Levi9: Gamechangers in tech, driven by Customer Focus, interview with Pauline Bruyel (+ podcast)
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the synergy between IT and customer experience (CX) has never been more paramount. Recently, I had the pleasure of delving into the unique operational perspective of Levi9 with the help of their insightful CX Manager, Pauline Bruyel.
Through our engaging conversation, Pauline detailed how Levi9 seamlessly integrates CX into their IT framework, achieving results that are a testament to their innovative approach. Here's a deep dive into how they do it, focusing on three pivotal levels: Organization, Team/Program, and You as Leader.
- Organizational Excellence in Customer Experience
Levi9 is a beacon of organizational excellence with its foundational customer-focused ethos. Their commitment to happy employees and happy customers isn't just rhetoric - it's a strategic pillar. Below are three standout initiatives Levi9 employs at the organizational level:
Strategic alignment: At Levi9, customer centricity is deeply embedded as one of their core strategic pillars. The informed leadership is pivotal in ensuring this vision permeates every layer of the organization, thus aligning strategic goals with customer needs.
Executive sponsorship: In their customer governance model, every customer, regardless of size, has an executive sponsor from Levi9's board. This powerful yet simple strategy ensures that substantial customer insights reach the right ears and that executive leadership remains deeply engaged with customer concerns and aspirations.
Selective customer engagement: Levi9 doesn't just take on any customer. They meticulously vet potential partners to ensure cultural and operational compatibility, thus minimizing future friction and enhancing long-term partnership success. This dedication to mutual fit reflects their long-term strategic vision.
- Team/Program initiatives that elevate customer interaction
Levi9's customer focus isn't just a high-level strategy; it cascades down to team dynamics and daily operations. Here are three key initiatives that stand out:
Customer team structure: Levi9's approach includes dedicated customer teams that actively engage in product discovery, ensuring solutions truly meet customer needs. This process sets a unified collaborative tone that drives project success from inception.
Annual customer focus week: Levi9 organizes a customer focus event annually, a week dedicated to amplifying customer stories and sharing internal successes. Through creativity and innovation, it becomes a springboard for launching new ideas and rejuvenating the team's commitment to customer satisfaction.
Surprise your customer challenge: Last year, Levi9 introduced the "Surprise your customer challenge," encouraging teams to submit creative ideas to delight their customers. This initiative harnesses employee creativity to forge stronger customer relationships through memorable experiences.
- Personal leadership practices in CX
Pauline, as a CX Manager, embodies leadership at the intersection of IT and customer centricity. Her personal habits and leadership strategies inspire her teams to deliver exceptional experiences. Here are three practices that stand out:
Personalized customer interactions: Pauline's initiatives often feature personalized touches, such as curated travel packs for customers, underscoring the importance of meaningful and memorable customer engagements. This attention to detail fosters genuine connections.
Focus on cross-functional collaboration: By encouraging synergy across departments - be it marketing, delivery, or talent - Pauline ensures that every team is aligned with the company's customer-focused mission. This collaborative ethos ensures a smooth execution of customer-centric strategies.
Championing a culture of continuous improvement: Pauline's leadership centers not only on maintaining existing standards but also on relentlessly pursuing improvement through feedback and structural innovations like the Customer Insights Dashboard. Her adaptive leadership style empowers her team to perpetually evolve and enhance their impact.
Levi9's example underscores a critical revelation in our ongoing journey of CX excellence: IT isn't just about technical solutions but about understanding and enhancing the human experience. Through initiatives that resonate across organizational, team, and personal levels, Levi9 showcases the profound impact a customer-centric IT company can have on its customers and industry at large. Let this inspire your journey in creating a positive, sustainable customer experience.
Listen to the podcast episode here
Let's connect
Are you looking for fresh insights on CX leadership or searching for a keynote speaker to inspire your team? Reach out to me on LinkedIn or explore more resources on my website.
Until next time, keep spicing up your Customer Experience leadership.
*****
Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress.
She's a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.
Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person for CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations.
With her over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay tuned.
