Some buzzwords lose their meaning over time.
“Change” and “transformation” are good examples.
They get swapped sometimes, but they’re actually quite different.
Change, in most circles, evokes fear and frustration, but it’s a necessary evil. People are used to it. They know how to talk about it. They know it’s coming. They’ve learned to protect themselves.
Change Official Definition:
- make (someone or something) different; alter or modify.
- replace (something) with something else, especially something of the same kind that is newer or better; substitute one thing for (another).
Change is a little more about shifting from the past using tactics, education, and expertise.
Transformation, in most circles, is a little more scary. It feels lofty. It implies a loss of the old ways and embracing ideas we don’t yet understand. It requires more surrender and more trust.
Transformation Official Definition:
- a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance.
Transformation is a little more about moving toward the future, shifting mindset, and living out a vision.
Here are a couple of case studies to demonstrate my point:
CHANGE
Challenge: IPSY, the world’s largest beauty subscription service, wanted to assess their current member experience for three brands and redesign priority touchpoints to create a future state experience for “key member moments.”
Project: Applying ImprintCX’s CX 6 stage framework to uncover gaps in perceptions and experience delivery with customers and employees, to identify moments of truth, and determine experience drivers. The insights gathered were used as inputs for six co-creation workshops with employees to redesign priority touchpoints and improve member experience.
Results: A journey management program combining brands. A more holistic customer experience focusing on key pillars: reframing the merchandise approach; improved customer communications; more consistent delivery dates; and enhanced customer care.
TRANSFORMATION
ImprintCX Co-founders Lior Arussy and I had the privilege to design, implement, and manage the Mercedes-Benz USA CX alignment program documented by Joseph Michelli in Driven to Delight: Delivering World-Class Customer Experiences the Mercedes-Benz Way.
Challenge: Transforming the mindset and behaviors of over 360 independent Mercedes-Benz auto dealers with more than 25,000 employees around a commitment to improve customer satisfaction and elevate the automotive brand to become the leader in luxury car sales.
Project: A multi-year program to baseline customer experience and employee engagement consisting of stakeholder interviews, customer surveys, yearly employee surveys, cross-functional & cross-dealership workshops, new CX structure, sustainable success conference, and 300+ live, in-dealership consulting days, and more
Results:
- MBUSA Became The #1 Luxury Automotive Brand in the JD Powers Sales
- Satisfaction Index. Double-Digit Sales Growth Three Years in a Row
- Increased Dealer-Level Employee Engagement by 10% in 12 Months
Do you see the difference?
Customer-centricity is a mindset AND a path to profitability. If this resonates, let’s talk.
