What exactly is a Scalable Client Experience Expert?

by | Jan 5, 2024 | Client Experience | 0 comments

In networking situations, when faced with the classic “What do you do?” query, my response is succinct: “I am a Scalable Client Experience expert.” Every single time I use that phrase, the other person leans in leading to more in-depth conversations where I elaborate on my role. This gives me the perfect invitation to deliver my 1-minute elevator pitch about what I do, and it goes something like this:

“I assist both emerging and established high-functioning organizations in scaling their business responsibly. This is achieved by developing and implementing a scalable, strategic creative process that enhances top tier thinking, collaboration and consistency. My methodology starts by dissecting and understanding their unique client experience and value proposition.” 

Responses to my pitch typically vary based on the listener’s career stage. Seasoned executives and entrepreneurs usually grasp the concept immediately, expressing interest in my approach and sharing their business growth challenges. What started as a casual conversation quickly turns into a consult, brainstorm and share of contact info for follow up. Huzzah!

When the audience is more junior, (and believe me I flex my spiel for who I am talking with), they either become “deer in headlights” and I am well-aware that our conversation has ended or they understand the value from their perspective and begin to share deficiencies in their organization – usually sharing they have no process to follow, no strategic training and very little autonomy. To me, most of the reactions are all that I would categorize as “genuinely interested” which gives me validation that the work I am doing is valuable, specialized and needed across the industry, no matter where the organization (or person) is in their journey.  

As an entrepreneur myself, I have faced the dilemma of how to scale a successful growing business without diluting the client experience firsthand and it’s a big one. This is a common issue, not only for startups but also for established brands, many of which lack a robust framework for consistent idea generation and its impact on client experience and overall value.      

For those of us lucky enough to have reached the “growing pains” stage it’s hard to get past that plateau and to reach the next summit largely because the stakeholders and key team members are too busy focused where they should be on effectively juggling all the demands of running their business while delivering a premium service/product to their clients. While we all inherently know we should spend more time working “on” the business vs. “in” the business, putting that into practice even in a near term scenario can seem insurmountable for the stakeholders despite knowing the long-term gains. There is no pause button for thriving businesses. Organizations whose main differentiator is their creativity, or their ability to provide innovative ideas “on demand” face an even bigger challenge: how do you generate those ideas consistently no matter who in your organization is involved? 

That is the real conundrum we face as an industry: a total deficit in how we are preparing our next generation of thinkers, collaborators, and designers. Usually, there are what I like to call “MVP’s” or even the owner(s) themselves who must fulfill that role for their teams on almost every strategic opportunity to get the best outcomes. That is not a scalable customer experience nor is it an effective way to cultivate a team of creative thinkers. What would be more beneficial for all is if the experts passed along the “nectar” of HOW they do what they do instinctively, without even knowing it. Allowing their teams behind the Wizard of Oz like curtain inside our brains. Yes, some of that will be absorbed by your immediate team because you are involved, and they watch and learn – that is completely true. But, what about when you are busy or traveling, then what? Does your work product or client experience suffer because of it? Be honest. 

This is precisely why we must invest the time into developing the methodology and framework to guide our teams through the channels of thinking that will lead to the very best results without the involvement of their leaders. If you’ve figured it all out – please let me know. Reach out to me and bestow your wisdom upon me because I am still learning and collaboration on this topic is key. 

I recall recently attending a business conference   and there was a panel discussion of successful business leaders on stage. They were each asked what differentiated them and what they attribute to their success. Understandably, this was very interesting so I leaned in and got out my notebook/pen expecting to feverishly write down brilliant tips that I could take and implement. Sadly, my pen stayed on the table, notebook closed.  

Would you believe that all but one of them cited “their amazing team” as their biggest differentiator and difference maker? While I appreciate the sentiment very much and completely agree, we (any of us) would be nowhere without our loyal, dedicated tribe – please tell me that is not really your answer? I really believe having good people is a good start, but it is certainly not enough. In fact, every company on the planet could say the same thing. I wanted to raise my hand and challenge this panel with the age-old question of succession, “what happens when those people move on, retire, go on maternity leave, take a sabbatical?” Having good people alone is not a scalable, sustainable strategy for your future success. It’s just not. However, HOW you teach those people to think IS. 

Now, I am not the oracle of business success, nor do I claim to have all the answers but what I do have is a solid answer for why our clients will get better results more consistently by choosing us. It’s what differentiates us from the rest. It’s because our brilliant team poured their heart and soul and time into dissecting and understanding HOW we do what we do so that we could “teach people to fish”. Yes, we were in a cushy corporate structure that enabled us to focus acutely on this and it was a strategic company initiative, so we had the Board to answer to. But we all knew it was critical and the value it would provide so that’s what we did. We created a rock-solid foundation for the entire team, freshman or senior, to have the tools, steps, and mindset in place to get us all there, consistently. Which directly and acutely impacted our client experience and elevated our value proposition. Again, I am not claiming this solves all business problems nor do I think all businesses will have the luxury and support to get this done like I did but I don’t think you could argue that it is a pretty darn good approach for how to scale.  

This is where hiring a Scalable Client Experience expert is crucial. An external consultant can bring fresh perspectives and expedite the development of strategies and processes without diverting internal resources from their core business activities. This approach ensures ongoing revenue generation and potentially increased revenue post-implementation.      

When asked how developing a strategic or design thinking process can drive business growth, my response is straightforward: Investing in your team and internal structures fosters innovation, collaboration, and a sense of fulfillment, which in turn enhances the client experience. This leads to stronger client relationships, a wider range of projects, growth within existing accounts, and new client acquisitions …these are all results that come from having your house in order and ready to grow responsibly and through the lens of creativity, typically the heart and soul of any company and a major differentiator in business.  

How am I uniquely positioned to help? Because I was in this same place. I sold my company in 2019 to a much larger organization precisely because my business partner and I couldn’t slow down long enough to figure out how to scale. We had 50 employees, and our business was booming, we were even on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list two years in a row. Things couldn’t have been going better. But…inside, I knew that at some point, I didn’t have the tools to take us to the next      summit. This was difficult for me but deep down, I knew I needed to grow as a leader, not just as a business owner. I was good at cultivating and nurturing talent, but I also knew (and our clients knew) that when I was involved, the results were always better. Candidly, I wasn’t proud of that. I hadn’t figured out how to “teach them to fish” and that haunted me as someone who deeply invests in her people. So, we sold, and I took on a role within the organization that purchased us and spent the next 5 years focused on understanding how to scale creative teams by developing a creative methodology and design thinking process. We took that work and scaled across 29 offices and almost 300 people nationwide. It was the highlight of my career and through this, my heart was found. I knew I wanted to help other entrepreneurs and organizations become better and grow based on the knowledge and experience I gained.   

For additional insights into the impact of creativity, client experience, and design thinking in business, I recommend the following articles: