Levi9: Game-Changers 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 crucial. Recently, I had the pleasure of exploring Levi9’s unique operational perspective with the help of their insightful CX Manager, Pauline Bruyel.
During our engaging conversation, Pauline explained in detail how Levi9 seamlessly integrates CX into its IT framework, achieving results that are a testament to its innovative approach. Here’s an in-depth look at how they do it, focusing on three key levels: Organization, Team/Program, and You as a Leader.
- Organizational Excellence in Customer Experience
Levi9 is a model of organizational excellence, built on a customer-focused ethos. Their commitment to happy employees and happy customers isn’t just empty talk—it’s a strategic pillar. Below are three standout initiatives Levi9 implements at the organizational level:
Strategic alignment: At Levi9, customer centricity is deeply embedded as one of its core strategic pillars. Informed leadership is crucial to ensuring that this vision permeates every level of the organization, thereby 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 key customer insights reach the right people 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, thereby minimizing future friction and enhancing the success of long-term partnerships. This commitment to mutual compatibility reflects their long-term strategic vision.
- Team/Program initiatives that enhance customer interaction
Levi9’s customer focus isn’t just a high-level strategy; it permeates 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 participate in product discovery, ensuring that solutions truly meet customer needs. This process establishes a unified, collaborative atmosphere that drives project success from the very beginning.
Annual Customer Focus Week: Levi9 organizes an annual customer focus event—a week dedicated to highlighting customer stories and sharing internal successes. Through creativity and innovation, it serves as a springboard for launching new ideas and renewing the team’s commitment to customer satisfaction.
Surprise Your Customer Challenge: Last year, Levi9 launched the “Surprise Your Customer Challenge,” encouraging teams to submit creative ideas to delight their customers. This initiative taps into employee creativity to build stronger customer relationships through memorable experiences.
- Personal Leadership Practices in CX
As a CX Manager, Pauline 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 include personalized touches, such as curated travel packs for customers, highlighting the importance of meaningful and memorable customer interactions. This attention to detail fosters genuine connections.
Focus on cross-functional collaboration: By fostering synergy across departments—whether marketing, delivery, or talent—Pauline ensures that every team is aligned with the company’s customer-focused mission. This collaborative ethos ensures the smooth execution of customer-centric strategies.
Championing a culture of continuous improvement: Pauline’s leadership focuses not only on maintaining existing standards but also on relentlessly pursuing improvement through feedback and structural innovations such as the Customer Insights Dashboard. Her adaptive leadership style empowers her team to continually evolve and enhance their impact.
Levi9’s example highlights a key insight in our ongoing journey toward CX excellence: IT isn’t just about technical solutions—it’s about understanding and enhancing the human experience. Through initiatives that resonate at the organizational, team, and personal levels, Levi9 demonstrates the profound impact a customer-centric IT company can have on its customers and the industry as a whole. Let this inspire your journey toward creating a positive, sustainable customer experience.
Listen to the podcast episode here
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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.
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Nienke Bloem is often referred to as the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress.
She is a global CX thought leader, educator, and keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She runs a speaking practice, a CX game company, and a training business; she lives and breathes Customer Experience and is the author of two books on CX.
Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for the CCXP, and she is the go-to person for CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and achieve immediate results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she has been hosting a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helping leaders enhance their leadership skills and deliver an engaging CX story, including a solid CX strategy. In addition, she is a modern-day pilgrim and has drawn parallels between her journey and leading customer-centric transformations.
With over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the language of business. Her keynote speeches and training programs on customer experience are inspiring and practical. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA, and her mission is to make customer experience work and help you achieve business results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay up to date.
