Working with clients in today’s market means wearing many hats—marketer, strategist, growth hacker, you name it. But there’s one hat that’s becoming essential for agencies, especially as clients get savvier: Customer Experience, or CX. Now, if you’re thinking, “We’re focused on leads and conversions, do we really need CX?”, I get it. I’ve been there—often as the only person in my role with CX, UX, and CRO knowledge, tasked with selling these ideas both to clients and to my own team.
Here's the reality: CX isn’t just a buzzword. It’s an untapped asset for agencies looking to truly set themselves apart. And as clients shift focus toward quality customer relationships and cost efficiency, CX can be the key to delivering high-impact results.
Why CX is Critical for Agencies
Many agencies are hyper-focused on lead generation, often with the goal of increasing quality leads while keeping CAC low. While this is understandable—especially in a world of short-tenured C-suite clients with sharp, singular goals—it’s a narrow view of the customer journey. CX goes deeper by addressing not just how to attract customers, but how to keep them engaged and loyal, impacting everything from lead quality to brand affinity.
Think of CX as the bridge between brand promise and customer reality. It covers every touchpoint, from initial contact to post-purchase engagement.
By understanding and implementing CX principles, your agency can add value that goes beyond simple metrics, offering clients long-term success through genuine customer satisfaction and retention.
How to Start Implementing CX (Without Hiring a New Team)
Integrating CX into your agency’s approach doesn’t require a full-time CX team. Start small with these strategies:
Get Curious About Customer Feedback
Customer feedback is the goldmine of CX. From product reviews to survey data, these insights reveal pain points and delights that can inform your campaigns. Use them to tailor your messaging, address common customer concerns upfront, and make your campaigns resonate with real customer experiences.
Build Customer Journeys, Not Just Funnels
Funnels focus on moving leads from point A to point B, but CX expands this by considering how customers feel and what they experience at each step. Journey maps illustrate every touchpoint and reveal where customers encounter friction or joy. By incorporating this mapping into campaign strategy, you’re ensuring that customers feel understood and valued, increasing their likelihood to convert and remain loyal.
Align Campaign KPIs with CX Metrics
Quality leads are great, but are they staying? CX metrics like NPS (Net Promoter Score) or CES (Customer Effort Score) show how likely a customer is to recommend or how easy it is for them to interact with the brand. By tracking these alongside campaign performance, you’re equipping your team to show clients a broader view of success—one that includes both immediate conversions and long-term loyalty.
Educate Clients on CX Impact
Selling CX to clients often requires a mindset shift. Many C-suite clients want to focus on immediate results, like lowering CAC. Help them see that CX directly affects acquisition costs by boosting customer retention, reducing churn, and even driving referrals. Educate them on how CX doesn’t compete with their goals but complements them, creating a more sustainable path to growth.
Create Seamless Cross-Channel Experiences
If your campaigns are primarily digital, a cross-channel CX approach will be a game-changer. The idea is simple: ensure your brand is consistent and coherent, whether a customer encounters it on social media, a landing page, or through customer service. When customers experience a seamless brand journey, they feel a sense of trust and loyalty that encourages them to return. This is especially important as clients demand results from a unified brand voice and experience.
Overcoming Common CX Challenges in Agencies
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: CX maturity.
Many organizations still operate at a low CX maturity level, meaning they’re new to or unfamiliar with CX practices. This can make implementing CX strategies an uphill battle, especially if C-suite leaders are primarily focused on lead quality and CAC. Here are a few ways to navigate these challenges:
Focus on the Bottom Line Impact: Speak in terms they care about—reduced churn, increased customer lifetime value, and improved ROI. Show them that happy, loyal customers are more likely to stick around, buy more, and even bring friends.
Showcase Small Wins: Sometimes CX can feel abstract to clients who want numbers and quick wins. Start by measuring small but impactful metrics like customer satisfaction for a specific touchpoint, then share the positive impact on customer engagement or conversion rates.
Be the Educator: CX isn’t yet a standard across many agencies, which can make it harder to “sell.” Be the educator. Make CX digestible and show that it’s less about revolutionizing their entire approach and more about enhancing the customer journey.
Why CX Will Set Your Agency Apart
Adding CX to your services not only makes you a strategic partner for your clients but sets your agency up for future growth in a world where customer expectations are higher than ever. With each interaction contributing to brand perception, CX is what helps convert leads into loyal customers.
Here’s the kicker: adopting a CX mindset will not only help you retain clients but will also attract those looking for more than just numbers—they’ll be looking for partners who care about their customers as much as they do. It’s an investment in your agency’s reputation and long-term client satisfaction.
Ready to see how CX can work for your agency? Schedule a free 15-minute CX consultation with me, where I’ll walk you through a high-level CX analysis and offer insights tailored to your specific needs—no strings attached. Let’s take the first step toward integrating CX in a way that aligns with your goals and brings real value to your clients.