BPM should focus on the money

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BPM focus

BPM is normally associated with streamlining back office functions and cost reduction. But this is the wrong focus.  BPM activities should be focused on driving business growth if it wants to be seen as a valuable part of business strategy.

Business growth is about gaining new customers and keeping existing ones. One of the few competitive differentiators left is Customer Experience (CX). Product innovation is short lived and no one wants to be in a race to the bottom on price.  But a great CX, delivered consistently across multiple countries, offices, teams and through the different channels (phone, email, social media) requires a focus on process. And it is not just the sales teams involved.  Great CX reaches deep back into the organization. It requires the coordination of support, product delivery and finance. And coordination needs process – at least up front to get some definition on CX and an agreement on handoffs between teams.

In my column “My Angry on customer service” every good or bad experience I wrote about had process as its root cause.

World class CX is rare

The challenges of delivering a great CX are spelled out in a recent blog “Customer Service is either black or white”  But they are not insurmountable and not many companies are delivering a world-class CX it.  So now is the time to focus and get ahead of your competition.

Driving up revenue has an infinite upside. Cutting costs can only go so far. Money talks.