You have most likely heard the term “The Great Resignation” to refer to the current workforce environment we find ourselves in. With record numbers of employees either quitting or considering quitting their jobs, and an equally record-breaking number of job openings that are going unfilled, this phenomenon is affecting the internal workings of a large percentage of organizations. Just as importantly, it is having an impact on end customers and the customer experience.

Organizations have several tools at their disposal to better understand their customers. Two of the most important are customer relationship management (CRM) platforms and customer data platforms (CDP). For those less familiar with the distinctions and definitions of each, let’s briefly define them individually before we talk about how they can be used to work together.

Doing customer experience well requires people, process, and platforms working together in harmony. It also requires that the organization is able to adapt and adjust using the best information and approaches available. This is where agile practices can complement CX initiatives very well.

In this article, Greg Kihlström discusses the shift and approach organizations need to take to transition from a world of third-party data to first-party data.

In this article for CMSWire, Greg Kihlström discusses how Experience Level Agreements (XLAs) can positively affect the customer experience, in addition to the employee experience.

Article by Greg Kihlström for Forbes.com. Any leader knows that labor costs, including payroll and contractors, can be the largest expense a company has — as much (or sometimes more) as 70% of a company’s budget. Not only is this important from a purely financial perspective, but it is also important to remember from a customer experience (CX) one as well.

Greg Kihlström’s article on the relationship between leadership alignment and the success of digital transformations.

Article by Greg Kihlström for CMSWire. Even if improving customer experience isn't your primary goal in a digital transformation, it is important to understand how CX connects to the other aspects of your initiative. Let’s explore the link between customer experience and digital transformation a bit further.

Greg Kihlström’s article for Forbes on the relationship between cognitive biases and customer experience.

Greg Kihlström’s article on CMSWire: Doing digital transformation well takes a lot of coordination. Leaders need to align people, processes and technology in a way that accomplishes initial goals, and have a plan to sustain and continuously improve the elements being transformed.

There is a lot of talk these days about digital transformation in business, and many organizations have projects underway. As is the case with many buzzword-worthy trends, there are valuable aspects businesses can benefit from when undertaking digital transformation, as well as misconceptions that can waste time and money.

The benefits of a solid data governance plan include increased cost and time efficiency, risk mitigation, greater consistency and quality of data. However, the question of who “owns” data or contributes to data governance within an organization varies greatly. Some companies have a department or smaller set of individuals responsible, and others having cross-disciplinary teams responsible for governance.

Data is the lifeblood of an organization. Customers and employees are vital, but may come and go over time, which puts organizations that count on individuals for institutional knowledge at particular risk. Your company’s information, when handled correctly, should last forever.

My article on Forbes. Getting feedback in real-time instead of asking for surveys after the fact allows you to have the data you need to make adjustments quickly — sometimes immediately — to ensure your customer has an optimal experience. Contrast this with waiting for an individual to fill out a survey once they are all the way through a process, and you can imagine the possibilities!

I contributed an article to CMSWire on the value of real-time insights in order to measure and improve the customer experience.

This is part 4 of a 4-part series of articles is based on ideas from my book The Center of Experience, in which I explore the relationship between customer experience and employee experience, and how organizations can achieve transformative results by embracing a customer-centric culture.

This is part 3 of a 4-part series of articles is based on ideas from my book The Center of Experience, in which I explore the relationship between customer experience and employee experience, and how organizations can achieve transformative results by embracing a customer-centric culture.

This is part 2 of a 4-part series of articles is based on ideas from my book The Center of Experience, in which I explore the relationship between customer experience and employee experience, and how organizations can achieve transformative results by embracing a customer-centric culture.

This 4-part series of articles is based on ideas from my book The Center of Experience, in which I explore the relationship between customer experience and employee experience, and how organizations can achieve transformative results by embracing a customer-centric culture.

While being able to create an effective buying pathway that can work for your entire audience is important, it is increasingly critical that marketers have an understanding of providing a next best action that is unique to the audience segment, if not the specific individual.