Shared vocabulary: Indeed’s strategy for customer data-driven collaboration
How Indeed’s ‘shared vocabulary’ allows for customer data collaboration across teams
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Customer data fuels almost every decision within customer experience (CX), yet teams often remain stuck in silos, speaking different languages when they should be working in sync. Achieving true alignment - especially in tech companies where every function has its own take on data - is a big challenge! Indeed, the job search platform, is tackling this head-on with a concept it calls a ‘shared vocabulary’ for customer data.
At the Qualtrics X4 Summit in Salt Lake City, Adam Hagerman, director of UX research at Indeed, shared how this common language helps stakeholders, from executives to engineers, work with data in a more unified, effective way.
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Creating clarity in customer data
Data is often overwhelming, fragmented and open to interpretation. Without a standardized way to discuss insights, teams risk working toward conflicting goals. To counter this, Indeed developed a shared vocabulary to ensure every team views customer data through the same lens.
“I don’t want the conversation our C-suite has to be different from the one our frontline engineers have,” Hagerman said. “By establishing a shared understanding, we make sure everyone is solving the same problems with the same perspective on where the organization is going.”
This common framework distills complex data into meaningful narratives, including who the customer is, what they need and how Indeed can better serve them. When teams speak the same language, collaboration improves and decision-making speeds up.
Balancing governance with flexibility
Shared vocabulary isn’t just about getting everyone on the same page. Instead, it’s about making data accessible without unnecessary roadblocks. Indeed strikes a balance between governance and flexibility, ensuring teams can act on data without being bogged down by gatekeeping.
Hagerman pointed out that many industries struggle with this, including quick-service restaurants (QSRs). These businesses have traditionally focused on execution, assuming operational managers hold all the control. However, a more unified approach to data can reveal broader patterns, like supply chain issues driving order accuracy problems rather than frontline execution.
“When you create a shared vocabulary, it’s much easier to align on the true source of problems,” Hagerman explained. “It’s no longer about tribal knowledge or personal perspectives. Instead, it’s about a consistent, collective understanding.”
Navigating a culture of individualism
Instead of enforcing strict rules, Indeed fosters collaboration by building coalitions and equipping employees with the tools they need to make informed decisions. The goal isn’t to dictate actions but to ensure every stakeholder has a clear, consistent view of the data.
One of the biggest hurdles? The independent nature of many tech professionals. “It’s very hard to wrestle control from people who are very individualistic… it’s a culture in tech,” Hagerman noted.
By aligning data interpretation across the organization, Indeed empowers teams to make smarter, customer-focused decisions. It’s not just about making insights available. But rather it’s about making them understandable and actionable at every level.
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