Judy Kay, VP Strategic Initiatives at JDSU, kicked off with a great video about life in 2011. Lots of positive ideas, some horror story predictions, but a pretty balanced view of what we might expect this year. I found this thoroughly enjoyable, an insight into the future. And it was nice to understand more about the myriad areas where JDSU touch our lives, albeit in the background.
JDSU work in 3 key areas:
Advanced Optical Technologies
Communications and Commercial Optical Products
Communications Test and Measurement
In developing their program, they had to find a solution that would work for all of these areas.
For JDSU, Customer Experience is really about Customer Engagement. Building strong relationships with customers, working in partnership, helps JDSU to prevent stumbling in highly competitive, strong growth markets.
But how to measure the impact of their Net Promoter Program?
Prior to NPS, JDSU had more of a research rather than operationalised approach. When Judy took over responsibility for the program, she recognised that a change had to happen. She focused on:
Commitment – they made sure that they achieve every milestone, date and target metric
Deployment – they went with a big bang approach that fully covered all global operations
NPS as a metric? Yes – standing alongside Revenue, Gross Margin and Operating Income
Integration – not just a standalone metric, but a program that was part of how they do business
And, perhaps more importantly, to use the customer feedback to prioritise improvement initiatives.
Most amazingly, they have achieved all of this without a dedicated Net Promoter team – passionate employees have given time, above and beyond their full time jobs, to make the program work.
Measuring success for the program was focused around a number of key points:
Success Factor #1
CXO Level Support
CEO Engagement
Business segment Group Presidents drinking the Koolaid
A rallying cry to the banner of customer-focused culture
Visibility and credibility
NPS reported quarterly side by side with financial, employee and innovation metrics
Communication at every level within the organisation
Success Factor #2
3 NPS Champions – a small group with a deep knowledge and credibility within the 3 key business units
Simple dedication
Studying the Net Promoter Associate Certification course
Choosing the right skills to drive improvement
Visible support from a few key advocates
Especially from Sales VPs highlighting the value to sales at annual kick-offs
Success Factor #3
Initially looked at a possible phased approach…but went global on day one – and this helped to mobilise the whole organisation
Regional sales leads shared great insight
Regions gave time to lead training in local languages
Data was fully global – no caveats required
For JDSU, the Big Bang approach allowed for a greater brainstorm and focus on development. No-one was excluded, so everyone had skin in the game. As a result, Judy was able to pull in time and resource from a raft of volunteers who spoke different languages, understood different cultures and enjoyed the role they got to play in the program.
From my perspective, and as one of the main tutors on the Net Promoter Certification Course, it was very gratifying to hear that the support that Judy and her colleagues got from the course, and from Satmetrix in general, had really helped them to be successful. But ultimately, JDSU’s success is down to the dedication and focus of Judy herself and the people she gathered around her.
If you are just starting on your journey and are looking at a Big Bang approach, I would definitely recommend an emulation of the strategy and approach that Judy took, obviously tailored to your needs, but definitely ensuring that you keep the passion and the belief that Judy displays in the customer experience at the core of your program.
