This article is part of our Customer Experience Hub — a collection of articles that explore the architecture, practices, and mindset behind great CX, all grounded in real-world teaching and consulting experience.
“We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” — Maya Angelou
I remember a global Mystery Shopper program we ran for a shipping company’s Contact Centers, spanning 40 countries.
At first, many countries resisted being compared to one another. Each argued their market was unique — and that a standardized Mystery Shopper program wouldn’t be fair.
Weeks were spent in debate, with the focus locked on the differences.
But everything shifted when the conversation was reframed:
Who were we in the Customer’s mind?
What jobs-to-be-done did our Customers share?
What did success look like in a Customer conversation?
Once the team saw those common threads, the program design moved forward.
We could compare Contact Center performance across countries and regions while still capturing meaningful local differences — which later became valuable insight for improving subsequent waves of the research.
The Same Lesson Shows Up in Everyday Moments
In Singapore, I’ve heard passionate debates about which hawker stall makes the best Char Kway Teow.
In Germany’s Rheingau region, people compare the homemade Spundekäs prepared by different wineries.
And in Los Angeles, everyone has a favorite taco.
Even if it comes from the food truck that pulled up daily outside the Contact Center I managed in El Segundo.
The dishes change, the regions change — but the love for food is the same.
What This Has to Do with CX
I recently read a post claiming that Customer Experience is practiced very differently in Asia than elsewhere.
Perhaps.
A journey map in Vietnam may differ from one in India.
And the same could be said about Europe.
The CX Head for an Asian car brand once explained that their journey map for a dealership visit in Hungary differed from a dealership visit in Spain.
While the brand followed a global set of journey-mapping practices, they built in local tailoring to honor cultural differences.
Though the journey maps were different, the practice used to create them was the same.
From Asia to Europe to North America, I’ve seen this pattern repeat:
The details shift, but the fundamentals hold steady.
Which Leads to This Useful Wisdom
Look for the similarities first, not the differences.
When we begin with what we share, several good things happen:
We encourage open-mindedness.
In cross-country project teams, starting with a shared goal (“We all want the product to succeed”) makes it easier to explore local differences without defensiveness.
We foster connection rather than division.
In a regional workshop I ran in Kuala Lumpur, participants from nine different countries quickly bonded over shared challenges — like earning leadership buy-in — before any local differences even came up.
We avoid the trap of “I’m not like them” thinking.
In one workshop, a regional team dismissed ideas from another region as irrelevant until they realized just how much they could learn from that region’s success.
When we begin with what connects us, we create a stronger foundation for empathy, collaboration, and improvement — which is much of the work of Customer Experience.
Organizational Culture Matters More Than Where You Live
The Same Principle Applies to Customer Personas
If you’ve ever built robust Customer Personas, you know they reveal themselves gradually.
Differences often surface later — after the shared human needs are already clear.
My Own Experience
Because I teach in many countries, I’m often asked:
How do you manage different cultural expectations when you train around the world?
My answer is always the same:
I look for the similarities in people first, not the differences.
Training Participants in Shanghai and Fiji may live in different worlds, but their questions are remarkably similar:
How can we serve our Customers better?
How can we earn the engagement of our people?
How can I improve my own thinking and outcomes?
Of course, culture and context matter.
It’s not about ignoring differences.
But whether it’s food, journey mapping, or delivering a training experience, Maya Angelou reminds me:
“We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”
Maybe this week, you’ll notice a moment where choosing similarities first changes the tone of a conversation.
Thank You for Reading
I regularly share stories, strategies, and insights from our work across Contact Centers, Customer Service, and Customer Experience. If this resonates, I’d love to stay connected.
You can drop me a line anytime, or subscribe via our website.
Daniel Ord
[email protected]
www.omnitouchinternational.com
