Playing to Win: Gamification Tactics for CX Success with The Customer Experience Game

As customer experience (CX) continues to be a key differentiator for businesses, CX leaders face continuous challenges and opportunities. In a recent episode of “CX Leadership Talks,” I interviewed Babs Asselbergs, with whom I founded The Customer Experience Game. We had a stimulating discussion on designing a game to engage participants in workshops on customer centricity. Beyond the game itself, during our conversation we explored numerous challenges faced by CX leaders and how they can be addressed. Let’s explore some insights and strategies shared in the podcast that can help you as a CX leader navigate these challenges.

1. Engaging teams in CX initiatives

One of the key challenges discussed revolved around engaging teams in CX initiatives. Babs emphasized the need to make CX tangible by using creative methods like gamification and storytelling. CX leaders can take a cue from this approach and invest in innovative ways to engage their teams, such as workshops, interactive training sessions, or even leveraging technology to create immersive experiences.

2. Breaking down silos

Our conversation highlighted the importance of breaking down silos and fostering collaboration among different departments to deliver a seamless customer experience. CX leaders can address this challenge by creating cross-functional CX teams, establishing shared goals, and ensuring that everyone in the organization understands the impact of their actions on the overall customer journey.

3. Adapting to the virtual environment

The shift to a virtual work environment, accelerated by the global pandemic, has presented unique challenges for CX leaders. In the podcast we discussed how the CX game transitioned to an online version, although with some technical challenges. CX leaders need to adapt their strategies to ensure that remote teams stay connected, using virtual collaboration tools and platforms to facilitate CX-focused activities and workshops. Miro – the board Babs works online with for The Customer Experience Game – is a good example to stimulate remote co-working.

4. Driving employee engagement and ambassadorship

Employee engagement emerged as a critical factor in delivering exceptional CX. Babs underlined the importance of leveraging gamification to drive employee ambassadorship and teach a customer-centric mindset across the organization. CX leaders should focus on recognizing and rewarding employees who embody the organization’s CX values, along with providing ongoing training and development opportunities.

5. Nurturing creativity and innovation

Creativity was a recurring theme throughout the podcast, with Babs emphasizing the role of creativity in designing effective workshops and learning experiences. CX leaders can encourage creativity by providing employees with the freedom to experiment, encouraging a culture of continuous learning, and investing in resources that stimulate innovation, ultimately leading to new and improved CX strategies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this episode of “CX Leadership Talks” provided valuable insights into the challenges faced by CX leaders and the strategies to overcome them. As the CX landscape continues to evolve, the ability to engage teams, break down silos, adapt to virtual environments, drive employee engagement, and nurture creativity will be instrumental in delivering exceptional customer experiences. By embracing these insights and proactively addressing these challenges, CX leaders can position their organizations for sustained success in the competitive CX arena.

About The Customer Experience Game and the podcast

Real action, learning and fun. That’s The Customer Experience Game®. This board game will significantly enhance your and your colleagues’ awareness of Customer Experience. Not only while having fun and battling each other as a team, but also in finding answers to those Customer Experience challenges. The CX Game immediately puts all in action mode. Because learning and having fun are not enough; we aim for all to take action! So, do you want to let your team discover and embrace Customer Experience in a fun way? Play the CX Game! You can be sure you’ve found an active and enjoyable approach that will excite everyone! And of course, if you want to listen to our conversation, listen to our podcast 😀

 

*****

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 voor 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 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.