Post-it Ninja
“Improving the customer experience—that’s what we’re working on.” I’m talking with a CX colleague at a government agency. Standing next to a large sheet of brown paper, she explains what I see on it: a beautiful customer journey, full of emotional ups and downs, and lots—and I mean lots—of Post-it notes. Unfortunately, they aren’t very good quality, because quite a few of them are lying on the floor. But that’s not what this blog is about.
I’m a big fan of Post-its myself. They’re super handy for all your customer journey sessions, workshops, improvement sessions, and whatever else you might do. But I’ve also wondered how others see me and my CX colleagues—whether our job titles are customer journey manager, service designer, or customer experience expert.
Let’s put ourselves in our colleagues’ shoes. What do they see, and what might they be thinking? Could it be something like: “Hey, there she goes again. Always bustling around with those brown papers and all kinds of colorful little sticky notes.” Where’s that Post-it ninja off to now? And what happens to that brown paper? Is she taking it off the wall, and is something going to happen with it? Or will this customer journey end up hanging on the wall as beautiful office art, serving as a reminder of a great brainstorming session?”
Yes, that could very well be the perception. And if that’s the case, then we’ve brought it on ourselves. It’s up to us to show that we’re actually doing something about it. Because what else are we working on? Of course, one of our roles is to raise our colleagues’ awareness of the customer. But we’re only successful if the customer actually notices it. I’m well aware that we’re sometimes seen as those Post-it ninjas. As those folks with the grandest plans and the most impressive sessions, but with too little impact. And we’re responsible for that ourselves. We’re also responsible for changing it, because we really need to shake off that image.
We owe it to our CX team to make a real impact on customers. To be where the customer is. To truly improve the customer journey. To inspire leaders to get involved in the contact center. To sometimes use brute force to bring major customer issues to light. To occasionally, very subtly—by sharing snippets of conversations—make everyone realize that things really can’t go on this way. Sometimes with Post-its and much more often with the “voice of the customer.” But always with the honest customer story and plenty of drive. As CX professionals, we’re responsible for our own impact. Down with office art, hello customer success. From Post-it ninja to customer hero—let that be our goal.
This blog was written for CustomerFirst and published on March 11, 2020
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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.
