When we think about customer experience management (CEM) competencies, we typically will think about 4, 5, 6, 7, etc things you need to be proficient in when managing customer experience. In fact, sometimes, these competencies are described as frameworks or pillars driving business growth or profitability.
If you do a quick google search, you will find a varied number of competencies all depicting a point of view in varying numbers. (Customer experience management articles)
For the different CEM certifications in the world today, the principles driving methodologies to boost business growth through CEM are hinged on this line of thinking i.e. CEM competencies.
In this cx articles , I want to share my view on an African perspective to CEM competencies that cannot just define the roadmap for the CEM profession in Africa but also how African businesses can leverage CEM methodologies to increase customer profitability.
Competency And Customer Experience Management
I will begin this piece with several definitions of competency and customer experience management.
For competency, 2 definitions strike me i.e.
- The ability to do something successfully or efficiently. (source: oxford dictionary)
- The capability to apply or use a set of related knowledge, skill and abilities to successfully perform critical work functions or tasks in a defined work setting. (source sph.uth.edu)
Customer experience management can be defined from 2 perspectives as well i.e.
- A company’s collection of processes to track, oversee, and organize every interaction between a customer and the organization throughout the customer life cycle. (source: Search CX Tech Target)
- The discipline of understanding (a business and its) customers and (designing &) deploying strategic plans that enable (encourages) cross-functional efforts and customer-centric culture to improve customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy. (source: Gartner with a little tweak)
With the above definitions of competency and CEM in view, I will like to draw your attention to a piece of information that brings both definitions together from a practical standpoint which has informed my view on an African perspective of CEM competencies and how it should be applied to boost the CEM capabilities of professionals or practitioners seeking to leverage CEM methodologies to impact/grow businesses in Africa.
Adopting Career Readiness Competencies
GoodCall.com outlines 7 core competencies that shape career readiness and after doing some research on these competencies, I think they apply to how we should understand and adopt CEM competencies in Africa. These competencies are:
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Oral/written communication
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Information technology application
- Leadership
- Professionalism/work ethics
- Career management.
Before we adopt CEM competencies in Africa, it is vital to confirm that the competencies check all the above boxes i.e. career readiness competencies.
Do the competencies you are seeking to adopt highlight the need for CEM professionals, practitioners or businesses to be proficient in i.e.
- Reflecting on business goals, analyzing CX’s current state and planning towards achievement, innovation, and deep understanding to solve business problems?
- Articulating CX message and getting it across to everyone?
- Driving organizational alignment and fostering collective movement in the direction of the customer and breaking silos?
- Knowledge and use of technology to measure and scale customer experience management outcomes?
- Inspiring and motivating people while being visionary?
- Designing and using processes and systems to systematically own the responsibility of managing customer interactions for an entire business?
- Transitioning from the mastery of CEM attributes to CEM competencies and customer experience (CX) leadership or as a business, does it help you transition from a novice to a distinguished CX maturity position?
Practical CEM Competencies For Africa
For CEM professionals, practitioners or/and businesses to succeed in defining a sustainable CX roadmap that can help businesses grow one CX at a time across Africa, CEM competencies that take into cognisance GoodCall’s career readiness competencies should be considered.
In my 20+ years career journey as a CEM practitioner and consultant, this competency framework has helped me achieve remarkable success with employers and clients.
The competencies are:
- Business goal understanding & CX diagnostics.
- CX goal alignment with the business goal.
- CX goal alignment with internal stakeholders (other functions or departments).
- CX improvement design, deployment and measurement.
- CX Inspiration, motivation and reporting.
- CEM institutionalization i.e. embedding company-specific tried and tested CEM practices in company culture and business operations.
- Achieve business goal + attain projected CX maturity status + increase CEM capabilities
Does this relate to GoodCall’s career readiness competencies? Yes, it does and the below table shows the connection.
Conclusion
Where do we go from here?
To achieve the impact we want CEM to have in businesses on the continent through measurable business outcomes, business managers, business leaders and business owners in Africa should consider a NICHED version of CEM competencies that takes you on a journey to CUSTOMER PROFITABILITY and CX MATURITY.
As the desire for quick results is a challenge we have to deal with on the continent, adopting the NICHED customer experience management competencies provides a framework for customer experience transformation to start with the business goal and ends with the business goal.
deBBie akwara
She is referred to as one of Africa’s leading CX entrepreneurs & educators launching CX businesses & Africa’s first globally recognized CX certification courses.
She is the founder & principal at Niche CX Consulting Firm, a globally recognized CX thought leader & influencer, CX keynote speaker, author and co-founder; Customer Experience Professionals West Africa (CXPWA) network. CX Management Competencies
