How can you collaborate with stakeholders to create a seamless customer experience?

Let's look at it this way - If your stakeholders are not aligned with your efforts, can they enjoy the customer experience? Let's discuss: 👨💼Identify stakeholders - It is common to be stuck with someone who may not be your stakeholder, so map your accounts on different levels. 🎯Mutual goals - Customer experience has goals from both sides, and you must agree on the doable ones that can benefit both of you. 🤝Partnership mindset - what you do differently than others will make an impression, treat like a partner to get treated like one. 💥Optimal servicing - Take ownership and agree on SLAs and engagement process. Codify it if need be to ensure consistency. 🎉Celebrate value - Communicate and deliver value. #cx #saas #client #account

First identify your stakeholders but also your relationship with this pro/detractor etc. Sometimes you can have a really snr stakeholder who can block alot of your sales engagement so look for others who can help you to influence around the organization. One of the biggest failures I have seen is not communicating to stakeholder about other conversations you are having in their organization - again there is a need for transparency.

Active Listening: Beyond gathering information, actively listen to stakeholders' concerns, anxieties, and motivations. Be present, ask clarifying questions, and demonstrate genuine interest. Open Communication: Maintain open and transparent communication channels, providing updates, sharing challenges, and actively soliciting feedback. This fosters trust and encourages collaboration. Mutual Respect & Value: Recognize and value the unique perspectives and contributions of each stakeholder. Respect their expertise and treat them with courtesy. Alignment of Goals: Work towards identifying shared goals and objectives that benefit all stakeholders. Align your initiatives and strategies to achieve these goals collaboratively.

First identify stakeholders within a account. It can be Internal and External. Internal Stakeholders: Include departments like marketing, sales, customer service, product development, and IT. Each plays a crucial role in shaping the customer experience. External Stakeholders: Can include partners, suppliers, and even customers themselves. They offer valuable insights from outside the company. Collaborating with stakeholders to create a seamless customer experience involves a strategic approach that integrates various perspectives and expertise to ensure that every touchpoint with the customer is efficient, enjoyable, and effective.

Effective stakeholder management is essential for success. We must comprehend their goals, needs, and strategies for achieving them, whether they are internal or external. To do this, we must communicate openly and frequently, and we should lay out a plan for how we will work together to accomplish their goals.

Ambition setting aligned to stakeholders benefit and Corporate Vision needs synergies for desired outcome agreed by both organisations will be key for defining path chosen to traverse together . That’s what define Strategic engagement.

Ensure all stakeholders understand and agree on the ultimate goal of delivering a seamless customer experience. This may involve workshops or meetings to align visions and objectives. Focus on creating value for the customer at every stage of their journey. Establish clear metrics for success in customer experience, such as customer satisfaction scores, Net Promoter Score (NPS), customer retention rates, and conversion rates. Use KPIs to regularly assess performance and identify areas for improvement. Encourage a culture of continuous refinement and agility.

Go beyond your common goals, look for opportunities to work like a partner in customer's success plan than just a vendor. While recognizing that no vendor can address every challenge, leverage your expertise and industry connections to guide customers towards effective solutions. Ensure that your recommendations are rooted in factual insights and genuinely contribute to their objectives.

After understanding your stakeholders, the next step is to align your objectives. Make sure everyone knows what they want to achieve, how success will be measured, and when milestones should be met. Create clear and realistic project plans, scopes, and budgets to guide your efforts. Use tools like SMART goals, OKRs, and KPIs to stay focused and motivated. When your objectives are aligned, you're less likely to encounter misunderstandings, disagreements, or delays. Instead, you'll be working together towards a shared goal, delivering better results for your customers and partners.

Collaborate by aligning objectives with stakeholders through clear project plans, scopes, and budgets. Use SMART goals, OKRs, and KPIs for clarity and measurement. This alignment prevents confusion and conflicts, ensuring everyone works towards a unified vision for a seamless customer experience.

By communicating frequently, you can build rapport, trust, and feedback loops with your stakeholders. This helps you address any concerns or questions they may have, and keep everyone on the same page. It also shows that you value their input and are committed to delivering a seamless customer experience. So, don't be afraid to reach out and keep the conversation going!

Like any good relationship communication is key, stakeholders are no different. Also, like any strong relationship you have to learn how they like to communicate. Some folks are detail oriented and want things broken down in bullet pointed emails, so they can reference it later. Others need to talk you through it on the phone or face to face, so they can ask questions and really understand what’s happening. Some like a quick text right when changes happen. It doesn’t matter how much you are communicating if you’re doing it the wrong way for the person you’re working with. As you work together you can figure their style out through trial and error, or you can just ask. People will tell you how they want to get information if you ask.

Schedule consistent check-ins with all stakeholders to share updates, insights, and challenges. Utilise project management and communication tools to keep everyone in the loop. Actively seek out and incorporate customer feedback into continuous improvement processes. Use feedback to make incremental improvements to the customer experience, ensuring that changes are data-driven.

Collaborate effectively by maintaining frequent and transparent communication with stakeholders. Utilize various channels like emails, calls, and meetings to keep them informed and engaged throughout the customer journey. Use tools such as CRM and collaboration platforms to facilitate communication and build trust. Address concerns promptly to ensure a seamless customer experience.

Over my years of client and stakeholders engagement, I have found two noteworthy factors that works. 1. Functional Feedback mechanism(s)- A means or platform where every one is on board and can express their opinions without prejudice. 2. Pragmatic Proactiveness- when every stakeholder understands the vision and are on board with the same process, Information gathered from feedbacks must be actively engaged to make better decisions that will keep everyone proactive and on their toes to even deliver better results than before. Carrying every stakeholder along per time is the first step In making everyone feel relevant and will make them develop a sense of responsibility and commitment in the course of things.

Pilot Programs: Test new ideas and innovations in the customer experience with a subset of customers, gathering data on performance and satisfaction. Cross-Functional Innovation Teams: Encourage teams from different departments to come together to solve problems and innovate.

Implement Feedback Loops: Establishing feedback loops with stakeholders can greatly enhance collaboration and contribute to a seamless customer experience. Encourage open and transparent communication channels where stakeholders can provide feedback on processes, products, and interactions with customers. Actively soliciting and incorporating feedback allows for continuous improvement and ensures that the customer experience remains aligned with evolving stakeholder expectations. Additionally, demonstrating a commitment to listening and responding to feedback fosters trust and strengthens relationships with stakeholders, ultimately enhancing collaboration and the overall customer experience.