We’ve just published some new research that talks about better paths to address the key challenges that doomed previous approaches to customer experience (CX) governance. We found that, when CX leaders think about setting up CX governance, they should:

  • Align to the corporate culture. Creating a separate CX governance structure in an organization that already has existing governance is a recipe for failure. That’s because the separate CX-focused group reinforces the very silos that governance is intended to break down. If a governance model already exists within your firm, plug into it; don’t create something new. If governance doesn’t yet exist, establish it with CX in the driver’s seat and key stakeholders getting seats at the table or being on your speed-dial list.
  • Set participants’ expectations. Clarify up front what you expect from those who are part of the governance group. For example, attendance should be mandatory so that there’s no question of whether you have enough people in the room to make a decision. If someone can’t attend, they need to send a delegate on their behalf — and that delegate will have full voting rights. Scheduling across a group of 10 or more people can be tricky, and empowering participants to delegate preserves the quorum and keeps the wheel of progress turning.
  • Design for efficiency. Speed work along by populating your governance team with leaders who can mobilize budget and/or staff. Rather than creating a separate working group that exists only to carry water for an otherwise Olympian executive team, charter targeted work streams for individual projects as they’re needed. Tap the governance team participants for subject matter experts (or for their own time) to seed the work streams with the skills and resources needed to get the specific improvements or new products and services put in place.

 

Diagram showing CX governance as a team informed by inputs, chartering workstreams that produce desired outcomes of improved experiences, products, and services

 

You can read more advice and recommendations in my latest report, “Establish The Right CX Governance To Coordinate Enterprise Customer Focus.” If you have questions about how to adopt a CX governance model that will work for your organization, reach out to schedule an inquiry.