{"id":1002294,"date":"2021-10-30T23:35:36","date_gmt":"2021-10-31T06:35:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/?p=14829"},"modified":"2021-10-30T23:38:08","modified_gmt":"2021-10-31T06:38:08","slug":"cx-is-complicated-not-complex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/cx-is-complicated-not-complex\/","title":{"rendered":"CX Is Complicated, Not Complex"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img alt width=\"299\" height=\"265\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14831 alignright lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/cynefin.jpg\"\/><\/p><noscript><img class=\"size-full wp-image-14831 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/cynefin.jpg\" alt width=\"299\" height=\"265\"\/><\/noscript>The <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cynefin_framework\"  rel=\"noopener\">Cynefin framework<\/a>, developed more than 20 years ago by researcher and management consultant David Snowden, remains a solid context for strategic decision-making.\r\n<p>It helps categorize business issues, enabling you to respond more effectively\u2026and in the process, create a successful, science-based approach to improving customer loyalty.<\/p><p>The framework defines five states:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><strong>Simple (aka Obvious, Clear)<\/strong> Marked by repeating cause-and-effect patterns and consistent events that represent \u201cknown knowns.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Complicated<\/strong> Representing \u201cunknown knowns\u201d and requiring some effort and expertise to reveal cause-and-effect relationships.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Complex<\/strong> The \u201cunknown unknowns\u201d marked by flux and unpredictability.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Chaotic<\/strong> High turbulence with no clear cause-and-effect connections, requiring urgent action to establish order.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Disorder<\/strong> Comprising a domain of shifting, unknowable states with no clarity.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n<h2>Know where you stand before you act<\/h2>\r\n<p>Understanding the category of the challenge you face is a critical first step. It will guide how you manage your approach.<\/p>\r\n<p>Some companies assume that customer experience (CX) is <strong>Simple<\/strong>. These organizations staff CX with a manager-level person, often from market research, who primarily focuses on <a href=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/five-ways-to-make-your-surveys-matter\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">surveys<\/a> and survey reporting.<\/p>\r\n<p>In this view, customer needs are known, and the primary role of CX is to report on the current state of customers so that existing teams know how to react.<\/p>\r\n<p>These organizations typically <a href=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/why-do-bonuses-for-nps-scores-seem-wise\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">don\u2019t make much progress<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>Many other companies feel that CX is <strong>Complex<\/strong>. This thinking holds that there is no \u201cright\u201d approach. Instead, competing ideas vie to improve the customer experience. If <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jimtincher\"  rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a> could be considered a community, it would place CX in this category, as so many different approaches jostle around and clash there.<\/p>\r\n<p><em>(That\u2019s just one reason \u2013 there are others! \u2013 that you can\u2019t rely on advice or concepts promoted on LinkedIn for your approach. Too many bad ideas gain traction and it\u2019s too difficult to judge results or effectiveness.)<\/em><\/p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<h3><span><strong>Complicated states require fact-based management to discover the right answers for your company and your customers.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>I think we can all agree that CX is not <strong>Chaotic<\/strong> (though some days\u2026), because there are clear causes and effects in how customers respond. Thankfully, <strong>Disorder <\/strong>isn\u2019t in the running either.<\/p>\r\n<p>No, CX falls squarely in the <strong>Complicated<\/strong> bucket, requiring expert diagnosis to reveal cause and effect relationships, which exist but are unclear.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Effortless isn\u2019t the ultimate goal<\/h2>\r\n<p>An example of how LinkedIn makes CX <em>seem<\/em> complex are the posts I\u2019m constantly running across that tout that the best way to improve CX is to simplify.<\/p>\r\n<p>This appealing approach has the misfortune of not working.<\/p>\r\n<p>Nearly every piece of data I can find confirms that while simplifying the delivered experience does reduce <em>dis<\/em>loyalty, simplification efforts don\u2019t lead customers to purchase more or stay longer \u2013 the hallmarks of true loyalty.<\/p>\r\n<p>Yet the seemingly intuitive practice of focusing on providing <a href=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/an-effortless-experience-isnt-enough\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">effortless experiences<\/a> persists. A combination of factors fuel its longevity, including simplistic thinking, vendors looking to sell simplification products (\u201cJust centralize everything on our platform, and customer experience improves!\u201d), and a lack of scientific approaches.<\/p>\r\n<p>The research is clear that an <a href=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/execs-its-time-to-raise-your-expectations\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">emotional connection<\/a> is the hallmark of loyalty. And this leads to one of the differentiators between complex and complicated states: complex situations are filled with \u201cunknown unknowns,\u201d areas that require pattern-based leadership and need to be discovered as you go.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Build on what you know<\/h2>\r\n<p>Instead, CX presents \u201cknown unknowns.\u201d We <em>know<\/em> that an emotional connection is critical to CX. We just don\u2019t necessarily know how to <em>create<\/em> that emotional connection. Instead of pattern-based leadership, complicated states require fact-based management to discover the right answers for your company and your customers.<\/p>\r\n<p>Analyzing what those rare organizations with successful B2B CX programs are doing \u2013 including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quirks.com\/articles\/for-improved-customer-and-company-outcomes-elicit-a-targeted-emotional-response\"  rel=\"noopener\">Dow, Hagerty, Aramex, and UKG<\/a> \u2013 it\u2019s possible to structure a <a href=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/journey-experience\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">fact-based approach<\/a> to understand and improve the customer experience.<img alt width=\"410\" height=\"130\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px\" class=\"wp-image-14834 aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/business-impact-graphic-300x95.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/business-impact-graphic-300x95.jpg 300w, https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/business-impact-graphic-1030x325.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/business-impact-graphic-768x242.jpg 768w, https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/business-impact-graphic-705x222.jpg 705w, https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/business-impact-graphic.jpg 1350w\"\/><\/p><noscript><img class=\"wp-image-14834 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/business-impact-graphic-300x95.jpg\" alt width=\"410\" height=\"130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/business-impact-graphic-300x95.jpg 300w, https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/business-impact-graphic-1030x325.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/business-impact-graphic-768x242.jpg 768w, https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/business-impact-graphic-705x222.jpg 705w, https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/business-impact-graphic.jpg 1350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px\"\/><\/noscript>\r\n<p>To replicate their success, build the capabilities needed to show how your operations impact emotions. Those emotions, in turn, impact behaviors, which impact loyalty. Then use <a href=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/technology\/\"  rel=\"nofollow noopener\">technology<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/heartofthecustomer.com\/cx-needs-change-management\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">change management<\/a> principles to structure your approach.<\/p>\r\n<p>This approach is designed around the needs of B2B and B2B2C organizations, but the same concept translates to B2C ecosystems.<\/p>\r\n<p>It <em>is <\/em>possible to discover the right way to manage your customer experience. But doing so requires you to thoroughly analyze what is true about your customers and their specific needs. Then you can use that knowledge to design the right interventions to elicit a targeted emotional outcome to create loyalty.<\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cynefin framework, developed more than 20 years ago by researcher and management consultant David Snowden, remains a solid context for strategic decision-making.<br \/>\nIt helps categorize business issues, enabling you to respond more effectively\u2026and in t&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7586,"featured_media":103867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[128,84],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1002294"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7586"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1002294"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1002294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1002549,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1002294\/revisions\/1002549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1002294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1002294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1002294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}