How Women in Business Can Deliver Seamless Client Experiences: Strategies for Ensuring Exceptional Service Delivery

✍️ Opinions

Subham Agrawal

Apr 9, 2024 — 5 min read

Strategies for Women in Business to Deliver Exceptional Client Experiences

This article has been contributed by Ritu Bain, Senior VP Revenue, VideoVerse.

The term "boss lady" carries connotations that, to me, diminish the credibility of women in leadership positions. It implies a gender-specific label that, if flipped, would never be applied to men. Would we ever refer to someone as a "Boss Gent"? The disparity is apparent. As we navigate through the dichotomy of "men are from Mars, women are from Venus," I find it more fitting to attribute credibility to individuals who excel at their work, regardless of gender. Let's say the credibility of such individuals is from Jupiter if that analogy resonates.

What works for women?
Innate Biochemistry
Natural Facilitators of Connectedness
Emphatic Leaders - How Women Nurture Varied
Breaking Stereotypes
Influence in Consumer Purchasing Decisions
The Final Word

What works for women?

In today's fast-evolving business landscape, customer success managementstands as the linchpin for companies striving to thrive in a fiercely competitive,digital world. Providing exceptional customer experiences has become theultimate differentiator, and within this realm, women are emerging as formidableleaders. Reflecting on personal experiences and observations, I've come to recognize intrinsic qualities in women that uniquely equip them for leadershiproles in customer experience (CX) efforts.

Innate Biochemistry

Research suggests that men and women are wired differently, with women often exhibiting higher levels of empathy. This innate quality, essential for understanding unspoken objectives, is crucial in delivering exceptional customer experiences. Brands that prioritize empathy anticipate and fulfill customer needs, even before they are explicitly stated. Studies, including one highlighted by CNN, reinforce the notion that women generally display greater levels of empathy than men. It's a quality that underscores effective customer experiences, playing a pivotal role in understanding customers' unspoken desires and needs.

Natural Facilitators of Connectedness

Connectedness, another vital aspect of customer experience, involves seamlessly integrating various elements to create cohesive and positive interactions. Women's inclination toward circular thinking positions them as natural facilitators of connectedness, aiding in designing individual customer interactions and fostering collaboration across organizational departments.

The influence of women in consumer purchasing decisions is profound, with studies indicating that women make or influence 85% of all consumer purchase decisions. This statistic underscores the importance of women's personal experiences and their role in guiding the design and management of customer experiences.

**Consumer Attitudes and Behaviors based on their Customer Service Experience**

Emphatic Leaders - How Women Nurture Varied

In the realm of customer success management, women bring unique perspectives, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities to the table. Their diversity enhances the dynamism of the work environment, resulting in a better understanding of customer needs. Building relationships with clients, identifying areas for improvement, and working collaboratively to find solutions are areas where women excel, positively impacting the customer journey.

Despite persistent gender stereotypes, women continue to reach new heights in their respective fields. The example of Christina Crawford Kosmowski, Vice President and previous Global Head of Customer Success & Services at Slack, exemplifies how women can lead and excel in customer success management.

She nurtures Diversity and Innovation Women often show leadership styles that emphasize inclusivity, collaboration, and building relationships, which form a solid basis for innovative customer success strategies. Diversity in thought and approach, encouraged by women in leadership, brings fresh perspectives to problem-solving, enhancing the company’s ability to address complex customer experience challenges. Creating an environment that encourages open dialogue, fosters a culture of experimentation, and views successes and failures as valuable learning experiences can drive revolutionary improvements in how services are delivered.

Breaking Stereotypes

Historically, men and women have performed different roles, influenced by their gender. These roles have shaped behaviours and preferences that are observable across genders today, beyond mere societal constructions.

I remember how Enola Holmes, an impetuous adolescent with a penchant for humour was strategic and determined despite her brother's resolve to turn her into a lady. Brilliant researchers would also agree that despite women’s superior performance in numerous leadership competencies, their peers, superiors, and
subordinates often fail to recognise their strategic thinking prowess. Early in their careers, there is a noticeable difference in how strategic thinking capabilities are perceived between genders, but this gap strangely diminishes by the time individuals reach the age of 50.

However, interestingly, The American Psychological Association states after decades of research highlight the transformative impact of women in leadership roles, demonstrating more transformational leadership styles and fostering group collaboration and collective intelligence. Studies show a shift in perceptions over time, with women now seen as equally or more competent than men across various traits.

Women’s presence in teams enhances conversational equality and problem-solving abilities. Surveys indicate women outperform or match men in key leadership qualities, promoting fairness, organisational trust, and higher anticipated salaries in their roles. Additionally, female leadership can challenge and change gender stereotypes in professional settings, as evidenced by natural language processing analyses of corporate communications, emphasising the role of female leaders in altering perceptions of competence and likability.

Strategies represent overarching, long-term plans, while tactics are the shorter- term actions designed to execute these broader strategies. In essence, a strategy outlines the general plan of action, like a campaign, while tactics involve specific steps or manoeuvres to achieve these strategic goals. Thus, strategies typically consist of a series of tactics, with strategies being more general and tactics detailed and operational.

Influence on Consumer Purchasing Decisions

With women driving or influencing an important portion of consumer purchasing decisions, their insights are invaluable in shaping customer experience strategies that resonate on a deeper level with the target market. Gaining insights into consumer behaviour from a female standpoint can help create marketing strategies, develop products, and improve customer service that caters to the specific needs and preferences of a diverse range of customers.

The Final Word

A quote by Dr. Tilna Likki, a Behavioral Scientist, resonates deeply: "Gender stereotypes are notoriously sticky, in part because we're often unaware that we hold them." Beyond managing client interactions, my professional belief extends to shaping essential strategies in sales, marketing, and communications integral roles for business growth. Leveraging global exposure, I lead teams in sports technology, media, and entertainment, using AI for impactful outcomes.

Emphasizing data-driven decisions and efficient operations, I drive innovation for exceptional customer experiences. Fostering meaningful connections within my diverse team, I highlight inclusive strengths that contribute to our success without gender bias, reinforcing the call for eradicating workplace stereotypes and embracing diversity for collective prosperity.