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Whether an enterprise is looking to replace a key customer experience employee or manager due to a job change, expansion of the department or some other reason, the replacement may have to come from outside of the company. While an organization may have now CX openings, now, it very well could be only a matter of time before the company does. The latest U.S. Labor Department monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLTS) reported there were nearly 11 million unfilled jobs.
"It is only a matter of time before this problem hits the CX industry," said a Ryan Strategic Advisory blog post."In fact, based on the recent analysis from David Stone, it appears that this issue is already impacting contact centers in Australia."
There are all types of skill shortages these days, so where can you find great CX talent in a competitive market?
"Promotion from within the organization is often a great way to develop new leaders and provide continuity for business growth, said Chris Pennington, SugarCRM chief customer officer "But when it comes to CX leaders, you may want to consider bringing in "fresh blood" from outside the organization. Having someone with fresh ideas might be just the tonic your organization needs to give a little extra fizz to your overall CX."
Here experts share their thoughts on good places to scope new talent for your CX team.
Hospitality
"When hiring CX leaders outside of our own industry, Hero Digital has found success in hiring from industries that were heavily affected by COVID and had to let go of their top-notch employees, Owen Frivold, co-founder and executive vice president, strategy. "We have had great success in hiring from the hospitality and luxury industry as their talent pool has effectively transferable skill sets to what we look for at our company."
By investing in that talent pool by building up their knowledge in digital, their innate skill sets in anticipating client needs and understanding of providing white-glove service can easily be translated to strategy, UX and client services, Frivold added.
"While hospitality is also having a historically difficult time staffing, this works in your favor," added Ran Craycraft, Wildebeest co-founder and managing partner. "Many professionals managing restaurants and hotels around the world are looking for the exit sign. They're dreaming of jobs with traditional hours and roles they can do from home."
Education/Teachers
Good educators need to listen, understand their audience and adapt, Pennington said. The ability to help students grow to their full potential often mimics similar attributes CX providers need to have with customers.
Service Companies/Food & Beverage
"In our personal life we all experience the highs and lows of the service industry," Pennington said. Individuals from this sector are trained from day one to think of the customer first, an essential trait of a CX leader.
Military
"If you're wondering how the military can be associated with CX, the leader sets the agenda and doesn't necessarily operate on the front line," Pennington explained. Delivering a great CX is often about operating efficiently at scale; analyzing data; gathering intelligence; and being organized. These are qualities often found in military ranks.
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Additionally, attention to detail is ingrained in military training and life. Everything from the way they dress to how they do their job is evaluated and rated.
Analogous Industries
Rather than a specific industry or two, Kurt Schroeder, Avtex chief experience officer, recommended looking at companies similar to your own.
"Finding talent in industries that may seem dissimilar based on product or service offerings but provide customers with similar experiences to those you provide can bring fresh perspective to your team and help create experiences that further differentiate your brand," Schroeder explained. "For example, many hospitals have turned outward to the hospitality industry to find their next leader of patient experience.Except for the actual medical procedure, hospitals and hospitality (especially hotels) are very similar.
Each has consumers that will need a room for a short stay.During that stay, they will need food and other services."
Similarly, candidates can be found in industries a B2B company serves, Schroeder added.
Consider a LinkedIn search to find candidates with familiarity in your field and marry that with a search for "general manager," "hospitality," or "guest," and you might be surprised with the caliber of individuals eager to move into a new industry with a level of passion and polish you didn't expect, Craycraft advised.
Industries Offering Physical and Digital Experiences
"Whether it's a Disney theme park, a major retailer, or a hospital chain, most customer interactions start from an app or website, leading to a physical environment mixed with digital experiences," said Kuldeep Kelkar, UserZoom senior vice president, global UX research. "So, the industries could be healthcare, software, and technology, large digital design agencies, retail banking, financial services, entertainment, or even fast-moving consumer goods companies."
The job of a CX leader is cross-functional to get alignment across sales, marketing, retail, digital, and customer service to deliver consistent experiences across every touchpoint of the customer journey, Kelkar, explained. As such, the context of the industry can certainly help to be a domain expert, but any other industry experience could be equally beneficial.
