CX Whisperer: Edition 2
From multiple interpretations to one clear storyIf you’re responsible for customer insights, processes, or simply getting your management team to say “yes” to customer experience development work, you are leading CX. No matter what your title says. And like any leadership role, we know success ultimately comes down to people; how you communicate and engage with people across your organisation and how you get them to care and commit. For this newsletter, I spoke with someone who has been doing exactly that. Maarit Kivinen, who works at Metso Corporation, has together with her team built real internal momentum behind CX initiatives. In 2025, their team was recognised at the International Customer Experience Awards for their work in building a customer-centric culture. I have personally had the opportunity to work with Maarit and her team in defining their internal CX narrative—work that now helps bring clarity to internal discussions on the role of CX. Maarit, in your experience, what kind of message works best with leadership when talking about Customer Experience? When presenting CX insights, the more clearly you can link the findings to a specific part of the customer journey, specific customers, products, services, or even a part of the internal organisation, the better. General findings are interesting, but they rarely create a clear call to action for leadership. Also, make sure you are not presenting only numbers and KPIs. Analyse the customer feedback to provide insight on the drivers of your KPIs (e.g. NPS), then include some actual customer verbatim as a flavour to your presentation to support your CX narrative. So how would you advise someone who is trying to sharpen their internal CX message—where should they focus? Clarifying terms and taxonomy is essential for a strong CX narrative. Engage stakeholders in defining what CX means for your organization and then stick to that story. Ask others to do the same when discussing CX. When the overall message stays consistent, it becomes easier to introduce new concepts and insights related to CX.
Building internal networks is also critical. Talk to people, understand their perspective on CX, correct misconceptions, and offer relevant insights for their area. Partner with internal communications and HR to strengthen the CX culture.
I was also curious to hear—given her experience across global B2B organizations—is there something Maarit wishes she had understood earlier? Don’t assume your audience shares the same understanding of CX. People interpret it very differently depending on their background and role. Key takeway: What has not been defined, cannot be acted upon There is a lot on in Maarit’s experience that I see repeatedly in my work: ask a leadership team what Customer Experience means, and you’ll often get as many answers as there are people in the room. A shared internal definition for CX is more than communications - it helps to drive action. Just like what Maarit said, don't assume people share the same understanding. When the overall message stays consistent, it is easier to introduce new concepts and insights. If you want to follow Maarit's journey and read more on her thoughts, connect with her on LinkedIn. Want to hear more about the process of building your CX story? I work with clients through a 1-day diagnostic to get started, then a 7-week sprint — from current narratives to one shared story and a supporting execution plan. Read more here I am Anna-Maija Tanninen, B2B CX advisor, founder of CX Agency, and one of the global CX stars by Customer Experience Magazine. After 18 years in this field, I have seen the role of the CX leader is the most critical lever in customer experience success. That is what this newsletter is for. Every Friday I send you one curated thought on how to lead CX better using storytelling, positioning and influencing. More on my work at cxagency.fi and my approach to B2B Customer Experience on LinkedIn. |
Anna-Maija Tanninen
B2B CX Advisor, Expert on strategic CX positioning and storytelling
Welcome to CX Whisperer I am glad you have found your way to my circle of CX Leaders! I am going to start this first edition with something controversial: CX in the company strategy is not necessarily a win. When a CX leaders excitedly tells me their company has just named Customer Experience as a strategic priority and now "things finally move forward", I am a bit cautious. This can be a real, strong foundation for future success, but it can also be a ceiling that creates the impression of...