Lynn Hunsaker, the Chief Customer Officer at ClearAction Continuum, is on a journey of growth and strategic foresight. Beginning her career in 1992, she took on the role of the voice of the customer manager, intertwining customer insights with strategic planning. This unique approach laid the foundation for her future roles in leading company-wide customer satisfaction methodologies. From strategic planning manager to a CX leader, Lynn’s career trajectory reflects her unwavering commitment to enhancing customer relationships and advocating for meaningful organizational change.
What advice do you have for someone's first 100 days as head of CX?
In the crucial initial period of taking on a CX leadership role, Lynn advises a strategic and measured approach:
Avoid Immediate Technology Purchases
Lynn cautions against rushing into technology investments. She emphasizes the importance of understanding existing processes and systems before introducing new technologies. This approach ensures that any technological solutions adopted are well-aligned with the organization’s needs and can truly enhance customer experience.
Make Allies Across the Organization
Creating allies within the company is pivotal. Lynn stresses the need to recognize and collaborate with teams already involved in managing customer experiences. Building these alliances fosters a cohesive approach to CX and ensures that initiatives have broad support across the organization.
Focus on Cost and Revenue
Understanding the financial aspects, including cost inefficiencies and revenue streams, is vital. Lynn highlights the need for CX leaders to be well-versed in the economic dynamics of their companies. This knowledge allows them to identify opportunities for improvement and articulate the financial benefits of CX initiatives.
Find Cultural Hooks
Lynn advises finding 'cultural hooks' – aspects of the company’s existing culture that can be leveraged to promote CX initiatives. Whether it’s the organization’s approach to innovation, customer service, or employee engagement, these hooks can be instrumental in aligning CX strategies with the company’s ethos and values.
What does your CS strategy focus on currently and in the future?
Lynn’s current CX strategy centers around maximizing the value of customer data through technologies like AI and data mining. Her focus extends beyond immediate customer interactions to encompass company-wide strategies, performance standards, and growth initiatives. Lynn envisions a CX landscape where strategic integration of customer insights drives every business decision.
How Do You Measure Success With CX?
For Lynn, success in CX is not just about revenue generation but creating and sustaining customer value. This focus on lifetime value means balancing short-term gains and long-term customer relationships. It’s a holistic approach that considers the company's overall health and profitability.
What pain points do you have leading a CX team?
Leading CX initiatives comes with its challenges, the most significant being engaging various departments in a unified customer experience strategy. Lynn identifies the need to extend the scope of CX beyond customer-facing roles and involve departments like legal, procurement, and HR in the CX conversation.
How do you establish partnerships and gain buy-in with the C-suite?
Gaining executive buy-in is crucial for CX's success. Lynn achieves this by linking CX initiatives to financial outcomes and strategic goals. She uses data to demonstrate how CX improvements can lead to revenue growth, cost savings, and enhanced customer loyalty.
Do you have an example of utilizing customer feedback to improve your company?
Lynn underscores the importance of using customer feedback to inform and drive organizational change. She shares an example of transforming customer dissatisfaction into an opportunity for company-wide improvement through targeted workshops and action planning.
What is the future of CX?
Lynn sees two potential futures for CX: a tactical focus on customer service and success or a strategic approach that permeates all aspects of business operations. She advocates for the latter, encouraging CX leaders to use technology to integrate customer insights into broader business strategies.
About Lynn Hunsaker
Lynn Hunsaker's approach to CX transcends traditional boundaries, emphasizing a culture where customer insights drive every decision. Her journey offers invaluable insights for anyone in the field of CX. To discover more about her work and thoughts, visit Clear Action Continuum, connect with her on LinkedIn, or explore her writings on CustomerThink.com.
About CX Chats
CX chats is an interview series with Ben Holland, where we talk to industry leaders in the field of customer experience and customer success. Each interview dives deep into the insights from each leader and highlights how they became successful, tips for aspiring CX professionals, and their thoughts on the future of CX.