You know the drill.
Someone in leadership leans in, raises an eyebrow, and hits you with the classic: “What’s the ROI of this?”
And if you’re in CX, that question can feel like trying to explain why your dog needs a $200 grooming bill—you know it’s worth it, but it’s hard to articulate.
The truth is, you’re adding value every day.
You’re keeping customers happy, saving costs, and driving loyalty.
But putting a dollar amount on that impact? That’s where it gets tricky.
According to 2024 research by the CX Network, over 60% of CX professionals struggle to quantify their impact.
Let’s talk about why proving ROI feels so painful—and, more importantly, how you can make it easier.
Why is ROI So Hard to Prove?
There are a few key reasons CX ROI often feels like an uphill climb.
It’s not that CX doesn’t deliver results—it’s just hard to show them in ways leadership cares about.
- CX Takes Time to Pay Off
Customer experience improvements aren’t like flashy ad campaigns. They’re more like planting an orchard—you won’t see the fruit tomorrow, but the harvest is worth the wait. A smoother experience today means loyal customers tomorrow—but that payoff doesn’t show up overnight. The problem? Execs love quick wins. CX plays the long game.
- Everyone Wants Credit
Let’s say customer retention goes up. Was it the CX team’s new initiative? The product team’s killer update? Or the sales team’s follow-ups? Without clear alignment, it’s like trying to split a check after dinner: “Who ordered the steak?”
Here’s a tip: Use collaborative success criteria to ensure everyone is on the same page.
- The Wrong Metrics
You’re tracking NPS and CSAT, and that’s great—but let’s be real, execs want to see how you’re moving the needle on revenue. Leaders want numbers they can take to the bank. If you’re not speaking their language (cost savings, revenue growth), you’re losing them.
How to Turn CX Wins into Business Impact
To make CX a priority, you need to show how it drives real results—the kind leadership cares about.
This is about tying your work to revenue, cost savings, and growth, not about soft wins or feel-good metrics.
To get leadership on board, you need to connect the dots between your work and the company’s bottom line.
Here’s how you do it:
- Pick Metrics That Actually Matter
Forget about NPS and CSAT.
Start tracking metrics that tie to revenue or costs. To be specific:
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): How much more will a happy customer spend over time?
- Churn Rate: How many customers stick around because of your work?
- Cost to Serve: Are you cutting down support costs with better CX?
- Referral Rates: Are satisfied customers bringing in new ones?
- Translate Metrics into Dollars
This is where you team up with finance. They can help you turn CX wins into actual numbers. For example:
- A 5% drop in churn? That’s $X in revenue saved.
- Higher self-service adoption? That’s $Y saved in call center costs.
Execs don’t want fluff—they want numbers. So, give them a story that ends with a dollar sign.
Example formula: If your program reduced churn by 5% among 1,000 customers paying $200 annually, that’s $10K in saved revenue.
- Work Backward from the Goal
Start with the outcome you’re chasing (like reducing churn by 10%) and reverse-engineer the CX initiatives that will get you there. It’s clearer, it’s focused, and it’s easier to measure.
How to Tell Stories Leadership Will Listen To
The numbers matter, but how you tell the story matters just as much.
Bad Story Example:
“We made some changes to the support process, and customers seem happier now.”
Why it doesn’t work: It’s vague. There’s no context, no clear problem, and no emotional connection.
Leadership needs specifics to care.
Good Story Example:
- Before: Customers waited on hold for 20 minutes, leading to frustration and churn. One customer said, ‘I’d rather cancel than call support again.’
- After: A self-service portal reduced wait times to under 2 minutes, saving $100K in support costs and boosting satisfaction by 20%.
Leadership is busy, skeptical, and surrounded by competing priorities. A compelling story helps them feel the value of your work—and buy into it.
Here’s how to do it:
- Set the Scene
Start with the problem.
What was broken? What pain were customers feeling?
Use real examples, quotes, or data to make it relatable.
“Before we improved the support process, 40% of customers had to call back multiple times just to solve one issue. Here’s what one customer said: ‘It’s like I’m stuck on a merry-go-round.’”
- Highlight the Initiative
Describe what you did to fix the problem.
Keep it simple and focus on actions that leadership can understand quickly.
“We launched a self-service portal with a clear step-by-step process, so customers could solve the issue in minutes instead of calling back multiple times.”
- Show the Impact
Now, connect the dots to business results.
Use the numbers but tell them like part of the story—not just data in a vacuum.
“The result? Repeat calls dropped by 20%, saving $250K in support costs last quarter. Customers solved their problems faster, and satisfaction scores jumped from 60% to 85%.”
- End With What’s Next
Wrap up by showing why this matters in the big picture—and what you’ll tackle next.
“This is just the beginning. If we expand this approach to other high-volume issues, we estimate another $500K in savings over the next six months.”
The Takeaway: Make It Real, Make It Clear
If proving ROI feels like climbing Everest in flip-flops, don’t stress. Start small. Connect your CX wins to metrics that matter—revenue growth, cost savings, and loyalty.
When you can tell a story about how CX moves the business forward, people pay attention. And when they see the numbers? They’ll finally stop asking, “But what’s the ROI?”
What about you?
Have you had a CX win that was tough to quantify, or a success story that won leadership over?
Next Month: The Ultimate ROI Storytelling Guide
If you’re still scratching your head on how to package your CX wins into stories that resonate with leadership, I’ve got something you’ll love.
Next month, I’ll share a step-by-step guide to help you craft ROI stories that stick. You’ll get:
- ChatGPT prompts to make ROI storytelling a breeze
- A framework to connect CX metrics to business impact
- Real examples of turning data into narratives leadership can’t ignore
Get ready to finally answer the ROI question with confidence.
Mark Levy is an experienced business leader with over 25 years of expertise in digital and customer experience. Currently serving as the Vice President of Customer Experience at Frontier Communications, Levy is responsible for spearheading initiatives aimed at enhancing customer experience across the organization.
He is also an executive coach, author, and publisher, having recently published a book titled “The Accountability Team Handbook.” Levy also writes the Decoding Customer Experience Newsletter and Podcast, which offers weekly insights, trends, and best practices for customer experience professionals. Find him on LinkedIn.
