Every company has a person or department whose role is to Get Things Done—and it’s usually Ops. That makes Ops and CX natural partners. Here’s how and why Ops people are natural leaders for CX initiatives.
In companies that don’t have a dedicated CX department, who gets ownership of CX? Does CX belong in design and development? Product? Marketing? Customer Service? Tech? All of the above? While there are arguments that can be made about including CX in any of those departments, operations actually makes a strong case for being the place CX calls home. In this article, we’ll explore what makes CX and Ops the perfect pair.
The Synergy Between CX and Ops
Operations, in a nutshell, is all about getting things done. It’s connecting departments and clearing away roadblocks. It’s understanding company needs and goals—and how to mesh them with your industry, environment, situation, and resources. And the Chief Operating Officer is the person who leads the charge, which makes them an ideal person to also spearhead cross-functional initiatives like CX changes.
But this isn’t just a marriage of convenience. CX and Ops share some serious compatibility. For example, both areas are strong in:
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Relationship management.
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Process optimization.
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Championing and implementing change.
But like all good partnerships, it’s not just about how alike the two parties are. It’s also about how they can make each other better. And for CX and Ops, that synergy is pretty incredible.
Where CX Can Power Up Ops
As a human-centric field, CX is great at going deep into processes and experiences and pulling out insights. An Ops specialist—unless they’ve had extra training in human-centered design, UX, or a similar discipline—might miss some of these ‘hidden’ human factors. This makes CX valuable for:
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Optimization. Optimization only works if the human involved will actually use the new process, tool, etc. By studying how employees work and understanding the human factors involved, CX can ensure that proposed solutions actually will make things better, easier, and faster.
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Removing friction. Same as above. Friction isn’t always obvious in the customer or employee experience. Sometimes the real culprits are submerged in other places and processes. CX pros are trained in observation and interview techniques that help them pinpoint such issues.
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Innovation and human-centric creativity. CX’s default is to ideate with humans at the center of everything. While Ops can excel at putting together departments and tools, CX can ensure that people are always in the picture.
How Ops Can Push CX Outcomes
Now it’s Ops’ tu
o shine. If CX brings the human and experience side of things, Ops brings the know-how to turn ideas into reality. This calls for:
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Practicality. Ops teams know what is being done, what can be done, and where to fit CX into the flow of things.
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Coordination. Because Ops naturally has contact with other parts of the organization, they can fast-track things like cross-functional team building and organizational mapping.
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Championship. As the people in charge of getting things done, Ops is also a natural champion of CX endeavors, especially those concerned with the employee experience—because internal customers like employees are customers too!
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Reducing silos. Ops can make sure that information flows freely to where it’s needed. This is especially valuable for human-centric fields like CX, which depend heavily on accurate and complete data.
Bringing CX and Ops Together
Ops and CX share powerful similarities that make them a natural fit. And joining them together may not be as hard as you think. If you’re interested in bringing CX into your Ops team, or to any part of your organization, contact CX by Design today for a free consultation. We’ll be happy to help you understand the best way to level up your customer experience.
