There is only one boss - the customer
Kate Crowley is global head of client experience at world-leading infrastructure consulting firm AECOM. She spoke to us about her work and a strong belief the client experience is set only to assume an increasingly critical role in business success.
There is only one boss - the customer
Kate Crowley is global head of client experience at world-leading infrastructure consulting firm AECOM. She spoke to us about her work and a strong belief the client experience is set only to assume an increasingly critical role in business success.
Q: Can I begin by asking you how you feel expectations of the client experience have changed after events of the past few years?
The past few years have brought a lot of changes to the business landscape, and one of the most significant has been in expectations. With the rise of digital technologies and increased competition in many industries, clients have higher expectations than ever before. They expect seamless, personalized experiences across all channels, and they want to feel companies are listening to their needs and concerns.
In addition, the events of the past few years, such as the pandemic, have highlighted the importance of empathy, flexibility, and transparency in client interactions. Overall, I think companies need to be more focused on the human element of customer experience and find new ways to build trust and emotional connections with their clients outside of the usual transactions.
Q. And how have you and the firm responded to this?
At AECOM, we have responded in several ways. We’ve invested in technologies that use AI to better understand our client’s needs and drivers and focus us on the things that matter most to them. We have implemented new processes to respond in a more timely and empathetic way when clients raise concerns or issues.
We’ve implemented new training to help our teams build stronger listening and empathy skills and build those skills into our existing development programs. And we’ve also focused on building a more collaborative and inclusive culture, which embraces all feedback. One of the most important things we’ve done is to listen to clients more closely and incorporate feedback into our service offerings. This has helped us to stay ahead of the curve and maintain our competitive edge.
Q. What inspired you to pursue a career in client experience, and how has your background prepared you for your current role?
I studied law at University College Cork and have always been passionate about understanding what makes customers tick and finding ways to create positive experiences for them.
Over the years, I’ve worked in a variety of roles in marketing, customer service, and experience development and have also built my own e-commerce business, all of which has given me a deep understanding of the customer journey and the importance of cross-functional collaboration.
I’ve lived and worked in Ireland, the UK and Australia which has also given me a good understanding of the different approaches. In my current role, I bring all these skills and experiences to bear in developing and implementing a comprehensive client experience program that is respectful of cultural differences. I’m constantly learning and growing in this role, and I feel privileged to be able to work with such a talented and committed team.
Q. How would you describe your company's approach to the client experience? And what are some of the key principles that guide your work in this area?
Our approach is based on a few key principles. First, we believe in putting the client at the centre of everything we do, and we strive to understand their needs and expectations at every stage of the journey. Second, we focus on delivering exceptional service and experiences that exceed expectations and are constantly looking for ways to innovate and improve our offerings through our digital products and services, our ESG capability and other strategic priorities we know are important to clients. Third, we believe in transparency, honesty, and open communication, and we work hard to build trust and credibility with our clients by delivering what we say we will and ensuring they don’t get surprises.
Finally, we know our client experience will only be great if we prioritize our employee experience. We focus on building a client-centric mindset in our people by supporting them with the tools and things they need to deliver a great experience. We believe in continuous learning and improvement, and we are always looking for ways to stay ahead of the curve by looking at what businesses that are delivering amazing client experiences are doing.
Q. How do you go about understanding the needs and expectations of your clients, and what steps do you take to ensure that their experience with your company is consistently positive?
We use a variety of tools and techniques to understand our clients' needs and expectations, including one-on-one client interviews and surveys on our project experience. We’re reviewing our listening strategy across our whole client journey to ensure we have a holistic approach that covers the key transactional interactions and our overall relationship. We also monitor social media and other channels to stay on top of feedback and sentiment.
Once we have a clear understanding of our client’s needs, we work closely with the relevant team to ensure we follow up and work with the client on any areas they’ve identified. We also use this as an opportunity to celebrate with our teams the great experiences we are delivering.
Q. Can you tell us about some of the challenges you've faced in implementing a successful client experience program, and how you've overcome these challenges?
One of the challenges we've faced is getting buy-in and support from all departments within the organization. Client experience is not just the responsibility of the client experience or marketing teams but a company-wide initiative.
To overcome this challenge, we work to build cross-functional focus and ownership and establish clear communication channels to ensure everyone is aligned on our goals and strategies. We've also built a service standard of what we look like at our best for our clients to provide alignment with our client’s expectations. This acts as our anchor and guiding inspiration. We emphasize the importance of training and development to ensure all employees have the necessary skills and tools to deliver.
“Events of the past few years have highlighted the importance of empathy, flexibility, and transparency in client interactions. I think companies need to be more focused on the human element of customer experience and find new ways to build trust and emotional connections with their clients outside of the usual transactions they currently have.”
“Events of the past few years have highlighted the importance of empathy, flexibility, and transparency in client interactions. I think companies need to be more focused on the human element of customer experience and find new ways to build trust and emotional connections with their clients outside of the usual transactions they currently have.”
Q. How do you measure the success of your client experience program, and what metrics do you use to track progress over time?
We use a variety of metrics to track success. Some of these include Net Promoter Score (NPS) and CSAT which measure customer loyalty and satisfaction. We look at the metrics we know drive positive and negative client experiences, such as communication. We also look at account growth and link our client experience metrics with our operational ones such as margin and financial performance. Linking our operational data to our client metrics is important to provide ROI for the work we do.
Q. How do you stay up to date with the latest trends and best practices in client experience, and what resources do you rely on for inspiration and guidance?
To stay up to date with the latest trends and best practices in client experience we rely on a variety of resources, including online industry publications and the XM institute, conferences and events, and networking with other professionals in our field. My team and I have just recently attended the Qualtrics X4 conference in Salt Lake City. It was amazing to hear what companies like Disney, Spotify and Delta Airlines are doing.
Q. Can you share some examples of how your company has used client feedback to improve its products and services, and what impact these changes have had on the overall client experience?
One example is through our customer satisfaction surveys. Based on this, we identified invoicing was a point of pain for some of our clients. We partnered with our invoicing team to understand the issues better, conducted design thinking workshops and developed and implemented a project improvement plan. This led to a direct reduction in client complaints.
Q. Looking ahead, what are your plans for further enhancing the client experience at your company, and how do you see the role of client experience evolving in the years to come?
My primary goal is to continuously improve the client experience at our company. To achieve this, we are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to engage with our clients, anticipate their needs, and exceed their expectations. One of our key focus areas is to leverage emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, and automation to create personalized and seamless experiences. For instance, we will look at use of chatbots and voice assistants to enhance our digital client support capabilities.
In addition, we’re focusing on our data analytics to gain deeper insights into our clients' behaviour, preferences, and feedback, and use this information to inform our decision-making and improve our offerings. This involves developing a robust and holistic feedback mechanism that ensures clients have the opportunity to provide feedback across their journey on our services and using this feedback to make informed improvements to our products and services.
Another important aspect of our strategy is to foster a culture of client-centricity throughout our organization. We’re investing in training programs and employee engagement initiatives that aim to enhance our employees' understanding of our client’s needs and expectations and empower them to deliver exceptional experiences at every touchpoint.
In the years to come, I see the role of client experience continuing to evolve and become increasingly critical to business success. As client expectations continue to rise, companies that can deliver exceptional experiences will have a competitive advantage. I believe companies that prioritize client experience and can leverage new technologies and data analytics to create personalized and seamless experiences will be well-positioned for success in the future.