We’ve all been there. As a customer experience leader, you pour your energy into creating better interactions, improving satisfaction scores, and generally making life easier for customers—only to feel undervalued, underappreciated, and, frankly, under-resourced. You hear “it’s nice to have,” and maybe even a nod or two from other departments, but not the concrete backing that turns a function into a strategic force. Let’s change that.
A lot of functional leaders in CX are understandably irritated. At last week’s Elevate CX event in London, there was a recurring undertone: the gnawing sense that CX work isn’t getting the respect or traction it deserves. And, yes, there’s room for some frustration. But don’t get stuck there. Getting a little angry? Sure. But get relevant too.
Here’s the tough reality: if CX isn’t hitting broader business metrics, it’s not going to be seen as strategic. And if it’s not seen as strategic, it won’t get the resources, support, or voice it deserves. So, here’s the question: how do we make CX unignorable?
1. Speak the Language of Business Metrics
The first step is understanding the metrics that matter most to your business leaders.
Yes, customer satisfaction is critical, but it’s often not enough on its own to get the attention of a CFO, COO, or CEO. They’re focused on growth, profitability, and efficiency—and they need to see how CX ties directly to these areas.
For example:
- Revenue Growth: Can your CX team identify touchpoints where customer experience improvements are likely to increase conversion rates, upsells, or referrals? Link specific CX efforts to the revenue impact they can achieve.
- Cost Efficiency: Are there ways your team can reduce the need for support interactions, shorten handle times, or decrease customer churn? Fewer problems on the front end lead to fewer expensive problems down the line.
- Employee Productivity and Engagement: CX isn’t just for customers; it impacts the people who work on the frontlines. Show how your initiatives improve employee satisfaction or make their jobs easier, reducing turnover or improving efficiency.
To move CX out of the “nice to have” category, you need to tie it directly to these core business goals. Improving customer experience for the sake of customers alone? Admirable, but not strategic. Improving it in ways that boost revenue, cut costs, or engage employees? Now you’re talking.
2. Build Cross-Functional Relationships Based on Relevance, Not Necessity
The second key is stepping out of the CX bubble and becoming a real partner across functions. Don’t wait for other departments to come to you; go to them with specific ideas on how CX can advance their objectives.
- Work with Finance to understand budget constraints and metrics that the C-suite monitors daily. If you’re tying your initiatives back to cost reduction or revenue lift, you’re speaking their language.
- Partner with Product and Marketing. Don’t just tell them what customers say—interpret that feedback in terms of the next product feature or campaign. CX insights are often the missing link between what customers want and what the business provides.
- Collaborate with IT. Many CX initiatives are tied to technology, but CX leaders often have only a peripheral relationship with IT. Change that. Align on tech investments that don’t just sound good in a CX proposal but solve actual business pain points.
Building these relationships isn’t about making other teams jump through hoops to understand CX. It’s about CX leaders leading the way, making it easy for other functions to see the connection, and adding value that they can’t ignore.
3. Prove Your Relevance with Results, Not Just Stories
Here’s where it gets tricky. Stories are powerful—don’t get me wrong. I’m a massive believer in the power of storytelling. But CX isn’t just about anecdotes; it’s about data that drives results. If you want people to understand the value of CX, you need to come to the table with more than just compelling narratives.
- Define Success Metrics Together: Great customer experiences are increasingly dependent on multiple stakeholders collaborating across various aspects of an organization. The implication? Success requires you to co-create KPIs with each department, not just with your team. When everyone owns a piece of the success metrics, it’s harder for anyone to dismiss the importance of CX.
- Share Wins Across the Organization: Don’t wait for a quarterly business review to tell people what you’ve achieved. Communicate real-time success stories—ideally, data-backed wins—that show how CX is impacting broader business goals. Is customer satisfaction up? Great. But is retention up as well? Is revenue per customer growing? The closer you tie your wins to the metrics others care about, the harder it is to overlook CX.
4. Build a Case for Urgency
The days of waiting for other functions to recognize the value of CX are over. It’s time to take ownership and instill a sense of urgency. CX leaders have to stop acting like support departments and start thinking like business leaders.
A CX strategy without urgency is just another initiative. But a CX strategy that’s seen as essential to the company’s survival and growth? That’s power.
If you’re feeling underappreciated or under-resourced, take a hard look at how relevant CX is to your organization’s most urgent priorities. If it’s not, it’s time to rethink your approach, reframe your value, and push forward with a sharper focus on business impact. In short, get relevant. And if you need to get a little angry in the process? Go for it—just make it productive.
