Over the past several years, organizations have made big investments in enterprise feedback management (EFM) systems (aka platforms or portals) designed to save money and “digitally transform” their customer experience (CX) programs. While the EFM software looks compelling in sales presentations, too often these products have failed to live up to the promise—even after companies spent a year or more to install the software and up to three years to fully implement the system.
Disappointments have centered around the true “all in” cost of implementation, issues with online methodologies (biased samples, quota management) and the inability of software firms to drive behavioral change across the organization.
What these companies are discovering is that EFM “solutions” are not really solutions at all—they are software tools. To actually realize expected ROI on EFM initiatives, organizations must implement them as part of broader CX strategies that integrate actionable data into workflows in a manner that drives behavior and changes the culture.
Because few organizations have the internal expertise needed to achieve those goals, specialized customer experience consultants are emerging as a key resource in achieving expected returns on EFM investments and CX initiatives.