Since January 2019, DLL is a partner of the CX Game. Besides Mirthe Claassen, 6 other colleagues have been trained as facilitators. Mirthe is the driving force behind the CX Game within DLL. Babs spoke to her about her experiences with the CX Game.

 

Could you start with a short summary about DLL and your role within DLL?

DLL is a global asset finance partner enabling businesses to more easily access equipment, technology, and software to help them grow. We deliver sustainable and effective financing solutions, along with insights and advice, that drive smarter and more economical use of capital assets.

Headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, DLL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rabobank Group.

I am part of the global CX team. Our goal is to enable our organisation and members to be a true partner for our customers. We do that by focusing on activities that evolve around listening to our customers and members (that’s how we call employees within DLL), capturing measurable and actionable feedback we can learn from and act on. As well as activities that engage our global member base to understand the importance of truly getting the heart and soul of our customers’ businesses. And lastly to create an environment in which everybody feels empowered and is equipped to go ‘above and beyond’.

Our CX team recently expanded and is now made up of five, plus a manager. In addition to the team, we have around 80 CX Ambassadors, spread across the countries in which we are active. They help us to spread the CX ethos. Each of them has followed the DLL CX Masterclass facilitated by Ian Golding. The CX Ambassadors are admitted based on their motivation and are committed and full of drive. A number of these ambassadors have been trained to be CX Game facilitators, resulting in 7 trained facilitators in total.

 

You have been a CX Game partner for almost 3 years. What triggered this?

We were looking for an activation tool that would help us getting the meaning and importance of CX across to our members in an informal and fun way. Serving as a conversation starter, a way of encouraging members to think about their role and the impact they have, both individually as well as a team, on our customers. We got to know the CX Game in the CX Masterclass facilitated by Nienke Bloem and Jaap Wilms. That’s what got the ball rolling.

 

How do you use it now?

In general, we use the CX Game in 3 different ways:

  1. There are open registrations which enables us to play the game with multi-disciplinary teams with the aim of breaking down silos and creating a better understanding of each other’s role and impact on our customers’ experiences.
  2. We also use the game as a team-building exercise in which we focus on getting everybody on the same page and get commitment of the entire team. Especially because after playing the CX game with 1 team, there is always a short workshop to formulate specific follow-up actions, including assigned owners.
  3. Onboarding activity, in addition to getting to know the DLL facts and figures, what we do and who we are, we first and foremost make sure that the client is front and centre for our new members.

 

How do you like facilitating the CX Game? How do you feel about facilitating the game?

I still remember that I had to go completely outside my comfort zone the first times and yet, after two goes at facilitating it just felt really good. It’s a lot of fun but also a challenge to get our member base ‘on-board’ using a method to create new ideas that’s as out of the box as this. However afterwards it’s incredible to hear how people respond to it, and what they thought of it. Both online and offline.

The result is the same, but in terms of energy my preference is off-line. The biggest difference is that interaction and the competitive element generated offline are much more evident. Although, I do have to say that everyone here at DLL has a natural competitive streak. The interaction is different; in a physical session the participants are rowdier. Participants can fade into the crowd easier when we play the game online. Therefore, my job, as the facilitator, is to keep everyone sharp and remove barriers or inhibitions. It’s easier to do that live.

The online environment will however remain important to us. There will be a lot less travel between (but also within) countries such as Brazil, Canada and the USA.

“I think it’s a great way to focus on CX with a group. Nice to have a light and fun method in your toolbox which is great for team building or away days.” – Claire Nijnens (NL – Global CX Team)

 

Can you say anything about the participants and what they thought of it? What did they learn from it?

We played the Game with all types of members, from new members to CFOs. Regardless of who plays, the results are ultimately the same. The aim is to talk about the customer and to think creatively. What participants don’t like is the time pressure, but in the end they understand the reason for this and it pretty much always works out well. Below you can find some insights coming directly from participants.

To date, what has the CX Game brought to the table on top of the things you were already doing at DLL to raise the awareness of CX?

It is more tangible. Much of what we do centres around talking and offering support on specific issues. This, on the other hand, is action! The CX game is a very good framework for me to give prominence to our global CX strategy and vision. Not just in the assignments; in the judging too. I evaluate the answers using that strategy.

A CX role is often a lot of talking, whereas it’s actually all about acting and doing. And the CX Game is a great activator!

 

How do you like the partnership with us?

Love it! That started right back with the formulation of questions specifically tailored to DLL’s needs. Gaby (Remmers, partner of the CX Game) really helped in devising those. While we were busy doing this we also got a real sense of how we would best be able to facilitate the game. The CX Game is built on solid foundations, it is a complete package, you can get down to work as soon as you’ve finished training.

I can share things, say things, or ask any question, any time. I get good, pro-active tips, quick answers and brainstorming is not a problem. I believe that’s important, and definitely not something you see in all partnerships.

 

Of course, Mirthe fired the question back at Babs.

We enjoy our partnership with DLL too, it is a pleasant, open partnership. You have gained a lot of experience using the Game, not just in the Netherlands, but abroad too. Your experience helps us. It helped us to create the on-line CX Game. We’re really happy with that. By talking to each other regularly about your experience with it, we can make the CX Game better and more effective for both you and other clients. That is our sole aim: making sure that our clients can deploy the CX Game successfully in the long term.

My tip for you is: promote the CX Game in-house a lot more, so that you can get even more out of it. After all, there must have been a reason why you extended your contract for 2 years. Advertise the fact on your intranet, so that teams can see that you have a cool instrument that can be used to connect with each other and strengthen the bond with customers. Teams are sometimes blinded to the benefit of a particular tool by day-to-day issues. Lack of time is an oft-heard excuse. Tip: capitalise on their challenges and share the experiences of other teams. Customer experience is important to everyone.

 

Would you recommend using the CX Game to other organisations, particularly CX Managers or teams, as part of their CX toolbox?

Definitely! It is a highly valuable tool, certainly if you’re looking for creating connections and a fun way to talk about CX. Thinking together about what you – as a team – can do to improve not just the customer experience, but also to hone your own impact as an individual. You can use the CX Game to make the CX story more concrete: what does it mean to me, what can I do, what is my impact on the customer?

 

Finally, what are the 3 key USPs of the CX Game according to you?

  1. Connecting people and the roles they play, creating more understanding for each other.
  2. Touching on the emotional side of CX, by getting to grips with it in a fun and creative way.
  3. Making concrete what CX means for every individual.

The CX Game is the perfect tool to connect people, regardless of their role. It helps to educate others on the CX vision of the company and at the same time inspire them to get started themselves. – Mirthe Claassen – CX Consultant & Member Global CX Team