A positive customer experience (CX) is much more than a feel-good outcome — it’s a direct driver of customer retention, loyalty, and revenue. Research shows that companies leading in CX outperform laggards by nearly 80% in revenue growth, and 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a better experience. The connection is clear: when customers feel valued, they return, recommend, and invest more in your business.
However, improving CX isn’t a one-off effort, it’s an ongoing journey that involves people, processes, and technology. From frontline teams to backend systems, every part of the business plays a role. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of it all, you’re not alone. Building a successful CX program can feel daunting.
But it doesn’t have to be. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the essentials of creating and running a customer experience program, step by step. From defining what CX truly means to outlining the benefits and breaking down the key components, you’ll gain the clarity needed to design a program that works for your organization. We’ll also cover actionable implementation steps and recommend the tools to support your efforts along the way.
A customer experience program is a strategic initiative designed to manage and improve all interactions that customers have with a brand throughout their journey. This holistic approach ensures that every touchpoint, whether it's a website visit, customer service call, or in-store experience, is aligned to deliver a positive and consistent experience. The scope of a CX program spans across departments, bringing together people, processes, and technology to create a seamless experience that meets or better yet exceeds customer expectations.
CX programs can vary depending on a company’s industry, size, and business model. For example, a dental practice might focus heavily on the in-person experience, while a home services business might prioritize digital touchpoints in the customer journey. Despite these differences, all CX programs share the same foundational goal: to enhance the overall customer experience in a way that drives business success.
The primary goals of a customer experience program include:
While CX programs are customer-centric by nature, they also drive significant benefits for internal operations. By aligning departments and focusing on customer outcomes, CX programs help to:
Ultimately, a well-designed customer experience program is not just a win for customers; it’s a strategic lever that aligns the entire organization to achieve better results.
Without a comprehensive customer experience program, businesses often face inconsistent customer interactions, fragmented communication between departments, and missed opportunities to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. A CX program ensures that all efforts are aligned and focused on delivering a consistently positive experience across every touchpoint, preventing costly gaps in service and maximizing business outcomes.Â
Let’s dive deeper into the key benefits of setting up a CX program:
A well-executed CX program can drive tangible business results, including higher revenue and profitability. According to research by Kantar, brands that deliver meaningfully different experiences are 2.5 times more likely to significantly increase their market share. By focusing on customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention, businesses see improved customer lifetime value and reduced churn, which directly impact the bottom line. You can use our CX ROI calculator to see how customer experience management could boost your revenue.
Research shows that 89% of companies now compete primarily on customer experience. Brands that deliver consistent, personalized, and positive experiences stand out in crowded markets and win over customers from competitors. A strong CX program gives companies a competitive edge by fostering loyalty and encouraging word-of-mouth referrals, which can be more powerful than traditional marketing efforts.
A proactive CX program helps businesses identify and address customer pain points before they lead to churn. By gathering and analyzing customer feedback, companies can pinpoint areas of frustration and work to resolve them. For example, Amazon’s CX strategy famously prioritizes customer convenience, leading to innovations like one-click ordering and same-day delivery. By systematically addressing pain points, a CX program turns potential negative experiences into opportunities to build loyalty.
Beyond customer-facing benefits, a CX program streamlines internal operations, leading to increased efficiency. By integrating processes and aligning systems, companies can reduce redundancies and improve response times. When operations run smoothly, it translates to a better customer experience and a healthier bottom line.
One of the often-overlooked benefits of a CX program is the alignment it creates across internal teams. By bringing marketing, sales, customer service, and other departments together under a common goal, CX programs foster better communication and collaboration. This cross-functional alignment ensures that everyone is working toward the same customer-centric objectives, reducing internal friction and creating a unified brand experience. Ultimately, when internal teams are aligned, the entire organization is better positioned to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Every organization has unique needs, but the following steps provide a high-level overview of how to establish a successful customer experience program. Drawing from AskNicely’s conversations with dozens of industry leaders, this approach lays the foundation for an effective CX strategy.
Before launching a CX program, it’s crucial to understand where your organization currently stands. Conduct an in-depth assessment of your customer interactions, gather feedback, and analyze existing processes. This will help you identify strengths and weaknesses, uncover pain points, and set a baseline for future improvements. Without a clear understanding of your starting point, it’s impossible to measure progress effectively.Â
Once you’ve assessed your current state, the next step is to set clear, measurable objectives for your CX program. These goals should align with your overall business strategy and reflect what you want to achieve, such as improving customer satisfaction scores, reducing churn, or boosting customer lifetime value. Clear objectives provide direction and allow you to track your progress. Make sure your objectives are specific and actionable to keep your team focused.
With your objectives in place, develop a strategic plan that outlines how you’ll achieve them. This plan should include actionable initiatives, timelines, and resources needed to make your CX vision a reality. Consider involving key stakeholders from different departments to ensure that your plan is comprehensive and aligns with your company’s broader goals. A well-crafted strategic plan serves as a roadmap, guiding your efforts and keeping everyone on track.
When you have a strategic plan, it’s time to prioritize and implement your CX initiatives. Not every idea can be executed at once, so start by focusing on high-impact areas that will deliver quick wins. This helps build momentum and demonstrates the value of the CX program to the organization. Whether you’re rolling out new customer feedback systems or retraining frontline employees, focus on initiatives that align with your objectives and drive immediate improvements.
Finally, continuously monitor the performance of your CX program and make adjustments as needed. Track key metrics, gather ongoing feedback, and analyze the impact of your initiatives. Regularly revisiting your strategy allows you to refine your approach and stay responsive to changing customer needs.Â
It’s not enough to simply set up a customer experience program—aiming for best-in-class should be the goal. A great CX program requires buy-in from various teams across the organization, from leadership to frontline employees. These components are the building blocks for a successful, impactful CX program that delivers real results.Â
CX initiatives need strong leadership commitment to thrive. When leadership actively prioritizes customer experience, it sets the tone for the entire organization. From allocating resources to driving a customer-centric culture, leadership plays a pivotal role in the success of a CX program. Without buy-in from the top, it’s difficult to implement lasting changes.
Arguably more important than buy-in from the top, is buy-in from your employees, especially folks on the frontline. Engaged employees are essential to delivering exceptional customer experiences, and employees who feel valued and connected to the company’s mission are more likely to go the extra mile for customers. A great CX program fosters a culture of engagement, ensuring that employees at every level understand their role in creating positive customer outcomes. By investing in employee well-being, companies can empower their teams to deliver standout service.
Collecting and acting on customer feedback is the backbone of any successful CX program. Businesses need to create reliable channels for gathering continuous, real-time feedback. Regular feedback helps identify areas for improvement and ensures that the customer’s voice is central to decision-making.Â
Data is critical to understanding customer behavior and improving CX. A great CX program leverages data analytics to uncover trends, identify pain points, and measure the impact of initiatives. By turning raw data into actionable insights, businesses can make informed decisions that drive better customer outcomes.Â
Empowering employees with the skills and knowledge needed to deliver great customer experiences is a key component of a CX program. Ongoing training and development ensure that employees are prepared to meet customer expectations and are continuously improving their abilities. Whether it’s customer service skills, product knowledge, or empathy training, investing in employee development directly impacts the quality of the customer experience.
Technology is an enabler of exceptional customer experience. The right tools, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, CX platforms, and automation solutions, help streamline processes and personalize interactions at scale. These technologies also provide real-time insights that allow teams to respond quickly to customer needs.Â
To measure the success of a CX program, be sure to track relevant metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). These metrics provide a clear view of how well your efforts are working and where improvements are needed. Tracking metrics like net promoter score (NPS), customer satisfaction (CSAT), and customer effort score (CES) helps businesses gauge customer sentiment and refine their strategies.Â
A great CX program is never static—it requires a continuous improvement mindset. This means regularly assessing performance, gathering feedback, and refining strategies to adapt to changing customer needs. Implementing a CX maturity model can help businesses track their progress and identify areas for growth over time.Â
AskNicely is an easy-to-use platform that can become an essential part of any successful customer experience program. By offering a range of features that streamline key CX processes, AskNicely empowers businesses to collect feedback, assess performance, and drive meaningful change—all while keeping things simple for your team.Â
Here’s how AskNicely’s core features align with the key components of a great CX program:
Ready to take your CX program to the next level? Book a demo today.Â
