Rounding out the Hi-Tech track, Tabitha Dunn, Director of Customer Insights for Citrix Online - the home of such celebrated projects as GoTo Meeting, GoTo Assist and GoTo Webinar - shared some insights about how NPS can be a driver of corporate priorities.

In the case of Citrix Online, the driver was product development and innnovation.

Tabitha gave us a veiled look at the projected numbers for a top-secret new project coming from Citrix Online. We were able to see the projections, but we don't know what the product is...yet. We got the distinct impression that the new product might hit digital shelves in about a month or so. Exciting!

Tabitha took the time to answer a lot of participant questions -- so much so that we had a mic runner in the room the entire time, but here are a few top-level take-aways:

• Make sure you ask what people really want. And when you ask, get to the bottom of why they want what they want. Delivering on the wrong want/need can deliver low NPS scores. Tabitha gave the example of Citrix Online's customers asking for a smart phone client for their GoTo MyPC product. On the surface, it appeared that people wanted to be able to visit their computer desktops from their smart phone. But, when asked why they wanted to be able to do this and pointing out that the screen would be very tiny, etc., it turns out that users wanted to be able to access files in case they forgot them while traveling, for instance. (I personally think that some sort of file transfer product is what Citrix Online is launching in a month or so - some sort of GoTo MyFiles or something - but I can't be sure and certainly have no inside knowledge of such. It would be a good move for them though.)
• Tabitha said, "The 'money' question is: how can we get from a 5 to a 10?" Meaning, the true value to a company's NPS program lies in figuring out how to drive improvement.
• After seeing the various financial models and NPS/CX programs they've built, I chimed in and asked how long it took them to achieve what they've done. Her answer: 11 months and 2 full-time active team members. Wow, way to go Citrix.

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Yesterday, I was the Hi-Tech Track Chair and as a result, had the pleasure of hearing Desirree Madison-Biggs, Director of Customer Experience at Symantec, speak about budget-friendy ways to put some zing in your CX program. (I must admit that it was quite cool to see the funny, yet informative, video they produced to update team members worldwide on NPS numbers.)

If you couldn't make it - shame on you! Just kidding...here are the top level take-aways in case you missed this session:

• Symantec was bold enough to accept some of their CX challenges head on and adopted a  position of "Customer First" and in fact, went so far as to give their CX program this theme: "Customer First: All the Insight, All the Time".
  
• Desirree HIGHLY recommended having a game plan for your CX program. "You need a roadmap to there," she said. She admitted that Symantec put together part of their roadmap after a lot of the work had been done, but it's clear they're leading in CX programming now.
• Desirree was smart enough to pepper her presentation with what would appear to be some obvious advice -- but these are all the things we forget when putting together CX programs. Sometimes the basics go by the wayside and we need someone who's been there to give us a gentle reminder. For example, here's this gem she shared: "You can't create promoters when service people aren't trained properly and aren't being nice to customers -- or if you have broken customer promises." Sounds obvious, right? But, how many times have you overlooked the forest for the trees when developing and implementing your CX program? Things to think about...
• She also recommended creating an internal buzz. This requires a few things: the 'buzz' needs to come from the top, employees need to be engaged and empowered with action steps in order to get them on the same page and success stories need to be celebrated.
  
• If you work within a national or international organization, don't forget to develop and nurture relationships with regional NPS champions. These are the people who'll keep the NPS home fires burning in between messages from corporate. For example, Symantec owned their CX program by mobilizing 17K employees to use a custom-developed customer assistance tool so that anyone can help a customer when needed. Genius. They also have a Customer First intranet/portal that showcases up-to-the-minute NPS scores and anything related to the organizations customer loyalty efforts. It's the first stop for anyone who wants to know about the Customer First program.
  
• Desirree also pointed out not to lump all staff into the same bucket when it comes to CX programming. For example, Symantec has a special portal for their sales team and have created a RVP (Relationship Value Program). They also rolled out manager training so management can have conversations with employees about CX goals and where they fit into the bigger picture - it's all about each person knowing how they can specifically positively impact NPS.
  
• The part that I thought was very forward-thinking is Symantec's CX Wiki, which is for employees as they move from position to position and want to bring information about Symantec's committment to customer loyalty with them.
• Overall, Desirree stressed, "Communication is key! It is the underpinning to creating change within your organization."

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