I recently talked with Fjuri CEO Thom Gruhler, former CMO of Microsoft Windows, about why companies need to focus on taking a holistic versus tactical approach when it comes to improving CX.

As a regular keynote speaker, Thom has also been quite vocal on the opportunities and challenges marketers face as they look to tap into right data — experience data vs. operational data — to model, predict, and improve the customer experience.

“CMOs and marketers have an opportunity to separate the signal from the noise, and tap into right data and technology to drive better outcomes, while also contributing to top line revenue growth” Gruhler notes. “At the end of the day, the experience you deliver is your brand, so any AI or automation you tap into better be pragmatic and add real value in the moment for the customer.”

At Fjuri, Thom and his team are working closely with CMOs and senior marketers at leading brands to evaluate the right technology, data and team resources to deliver the right content and experiences in the moment to customers. Already we’re seeing major brands shift their approach as they look to leverage AI or automation in new ways, but this doesn’t always translate to better CX.

As a follow-up, I asked Gruhler to share 6 practical steps CMOs and marketers can take to develop a stronger CX.

6 Steps To Take Now:

1. Build a Dedicated CX Team. You can’t make a significant and consistent impact on improving CX if you don’t have a team designated to build and deploy it. One of the first steps CMOs should take is to work with the CEO and broader exec team to get strategic alignment around how they’re going to leverage data and technology to improve CX.

With the explosion of marketing technology, often what’s happening is CMOs are becoming the most significant purchaser of technology outside the IT suite and impacting more business outcomes across the organization. So it’s important for CMOs and marketers to go make strategic, impactful connections across their organization to get data and SLA’s they need to drive the connected system of handoffs across the organization. At the same time, they need to make sure they have the right people or consultants in place with the right training to effectively apply that data to impact CX.

2. Tap into experience data. Customers today not only desire better content, but also experiences that are frictionless, contextual and personalized to them – based on where they are and what they’re doing in the moment. To become proficient at CX, you not only need to know what data you have access to and how to leverage it, but also how to tap into real-time experience data: who’s on your basket, who’s on you stream or page, and how can you re-adjust what we’re putting in front of customers to give them the best experience in the moment?

3. Start seeing CX as your brand. Today customer experience is the new brand. There’s nothing more important to winning in the market than the CX. If you’re spending money on paid advertising, but your CX is broken or inconsistent, you’re likely wasting your money. The most successful brands and marketers today are hyper focused on improving the product experience and putting customers’ preferences and needs first. That means communicating the right content across channels at the right moment. It’s easier said than done. But if you aren’t giving them what they want on the first date, you’re likely not getting a second one.

4. Know your audience. Take a deep-dive into where your audience is consuming their information. With new apps, platforms and websites emerging almost every day, finding the best outlets for your content can be a moving target. Don’t just assume your customers spend a majority of their time on Facebook or the major platforms, consider multiple avenues that challenge your preconceptions (and use data to validate or invalidate your theory when possible).

5. Provide a tailored experience. After you’ve researched your customers from an overall segment or micro segment level and defined their personas, use that information to build a personalized, consistent experience, across multiple platforms, that addresses the specific needs, challenges and desires. For example, speak to them in first person, answer their questions on their terms, curate the products they might be interested in, and give them the tools they needs need to make the best decision given their unique situation.

6. Test the effectiveness of customer experiences. In line with the steps above, marketers also have an opportunity with AI, machine learning and marketing automation to more effectively experiment at scale. Today Fjuri works with clients to test the effectiveness of CX across channels using a variety of different marketing technology platforms. The overall goal is get into the actual signal of what’s actually happening in the moment with customers, find out what’s working and what’s not, and create the changes that differentiate, build affinity and drive sales for your brand.