🤓 Back to the basics - CX fundamentals and Joe Jonas

Written By Sultana Mangal

Hi customer-obsessed friends, 

It’s hard to believe we’re more than halfway through Q2, right? I recently hit my ninth work anniversary, and I’ve been reflecting on all that’s changed over the years. It doesn’t feel like much has changed when you’re in the day-to-day, but when looking back, there’s so much life experienced.

Good times. Tough times. And everything in between. In the words of Fleetwood Mac, I sometimes find myself asking, “Can I handle the seasons of my life?” I’m a big believer that life never gives us more than we can handle. You just have to take it one day at a time. 

At work, I ask “Questions of the Day” (QOTDs) in Slack to help people connect and learn more about one another. It’s a fun way to get to know your coworkers. Here’s a recent one I asked:

“How has your relationship with time changed as you’ve grown older?”

Feel free to respond to this email with your thoughts. I’m happy to share my answer with you, too.

Now, while plenty has changed over the years, all that change is a reminder that we sometimes just need to get back to the basics. I read “The Art of Client Service” by Robert Solomon nine years ago. I picked it up again recently, and it’s just as relevant today as it was back then. Here’s one of my favorite quotes:

“Everything begins and ends with what clients want, and what they want is relatively straightforward: consistent execution partnered with solid ideas, driven by people who understand and care deeply about their business.”

You can apply this principle in pretty much any industry. I shared this on LinkedIn, where you can see the author, Robert Solomon, respond to my thoughts.

⬅️ BACK TO THE BASICS - CX FUNDAMENTALS

How often are we forgetting the fundamentals of good customer experience (CX)?

Think about it like this: If your brand were a person, CX would be your personality, your helpfulness, your reliability, and how you make people feel when they’re around you.

Let’s get back to the basics.

Your CX building blocks

👤 Know your customer journey


This is where you want to map out every step your customers take, from how they first hear about you to when they become a loyal advocate. Try to evaluate where there might be friction in your process. What are you doing that frustrates your customers? What are you doing that confuses them?


🤐 Listen more than you talk 

Your customers are always telling you exactly what they want and need. You just need to listen. Whether it’s through reviews, support tickets, social media comments, or feedback from surveys, it’s out there for you to find.

Go where your customers are and listen. Set up Google Alerts for your brand name. Read through your support tickets and survey results. Look through Google reviews and anywhere else they might be leaving feedback.


🛠️ Give your team the right tools and training

Your frontline team needs the tools, training, and authority to solve problems. If they constantly have to say things like “Let me check with my manager” or read from a script to help a customer, you won’t be providing a great experience.

Your customers will be frustrated if the person they’re working with directly can’t solve their problem.

Customer-facing teams need guardrails but also the freedom to help customers get to the best solution. There’s an amount of trust that needs to be given after you’ve provided your team the right tools to work with. Ask yourself: How are you and your company’s policies standing in the way of creating a great experience?


📏 Measure what matters

Whether it’s an NPS or CSAT score, response time on a support ticket, cart abandonment rate, or how long it takes a customer to get their coffee from first placing an order to getting it in their hands—measure what matters and what’s most impactful.

Image of two men sitting and saying "You gotta start somewhere."

📣 TAKE ACTION...NOW

Small steps, big impact 

Pick ONE customer touchpoint and make it 10% better this week. Maybe it’s:

  • Updating your FAQ with the three questions you get asked most.

  • Reviewing and updating your confirmation emails—are they helpful or confusing?

  • Improving something related to their mobile experience. 

  • Updating your email signature with helpful links or resources. 

“Ask someone else” challenge:

  • Have a friend try to find your return policy in under two minutes.

  • Have someone place a test order and tell you about any friction in the process.

  • Show your website to someone who’s never seen it—what’s confusing? What’s helpful?

The 5-minute fixes: 

  • Fix that broken link you keep meaning to address.

  • Update your social media bios with current information.

  • Clean up your Google My Business listing (or create one if it doesn’t exist).

Small improvements add up to big changes in how customers feel about your brand. 

Pick something you can finish this week!

🤓 CX RESOURCES

Articles and studies

🎧 WHAT I'M LISTENING TO

“Music for people who believe in love”

Joe Jonas has a new album called "Music for People Who Believe in Love," and the song "Heart By Heart" has been on repeat. Look, he was my teenage crush has been my crush since I was a teenager, and I've been feeling nostalgic with all the talk of change, so give it a listen. 

 💭 FINAL THOUGHTS

Remember that progress happens in small, consistent steps. The basics never go out of style because they work.  Take that one small action this week. Most importantly, keep putting your customers at the center of what you do. It's about improving your CX by a few degrees each day. 


Thanks for reading. 

Sultana Mangal