Winning the Customer Experience Iron Throne

Clare Angood of Aspect Software references Game of Thrones to discuss how you can create a “winning” customer experience.

Winning the CX Iron Throne

Call the banners; winter is here. The final season of Game of Thrones is upon us, and it’s shaping up to be the most wildly anticipated television premiere of all time.

Great battles will be fought, blood will be shed and, heaven forbid, we’ll have to say goodbye to some of our most beloved characters before the Iron Throne is won and the Night King is vanquished.

Game of Thrones will be the talk of the town for the next six weeks, so we in CX may as well make the most of it. What lessons can we learn from the world of Westeros from a CX perspective? What can you do to make sure you win your very own CX Iron Throne?

Fierce Competition

Throughout its eight seasons, Game of Thrones has been characterised by conflict between great houses, with each one vying for control and military superiority.

In many ways, this is similar to the fierce competition that exists between customer-focused businesses in the real world – albeit without the violence!

In effect, the key to success is about having a watertight strategy in place which ensures that you’re strong both at the front end of your CX function and at the back end too.

An Assertive Outward Presence

In Westeros, having a large army and the name of a powerful house is hugely influential when it comes to commanding the respect of your opponents. The same goes for any business here in our universe.

It’s always crucial to maintain a strong brand image and an active presence in your market, to let your customers know that you’re there for them, and to remind your competitors that you’re a big player.

However, it’s not just a recognisable brand that makes a successful customer experience.

A Strong Foundation

The great battles we’ve seen in Game of Thrones – think Tyrion Lannister’s victory in the Battle of the Blackwater or Jon Snow’s triumph over Ramsay Bolton – were won because of the preparation that was done in the background beforehand.

Alliances were formed, training was thorough and battle plans were drawn up well in advance of any blows being exchanged.

The same kind of preparation should be carried out by any business looking to provide a first-class customer experience. For a brand to retain its credibility and for a company’s reputation to grow, your house needs to be in order at the back end.

This means working hard to ensure your agents and any other CX staff are happy, engaged and fulfilled in their roles.

For this to happen, you need to focus on maintaining a positive working philosophy that makes things like shift scheduling and holiday planning a simple process. Strong, effective leadership, alongside the use of comprehensive customer engagement and workforce management (WFM) technology, is instrumental to achieving this.

If you can cover all of these bases, you’ll have every chance of claiming the CX kingdom for yourself.