A deep dive on CX strategies

David Hicks is one of the biggest experts on customer experience (CX) leadership and the co-founder and chairman of XM Coach. From his base in New York City, he went from advising giant corporations to working with smaller businesses after 9/11 because it "fundamentally changed my perspective," says Hicks. The goal was to have more direct impact on the businesses he serves. 

Sometimes referred to as "customer journey mapping royalty," Hicks has worked with pioneering companies like Emirates, which has set a real standard in this arena. Hicks recently sat down with CX Network to share his ideas: 

CX Network: How do you see the connection between small family businesses and professional CX practices?

David Hicks: There's a fascinating parallel between how successful family businesses naturally operate and what we now formalize as CX best practices. Small business owners intuitively understand the importance of customer relationships because their livelihood depends on it.

What's interesting is that the CX profession has essentially codified what good small business owners have always known - that treating customers well, understanding their needs and creating positive experiences leads to business success. The difference is that we've now developed frameworks, metrics and methodologies to scale these practices across large organizations where that personal touch doesn't happen automatically.

The best CX professionals bring that small business ideology - where every customer interaction matters - to larger corporate environments that might otherwise lose that connection.

CX Network: When did CX really emerge as a distinct professional discipline?

DH: There was a clear evolution in the field that I witnessed firsthand. In the early days, CX was often viewed as a "nice to have" rather than a strategic business function. The real turning point came when professionals like Jean Bliss and Bruce Temkin began formalizing CX as a discipline with defined methodologies and practices.

This evolution led to the creation of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) as a trade body, which was crucial for establishing standards and creating a community of practitioners. The key shift was when the focus moved from simply making customers happy to demonstrating how CX directly drives business results.

This transition wasn't just academic - it was essential for the survival of the discipline. CX initiatives that couldn't demonstrate their impact on the bottom line often found themselves on the chopping block, especially during economic downturns. The professionals who thrived were those who could connect experience metrics to business performance.

CX Network: How have the metrics used to measure CX changed over time?

DH: The evolution of CX metrics tells an interesting story about how the discipline has matured. We started with Net Promoter Score (NPS), which was revolutionary when it first emerged because it provided a simple, standardized way to measure customer loyalty. But as the field evolved, we recognized the limitations of relying on a single metric.

This led to the development of Customer Effort Score (CES), which acknowledges that sometimes what customers want most is just an easy, frictionless experience. The real challenge has always been linking these experience metrics directly to business performance - showing how improvements in NPS or CES translate to revenue growth, reduced churn or increased share of wallet.

The COVID-19 pandemic created a watershed moment for CX programs. Those that couldn't demonstrate a clear connection to business outcomes often didn't survive the budget cuts. Now we're seeing newer metrics emerging, like Trust Score, which reflects a deeper understanding of the customer relationship.

The most sophisticated organizations are now using predictive metrics rather than just measuring past satisfaction. They're looking at indicators that can forecast future business performance, which is much more valuable for strategic decision-making.

CX Network: You've mentioned the importance of emotional goals in CX. Can you elaborate on that?

DH: Emotional outcomes are at the heart of truly exceptional experiences, yet they're often overlooked in favor of functional and operational metrics. The most successful organizations deliberately design emotional outcomes into their CX strategies.

Emirates provides a compelling example of this approach. Its training program involves detailed role-playing scenarios where employees must demonstrate genuine emotional commitment. This isn't something you can fake or script. Customers have remarkable emotional intelligence and can detect inauthentic interactions immediately.

What makes this challenging is that emotions can't be mandated in the same way that process steps can. You can't simply tell employees to "be more empathetic" and expect results. It requires careful hiring, thoughtful training and creating an environment where employees themselves feel emotionally supported.

The organizations that excel at this understand that emotional connections drive loyalty far more powerfully than purely transactional relationships. When customers feel understood, valued and emotionally connected to a brand, they become advocates in a way that no discount or loyalty program could achieve.

CX Network: How is AI transforming the CX landscape and what challenges does it present?

DH: AI is fundamentally reshaping CX, particularly in contact centers and customer service operations. This transformation creates both significant challenges and exciting opportunities.

One of the biggest challenges is talent retention, especially with younger employees. Contact centers have traditionally been entry points for customer service careers, but as AI automates routine interactions, we need to rethink how we prepare young talent for a post-AI world. The jobs that remain will require higher-level skills - emotional intelligence, complex problem-solving and the ability to handle situations that AI can't manage.

On the technology front, there's tremendous potential in emerging technologies like quantum computing, particularly for applications like anti-fraud systems that can process vast amounts of data to identify patterns. But technology alone isn't the answer - the human touch remains essential for creating meaningful customer connections.

The most effective approach combines technological innovation with rapid prototyping and evaluation. Organizations need to be willing to experiment, measure results and quickly pivot based on what they learn. The goal should always be to use technology to enhance rather than replace the human elements of CX.

CX Network: How do you approach personalizing experiences, particularly for events or high-touch interactions?

DH: Personalization is increasingly important in creating memorable experiences. I've worked extensively with event companies to design experiences that feel tailored to individual participants, particularly for senior leaders who have limited time and high expectations.

The key is understanding that personalization goes beyond just using someone's name or knowing their purchase history. It's about creating moments that resonate with their specific needs, preferences and circumstances. This requires gathering the right data, but more importantly, it requires interpreting that data in ways that create meaningful interactions.

For events, this might mean customizing content tracks, facilitating specific networking opportunities, or even adjusting the physical environment to accommodate individual preferences. The goal is to make each person feel that the experience was designed with them in mind, even when you're serving hundreds or thousands of customers.

What's fascinating is how technology enables personalization at scale, but the most impactful personalization still comes from empowered employees who have the information, tools and authority to adapt the experience in the moment based on customer cues.

CX Network: What role does governance play in delivering consistent experiences?

DH: Governance is often the unsung hero of successful CX initiatives. Without proper governance structures, even the best-designed customer experiences tend to drift or fragment over time.

Effective governance ensures that CX isn't just a one-time project but becomes embedded in how the organization operates.

This includes clear ownership of customer journeys, established processes for measuring and improving experiences and mechanisms for resolving cross-functional issues that impact customers.

Leadership commitment is absolutely crucial here. CX initiatives that lack executive sponsorship rarely succeed long-term. Leaders need to visibly champion customer-centric decisions, sometimes at the expense of short-term financial gains.

The most mature organizations establish formal governance bodies that bring together leaders from across functions to review CX metrics, prioritize improvements and ensure resources are allocated appropriately. This cross-functional approach recognizes that CX doesn't belong to any single department but requires coordination across the entire organization.

CX Network: How should organizations approach mapping the end-to-end journey for customers, colleagues and partners?

DH: Journey mapping is a powerful tool that extends beyond just understanding the CX. The most forward-thinking organizations map journeys for all key stakeholders - customers, employees and partners.

For customers, effective journey mapping goes beyond documenting touchpoints to understanding the emotional journey, pain points and moments that matter most. It's about seeing the experience through the customer's eyes rather than through the lens of organizational structure.

Employee journey mapping is equally important because employee experience directly impacts CX. Organizations need to understand how their internal processes, tools and culture enable or hinder employees' ability to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Partner journeys are often overlooked but can be critical, especially in industries where partners play a direct role in service delivery.

Understanding how partners experience working with your organization can reveal opportunities to streamline collaboration and ultimately improve the end CX.

The key is recognizing that these journeys are interconnected. A pain point in the employee journey often manifests as a pain point in the customer journey. By mapping all three, organizations can identify the root causes of experience issues and address them holistically.

CX Network: What advice would you give to organizations that are struggling to demonstrate the business value of their CX initiatives?

DH: This is perhaps the most common challenge I encounter. Many CX professionals are passionate about improving experiences but struggle to translate that into language that resonates with financial decision-makers.

My first piece of advice is to start with the business outcomes that matter to your organization - revenue growth, cost reduction, risk mitigation or whatever metrics drive executive decision-making. Then work backward to show how CX initiatives contribute to those outcomes.

Be specific and quantitative whenever possible. Vague claims about "improving satisfaction" won't persuade skeptical executives. Instead, demonstrate how a specific improvement in a customer journey led to measurable changes in behavior that impacted business results.

Leverage existing data before investing in new measurement systems. Most organizations already collect data that can help demonstrate the value of CX - from customer retention rates to support ticket volumes to sales conversion metrics.

Finally, don't try to boil the ocean. Focus on proving value in one area first, then use that success to build momentum for broader initiatives. A well-documented win, even if relatively small, can be more persuasive than ambitious plans without proven results.

CX Network: How do you see the future of CX evolving over the next few years?

DH: The CX field is at a fascinating inflection point. AI and automation will continue to transform how organizations deliver service, but I believe this will actually increase the value of truly human connections rather than diminish them.

We'll see greater integration between CX and employee experience functions, recognizing that these are two sides of the same coin. Organizations that excel at both will have a significant competitive advantage.

Data privacy and ethical use of customer information will become even more important as personalization technologies advance. Organizations will need to find the balance between creating tailored experiences and respecting boundaries.

Measurement will evolve from lagging indicators like satisfaction scores to predictive analytics that help organizations anticipate and address potential experience issues before they impact customers.

Perhaps most importantly, CX will continue to move from a separate function to an integrated business discipline that informs strategy, product development, operations and every other aspect of how organizations create value. The most successful companies won't have CX departments. They'll have customer-centric cultures, where every decision is evaluated through the lens of customer impact.

Quick links:

• Why customer intimacy is the future of CX
• How Qualtrics' Isabelle Zdatny envisions the future of CX
• Get CX Tips: Turning omnichannel insight into innovation