others how committed you are to giving them top-notch service. There are plenty of ways you can take part of CX Day and Customer Service week, such as:

  1. Pay for a meal. Provide lunch or snacks to work teams to express appreciation. If a remote work environment, offer a delivery voucher to pick a restaurant. Eat together via video conferencing.
  2. Measure customer satisfaction and related metrics like Net Promoter (NPS) and celebrate positive scores. Send cake or balloons to top performers and those with year-over-year improvements.
  3. Recognize employees and service agents when customers mention their names in surveys, social media, and other sources of feedback.
  4. Distribute a CEO video email message thanking people for creating passionate promoters.
  5. Send customer thank you notes and token gifts of appreciation.
  6. Conduct fireside chats (informal yet structured discussions between a moderator and a guest.) It’s an effective way to engage customers and CX experts and provide relevant content that keeps people interested in your brand.
  7. Enable people to recognize each other. Gamify experiences. Tie prizes to customer value.
  8. Offer a bonus or day off to those who routinely demonstrate customer excellence. Fridays are ideal as a 3-day weekend is a valuable gift.
  9. Offer CX swag, like banners, balloons, stickers, buttons, shirts.
  10. Provide training – empathy, customer listening, closing the loop, design-thinking, journey mapping, and more. There are many online certification options.
  11.  Host “thank you” events for your customers. Showing appreciation goes a long way.
  12. Create a room in your office to share CX projects and progress so everyone stays informed. For remote teams, leverage platforms for collaboration and knowledge sharing.
  13. Highlight CX examples at meetings and have people talk about best practices. Work teams want to hear from their peers more than Headquarters staff.
  14. Lead a contest that involves both customers and employees.
  15. Encourage people to join webinars. Create your own or give them a list of online events.
  16. Plan activities and virtual games with different departments in your organization—leverage the week as a way to strengthen internal relationships and break traditional silos.
  17. Use the day for branding opportunities. Partner with your marketing / PR team to design assets highlighting admiration for customers.  
  18.  Create fun backgrounds for video meetings to keep CX at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
  19. Grant people a few hours in the day to volunteer at a local charity.
  20.  Host a customer appreciation sale. Create a promotional offer that’s more enticing than other times of the year, so it appears authentic.

Final Words

  • Employees and customer service agents are your heroes. If they don’t feel important, your customers will feel it.
  • Don’t wait for formal end-of-year reviews. If you do not appreciate people throughout the year, your competitors will. They’re searching for exceptional talent.
  • Do something to celebrate. Get creative and be sincere. People will remember the big and small acts of kindness when CX Day and customer service week ends.

Get More Inspirational Ideas To Drive Positive Outcomes  During CX Day and Customer Service Week

Listen to the Doing CX Right podcast featuring CXPA CEO, Greg Melia and Stacy Sherman.

Doing CX Right podcast show on Spotify with host Stacy Sherman
DoingCXRight-Podcast-on-Amazon-with-host-Stacy-Sherman.
Doing Customer Experience (CX) Right Podcast - Hosted by Stacy Sherman
Doing CX Right podcast show on iHeart Radio with host Stacy Sherman

Press Play To WATCH Interview:

Building A Winning Customer-Centric Organization The Right Way

Building A Winning Customer-Centric Organization The Right Way

by | Sep 12, 2022 | DoingCXRight®‬ Podcast

Doing CX Right podcast show on Spotify with host Stacy Sherman
DoingCXRight-Podcast-on-Amazon-with-host-Stacy-Sherman.
Doing Customer Experience (CX) Right Podcast - Hosted by Stacy Sherman
Doing CX Right podcast show on iHeart Radio with host Stacy Sherman

What does a real customer-centric culture look like that’s built to win?  

Customer-centric companies put the customer at the center of all they do, which means the entire workforce takes the time to understand who customers are and then use that understanding to intentionally design better experiences for them.

Too often, companies believe they know what’s best and create customer experiences based on inside-out thinking, only to end up creating frustration and dissatisfaction.

During this podcast episode, you’ll hear Stacy Sherman and Annette Franz, Founder and CEO of CX Journey Inc. explore customer-centric businesses, examine the ways they implement strategies, and provide actionable advice for you to outperform competitors.

CX Topics:

  • What does “putting the customer in “customer experience” mean?
  • Actionable tips and key principles from her newest book “Build to Win”  
  • Views on linking customer experience metrics to employee bonuses. 
  • Effective tactics to really understand customers.
  • Advice to those who don’t know where to start in journey mapping & the game-changer of doing it right. 
  • Annettes views on CX trends during the up & down economic times 
  • Best leadership advice received.
  • A fun fact people may not know about Annette, before entering the CX field 
  • Advice to her younger 20-year-old self based on what she knows now and says to her two boys.

    Remember:

    Customer experience success does not occur overnight or automatically but rather happens when individuals and teams intentionally put customers first and do so consistently. 

    Join Doing CX Right Conversations On Social Media

    Keep learning and paying it forward.

    Watch Video With Stacy Sherman and Annette Franz on Youtube

    About Annette Franz ~Building a winning customer-centric culture

    Founder and CEO of CX Journey Inc., has spent the last 30 years in the customer experience profession. She started her career at J.D. Power and Associates and spent much of the next 25 years before founding CX Journey Inc. in 2017, leading consulting services for the major voice of the customer (VOC) platforms, and helping clients in a variety of industries. She has also worked on client-side customer experience strategies for Mattel, Fidelity Investments, and Compellon.

    Annette is an internationally recognized customer experience thought leader, coach, keynote speaker, and author of Customer Understanding: Three Ways to Put the “Customer” in Customer Experience (and at the Heart of Your Business). In this book, she outlines the importance of customer understanding through listening (feedback and data), characterizing (personas), and empathizing (journey maps) to developing a customer-centric culture. Her second book, Built to Win: Designing a Customer-Centric Culture that Drives Value for Your Business, which dives into the ten foundational principles of a customer-centric culture, will be published by Advantage|ForbesBooks in Q1 2022. She is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) and an official member of the Forbes Coaches Council.

    LinkedIn. Website.

    About Stacy Sherman: Founder of Doing CX Right®‬

    An award-winning certified marketing and customer experience (CX) corporate executive, speaker, author, and podcaster, known for DoingCXRight®. She created a Heart & Science™ framework that accelerates customer loyalty, referrals, and revenue, fueled by engaged employees and customer service representatives. Stacy’s been in the trenches improving experiences as a brand differentiator for 20+ years, working at companies of all sizes and industries, like Liveops, Schindler elevator, Verizon, Martha Steward Craft, AT&T++.   Stacy is on a mission to help people DOING, not just TALKING about CX, so real human connections & happiness exist. Continue reading bio >here.

    Propel Your Business Into Action by Being ‘Hooked On Customers’

    Propel Your Business Into Action by Being ‘Hooked On Customers’

    by | Sep 4, 2022 | Company Culture & Employees

    What does it mean to be ‘hooked on customers’, and what are practical ways to create enduring customer relationships?

     I recently interviewed Bob Thompson, CEO of Customer Think Corp, about these topics on my Doing CX Right podcast (episode 54) to help you understand the importance of being “hooked on customers, based on Bob’s best-selling book.

    During the podcast episode, we explore customer-centric businesses, examine the ways they implement strategies, and provide actionable advice for you to outperform your competitors. CX success does not occur overnight or automatically but rather happens when individuals and teams intentionally put customers first and on a consistent basis.

    Bob explains that “learning to let your actions do the talking can be revolutionary to a company that struggles to create enduring customer relationships. People who own, operate, manage, or otherwise lead a company always look for ways to improve productivity, beat the competition, and ensure long-term success.”

    Talking is cheap. Leading legendary customer-centric business leaders do not just sit around the decision-making table and discuss ideas. Best-in-class brands are what I call Doing CX Right®. And implementing key actions that Bob outlines as follows:

    • LISTEN to customers’ values and feedback.
    • THINK about the implications of fact-based decisions on customers
    • EMPOWER employees with the freedom they need to please customers
    • CREATE new value for customers without being asked
    • DELIGHT customers by exceeding their expectations

    There are no quick fixes.  Customer-centricity takes time, determination, and company-wide commitment.

    It must be maintained and constantly pursued to ensure that CX becomes part of the fabric of a business. You can have an altruistic company that’s profitable too. One doesn’t replace the other.

    In fact, Wendy Smith, a professor at the University of Delaware Business School, educates about the power of “Both/And” thinking. Our brains love to make either-or choices, we choose one option over the other. Yet, there’s a better way through Both/And thinking. We can express our individuality and be a team player. We can manage the core business while also innovating for the future. These competing and interwoven demands don’t need to be a source of conflict.

    Check out Wendy’s extensive research on strategic paradoxes and how leaders and senior teams can effectively respond to contradictory yet interdependent demands >here.

    I hope you’ll listen to my interview with Bob Thompson, which is also available to watch on YouTube too. There are a lot of valuable gems discussed to help you gain a competitive advantage, so take notes. 

    Kudos to brands transforming customer experiences mentioned in my podcast, including Trader Joe’s, Southwest Airlines and others.

    More places you can listen and subscribe for updates:  Spotify. Audible. Apple. Stitcher

    Bob and I welcome your feedback.

    Tell us if you do anything differently as a result of our information shared. Curious to know which companies you think are hooked on customers and customers are hooked on those brands? My immediate answer is Trader Joes, a national chain of neighborhood grocery stores who has been transforming grocery shopping since 1967. Trader Joes motto is “simply put, every time a customer shops with us, we want them to be able to say, “Wow! That was enjoyable, and I got a great deal. I look forward to coming back!”

    That is precisely how I feel every time I visit the store. I’m forever hooked!

    Check out my interview with Trader Joes staff member, and learn what it’s like from the inside as an employee who are hooked on customers.

    5 Ways To Gain CX Buy-In From The Top-Down

    5 Ways To Gain CX Buy-In From The Top-Down

    by | Nov 30, 2021 | Company Culture & Employees, Featured Blog

    In order to truly have a customer-centric culture, you need champions at the top who advocate and invest in customer experience (CX) resources, tools, and platforms. Likewise, customer satisfaction metrics need to be part of everyones’ objectives. Gaining buy-in from those who will impact the success of your efforts is not so easy. It takes patience, resilience, supporting data, and passion to stand up for what you believe in.

    16 leaders across different industries share advice about developing a sustainability plan in a recent Forbes article.  Many of the actionable tips apply to building and keeping a customer-first culture. The following are some of my favorites from the list:

    5 Ways To Gain CX Buy-In & Support from Top-Down:

    1. Start With A Data-Driven Pilot Program

    Company leaders are more likely to embrace new ideas when there is data behind the plan. Start with a pilot program, gather the facts, and then present the results to the decision-makers. If the initiatives prove to be valuable, executives will likely support and invest in the ideas. The “crawl, walk, run” approach always works for me. I believe it will for you too. – Stacy Sherman

    2. Don’t Overpromise

    It is better to have a realistic yet scalable plan than to start off with one that goes beyond your existing capabilities. Solid sustainability planning takes all prongs of environmental, social and governance (ESG) into consideration as avenues to improve and establish a plan that you can grow into sustainably. – Boaz Santiago, energyware

    3. Align Operationally Across The Business

    It’s important to align operationally across the business, especially when it comes to sales and marketing. This starts at the individual key performance indicator level and extends to forecasts, targets, and goals. Understanding how each KPI maps to the goals ensure that everyone is driving toward the same outcomes. Finally, clarity around roles and responsibilities is paramount in order to scale as efficiently as possible. – Jenny Coupe, ActiveCampaign

    4. Listen To Employee Concerns And Needs

    Listening to their employees about their key concerns, needs, and wants. Executing on those concerns—or even some of them—can help achieve greater buy-in if folks feel as if their concerns were considered, even if they weren’t fully realized at the end of the day. Organizations and leaders need to think in terms of community to achieve support. – Nina Mehta, VIACOM

    5. Articulate Individual Roles And Incentives

    To gain support, the purpose must be articulated in an impactful way. Each individual’s role in accomplishing the purpose must be articulated, and incentives must be aligned with the intended outcome. People need to feel a sense of connection to the mission and the organization, which must be reinforced through an incentive structure that reflects individual buy-in. – Kyle Scott, Lone Star College

    Read the full Forbes article here. Tell me what you would add to the list.

    Read more about getting CX Buy-In and support in my other Forbes article:

    10 WAYS TO CRAWL, WALK, RUN YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS

    Remember: Life is a journey. You cannot go from 0% to 100% goal attainment automatically or overnight. 

    10 Impactful Ways To Authentically Thank Employees

    10 Impactful Ways To Authentically Thank Employees

    by | Nov 22, 2021 | Company Culture & Employees

    It’s no secret that happy employees yield better business results. There’s a lot of research indicating customer satisfaction and loyalty rise when employees enjoy their jobs and workplace. They go hand-in-hand. As leadership expert Simon Sinek says, “Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.

    Research shows (work.com):

    “69% of employees work harder when they feel appreciated.
    79% feel motivated when recognized.”
    “51% of workers are recognized once a quarter.” I’ve been in organizations where it’s more like once per year. 

    I know that creating a great company culture does not happen automatically or overnight. It requires intentional design and ongoing focus. As Thanksgiving approaches (and beyond), take time to express gratitude. It’s in your control!   

     

    10 Authentic Ways To Thank Employees:

    1. Send personalized thank-you notes. Recognize your staff for delighting customers.
    2. Do something that shows your team they matter. If you don’t know what that is, simply ask.
    3. Invite teams to an Executive meal (virtual works) based on results & positive customer feedback. 
    4. Publicize awesome work. Compliment individuals & teams on the company website.
    5. Enable people to recognize each other. Gamify experiences. Tie prizes to customer value.
    6. Send small gift or balloons to top performers & those with Y/Y improvements.
    7. Buy lunch for people resolving customer issues daily i.e. customer service reps. survey team, etc. 
    8. Create a CEO video message thanking employees for creating customer promoters.
    9. Offer a bonus or day off to those who routinely demonstrate customer excellence.
    10. Feed employees and show up. I’ve seen Executives literally serve happiness at employee Thanksgiving lunch.

    For more inspiration and actionable ideas, watch my interview with Ryan Estis. His true stories will touch the core of your heart as he beautifully portrays a Starbuck barista, Lily, who “pours happiness” every day.

    You’ll appreciate my interview even more by watching I’ll never forget that cup of coffee. Play it at your workplace and discuss it as a team as you’ll get people engaged and motivated to show up as their best selves.

    Doing CX Right Reminders:

    • Small acts of kindness go a long way. “People may forget what you said or did, but never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
    • Employees are your heroes. If they don’t feel important, your customers will feel it.
    • Don’t wait for formal end of year reviews. If you’re not appreciating employees throughout the year, your competitors will. They’re searching for great talent.
    • Don’t overthink it. Thank people everywhere i.e. meetings, LinkedIn “kudos” posts, etc.
    • Be empathetic and sincere. Employees know when managers are “checking a box.” 

    Employee Satisfaction and DoingCXRight Source: Ashley Johnson

     

    What do YOU do show appreciation in authentic and meaningful ways?  

    Check out >Doing CX Right®‬ podcasts for more inspiration and actionable tips about Doing Customer & Employee Experiences Right.

    Doing CX Right podcast show on Spotify with host Stacy Sherman
    DoingCXRight-Podcast-on-Amazon-with-host-Stacy-Sherman.
    Doing Customer Experience (CX) Right Podcast - Hosted by Stacy Sherman
    Doing CX Right podcast show on iHeart Radio with host Stacy Sherman