Delivering an effective customer experience dashboard

June 2011

Data, information and insight are becoming increasingly powerful, useful and divisive

Most organisations recognise the power of data and information and some have unluckily experienced significant data problems.

Organisations collect, store and use data but is it the right data?

How much data does your organisation have? Are you aware of all the repositories?

Organisations are adept at managing processes but not that good at measuring their impact

Most organisations have a range of planning, project and programme management skills but how strong are your measurement capabilities.

Measurement is often around internal mechanics and not external customer outcomes

What % of your data is customer based and external? How do you measure outcomes?

Growth in ‘evidencing’

uestioning

Management and especially procurement are demanding greater evidential support for business cases, project and programmes.

The benefits of a customer experience dashboard

Helping to make complex and intangible information accessible

Guides business planning

2012

2011

Q1

Q2Q3

Q4

OBJECTIVESKPIs

H1

H2 OUTCOMESBAU

TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE

PROJECTS

PROGRAMMES

PLANS

QUARTERLY REPORTING

A successful dashboard enables teams to analyse and use data in identifying customer level objectives, priorities, plans, projects, programmes and KPI measures.

Monitors progress towards a vision

Using a dashboard can provide the organisation with a dip stick in which to monitor progress towards a set of customer experience goals or overall vision.

Gives real time information and allows immediate intervention

An accessible dashboard can provide internal teams with the ability to monitor the customer experience ‘health’ and provide immediate interventions should data and information point to developing problems and issues.

Operations

Marketing

Sales

Research

Top tips and watch outs

What are you actually measuring?

Scope and understand the range of indicators you wish to measure. It might be campaign awareness, satisfaction scores or website registrations. Some measures might need to be developed from scratch.

What is the purpose and outcome of the dashboard?

Scope and define the purpose of having a dashboard. Outline clearly what it will deliver in benefits to the business. How will it actually improve the customer experience?

How does it fit with a possible ‘single contact hub’?

You may already have started building a single contact hub where customer feedback is stored, analysed and used centrally.

Assess how the information and data collected might fit with any dashboard project. Will the feedback be included in key dashboard measures?

A single contact hub can often provide a significant percentage of your dashboard data and measures.

What are the data sources?

What are the data sources you’re planning to use? i.e. single contact hub. How accurate and reliable is the data and information you’re collecting.

The starting point is to conduct a data audit and a quality measure to be able to gauge reliability.

Be clear about how old, recent the data is. It might need to be cleaned or updated. Some data might not be included in the dashboard and some might need to be disposed of.

Ensure the data can be updated regularly to ensure an historical record can be maintained.

Think of the customer journey

Map out the typical customer journey. Plot the various touchpoints and start to build a list of possible measures which can be derived from the map. Some will be useful, others will not.

Think about the non touchpoints

TP TP TP

NTPNTP

Think beyond the touchpoints you have control of. External factors might have a significant impact on the customer experience. Imagine a customer arriving for a flight after spending an hour stuck in traffic or delayed due to weather. Record instances and circumstances which might affect the customer experience.

Checking in In-flight service

Stuck in traffic

Booking onlineTrigger: I need a holiday

What will you do with the information?

Be clear with internal stakeholders and customers what the information will be used for. Think of it as an extension of the purpose process. Explain in plain English to colleagues how the data will be used to transform the customer experience.

Establish a set of guidelines which work in conjunction with any data protection or data governance initiatives you’re running.

Outline how the data can be used and shared throughout the organisation. Sensitive data might want to be secured against widespread sharing.

WHAT’S NEXT?

WHAT NOW?

How will you create ‘actions’?

Ensure that in building a dashboard you’ve also adapted any processes for sharing data and acting upon it across the organisation. How will a problem be flagged and resolved quickly. The point of a dashboard is to increase the speed at which an organisation can react to events on the ground. Processes, systems and people need to be dashboard ready.

Avoid fancy charts to ensure accessibility

It can be very tempting to replicate a car or cockpit dashboard. Whilst it might look fancy it will be difficult for people to take on board the data and analyse for any insights.

There’s nothing wrong with using bar and pie charts.

Use data visualisation albeit with care

That isn’t to say creativity and innovative ways of showing data should be stifled. Keep it beautiful but basic if going down the data visualisation route.

What is the format(s)?

Explore the different types of format you might want to run your dashboard on. It might need to be accessed by a mobile sales team as much as those with desktop PC access.

It will take considerable effort and time to get it right

CRM

Remember the scoping, development and use of a dashboard will take time. Be prepared for problems and delays but map them out at the start and build in ways to flag and mitigate any issues before they arise.

You will need to engage cross organisational stakeholders

Avoid the appearance of multiple dashboard projects across the organisation. Work with stakeholders to built a multipurpose dashboard which works for the majority of users. Use stakeholder mapping to ensure that those with interest and influence are targeted with positive messages regarding the project.

Do your research internally before seeking outside help

Start the scoping and definition of the dashboard before bringing in outside agency and supplier help. Ensure stakeholders are on board so that when supplier are invited to get involved they see a united front and a clear project direction.

Right people with the right skills and capabilities

Work with developers, internal communications and HR to ensure appropriate training is in place to support the use of the dashboard. Designate a dashboard team and owner who is responsible for the project pre and post delivery. A project team should be established.

Consider fit with other interdependent projects

Map out the other significant projects happening across the organisation which might have interdependencies or implications for the dashboard project.

Summary

Always remind yourself of the basics to keep you on track

•Why are you collecting the data and why?•How will you collect, store and present the data?•How will you use it to improve the customer experience?