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  • July 23, 2021

It’s the Culture, Stupid.

Since the global economy is to be reset, this is a good time to reimagine company and organisational culture.

We regularly state that ‘culture’ is a key if not the most important factor in business success, yet most businesses are still playing out in other areas without visiting the culture within. Company culture can now be easily measured and this year we worked alongside the guys at 1872Culture with their diagnostic which gives a clear temperature check on what is happening under the bonnet.

Organisational culture is a funny thing. Most agree largely that it is important. Seldom do we hear ‘ Naw, it’s not that important at all. If company bosses are asked about their culture they will use positive terms and descriptors. Nobody wants to admit that their culture is poor. The same is true for employees and if they think the culture is bad, they have an eye on exiting. Employees don’t leave jobs or companies, they leave poor cultures or managers who uphold that defective culture.

Can culture be changed?

Of course, it can. Is change costly? Yes, it requires the investment of time and effort as well as financial resources but the cost of not changing is often ten-fold or indeed terminal.

Culture can often be referred to as ‘soft’ just like customer experience can be referred to as ‘soft’. These skills and environments are far from ‘soft’ but instead are ‘human’ factors. They are ‘power skills’. Culture is very tangible in any business. The behaviours of the business or its organisation through its employees are a direct correlation to its culture. Organisational culture is very simple to define. It’s ‘how we do things around here’. In addition, it is also quite simple to measure. The volume of research in this field is both astounding and exciting.

Those who are plugging into it are experiencing positive changes despite the disruption faced.

To conclude, we can help you with your companies culture, click here to contact us today.
Written by Charlie Boyle, CEO of CXEI on January 3rd, 2021.

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  • July 19, 2021

The Experience Economy

What is the Experience Economy?

Firstly, in the ‘Experience Economy’, the idea is that the value of the experience in dealing with a business goes way beyond their products and indeed pricing and into the total experience.

As society reopens, experiences will not only continue to play a vital part in business, it will be the main reason why consumers, visitors, clients, etc decide to buy and return.

The Customer Experience covers the entire customer journey and then some more. Businesses will continue to compete for a share of the competitive market, the only way, we believe one can do this, is by creating better customer experiences. This is relevant in all sectors and is as important in engineering as it is in retail.

However, there is a great challenge. Our focus on skills, training, education and development is not matching the importance of creating better experiences.

So, how do these experiences affect you and your business?

Unbeknownst to most, we are all a part of the experience economy. The way we as businesses interact with customers dictates the way the customers interact with us, and vice versa. Their expectations deserve to be met, and in most cases, exceeded.

For example, Quite often, we talk about the experience of going for a coffee nowadays. Customers don’t just purchase a drink, they experience much more. This includes all aspects of their interaction with your business; from the smile you get as you walk through the door, to the information you see about the coffee beans. As a result, the customer receives much more than a drink. They receive a physical product and a moment that may make their day, week or month. As mentioned above, this concept is as relevant in restaurants and retail as it is in engineering. This applies to everyone, but sadly not everyone is aware.

Most importantly, there are often many ways to exceed customer expectations. This is important as no two businesses are alike. Chip & Dan Heath, Authors of “The Power of Moments”, discuss the importance of breaking the script and creating peaks for their customers. This way you raise spirits and go beyond what is expected to create moments that people remember. We understand these simple yet impactful concepts – we want to help you gain control of the consumer battleground and learn how to prosper in this experience economy.

To find out more or speak to a member of our CX team, contact us here today.

Written by Charlie Boyle, CEO of CXEI.

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  • July 16, 2021

National Sales Apprenticeship: Practicing Resilience

Yesterday, I delivered the Sales Psychology module in the National Sales Apprenticeship. Hearing young students reflect on times when practising resilience benefited their personal development was uplifting.

Resilience is something sales students must understand as it is something they will require in the competitive economy.  It is here where there are more refusals than acceptances. If we don’t address and create modules of learning around human skills such as resilience, we are walking young students blindfolded into misunderstood disappointments. Practising resilience is a process that can only be learned through experience.

As a result, we spoke about failing forward and learning from the failure. It is also vital that we reflect and acknowledge failure as part of the process of learning. These human skills are a vital element of education in sales, and of course elsewhere.

SalesSense International, Salesforce, and Tesco Mobile are three companies that have young committed students working in professional sales positions with this work-based learning approach.

If you are interested in developing your sales team, contact us here, today. We would love to help.

Written by Charlie Boyle, CEO of CXEI (June 2021).

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  • July 12, 2021

The Welcome Way: A Fáitle Ireland Project

Last year we were appointed by Fáilte Ireland to work with their Tourist Information Centres on a project entitled: The Welcome Way. The programme focuses on making the engagement with the visitor to the Information Centres a World-Class experience.

Covid-19 naturally had an impact on this. However, the teams across Ireland have been busy on various projects which prepare for this summer of Staycations. In addition, they are looking ahead to 2022 and the return of the International visitor – so important to our economy.

It was an honour to have the first of the Customer Experience workshops with the staff from the Fáilte Ireland Tourist Information Centres. To say they are excited to be getting a number of the Centres open is an understatement. The pride with which these teams approach their work is refreshing.

This morning the focus was on doing simple things extraordinarily well. We looked at what visitors are most impressed with while popping into the Tourist Information Centres. We discussed the importance of product knowledge and digital skills. It is important to remember the need for high levels of the “human touch” as the visitor seeks those genuine and authentic connections as part of the overall experience.

If you would like to speak to our team about how we can help you improve your customer’s experiences, contact us here, today.

Written by Charlie Boyle, CEO of CXEI Ireland.

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  • June 21, 2021

HB Tunneling Ltd: Specialists in Engineering and Company Culture.

We recently completed a phase of work today with the impressive HB Tunnelling Ltd. It is a rapidly expanding and innovative company that provides a wide range of specialist services in engineering and in particular, trenchless tunnelling.

Our work with the management team over 6 months was around client experience. Through continuous improvement in ensuring that the quality of service and relationships matches the technical excellence of the company.

It was impressive to watch the team search to reach a better understanding of the human skills aspect of engineering. It is here where these vital skills play their role in a competitive marketplace. There is so much to be learned in different sectors and a part of our role is to share best practice from other non-competing examples. Safety is an integral standard within this industry. HB Tunnelling doesn’t stop at the crucial physical safety of their workforce but they now explore where they can support better mental health safety as well.

This says so much about their culture.

Lots can be learned from this proud company that is growing impressively but are not resting for a moment.

Written by Charlie Boyle, CEO of CXEI.

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  • March 29, 2021

The Brendan Voyage – Navigating through Change

Naomh Brendan Credit Union are based in Loughrea, Co Galway. I have had the pleasure of working with them for over a year now on a project of establishing a compelling vision and understanding their ‘Why’.

The navigator was an interesting man. There are many who believe that he, not the congratulated Christopher Columbus, discovered America. The fact that natives welcomed them on the beach suggests that neither did! Not only did Naomh Brendain sail from Ireland to America, but he also did it at a time when only wind power existed.  As a teenager, I read the story of Tim Severin who replicated the original St Brendan Voyage in a leather-skinned boat. I was to later visit the boat’s resting place and I touched it. I was and still am intrigued by the story. It has deep meaning. We need deep meaning in these uncertain times.

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Like many of us, Naomh Brendain (St Brendan) Credit Union is navigating through disruption and inspired by the story of St Brendan they are navigating so as to create a better community. They are a caring and committed team which includes the 12 staff in the office and the volunteer board. They do not have ‘customers’ but ”members who also share in the current voyage. I was delighted to work on this project. From it, I have been asked to work on other Credit Union projects. Next up is the impressive Ballyfermot and Inchicore.

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This year, the Naomh Brendain team discussed, debated, dug deep, got huffy, re-energized and came up with their ‘Why’, their vision, the purpose of their existence. They decided to keep it short but encompassing –

‘Together building a better tomorrow for our Community’.

The Values which will steer this vision are:

  • Respect
  • Teamwork
  • Integrity
  • Leadership
  • Excellence
  • Family

Every single word decided on by the staff who deliver the service offer. They will write the values on the walls but they will feel them in the walls of the Credit Union. They own it, they are responsible for it and they took this to the board and the board acted as servant leaders and backed it 100%. No outdated hierarchical nonsense. Positive organisational culture. Empowerment, collaboration, vision. Impressive. It is clear that leadership is a behaviour and not a position at Naomh Brendain Credit Union and because of that leaders emerge. Naomh Brendain Credit Union have nearly €60 million to lend so this is not a small entity. It has huge financial power with a huge social impact ability in Loughrea. There are over 250 of these in Ireland – think of the impact they can bring locally and nationally.

The Naomh Brendain Credit Union objective – to be in a position to be the ethical lender of choice so that the community can build a better tomorrow. To allow heating oil to be purchased, to allow students to go to the University/Education avenue of choice, to allow for a house extension. To allow people not alone to survive, but thrive. The ‘Naomh Brendain Way’ is an interesting project. This Brendan Voyage is sailing and the Credit Union here will succeed and it will also thrive. Watch the growth and that includes its people.

So, when you get the ‘Why’ clear, the how, the what, the where and the when will follow.

NOTE – During the last 6 months of this project Donal (in the red jumper in the staff photo above), a Naomh Brendain Credit Union Board member and Tim Severin who wrote and sailed the Brendan Voyage both passed away. Let us all remember them as they would have supported this Credit Union Voyage.

Written by Charlie Boyle, CEO of CXEI. March 29th, 2021.
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