Total Experience one year on: the wins, challenges and lessons

There are a lot of acronyms and jargon in the channel and Total Experience or ‘TX’ may sound like another buzzword to add to the mix. Perhaps that is partly the problem – we’ve become so immune to corporate lingo that we don’t fully digest what it really means and whether it should be on our radar. 

In November 2023, CRN found that only 13% of surveyed organisations were implementing a Total Experience approach. Is that because it was an unfamiliar term and respondents were unaware of it, or is it the case that Channel leaders don’t see the value of a Total Experience approach?

Leading an organisation that implemented a Total Experience strategy over a year ago, I’ve witnessed first-hand the benefits it can bring. Encouragingly, Gartner has revealed that an estimated 60% of businesses will be utilising a TX strategy to transform their business and achieve world-class customer and employee advocacy levels by 2026.

However, there are still many obstacles facing business leaders looking to integrate a Total Experience approach. Attempting to align the same experience across different departments, especially in large organisations can be difficult.

Ongoing challenges for Channel leaders 

An Internet search for Total Experience will give you a definition of acronyms nested in acronyms! But simply put, Total Experience is all about improving the experience for everyone involved – employees, customers and users. By bringing people together, rather than working in silos, everyone has a more positive and connected experience overall.

This strategy has become a crucial step forward for Channel leaders looking to upscale their organisations. A TX strategy doesn’t just act as a pillar for growth but is said to outperform competitors by 25%, allowing Channel businesses to remain consistent across the board. 

A successful TX strategy incorporates the needs of not only the customer but also the employees. However, this does not come without its issues. If not approached with caution, there is a risk that a strategy can begin to break down. Therefore, to deliver an exceptional strategy, building effective communication from both sides will be key in ensuring an engaging experience for everyone. 

Building a cohesive experience 

A TX strategy is only successful if Channel leaders treat it as a priority. A successful strategy starts at the top, as CEOs and CPOs need to work together to find areas of improvement. This involves engaging with employees across all levels to create an environment built on respect, whilst encouraging collaboration and innovation. 

Furthermore, collating with teams can open opportunities to share knowledge and ensure employees are fully equipped with all the tools they need to succeed. This can be by providing project management tools, training sessions or promoting a TX-centric culture that sets the standard for productive teamwork and communication. 

Ultimately, this has a knock-on effect on customer satisfaction as improving employee confidence can harness high-functioning operational output. Employees who thrive in an organisation have the potential to become active campaigners, creating positive customer experiences from committed and satisfied employees. 

Driving success for customers 

By taking the time to build on employee culture, areas such as customer experience (CX) can thrive. From a CX perspective, Channel businesses should focus on building trust with their customers, with 73% of consumers revealing that they would go with a competitor after one bad experience with a brand. 

A TX that encompasses CX and employee experience at its core can leverage growth opportunities. A key element of a TX strategy is for business leaders to know and listen to their audience. Therefore, taking the time to map out the customer journey should coincide with how an organisation strives to meet these practices when trying to understand their employee’s needs. 

The fundamental success of our TX strategy is based on the calibration of our culture, that is, but not limited to a customer-first mentality. We have incorporated a Voice of the Customer programme to challenge the sole use of traditional SLAs and metrics to bring meaningful value to our customers. This programme aims to create collaboration between customers and teams, delivering superior customer service while promoting innovation.

The impact of a TX strategy 

In promoting a TX-centric culture, driving an optimal customer journey alongside experience-led KPIs is important to ensure measurable excellence for your people and customers. One example of this is the recent launch of our new My Carbon Journey digital dashboard. The dashboard looks at service through a sustainability lens calculating the carbon associated with logistics and the repair of products. It highlights improvements to reduce carbon, which often also address efficiencies, improving cost and customer experience.

We continue to prioritise our commitment to working closely with our Channel partners to provide sustainable transport and in-house repair capabilities. But it is not just carbon reduction in isolation. With TX in mind, everything is linked - positive action in sustainability ultimately affects all other areas of the business. This further demonstrates our ethos in harnessing a high-functioning operational output that is used in our processes and adapted to create positive experiences for all of our stakeholders.