Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Track CX Progress: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

The term “customer experience” (CX) has become popular in today’s competitive market, but what does it actually mean? Simply stated, customer experience (CX) is the way that customers feel about every interaction they have with your company, from using your website to contacting customer service. Because it has a direct impact on customer satisfaction, loyalty, and even your bottom line, it is imperative. So, how do you determine whether your CX is accurate? Herein lies the role of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). By monitoring the appropriate KPIs, you can assess your CX initiatives and make sure you’re generating business success.

Key Performance Indicators for CX Measurement

When it comes to measuring customer experience, there are a few KPIs you can’t ignore:

1. Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) – CSAT measures how satisfied your customers are with a specific interaction, like a support call or product purchase. It’s often gathered through quick surveys and helps you get instant feedback.
2. Net Promoter Score (NPS) – This KPI is about understanding customer loyalty. By asking customers how likely they are to recommend your brand, you can see who your promoters are and who may be at risk of churning.
3. Customer Effort Score (CES) – CES tells you how easy it is for customers to get what they need from you. The less effort, the better the experience.
4. First Contact Resolution (FCR) – How quickly can you solve a customer’s issue? FCR measures the percentage of problems resolved in the first interaction, a strong indicator of efficient customer service.
5. Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) – CLTV tracks the total revenue a customer is expected to bring in over the course of their relationship with your company. Higher CLTV often reflects a good CX strategy that builds long-term loyalty.

How to Use KPIs to Improve CX

Tracking KPIs is just the start—what you do with that information is what really matters.

1. Setting CX Goals and Objectives – Before you begin measuring your customer experience (CX), you need to have clear goals and objectives. These goals act as your roadmap—they tell you what you’re working towards. For example, are you trying to reduce customer churn (the rate at which customers stop doing business with you)? Or is your focus on increasing customer engagement, like getting customers to interact more with your product, website, or services? Maybe you’re looking to improve customer satisfaction after service calls.

• Let’s say you run an e-commerce business. A good CX objective might be to reduce the number of customers who abandon their shopping carts. Or, if you manage a customer experience agency, you may want to reduce the time it takes to resolve customer inquiries. Whatever your specific goals, it’s important to define them clearly upfront, so you know exactly what you’re measuring and why.

2. Collecting and Analyzing CX Data – Once your goals are set, it’s time to collect data. Gathering customer experience data involves various methods, such as surveys, feedback forms, customer reviews, and analytics tools. This data helps you see how customers are interacting with your business at each stage of their journey.

• For example, you can send a short CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) survey after every interaction with CX Agency (Onething). Or, you could use web analytics to track how long users spend on your website and which pages they tend to leave from. If you’re tracking Net Promoter Score (NPS), you can gather data by asking customers how likely they are to recommend your brand to others on a scale of 1 to 10.

• Analyzing this data can provide insights into pain points and areas for improvement. Maybe you notice that customers are spending too much time on the checkout page and leaving before completing their purchase. This could indicate that your checkout process is confusing or too lengthy.

3. Identifying Areas for Improvement – Once you’ve collected data, it’s time to make sense of it and identify areas where your customer experience could improve. Your CX data will help you understand what’s going well and what’s not.

• For instance, let’s say your First Contact Resolution (FCR) rate—how often customer issues are resolved on the first attempt—is low. This might indicate that your support team needs more training or better resources to handle inquiries efficiently. Another example could be that your website’s Customer Effort Score (CES) is high, meaning customers find it difficult to navigate or complete tasks. This signals the need for a more user-friendly design.

• Identifying these areas is crucial because it lets you focus your improvement efforts on the parts of the customer journey that are causing the most friction.

4. Implementing CX Initiatives – Once you’ve identified the problem areas, it’s time to take action. CX initiatives refer to the specific steps you take to improve customer experience based on your data insights. For example, if you found that customers are frustrated by long hold times in customer service, you might hire additional staff or implement a callback system.

• Or, let’s say your Customer Effort Score (CES) showed that customers find it difficult to complete a purchase on your website. In response, you might redesign your checkout process to make it simpler and more intuitive, perhaps by reducing the number of steps or offering more payment options.

• In another scenario, if customers aren’t happy with their interactions with your support team, it might be time for more training. Providing your staff with better product knowledge or teaching them new communication techniques can drastically improve how they interact with customers, leading to higher satisfaction.

5. Measuring and Tracking Progress –Improving CX isn’t a one-time task; it’s an ongoing process. Once you’ve implemented changes, it’s crucial to keep measuring your KPIs to track the effectiveness of your efforts. This is where long-term KPI tracking comes in. Regularly revisiting your KPIs, like NPS, CSAT, or CLTV (Customer Lifetime Value), will show you whether your improvements are working.

• For example, if you’ve implemented a new initiative to reduce response times in customer service, you can track your First Contact Resolution (FCR) and CSAT scores before and after the change. If they’re improving, you know you’re on the right track. However, if your KPIs show no progress, you might need to adjust your strategy or experiment with different approaches.

• It’s also essential to track these KPIs over time to spot trends. For instance, you may notice that your Customer Churn Rate spikes during certain seasons, which could help you plan for more customer support or inventory during those times.

Examples in Practice

• A SaaS company might set a goal to improve customer engagement by encouraging more users to explore additional product features. They could track NPS and Customer Engagement Metrics to see if users are becoming more engaged after an onboarding program.
• A retail business may focus on improving customer retention by enhancing the in-store experience. They could implement customer feedback surveys to measure CSAT and monitor Customer Churn to see if these initiatives lead to more repeat customers.

By consistently measuring, analyzing, and acting on the right KPIs, businesses can continually refine their CX strategy and create experiences that keep customers satisfied and loyal.

Best Practices for CX Measurement

Measuring customer experience is an ongoing process. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your CX KPIs:

1. Choose the Right KPIs for Your Business – Not all KPIs will be relevant to every business. If you’re a SaaS company, CLTV might be critical, while a retail store might focus more on CSAT.
2. Use a Consistent Methodology – It’s important to measure your KPIs the same way over time. This gives you a clearer sense of how your CX is improving (or where it’s falling short).
3. Track KPIs Over Time – CX improvement is a marathon, not a sprint. By regularly tracking KPIs, you can see long-term trends and make adjustments as needed.
4. Involve Employees in CX Measurement – Your employees are on the front lines of customer experience. Engage them in the process by sharing KPI results and gathering their input on how to improve.
5. Continuously Improve Your CX Strategy – The customer journey is constantly evolving. Stay agile by using your KPI data to continuously refine your CX strategy and stay ahead of the competition.

Conclusion

Customer experience is one of the most powerful ways to differentiate your business. By tracking essential KPIs like NPS, CSAT, and CLTV, and making data-driven improvements, you can create a CX strategy that drives customer satisfaction and loyalty. Remember, the key is to stay proactive—collect, analyze, and improve. Your customers, and your business, will thank you.