Walking the walk: The Customer Experience Company's social impact initiative

Photograph: Jess Taylor | Location: Sydney Harbour, Australia

At The Customer Experience Company (CEC), I had the incredible opportunity to lead their Social Impact Initiative. During my time leading this project, CEC's open-mindedness and moral commitment to embrace a sustainable future set the stage for an exciting and purpose-driven journey.

With the intention of supporting other businesses to kick off their own social impact initiatives, I'll share the key phases of this drive, and the outcomes that resulted from our collective efforts along the way.

Our Approach:

Phase 1: Creating the Foundation

Our journey began with the formation of a dedicated working group. Originally focused on developing a social impact strategy, it evolved into the Social Impact Initiative Group - a passionate team with a shared vision of walking the walk to have a positive impact.

Phase 2: Unveiling the Potential

With a clear purpose in mind, we undertook thorough research to explore frameworks and potential approaches that would guide our strategy. CEC's alignment with the idea of sustainability being the way of the future fuelled our determination to find the most impactful path forward.

Phase 3: Assessing the Current State

To gauge our starting point, we conducted a comprehensive current state assessment. Leveraging the B Impact tool and SDG framework, we gained valuable insights that illuminated our organisation's social equity and sustainability standing.

Phase 4: Uniting Insights through Analysis

With data in hand, we dived into analysis and synthesis. Affinity mapping enabled us to categorise and identify top opportunities for action. To ensure a cohesive approach, we documented our findings within Notion, complete with tracking mechanisms to monitor progress effectively.

Phase 5: A Refined and Agile Strategy

Adopting a quick win first approach, we refined our strategy into two horizons - "Walk the Walk" and "Community Uplift". Notably, we pivoted from a sole focus on specific SDGs to embracing all quick wins related to each business unit, empowering us to achieve immediate impact.

Phase 6: Seizing Opportunities for Impact

Implementing low effort / high reward opportunities proved to be a game-changer. Within an impressive six weeks, we successfully executed 12 quick wins, validating the effectiveness of our strategy and showcasing our commitment to change.

Phase 7: Fostering Advocacy and Collaboration

Our dedication to co-designing with each business unit enabled us to grow advocacy across the entire organisation. Engaging Office Operations, the Leadership Team, Resourcing & Marketing, and People & Culture allowed us to educate others about their roles in driving impactful change.

Phase 8: Organization-Wide Collaboration

Through collaboration and open communication, we witnessed a remarkable shift. Other stakeholders and working groups enthusiastically executed nine of our quick wins. The Wellbeing Working Group, for example, saw three quick wins come to fruition in the very first month of the pilot.

Phase 9: Crafting the Future Roadmap

To ensure lasting impact, I developed a two-year strategic roadmap for The Customer Experience Company. This empowers the business to continuously maintain, iterate and scale the initiatives in alignment with the strategy.

Restored Faith

Whilst my journey at CEC has sadly come to an end, leading the Social Impact Initiative instilled faith in me that driving impressive, positive change within a short period of time isn't impossible and in fact, is quite feasible with the right approach.

From the creation of a dedicated team to the successful execution of numerous quick wins, every step reinforced CEC's commitment to being a force for good. As they move forward, I'm excited to see the continued growth of advocacy and collaboration across the organisation.

Does this resonate with a need within your business? I'd love to connect and explore how we could drive something like this within your organisation!

Let's leave greenwashing in the past to be the change-makers our world needs. 🤝

#SocialImpact #Sustainability #CEC #ChangeMakers #ImpactfulJourney