Are Silos Stopping your Organisation Deliver Great CX?

Joined up Customer Experiences that are differentiated and relevant are proven drivers of business growth.

Tesco, Asos and Lidl are just a few of the many brands who are currently enjoying success as a result of new Customer Experience (CX) strategies.

Breaking Down the Silos

One of the key factors which have proven successful for all these organisations is the breaking down of the many silos which previously existed. Traditionally many large companies, with the way they have grown and as a result of constant restructures, have developed a ‘silo mentality’. These silos prevent teams being able to focus on the end to end Customer Journey. They also increase bureaucracy, create differing work practices and cultures – all of which are barriers to teams being able to see and understand the full CX picture, the role they play and, most importantly, how they can help to enhance the overall Customer Experience.

In fact PwC and SAP jointly commissioned a research study, surveying over 300 retailers and 2,100 consumers across six countries in Europe (the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, France and Spain) to explore consumer and retailer perspectives on the integrated shopping experience.  Their image below shows their findings with over 60% of retailers agreeing business silos are having an impact on their omni-channel fulfilment strategy.

How to make a change

Success in CX comes where change doesn’t start from an overhaul or restructure, which can create more complexity. It begins with a focus on how people work together, what the needs of customers are, and understanding the culture of the different functions. It is critical to get everyone on the same page, to understand what the overall CX Vision is and the role that each individual has to play in helping to deliver that Vision.

Enhancing Internal Customer Experience

From our experience with many major brands, where you can get different departments to work closely together, to understand one another, to understand each other’s goals, aims and challenges. This understanding can make a significant impact on their ability, and indeed willing, to work together to improve the overall CX.

One of the main benefits of breaking down the silos is that it opens up understanding and opportunities for differing departments to provide each other with an enhanced internal Customer Experience. After all, it’s a fact, the only way to deliver great external Customer Experience is by delivering a great internal Customer Experience.

So, if you need help breaking down the silos in your organisation get in touch we would love to hear from you.

Steve Dudley