[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/03\/16\/measuring-cx-during-a-crisis\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/03\/16\/measuring-cx-during-a-crisis\/","headline":"Measuring CX during a crisis: Metrics that matter when it\u2019s not business as usual","name":"Measuring CX during a crisis: Metrics that matter when it\u2019s not business as usual","description":"As customers' lives are disrupted, measuring CX is crucial. CX experts across multiple industries detail what steps businesses should take now to best help their customers during moments of crisis.","datePublished":"2020-03-16","dateModified":"2021-03-11","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/stephanie-thum\/#Person","name":"Stephanie Thum","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/stephanie-thum\/","identifier":334,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/05bbc9017e3f89b9d6d4846c0cf0828093f534181adceca83e1773c2378f6385?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/05bbc9017e3f89b9d6d4846c0cf0828093f534181adceca83e1773c2378f6385?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Measuring-CX-during-a-crisis.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Measuring-CX-during-a-crisis.jpg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/03\/16\/measuring-cx-during-a-crisis\/","about":["COVID-19 and Business",{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/customer-experience\/customer-experience-general\/","name":"Customer Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_experience","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q984142"]}],"wordCount":1075,"articleBody":"From a business perspective, it\u2019s safe to say that nobody wanted this to happen, and it’s difficult to understand how to move forward.Reacting to the COVID-19 global health pandemic, companies are operating in crisis mode. Stories of extended school closings, event postponements, and mass travel cancelations bring stinging examples of customers\u2019 lives disrupted, sometimes at great expense.It\u2019s been anything but business as usual.For businesses right now, that means CX metrics and measurements\u2014the X- and O-data typically used to understand and manage customers\u2019 experiences with your company\u2014might need a temporary adjustment.But what should that adjustment look like? I\u2019m not the only one who has a point of view, so I reached out and asked some of my colleagues in the field. Following is a roundup of their advice and insights around measuring CX during a crisis.Measuring CX in moments of crisis: How CX metrics, measures, and mindsets change right nowDefine SuccessAsk yourself what success looks like for the customer. What are they paying attention to? What do they need (flexibility or exceptions)? And then put measures into place like numbers of clean locations, complaints, exceptions, responsiveness, and empathy ratings for agents, for example.Don\u2019t overlook employee experience. Measure what matters to employees like communication from leadership and flexibility of hours.– Diane Magers, Founder and Chief Experience Officer, Experience CatalystsContext is EverythingThe metrics that matter can be specific to the incident, but typically center around how bad is this situation, what does it mean for me, and what should I do\/not do to prepare\/recover\/support those in need? Focus on providing transparent data that is aligned with customer needs. In times of crisis, customer trust is critical.– Marcy Jacobs, Associate Partner, McKinsey & CompanyChoose Metrics from the Customer\u2019s Point of ViewCrisis response is all about repairing customers’ journeys. What was the mean-time-to-repair (MTTR) or resolve? How many customers didn’t have to call because of a well-timed, clearly written notification? What percentage of customers were able to correct their own journey through self-service easily? How many customers can your contact center rescue per hour?– Andrew Gilliam, Associate Analyst, ICMIQualitative Data is KingIn times of crisis, go to your front-line employees first. Employees who talk to customers all the time will have the best data. Through employees, you\u2019ll be able to see the crisis through customers\u2019 eyes and map out what mattered the most to them.Use technology for sentiment analysis. Operational metrics should be service related: numbers of customers impacted, numbers of issues, and contact resolution.– Michelle Batt, Customer Experience Leader, Speaker & Workshop Facilitator, Lead with CXBut Quantitative Matters More Than EverIn a crisis, the thing that a customer needs most is a fast, effortless, friction-free experience. Is that different in crisis time than in non-crisis time? Probably not.But what might not have been a moment of truth before is now a moment of truth. So, for example, if average answer time in call centers is important, it\u2019s even more important to customers now.– Michelle Morris, Customer Experience Design Partner, Verizon BusinessFlexDuring extreme moments, measures like first time resolution, effort, and satisfaction are all still important, but leading companies know when to adapt the service offering, offsetting any dissatisfaction or negative sentiment down the line.– Alex Russell-Rutherford, Customer Experience Manager, Wessex WaterLeading Vs. Lagging IndicatorsLeading indicators can help an organization’s decision-makers spot issues and act fast. Lagging indicators like CSAT and NPS are less helpful, since they may change after a crisis has passed. It may be a time to put more emphasis on leading indicators.– Julia Ahlfeldt, Julia Ahlfeldt CX ConsultingTrust is KeyIdeally, you\u2019re already tracking trust indicators or whether customers can find what they\u2019re looking for. A crisis isn\u2019t the time to start asking whether customers trust you because if you do, they won\u2019t unless they\u2019ve built up that trust over a long time.In a crisis, you\u2019re not setting the agenda. Your job is to use what your research tells you to act in ways customers find credible.– Adam Korengold, Analytics Lead, The National Institutes of HealthStick to Root CausesStart collecting data on the root causes of customer problems before you need to. Understanding the root causes of a crisis is natural in trying to avoid a repeat.– Vince Mirabelli, Strategic Solutions, Workplace Safety & Insurance Board, Ontario, CanadaWhen you’re focusing on solidly identified root issues, engagement of employees and customers will naturally follow positively, whether in normal or crisis times.– Lynn Hunsaker, Chief Customer Officer, ClearAction ContinuumCustomer and Employee Experience Metrics ConnectCrisis situations can cause an exponential increase in customer support calls, emails, and chats. I previously worked in a contact center that received 5,000 calls per day. During a snowstorm emergency, calls increased to 25,000 per day.Crisis plans should consider that number from the customer and employee perspective. Your plan should ensure employees don’t burn out due to the heavy workload and mandatory overtime.– Rosetta Lue, Principal Consultant, GovCXP, LLCPrioritize Your Brand ValuesIn some ways measures and metrics might not matter. What may matter more is to quickly identify the way out of the crisis that stays faithful to your core principles and organizational values. In a crisis, good questions trump measures:How might we help our customers get through this? How might we leverage the strength of our supply chain to keep useful products flowing? How might we protect against agents who will exploit the situation?– Yvonne Nomizu, CEO & Managing Director, Pacific Consulting GroupStay RealisticCheck your panic at the door. Plan for a dip in performance. Ebbs and flows in business are normal. Crises, such as the one before us now, can come up quickly.Measure the actionable items and don\u2019t let the non-actionable, temporary, negative items have too much of an effect on customer experience strategy.– Nate Sylvia, VP of Customer Success and Customer Experience, Verb TechnologySituations like COVID-19 can bring chaos to customers and the companies where they do business. Chaos can put brands at risk.Flexing your CX metrics, measurements, and mindsets in the moment is an important step to staying in tune with customer expectations, and to planning for future potential crises.  It’s a brave new world.Are you ready? "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2020","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"03","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/\/03\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"16","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/\/03\/\/16\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Measuring CX during a crisis: Metrics that matter when it\u2019s not business as usual","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/03\/16\/measuring-cx-during-a-crisis\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]