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October 6, 2025 •Jon Zeslawski
Let’s get one thing clear: improving customer experience isn’t just a marketing initiative. It’s a transformation imperative. It requires operational alignment, smarter metrics, and cross-functional teams that are empowered to act in real time.
In a recent deep-dive session, we took a closer look at how CXO can become the engine of operational excellence—not just an initiative bolted onto marketing, but a redesign of how teams function and deliver value. We explored how utility programs can build agile, responsive systems that aren’t just designed for performance—they’re designed for people.
Why Metrics Need a Makeover
For years, we’ve tracked program performance using the same old indicators: number of installs, completion rates, maybe a net promoter score here and there. But those metrics don’t tell us how customers are really experiencing our programs.
CXO reframes performance through a real-time operational lens. Instead of looking only at end results, we focus on the signals that shape those outcomes. We look at:
- Where are customers getting stuck?
- How long does it take to complete key steps?
- What signals predict drop-off, satisfaction, or referrals?
These are not just reporting metrics—they're real-time insights that empower teams to improve outcomes immediately. This is the shift from reporting on the past to shaping the present.
Smarter Ways of Working
Operationalizing CXO means rethinking how our teams work. At Franklin Energy, our Transformation Office builds agile, cross-functional teams that are equipped to act on live customer feedback.
We digitize intake. We streamline handoffs. We empower frontline staff with playbooks and coaching so they can solve problems where they happen.
This kind of internal transformation reduces friction for the customer—and it pays off. In one of our pilots, we increased team capacity by 6% and cut CO2 emissions by 19% simply by improving routing and reducing idle time.
None of this required new technology. Just new alignment. When marketing, operations, and field teams collaborate based on shared customer-aligned metrics, the entire experience improves.
Empowering People, Not Just Platforms
CXO isn't just about tools. It's about people. When employees understand how their work directly affects equity, satisfaction, and engagement, they become part of the solution.
We’ve seen teams light up with ownership when they realize they can influence program impact by improving how they plan routes, handle customer changes, or follow up on service calls. Through performance excellence techniques, we train and coach our teams to continuously improve—day by day, action by action.
The result? More effective programs, happier customers, and a more energized workforce.
Breaking Down Barriers, Building Up Impact
CXO brings visibility across departments, creating a shared language around outcomes. In practice, it means that teams once operating independently can now problem-solve together—accelerating delivery, reducing friction, and strengthening service continuity. A restructured journey flow we implemented across one initiative led to:
- Fewer handoffs
- Faster time to install
- Higher customer satisfaction
All without investing in new platforms. Just clearer communication, better metrics, and a shared commitment to the customer experience.
Building the Flywheel
The operational benefits of CXO go beyond the immediate. By equipping teams with clarity, tools, and measurable goals, we set in motion a flywheel of improvement that grows stronger with every iteration.
The more we enable our teams with capability and metrics that matter, the more they collaborate. The more they collaborate, the more impact they deliver. This is how we build what I like to call the flywheel—a self-reinforcing system of continuous improvement that turns insight into action, and action into impact.
At Franklin Energy, we’re scaling this model across our teams and programs nationwide—because this approach isn’t just replicable, it’s scalable. And the results speak for themselves.
🎥 Ready to reimagine the customer experience through smarter ways of working? Watch our on-demand session, Customer Experience Optimization: The New Blueprint for Program Success, and explore how to build better systems, stronger teams, and programs that perform.
