Many organisations have been talking about customer centricity and delivering exceptional customer experiences for years, if not decades. Despite this ongoing conversation, a key question remains: why are so many still not consistently doing it?
While it is important to adopt a strategic approach and define an aspirational customer experience, many organisations overlook the more deeply ingrained factors that prevent meaningful change. These factors include deeply held beliefs, cynical voices, fears, and other issues that have historically inhibited progress.
The Real Barriers to Great Customer Experiences
At Strativity APAC, we believe that to make real progress, organisations must first understand these barriers. Our structured, scientific approach helps leaders get beneath the surface and identify the real issues that are preventing their teams from delivering exceptional experiences.
Consider a university where most staff believe the following:
- They are not there to “hold students’ hands.”
- Students should feel privileged to attend.
- Students are seen as a necessary inconvenience.
With this mindset, how can the university possibly deliver great student experiences? Until these underlying beliefs are identified, challenged, and changed, there will be no improvement in customer satisfaction. Shifting the mindset to one where staff are focused on helping students achieve their best outcomes would go a long way in transforming the student experience.
The Role of Employee Beliefs
Now, imagine a prestigious automotive brand where employees don’t fully understand the expectations of high-end customers. Worse still, some might even resent their clients, seeing them as rude, demanding, and difficult to deal with. In this scenario, no amount of journey mapping or pain-point removal will create meaningful change. Addressing underlying beliefs, fears, and the cynical voices within the organisation is critical to ensuring long-term success.
Transformational Change Requires More Than Strategy
Customer-centricity isn’t just about having the right strategy on paper. Unless foundational issues such as employee beliefs and attitudes are addressed, any investment in strategy, customer journey mapping, design, or execution will fail to deliver maximum ROI.
By tackling the root causes of organisational resistance—whether they are cultural, psychological, or structural—leaders can unlock the full potential of their teams to deliver consistent and exceptional customer experiences.
Conclusion
In order to make real strides in customer experience, organisations need to look beyond the surface and address the underlying factors holding them back. At Strativity APAC, our approach focuses on identifying these barriers and fostering a mindset of continuous improvement. Only then can organisations truly become customer-centric and deliver the kind of exceptional experiences that drive loyalty and long-term success.
