The case for putting CX on the CSR agenda

This might seem like a radical idea, but I'd like to propose that Customer Experience (CX) be put on the Corporate Social Responsibility agenda. But first, let's start with defining what Corporate Social Responsibility is. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, "The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is generally understood to mean that corporations have a degree of responsibility not only for the economic consequences of their activities but also for the social and environmental implications. This is sometimes referred to as a 'triple bottom line' approach that considers the economic, social and environmental aspects of corporate activity." The four pillars considered the mainstay of CSR are environmental, ethical, philanthropic and financial.

I'm here to make the case that CX sits firmly amongst a company's social responsibilities. Now this isn't to say that it should be the only element of CSR, just that it should have a seat on the table or, if you like, a place on the KPI dashboard.

Why? Because brands can have a significant impact on people's day-to-day lives. In fact, interactions with brands have the power to make or break a person's day. Consider the impact of these events on a customer's sentiment towards a brand measured by the NPS* taken from our Australian Moments of Truth Quarterly Benchmarking Study in Retail Banking based on defined pathways.

*NPS = Net Promoter Score, a rating of how likely a customer is to recommend a brand, therefore a measure of emotional sentiment.  The NPS score is comprised of the % of Promoters (rated 9-10) less the % of Detractors (rated 0-6) on a scale of 0-10).

In our latest research, we asked banking customers what particularly positive and negative moments they recall having with a brand. We’ve called these ‘Magic’ and ‘Tragic’ moments. Magic Moments are those which have the power to influence someone’s day positively. Below is an example of how a negative interaction with a brand can be partially overcome with a positive emotional interaction. Operationalising emotions can provide a buffer against suboptimal operational outcomes.

In both examples, there were a series of straightforward rational events. A call was either going well or poorly based on a series of rational actions, which all impacted the customers’ mood and sentiment towards the brand. But the endpoint had a totally different emotional outcome based on their perceptions of the call centre rep’s demeanour, e.g., did they seem friendly and supportive or uncertain and dismissive?

In Australian Banking, our data shows that, fortunately, there are more Magic (30%) than Tragic (13%) experiences, but we’d like to see that gap widen. We can do better as an industry! From a net positive impact point of view, CBA is the best-performing Big4 Bank. Newcomer UP stands out for performing well on both Magic and Tragic. Macquarie has a relatively low Tragic footprint but offers the lowest amount of Magic.

It’s easy to get blasé towards numbers but remember that behind the numbers are people and that the numbers reflect how those people felt about their interactions with the brand.  Here are two specific examples of Magic and tragic experiences in banking:

TRAGIC “ANZ were unable to resolve a simple credit card problem I had with my current limit - The branch staff were hostile, unfriendly, unwilling to assist and virtually useless. The problem was not resolved, and I left the branch feeling an overwhelming sense of anger, grief, dissatisfaction and depression.”

ANZ NPS 1

MAGIC “It was about 16 years ago when the bank repossessed my home as I couldn't sell it. I was SO distraught and SO upset. I remember going into the bank branch, Blackheath. The staff treating me the same [as everyone else] was a tonic I desperately needed and made a HUGE difference to me. I have NEVER felt looked down on over the years and that's part of the reason that I love the bank so much!”

CBA NPS 10

We analysed 2000+ of these stories and were struck by the strength of the emotion in these examples, “an overwhelming sense of anger, grief, dissatisfaction and depression”! But why does this make it a CSR agenda item? Because there is countless research demonstrating that emotions can impact our overall mental and physical wellbeing. Just think about when you’re stressed; you feel it in your body. It affects your mood. But these emotional experiences also impact the people around us. We all know how our emotions can drive us. If we have a bad day, we share it. Our mood can influence the people around us positively and negatively. If we’ve had someone be rude to us, how does that impact how we treat the next person? And it’s the same with positivity, we share it. When we experience the emotional highs and lows in life, it’s a butterfly effect on the world around us.

I’m certainly not suggesting that companies shouldn’t also look to do good in the world in the other areas of CSR. Still, the conversation about making a positive impact on the world should also include the day-to-day impact on a brand’s own customers. Let’s face it, most of us would rather work for and buy from a brand known for doing the right thing by customers and sparking joy rather than a brand that triggers anxiety and grief in its day-to-day interactions.

The good news is that the emotional impact on customers can be operationalised by any brand and measured and tracked. In our analysis of 2000+ Magic and Tragic moments, we were struck by how often they existed in the everyday. And we were struck by how simple some Magic moments could be to operationalise. Small things like being offered a cup of coffee while waiting in the branch had a huge emotional impact. We’ve captured thousands of points of feedback on CX, and it still surprises me how often comments like “didn’t feel valued” and “was rude” sit amongst that feedback. It would be ambitious for brands to totally eliminate all the Tragic moments, but certainly, it should be a goal to reduce them and eliminate rude behaviour towards customers.

We are passionate about these findings and eager to share the message and help brands spread magic moments. Please reach out if you’d like a complimentary presentation of the findings from this study or join us on our BeSci meets CX Webinar Thursday 4^th of May 2023 - Register here. Want to measure how much Magic you’re sending out into the world? We can help!