Customers are the cornerstone of every company, as growth and brand reputation are closely tied to customer satisfaction and loyalty. Unsurprisingly, companies strive to be customer-centric by investing in deeply understanding their clientele. However, defining an actionable strategy to elevate customer experience goes beyond a customer-centric mindset. It requires unearthing the core needs and motivations of all stakeholders involved.

One of our clients recently tasked us with elevating the customer experience of their onboarding process and emphasized their desire to move toward a digital-first experience. However, we learned through customer interviews that customer satisfaction was closely tied to the personalized, high-touch relationships they shared with their account representatives. At the surface, this presented a point of tension between customer values and operational aims. Merely advocating for a customer-centric approach would mean neglecting the company’s vision of a digital-first onboarding process, while solely pursuing a digital-first strategy would risk alienating the high touch customers valued most.

Thus, striking the right balance between fulfilling customer values and meeting the operational aims of the company required a deep understanding of both parties. For instance, although most internal stakeholders expressed a desire for a digital-first startup experience, a closer look at their operations and working teams revealed that the core need was operations that could support a high-touch customer experience at scale. Digital solutions were therefore not the ultimate goal but rather a means to achieve the underlying objective of maintaining customer satisfaction while fostering growth. Recognizing the core operational need was a crucial step in alleviating tensions between the customer and the company.

Developing a deep understanding of the customer is only one piece of the puzzle in elevating customer experience. Equally critical is cultivating a robust understanding of the stakeholders’ needs by delving deeper than surface-level conversations and getting to the crux of their challenges and motivations, which is paramount in implementing a customer-centric experience that aligns with operational goals.