A very interesting survey has been released by the TUC (Trade Union Congress) which says that over half of adults in the UK (51%) are concerned about the impact of artificial intelligence on their jobs.  

In addition, the concern is particularly acute for workers aged between 25 and 34, with nearly two-thirds (62%) of those surveyed reporting such worries. This comes as major employers such as Amazon and Microsoft announce that advances in AI could lead to significant job losses.

In business today the talk of AI is everywhere. Conferences and events have wall-to-wall companies selling the latest ground-breaking technology for customer service and any number of applications. The current uptake of AI is far from what these companies would have you believe and their current successful implementation and effectiveness is far from evident. 

However, there is undoubtedly a huge opportunity for AI to make a difference. For organisations it will make customer service far more efficient by dealing with the functional and process driven issues and complaints. For simple queries a chatbot, properly set up, can provide a fast and efficient service.  

So we are told that as these AI bots improve and learn they will be able to do more and more. You might even ask yourself – what use will human workers be anymore? 

Here lies the opportunity…

For AI to succeed it is critical that it provides a win-win-win outcome for each of the key audiences.  Firstly, it must benefit the customer in terms of ease of doing business with you. Secondly, it must allow staff to create deeper relationship building and doing work they never dreamt possible and thirdly it must benefit business owners and shareholder ROI.

The obvious answer is staring us in the face. We must upskill our workers to far higher standards and make their contribution to profitability far greater.  Sure, let AI deal with all that drudge work but train our workers to be smarter, more empathetic and effective.  

We are all human and when the chips are down we all want another human to talk to. Properly skilled, our employees can build trust with customers, manage their expectations, treat them as people and simply put – make their lives easier. 

Training that focuses on building customer focused employees that go the extra mile and are empowered will differentiate companies from those who purely rely on AI. 

In business terms, the combination of smart AI and highly trained customer-facing staff will mean less customer churn, lower costs, improved customer acquisition and above all a happier workforce.

In the survey, the TUC recognises the benefits AI can bring but “wants assurances that workers will receive a ‘digital dividend’ of the productivity gains achieved through AI, by requiring companies to invest in workforce skills and training, by improving pay and conditions for employees.”

Workers are worried and anxious. This is not good for morale, motivation or to be very blunt – profit.

So why not invest in our workforce? Doing nothing is not an option and we will sleepwalk into much greater problems.

Give employees higher, more effective skills and in this way they will not only be more responsive to change but they will also add significant value to our organisations.

This blog references research reported by The Guardian. Read more here.

Customer Experience (CX) is one of the biggest differentiators in today’s business world. Customers have endless choices, and what often sets one brand apart from another isn’t just the product or price, it’s the experience. To help you navigate this vital area, here are the top 10 most common questions people ask about CX.

1. What is customer experience (CX)?
Customer experience is the overall perception customers have of your brand based on every interaction, from marketing and sales to service and support. Strong CX builds trust, loyalty, and long-term customer relationships.

The CX Academy, the largest global provider of CX education, defines CX as how your customer feels about all of the interactions they have with your business.

2. Why is CX so important for businesses?
CX directly impacts customer retention, revenue, and brand reputation. A great experience keeps customers coming back, while a poor one can quickly push them to competitors. It’s a key differentiator in today’s competitive market.

The CX Academy will help your business lock in your most valuable customers, and it also makes them strong advocates who will do the selling on your behalf to help you acquire new customers.

3. What’s the difference between customer service and customer experience?
Customer service is one interaction, usually when a customer needs help. CX is the end-to-end journey, including how easy, enjoyable, and consistent every touchpoint feels. Service is just one part of the overall experience.
And while customer service is one department within most organisations, customer experience needs to be carried out by all departments within your organisation including customer service.

4. How do you measure CX?
Businesses measure CX using tools like Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), and Customer Effort Score (CES). Combined with feedback, reviews, and retention data, these give a clear picture of how customers perceive the experience.

There are many different ways to measure CX and different departments will have a bias for one over another based on their key KPI’s. Ideally, all metrics should be reviewed to get a more accurate insight on the organisation’s overall CX performance.

5. What are the key drivers of great CX?
The main drivers are: ease of use, consistency, speed, personalisation, empathy, and trust. Customers value seamless interactions and feeling understood. Businesses that focus on these areas create stronger relationships and long-term loyalty.

The CX Academy created the world-leading six drivers of CX Excellence, which are being used by successful organisations around the globe. They are: I trust you, you know me, you get me, you deliver on your promise, you make it easy, and you fix things.

6. How does technology impact CX?
Technology enables personalisation, faster service, and smoother customer journeys. Tools like AI, chatbots, and CRM systems help businesses anticipate needs, reduce friction, and deliver consistent experiences across digital and physical channels.

Technology blended with human touch is critical to deliver consistent CX excellence and getting the right balance is a key challenge for organisations around the world.

7. What role does employee experience play in CX?
Happy, engaged employees deliver better service. When staff feel valued and empowered, they create more positive customer interactions. Employee experience and CX are deeply linked; investing in one improves the other.

8. How can a company improve its CX quickly?
Listen to customer feedback, remove friction in key journeys, and train frontline teams to be proactive and empathetic. Small changes, like clearer communication or faster support, can deliver big improvements fast.

9. What’s the future of CX?
The future of CX is hyper-personalised, AI-driven, and seamless across channels. Customers expect brands to anticipate needs, respect their time, and balance digital convenience with human empathy. Trust and authenticity will be critical.

10. How does CX impact revenue growth?
Great CX leads to higher retention, more referrals, and increased lifetime value. Studies show customers are willing to pay more for better experiences. Simply put: strong CX isn’t a cost, it’s a profit driver.

Customer Experience is no longer a “nice to have”, it’s a business essential. By focusing on trust, personalisation, and thoughtful interactions, organisations can not only meet customer expectations but exceed them. These 10 questions highlight just how central CX is to long-term success. At The CX Academy, we specialise in helping professionals and organisations build the skills, confidence, and strategies needed to deliver outstanding experiences. If you’d like to deepen your expertise and take the next step in your CX career, explore our professional courses, designed to be practical, inspiring, and industry-recognised.

How do I protect my customer support job when it’s predicted that 80% of jobs in our sector will be redundant by 2030?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly transforming both the workplace and the way people work.  With one of the main Customer Experience AI tech players recently announcing that by 2030 80% of call centre jobs will be replaced by AI. That is a frightening statement and job loss anxiety is a real fear in our industry especially in offshore and outsourced call centres. AI is having a significant and multi-faceted impact on call centre jobs, reshaping roles, workflows, and the overall nature of customer service. So here’s a breakdown of the key impacts to address job displacement and identify the opportunities to excel heads and shoulders above everybody else.

We are witnessing greater innovation in AI-powered chatbots and voice assistants who now handle a large volume of routine and repetitive tasks (e.g. password resets, order tracking, FAQs), reducing the need for human agents in those areas.

While AI takes over simpler tasks, there is going to be a shrinking demand for basic call centre positions. It is difficult to effectively predict the future as the technology continues to evolve but it’s clear that AI is already causing job losses in the workforce. The most impacted to date have been recent graduates or entry-level workers. For example, according to an Oxford Economics report, unemployment for recent college graduates raised to an unusually high 5.8%. And The Federal Reserve Bank of New York warned that the employment situation for these workers had ‘deteriorated noticeably’.

Our hope now lies in a shift to complex problem-solving and using reclaimed time to work on deeper relationship building. On the positive side, human agents are increasingly dealing with more complex or emotionally sensitive issues, requiring greater empathy, critical thinking, and wider Customer Experience (CX) skills. This opens the door for agents to invest in CX training to prepare you for relationship building and providing you with the key accreditation needed to be noticed and remain a critical asset in any organisation.

The CX Academy is the global leader in CX advancement training and predicts that there will be smaller, deeply skilled customer support teams with AI handling the less complex issues and repetitive tasks. We also note that certain sectors where complex issues occur regularly, will have a significant requirement for highly skilled and well-paid customer support roles.  Call centres are leaning toward leaner teams staffed with highly skilled professionals and having a professional accreditation will be a real advantage in your ability to be unreplaceable.

AI will in the short term also make it easier for agents to be more effective.  Tools like real-time transcription, sentiment analysis, and knowledge surfacing assist agents during live calls, improving efficiency and decision-making are already in place across the board. AI can streamline post-call wrap-up (automated summaries, ticket creation), reducing admin time and burnout.  And AI is providing effective analyses on calls and gives agents feedback on tone, resolution time, and adherence to scripts.

There is a significant move towards a skills evolution in the contact centre sector. Upskilling is now critical for agents and Call Centre managers. Agents now need digital literacy, adaptability, strong empathy and listening skills along with advanced communication skills. Customer Experience training is more valued than ever. And our courses are designed to address the impacts of AI in our CX world.  The CX Academy has created an approach of ‘digital when you want it, human when you need it’, which is the best way to approach CX excellence for your organisation. Download our most recent eBook to learn more.

In summary, AI isn’t killing the call centre sector, it’s transforming it. Our job today is becoming less about repetition and more about deep relationship-building and problem-solving to help deliver CX excellence. While there are many roles and skills that AI won’t replace, technology definitely is having an impact on call centre jobs. Yes, AI is intelligence, and yes, it is evolving. However, no matter how good it gets, empathetic humans will always have the advantage when dealing with or selling to other humans.

The CX Academy is the global leader in CX accreditation and offers you individual and team accreditation courses that can be done online or in blended format. Contact info@thecxacademy.org to find out which is the right course for you and your teams.

In today’s climate, learning and development leaders need learning that drives behaviour change, aligns to strategy and scales across teams. That is why blended CX training is fast becoming a core part of modern L&D strategies.

Every organisation has their own challenges and priorities when it comes to CX. That is why we were delighted to deliver an in-person Customer Experience Masterclass for the team at Stora Enso in Helsinki recently.

This event is a perfect example of our blended learning approach, which combines the flexibility and depth of our globally recognised online CX courses with customised in-person training tailored to each company’s specific needs. The Stora Enso session was not just a training seminar but a collaborative experience designed to create real impact.

As Ida Hallberg, Business Excellence Analyst at Stora Enso, shared:

“We had the great opportunity of having a Customer Experience (CX) Masterclass conducted by The CX Academy. Michael’s expertise and passion for customer experience were evident throughout the session. The workshop provided our team with valuable insights and supported our journey towards achieving CX excellence. We left with new perspectives and a better understanding of how to create exceptional experiences for our customers.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to both Michael and Lee for their exceptional collaboration and the value they brought to our event. We are truly thankful for your outstanding delivery from start to finish. It was a pleasure to work with you. We highly recommend The CX Academy for any organisation looking to enhance their customer experience strategy and drive business growth through Customer Experience.”

Thank you to Ida Hallberg and the Stora Enso team for their warm welcome and engagement. We would also like to acknowledge The CX Academy’s Michael Killeen and Lee Muldowney, who led the session with expertise and passion.

Why Blended Learning Works in Customer Experience

Blended learning gives participants the best of both worlds by allowing them to learn at their own pace, work on specific company-related content, while also engaging with CX experts in an interactive setting. This results in effective learning which is personalised to participants’ priorities and challenges.

Our Customer Experience Masterclass nurtures connection, discussion and problem solving. While our online courses provide you and your colleagues with the knowledge and tools to deliver CX excellence consistently and at scale. This blended approach continues to deliver measurable results across industries worldwide.

For L&D leaders, blended learning offers the structure of a training model with the flexibility to tailor it by business unit, region or learner group. One key benefit is scalability. Whether your team includes ten learners or hundreds, our blended approach helps you roll out CX capability with consistency while still providing learning that’s meaningful and specific to your organisation.

Let’s Create Exceptional Customer Experiences Together

Blended CX training is helping organisations worldwide improve how they serve customers. If you’re interested in a personalised Customer Experience Masterclass for your team, we’d be happy to prepare a customised proposal that meets your needs.

Great CX doesn’t just happen. It’s driven by teams who understand the customer, work together and take meaningful action. Blended learning helps CX professionals develop the right skills while giving them the support and freedom to work through real challenges and find practical solutions.

Every organisation has their own challenges and priorities when it comes to CX. That is why we were proud to deliver an in-person Customer Experience Masterclass for the team at Stora Enso in Helsinki recently.

This event is a perfect example of our blended learning approach, which combines the flexibility and depth of our globally recognised online CX courses with customised in-person training tailored to each company’s specific needs. The Stora Enso session was not just a training seminar but a collaborative experience designed to create real impact for CX professionals looking to take action on their customer challenges.

As Ida Hallberg, Business Excellence Analyst at Stora Enso, shared:

“We had the great opportunity of having a Customer Experience (CX) Masterclass conducted by The CX Academy. Michael’s expertise and passion for customer experience were evident throughout the session. The workshop provided our team with valuable insights and supported our journey towards achieving CX excellence. We left with new perspectives and a better understanding of how to create exceptional experiences for our customers.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to both Michael and Lee for their exceptional collaboration and the value they brought to our event. We are truly thankful for your outstanding delivery from start to finish. It was a pleasure to work with you. We highly recommend The CX Academy for any organisation looking to enhance their customer experience strategy and drive business growth through Customer Experience.”

Thank you to Ida Hallberg and the Stora Enso team for their warm welcome and engagement. We would also like to acknowledge The CX Academy’s Michael Killeen and Lee Muldowney, who led the session with expertise and passion.

Why Blended Learning Works in Customer Experience

Blended learning gives participants the best of both worlds by allowing them to learn at their own pace, work on specific company-related content, while also engaging with CX experts in an interactive setting. This results in effective learning which is personalised to participants’ priorities and challenges.

Our Customer Experience Masterclass nurtures connection, discussion and problem solving. While our online courses provide you and your colleagues with the knowledge and tools to deliver CX Excellence consistently and at scale. This blended approach continues to deliver measurable results across industries worldwide.

For CX teams, one of the biggest challenges is alignment. Different departments often view the customer experience through their own lens. Blended learning gives people a shared language, a practical toolkit and the space to connect theory with what is happening on the ground. The combination of self-paced online learning and a face-to-face workshop means everyone comes in prepared, engaged and ready to contribute.

Let’s Create Exceptional Customer Experiences Together

Blended CX training is helping organisations worldwide improve how they serve customers. If you’re part of a CX team, want to level up your customer impact and are interested in a personalised Customer Experience Masterclass for your team, we’d be happy to prepare a customised proposal that meets your needs and help bridge the gap between CX goals and real outcomes.

The AI Era: Preparing CX Teams for the Future

As AI adoption accelerates, Learning & Development (L&D) leaders face a fundamental challenge: preparing CX teams to work with AI while preserving the human element of empathy, judgement, and emotional intelligence.

L&D leaders must design their training plan to build AI confidence, digital literacy, and soft skills so that employees will embrace AI. The ultimate aim is to support and upskill your employees to utilise and work alongside AI, helping them to deliver a differentiated customer experience, while maintaining the all important human touch. Our AI for CX MicroCourse will equip you and your team with the knowledge and skills to embrace AI while staying true to what matters most: your customers.

AI is Changing Training

To future-proof CX training, L&D leaders must focus on:

• Building AI Confidence: Training must break down AI, allowing employees to move past the fear of the unknown. 
• Building Digital Skills: L&D leaders must ensure that staff feel comfortable using AI tools. 
• Building Human Skills: As AI moves in to take care of routine tasks, staff need to enhance active listening, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence. For example, John Lewis Partnership’s service training makes sure that the human touch isn’t forgotten about even in an AI-dominated space.

Preserving the Human Advantage in AI-Driven CX

While AI can enhance efficiency, human interactions remain irreplaceable.

Training should reinforce:

• Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: AI can analyse sentiment, but only humans can build genuine relationships. Zappos’ customer service model prioritises personal connections over speed, setting them apart in CX.
• AI-Driven Decisions: L&D leaders must teach employees to analyse AI data so they don’t rely on it completely.
• Judgement and Coaching: While AI can give recommendations, human knowledge is still essential; for example; the CX teams at Airbnb use AI to help hosts but they rely on humans when it comes to any disputes or communication.

The Balance between Technical and Soft Skills

To integrate AI in CX training, L&D leaders need to train employees with both human and AI-related skills:

• Human Supervision: teaching CX professionals to know when to get more involved and take over from AI is very important as they should use the insights that AI surfaces and assess and contextualise them appropriately to inform their decision-making
• Personalisation Using AI: AI should be used to provide improved customer experiences without the loss of human interaction.

The Future of L&D in AI

L&D leaders play an important role in shaping how CX teams and the rest of the organisation adapt to AI. By balancing AI proficiency with deep human skills, organisations can create CX strategies that are both efficient and emotionally resonant.

Explore this Topic Further

To expand your knowledge on this topic, watch our thought leadership webinar ‘Embedding AI In Your Organisation’ to see what AI expert David Conway, Senior Associate Director with KPMG UK, can teach you.

Interested to see how CX leaders should navigate AI’s impact? Check out our blog ‘How CX Leaders Can Use AI to Strengthen, Not Replace, Human Connection’.

The Evolving Role of AI in Customer Experience

AI is changing how CX teams deliver customer experiences. The real challenge for CX leaders is ensuring AI enhances rather than erodes human connection. Our AI for CX MicroCourse will equip you and your team with the knowledge and skills to embrace AI while staying true to what matters most: your customers. How can we prioritise the human touch, while using AI to improve customer interactions and support staff? 

Using AI for Routine Tasks

AI’s ability to deal with everyday, routine tasks is one of its greatest benefits. Companies such as Revolut use AI chatbots to handle a large volume of customer requests and quickly escalate tough cases to humans. This frees up teams while also providing customers with faster response times.

By automating routine tasks CX professionals can:

• Improve First Contact Resolution (FCR) by making sure that the right questions reach the right people.
• Boost Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores by quick response times and more accurate resolutions.
• Enhance team productivity, allowing employees to spend more time on more meaningful tasks.

Improving Personalisation With AI

Understanding the behaviour and preferences of customers through machine learning is one of the benefits of AI. For example, Irish financial institution AIB uses AI to personalise product recommendations, ensuring customers are shown options that are most relevant to their needs and interests.

The benefits of AI personalisation are:

• Better Net Promoter Score (NPS) due to better customer experiences.
• Improved customer loyalty due to personalised recommendations and being proactive.
• Better segmentation allows teams to focus on high-value customers. 

Overcoming AI Fears:

To prevent negative issues arising such as bot fatigue, CX leaders should ensure staff are not using AI to replace the human connection.

Effective strategies for AI integration include:

• AI to Human Transitions: Letting customers effortlessly move from AI to human staff. 
• Empathy Training for CX Teams: Teaching staff to use it to enhance human interaction rather than replace it.
• Clear Customer Communication: Being open and honest about AI’s role during customer interactions will keep their trust.

Case Studies:

Telecom company, Vodafone UK, used AI chatbots to deal with straightforward customer queries, which reduced response times by 60%; however, they made sure to have staff ready to deal with more complex enquiries. As a result of this, Vodafone improved their CSAT scores.

AIB, an Irish financial institution, combined AI-driven analytics with AI-based algorithms to identify customers who had a genuine need to expand their banking business. This allowed their CX team to target high-impact touchpoints where they could have the greatest effect,  this resulted in an increase in both NPS and customer loyalty.

AI to Empower, Not Replace

AI should be used to enhance customer experiences, not replace them. If we use AI for routine tasks, to further enhance personalised experiences all while making sure the human element is a priority, the organisation will increase customer loyalty and overall success.

For CX leaders who must stay ahead of the innovation curve, the answer is to balance technology with the human touch so that AI works to enhance, rather than dilute, high-value customer relationships. 

Explore this Topic Further

To expand your knowledge on this topic, watch our thought leadership webinar ‘Embedding AI In Your Organisation’ to see what AI expert David Conway, Senior Associate Director with KPMG UK, can teach you.

Interested to see how L&D leaders should navigate AI’s impact? Check out our blog on ‘How L&D Leaders Can Future Proof CX Training in the Age of AI’.

In today’s customer-centric world, one question frequently arises among customer experience (CX) professionals: “What is the perfect CX metric for your organisation?” While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, understanding the landscape of CX metrics can help organisations tailor their measurement strategies to align with business goals and customer expectations.

In this article we will explore insights CX metrics specialist Terry McCarthy, the Founder of The Experience Edge, shared during a recent Masterclass on CX metrics, shedding light on how professionals can leverage these tools to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Why should you measure CX? 

CX metrics serve as a compass, helping organisations navigate the complex landscape of customer relationships. Metrics provide quantifiable indicators of whether customer experiences are improving, stagnating, or declining. However, metrics alone don’t tell the whole story. Combining quantitative data like Net Promoter Score (NPS) or Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) with qualitative insights from customer feedback, complaints, and frontline employees creates a holistic view of the customer journey.

For instance, an organisation might see an improvement in NPS over time. But without understanding the customer sentiments driving this change, they risk misinterpreting the reasons behind their success or failure. Metrics must be contextualised within the broader narrative of customer experiences to be truly actionable.

The Four Pillars of CX Metrics

Organisations typically rely on four types of CX metrics to capture various aspects of customer and business performance:

Business Metrics

• Examples: Customer acquisition, retention, churn rate, lifetime value.
• Importance: These metrics are closely tied to financial performance and often attract C-suite attention.

Operational Metrics

• Examples: Average handling time, first contact resolution, and response times.
• Importance: While inward-facing, these metrics indicate how well internal processes support customer experiences.

Employee Metrics

• Examples: Employee satisfaction, and engagement.
• Importance: Happy employees create better customer experiences, making these metrics a crucial component of CX strategies.

Customer Metrics

• Examples: NPS, CSAT, Customer Effort Score (CES).
• Importance: These metrics measure customer perceptions directly, offering insights into their satisfaction and loyalty.

Together, these metrics provide a comprehensive view of how an organisation performs from multiple perspectives, enabling balanced decision-making.

Popular CX Metrics: Strengths and Weaknesses

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Strengths: Universally recognised and easy to understand. NPS asks a single, powerful question: “How likely are you to recommend us to others?” This metric offers a high-level view of customer loyalty and advocacy.

Weaknesses: External factors, like rising prices, can distort NPS scores. For example, an energy company might see declining NPS due to price hikes, even if their service quality improves. Additionally, NPS is a slow-moving metric, which can demotivate teams looking for quick wins.

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

Strengths: Focused on specific interactions, CSAT is ideal for measuring immediate customer sentiment following a touchpoint, such as a support call or a product purchase.

Weaknesses: CSAT lacks long-term predictive value. A customer might report high satisfaction after one interaction but still churn later due to other unmet needs.

Customer Effort Score (CES)

Strengths: CES measures how easy it is for customers to do business with you. Simplifying processes is universally appreciated and motivates internal teams to act.

Weaknesses: While excellent for identifying friction points, CES doesn’t provide a complete view of the customer journey or predict long-term loyalty.

Likelihood to Repurchase

Strengths: Closely aligned with business growth metrics, this score is particularly valuable in recurring revenue models like subscriptions.

Weaknesses: Not suitable for one-off purchases or industries where repeat business is rare. For example, a luxury travel customer might not repurchase soon but could still provide valuable referrals.

Five-Star Ratings

Strengths: Simple and globally understood, this metric works well across diverse markets and customer segments.

Weaknesses: Oversimplification can mask underlying issues. Without additional context, it’s difficult to derive actionable insights.

The CX Academy Framework Metric

The CX Academy Framework Metric is a comprehensive tool based on millions of customer and client Voice of the Customer (VOC) surveys, that were done to understand how customers feel about their interactions with an organisation. This framework is designed for benchmarking, planning, implementing, and sustaining CX excellence across diverse markets and industries.

At the core of the CX Academy Framework are six Emotional Drivers that enable organisations to build strong emotional bonds with both B2C customers and B2B clients. These drivers reflect the most critical aspects of customer experience and are distilled into one unified metric. Thousands of companies worldwide across various sectors use this metric to evaluate their CX performance and implement actionable improvements.

A unique feature of the CX Academy Framework Metric is its dual focus on both staff and customer experiences. Each emotional driver is supported by a set of behavioural actions, offering clear guidance on how to sharpen CX delivery. This makes the framework both practical and adaptable, ensuring organisations can continuously elevate their customer experience strategies.

Choosing the Right Metrics for Your Organization

The “perfect” CX metric doesn’t exist. Instead, organisations must evaluate metrics based on their specific goals, industry nuances, and customer expectations. A scoring framework can help assess metrics across criteria like:

Relevance: Is the metric aligned with your business objectives? For example, ease of interaction (CES) might be more relevant than NPS in financial services, where customers value seamless experiences over advocacy.

Clarity: Can employees across all levels easily understand the metric? Simple metrics ensure better engagement and alignment.

Actionability: Does the metric provide insights that drive meaningful improvements? Metrics like CSAT are actionable when paired with questions identifying satisfaction drivers.

Stability: Is the metric resilient to short-term fluctuations? For example, NPS offers a stable view of customer loyalty, whereas operational metrics may vary with daily changes.

A table to help you choose your beacon metric designed by Terry McCarthy. 

The Importance of a Balanced Scorecard

Many organizations adopt a balanced scorecard approach rather than focusing on a single metric. By combining strategic metrics like NPS with tactical ones like first-contact resolution, businesses can address immediate issues while tracking long-term progress.

A balanced scorecard might include:

• NPS for benchmarking against competitors.
• CES to identify friction points.
• CSAT for measuring satisfaction at critical touchpoints.
• Employee engagement scores to monitor internal alignment with CX goals.

This approach ensures that every department—from HR to operations—contributes to and benefits from a unified CX strategy.

Watch the full masterclass here: Masterclass: What is the perfect CX metric for your organisation?

If you want to learn more about measuring CX enrol in our Professional Diploma in CX today.