Real talk from a CCO: 4 hot takes on CX and women in leadership

Scaling customer experiences and retaining accounts in competitive markets is an ongoing challenge. As Cordial’s Chief Customer Officer, I constantly get asked about driving strategy for enterprise brands and implementing best practices for customer experience (CX). Here are my hot takes: 

1. If you don’t have white glove service, you don’t stand a chance

Do you want to really stand out from the crowd? Bring out the white gloves for your enterprise clients. Dig deep into the specifics of success, outline clear outcomes, and meticulously monitor progress against those goals.Put yourself in your client’s shoes to anticipate their needs effectively. Take the helm in shaping strategy and make it your mission to demonstrate a return on investment (ROI). When they see you as an invaluable partner and integral to achieving successful business outcomes (versus just another vendor), you become differentiated and irreplaceable.

2. People in leadership must actively promote women

Those in current leadership, executive, and board roles must actively foster systemic opportunities for women. This includes advocating for their advancement,  offering challenge assignments, and surfacing management opportunities. Waiting for gender parity to naturally evolve is not an option-both men and women in leadership positions must deliberately address the gap by putting women candidates forward and calling out biases that manifest in hiring processes. The greater the number of  women who are mentored and elevated by existing leadership, the more it positively influences organizational culture and innovation. 

3. AI can’t replace CSMs

It seems like every exec, product marketing team, and company is talking about AI, but AI cannot (and will not) replicate the strategic value of a seasoned client success manager (CSM) who deeply understands a client’s context and goals. At Cordial, our CSMs build loyal partnerships through nuanced, human conversations that AI simply can’t match. AI may simulate simple exchanges and provide great strategy recommendations, but we’re a long way from AI mastering the complex social dynamics crucial for winning trust and long-term loyalty. And while AI can optimize content, only savvy CSMs can tailor strategic guidance forged from experience. AI should assist CSMs rather than replace them—it can automate tasks and analytics to empower CSMs to focus on delivering bespoke expertise. But for high-touch enterprise accounts, the human touch remains irreplaceable, if not central to success.

4. Driving retention is more valuable than acquisition

Retaining an existing customer frequently proves to be more straightforward and cost-effective than acquiring a new one. As a Chief Customer Officer, part of my responsibility involves unifying the entire organization to ensure a customer-centric approach.  While pursuing new deals for top-line revenue is important, it's equally if not more crucial to nurture and expand our existing accounts. Similarly, brands that partner with Cordial experience success when they prioritize customer retention through highly personalized and relevant messages that reach the customer in their preferred channel.