Customer Experience Leaders

Today I stumbled upon a great blog http://experiencematters.wordpress.com/. Almost every entry has something of value. I especially enjoyed reading the http://experiencematters.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/quick-6-with-jerry-adriano-sprint/ article. In that article Jerry Adriano, Sprints VP of Customer Experience discusses what it takes to lead with customer experience. He states:

Start with the understanding that it’s a journey, so develop a multi-year plan that allows you to prioritize and register some early wins, gain executive support, evangelize at all levels, identify a way to engage all employees in the customer experience improvement and don’t be shy about being the voice of the customer.

Speaking from experience, I can tell you that representing the "right thing" to do for customers/donors is not always as easy as it should be. Most organizations embrace the idea of experience right up until it means more money. I am delighted to work for and with many organization that truly embrace customers, but I also appreciate the work it takes to get there.

Take-Away: As you start or even continue your journey down the customer experience road, remember that it is a journey and each decision you make today will impact tomorrow.