CX Lessons are everywhere — even in the Netflix show ‘Emily in Paris’.
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.
Here’s what Emily in Paris taught me about CX
Ever washed your hair with dog shampoo because your understanding of the local language only goes so far?
I nearly did — and here’s what that taught me about Customer Experience.
Years ago I moved to Germany
When I first moved to Germany, I stood in a grocery store aisle trying to figure out which bottle of shampoo to buy.
And no, I couldn’t confidently guess at the German words on the label. It was one of many watershed moments.
It’s humbling to reboot your life in a new language.
Forget cultural assimilation for the moment — when you don’t know the language, even simple tasks become challenging.
Using an ATM. Filling out a mailing label correctly. Ordering dinner without surprises.
There are parallels between rebooting life in a new language and implementing a CX strategy
To successfully reboot my life in German, I went through a number of steps.
And I see direct parallels between those steps and how Clients successfully implement CX in their organizations.
1. My world had changed and if I was going to succeed in it I was going to need to change too (and speak German!)
The CX parallel: At the heart of many successful CX strategies is…dissatisfaction.
A realization that the world has changed — and our organization hasn’t kept pace enough to meet new realities. Not paranoia.
But a recognition that what made us successful up to now won’t necessarily keep us successful going forward.
If everyone thinks everything is “just fine,” there’s little impetus for change.
2. I set a specific and ambitious vision for my future – I imagined myself speaking fluent German everywhere I went
The CX parallel: The CX Vision is where it all starts.
Not the organizational vision though of course the CX Vision must consider the organizational vision.
It’s a specific and ambitious view of the future that answers the question: What kind of experience do we intend to deliver?
And no, it’s not created by senior people in a room crafting pretty words.
Crafting a compelling CX Vision requires blending who we are as an organization — brand, value proposition, financial goals — with what Customers want and need from us.
Many Clients spend six months or more exploring both worlds before finalizing their CX Vision.
Once it’s done, it becomes the reference point for every next step.
3. I evaluated the gap between my current state (of speaking German) and my desired future state
The CX parallel: Before launching into the CX doing evaluate where you are now.
A strategic gap analysis across all the vital CX competencies includes looking at the current state of domains like VOC, Metrics, Culture and more.
Only through knowing where you are now, can you determine what you’ll need to move forward. And what that rollout might look like.
4. I set my strategy – my plan of action to achieve my vision (of speaking fluent German)
The CX parallel: Set out your plan of action.
Once I knew my vision and where I stood, I needed a roadmap to get there. The same is true for CX.
Equipped with my CX Vision (point #2) and my readiness analysis (point #3) I can now set out the short, mid & long term activities needed to move forward.
Keep it simple — short-term wins build credibility for the longer-term goals.
Impact grows over time.
And so will your learning on how to make meaningful changes to how your company operates.
5. I considered how speaking German would improve my life overall – which is the real payoff
The CX parallel: It is about the money.
In the real world, we have a responsibility to help our organization do better — financially or otherwise.
CX professionals must articulate how CX work will improve business outcomes in real economic terms.
That’s why I was stunned when I once heard a CX Consultant say, ‘It’s not about the money.’
Terrible advice.
6. I allocated resources into my plan – including time and money
The CX parallel: Be realistic about winning budget approvals.
Winning budget approval requires describing and quantifying the resources you’ll need.
It’s simplistic to say “CX is everyone’s job” and hope your dreams come true. But I’ve learned that it’s your job first — to prove its value — before it becomes everybody’s else’s job.
You’ll be asking others in your business to commit their time and resources too — don’t underestimate that ask.
Be fully able to prove how your work together will help them — with outcomes expressed in clear quantifiable terms.
Can you be successful with a limited budget? Yes, you can.
Constraints breed creativity. You can absolutely build successful business cases — and reputation — within your first year of work.
7. I set appropriate metrics to track my progress along the way (such as passing language exams)
The CX parallel: Establish the best metrics that take you in the right direction.
Metrics reveal progress – and keep our CX efforts headed in the right direction,
Choose metrics that support CX, avoid those that damage it, and be mindful of department-specific measures with limited CX impact.
Then take action based on what your metrics reveal.
If you’ve chosen the right measures, make the effort to move them in the right direction.
8. I shared my vision and progress with my family & friends – to help build a culture of support & accountability
The CX parallel: Things move more easily when everyone is rooting for success.
One CX leader told me she knew she’d succeeded when company colleagues began visiting her office to share what they were doing — compared to her early years spent constantly “out in the field.”
Share your CX successes. Share your failures. There’s a teachable moment in almost every experience.
In closing
These days I can visit the dentist, buy new eyeglasses and make a dinner reservation in German. I’ve passed my B1 Exam and am now enrolled in B2.
I’m not where I want to be with my vision yet – but I’m closer than I was when I started.
Related reading: The Harvard Gazette: The Language of Learning
It will be the same for your CX work too. Your successes will begin to accumulate.
And people in your organization will come to you for advice. Perhaps one of the best signals ever that you’re on the right track.
So thanks Emily in Paris for that resonant moment with the shampoo bottle – and for helping me come up with these lessons for Customer Experience.
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 on our site.
Daniel Ord
[email protected]
www.omnitouchinternational.com
