Company executives back ACXPA

Wednesday, 09 August 2023 11:49

Company executives back ACXPA

Executives from Australian companies Seek, Red Energy, and Yarra Valley Water have teamed up to support the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association.

The industry association was launched to reverse Australia’s poor customer service standards and ensure customer experience is recognised by the C-suite for its profit-making potential.

The Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association (ACXPA) was formed by customer experience (CX) veteran Justin Tippett, who is joined by 25 industry leaders all keen to drive change in the industry.

Tippett said ACXPA was formed to provide a space for the estimated 1.4 million Australians working in customer service to connect, form ideas and improve the industry, which is in freefall.

“How many of us can recall consistent, positive interactions we’ve had with brands in recent times? I’ve worked in customer service for almost 30 years, and the industry has gone downhill,” Tippett said.

A recent study found Australians were kept on hold for almost 100 million hours last year, and an additional 1.6 million people made customer service complaints compared with 2021.

Tippett said these figures paint a grim picture of the industry.

“Company leaders are so far removed from the customer service coal face, and often deploy technology without thinking it through, using customers and frontline agents as crash test dummies,” he said.

“The problem is a disconnect between senior leaders understanding the link between providing a good customer experience and profitability. Rather than seeing contact centres, customer service employees and complaints management as a cost, by factoring CX into your business, leaders have the opportunity to improve sales, customer retention and efficiency, which all deliver an improved bottom line and happier customers. ACXPA is committed to changing this”.

The association also aims to address recruitment and retention challenges in the industry by modelling better experiences for workers and providing opportunities for ongoing skills development.

“Customer service has long been beset by high turnover rates. The ACXPA brain trust is building solid, repeatable ways to support CX workers both personally and professionally,” Tippett said. “We want people to view the profession as genuine and rewarding, rather than transitionary.”

Big names join the fight against poor customer service
Tippett claimed over 60,000 unique visitors have already visited ACXPA’s website to engage with its articles, industry insights, and live monthly symposiums on best practice tips.

Members have also joined in-person events, which have so far taken place in Melbourne and Adelaide. In May alone, the website attracted 850% more traffic than other related industry associations.

ACXPA board member and Seek head of customer experience and service Deanne Martin joined ACXPA to help “shake up” the customer service industry, which she says can fall back into focusing on cost control metrics rather than investments in CX and the employee experience (EX).

“For too long, customer service departments have been viewed as an unskilled cost for organisations. By collaborating with ACXPA members, I want to encourage leaders to view customer service as talent pools where staff can develop and progress internally.”

“People with strong empathy, critical thinking and problem-solving skills also have a lot to gain from joining the industry. We’ve hired everything from former hairdressers to ex-chefs in these roles, and benefited immensely from their diverse range of skills and perspectives,” Martin said.

“I’m optimistic ACXPA can bring positive change in the industry, providing a space for people to ask questions, learn, and grow into their next career roles.”

ACXPA board member and Red Energy manager, retail customer assist Sarah Young said the association is good way for the industry to tap into the experiences of other experts rather than attempting to solve the same problems separately.

“It’s been interesting to talk with other members about strategies for attracting and retaining talent, and to re-affirm the importance of Australian organisations infusing CX throughout their business. Every employee within Red Energy speaks with customers, and this plays a big part in our success.”

Yarra Valley Water service team leader Cameron Preston has also joined the board to share his 30 years’ customer service experience with industry peers and the next generation.

“At Yarra Valley Water, continuous improvement is our mantra, and most often, the pathway is via customer feedback,” he said.

Tippett said the association’s immediate priority is building out the state-based committees to run local in-person events, supplementing the national online events.

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