Why Your CX Initiatives Need Controlled Tests to Prove Value
Do your customer experience (CX) initiatives deliver results? And do those results resonate with your company’s decision makers?
The burden of proof lies with CX teams. Business leaders demand clear evidence that CX investments are worth the cost, and this is especially true at the 80% of businesses where CX isn’t central to their brand identity . Unfortunately, this can often become a stumbling block. According to a Forrester study more than half of CX professionals report being unable to demonstrate the ROI of their CX projects . Without the ability to measure the effectiveness of a CX initiative, justifying its existence becomes incredibly difficult—if not impossible.
But many CX professionals are neglecting an effective tool for demonstrating business value: controlled tests. Running a study using a control group is a powerful way to prove that CX initiatives influence key business metrics—and it’s simpler than it might seem. Keep reading to learn the advantages of controlled tests and eight steps to run them successfully.
What Is a Controlled Test?
A controlled test is a method for evaluating the effectiveness of a treatment or intervention. It’s usually done by controlling all the variables that could influence an outcome, and then changing only one variable at a time. The difference in outcome, then, is evidence of the treatment’s benefit. Controlled tests often take the form of a study using a treated group and an untreated group—a.k.a. the control group. You’re probably familiar with this concept, as this is what’s used in medical trials. Suppose you get 100 people in one building for a month and feed everyone the same diet, except you give one half of the participants a diet drug and give the other half a sugar pill. and the difference in what you see in metrics is the benefit of the diet drug. Well, this method works for business KPIs, too! In a CX controlled test, control group participants don’t receive the program being evaluated—such as appointment reminders, self-service tools or proactive fraud alerts. Then you’re measuring the lift in KPIs and attributing it to your program.
Why Do You Need a Controlled Test for CX Measurement?
A controlled test gives you a baseline for comparison against the group you treat with the intervention—e.g., a new CX solution. This helps you determine the effectiveness of the new treatment by isolating its effects from other variables. If participants in an experimental group have a better outcome than control group members, that’s persuasive evidence that the intervention was effective. Why is this important? Think of a specific CX KPI you’re tracking, like Net Promoter Score (NPS) or inbound contact center volume, and then the myriad factors that can influence it. Things outside your control, like pricing or rate changes or even macroeconomic factors, can affect those KPIs independently of your CX intervention. Without a control group, you can’t effectively isolate your CX treatment from those other variables to show its real, convincing impact.
