Best Resources for Customer Experience Managers

Whether you’re looking to deepen your expertise, stay updated with industry trends, or find practical tools to enhance your workflow, the right resources are essential for continuous growth and success.

This guide will introduce you to the best resources available for customer experience managers, providing you with a curated selection of valuable materials to enhance your skills and knowledge.

Let’s get started!

TL;DR

This is a professional responsible for improving interactions between a company and its customer base across different touchpoints. They play a key role in implementing a positive customer experience, improving user retention, and minimizing churn rates. Their efforts are instrumental in driving customer loyalty and product adoption.
A customer experience (CX) manager’s responsibilities include understanding customer needs and pain points, optimizing user journeys, collecting user feedback, and implementing strategies to improve the overall CX. They often collaborate with other teams, including customer service, marketing, product, and sales.
To excel, utilize resources like books (e.g., “The Ten Principles Behind Great Customer Experiences”), webinars (Userpilot, BrightTALK.com), blogs (Userpilot, Shep Hyken’s Customer Service Blog), podcasts (Crack the Customer Code), and certifications (Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP), Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification).
Essential tools for customer experience managers include Userpilot for in-app CX, Monday for project management, Freshdesk for CX management, etc.
Looking to enhance your customer experience efforts? Userpilot offers a comprehensive platform for user engagement and analytics. Book a demo today!

What is a customer experience manager?

A customer experience (CX) manager is a professional responsible for improving interactions between a company and its customer base across different touch points. They play a key role in implementing a positive customer experience, improving user retention, and minimizing churn rates. Their efforts are instrumental in driving customer loyalty and product adoption.

What does a customer experience manager do?

A CX manager’s primary responsibilities include understanding customer needs, expectations, and pain points.

They use these insights to dig deeper into the user journey and optimize interactions at various touchpoints.

Additionally, they’re responsible for collecting user feedback, retrieving actionable insights, and implementing strategies to improve the overall CX. Their job usually involves close collaboration with other teams, including customer service, marketing, product, and sales.

Customer experience manager’s main responsibilities

Key responsibilities of a CX manager include:

Customer journey mapping – A CX manager identifies all the touchpoints a customer goes through, from their first contact to post-purchase, and pinpoints the challenges customers face at each touchpoint.
Customer satisfaction and loyalty – A CX manager is responsible for identifying ways to eliminate friction from the user journey, improve satisfaction levels, and build a community of loyal brand advocates.
Recruitment and training – They are often tasked with hiring professionals for customer-facing teams. Also, they equip these professionals with adequate training to ensure positive interactions with the brand at each touchpoint.
Cross-functional collaboration and leadership – CX managers work in a cross-functional environment where they lead a team of professionals from different departments. These include marketing, product, sales, and customer service.
Customer feedback management – A CX manager is responsible for collecting and analyzing user feedback and using those insights to suggest necessary CX enhancements.
CX strategy development – A CX manager digs deeper into user needs and pain points and devises ways to eliminate friction from their journey. The idea is to deliver an outstanding experience that lives up to user expectations.

If you’re looking to build a successful career in CX management, the following resources will come in handy:

Best books for customer experience managers

Dive into these insightful reads to gain a deeper understanding of CX principles, strategies, and psychology:

The Ten Principles Behind Great Customer Experiences by Matt Watkinson – Dig deeper into the core principles of CX with real-life examples.
The Cult of the Customer by Shep Hyken – Discover strategies to delight customers and turn them into loyal brand advocates.
More Is More by Blake Morgan – Understand the importance of going the extra mile to design excellent customer experiences.
The Effortless Experience by Matthew Dixon, Nick Toman, and Rick DeLisi – Discover a four-step framework to win customers with a frictionless experience.
The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath – Find out what goes into creating memorable moments that make customers stick.

You’ll find these books on Amazon and eBay.

Best webinars for customer experience managers

Expand your knowledge and stay up-to-date with the latest CX trends and insights through these informative webinars:

Userpilot – Find live and on-demand webinars on customer experience and product analytics, particularly in the context of SaaS.
BrightTALK.com – Discover a vast collection of fireside chats, talks, and webinars by industry experts.
Gartner – Learn about the impact of new tech like generative AI on customer experience.
Cisco – Explore a selection of webinars featuring insights into the latest CX trends from industry experts.
Qualtrics – Watch on-demand webinars on topics like using AI for customer experience and measuring the impact of CX.

Best blogs for customer experience managers

Stay informed and get your daily dose of CX inspiration with these insightful blogs:

Userpilot’s blog touches upon several CX-related topics, from user behavior analytics and feedback to onboarding.
Shep Hyken’s Customer Service Blog spills the beans on different aspects of CX, including customer loyalty, relationship management, and more.
CustomerThink brings you insights on CX strategies, technology, and more from a global community of experts.
Customer Bliss brings Jeanne Bliss’s expertise to help you win new customers at scale.
HubSpot’s Service Blog covers a broad spectrum of CX-related topics, with a special focus on customer success.

Best podcasts for customer experience managers

Tune in to these engaging podcasts to hear from CX experts, learn about new strategies, and get inspired:

Crack the Customer Code by Jeannie Walters and Adam Toporek – Understand the ins and outs of designing unforgettable customer experiences with insights from different industry professionals; available on Apple and Spotify.
The CX Leader Podcast by Steve Walker – Discover tactics to build the necessary skills and advance your career in CX leadership; available on Apple and Spotify.
CX Today – Stay on top of the latest trends and best practices shaping the CX landscape; available on Apple and Spotify.
Experience This! by Joey Coleman and Dan Gingiss – This lively show covers a broad spectrum of CX-related topics, from fundamentals to future trends; available on Apple and Spotify.
The Intuitive Customer by Colin Shaw and Prof. Ryan Hamilton – A show that covers the most complex CX topics with a casual and fun vibe; available on Apple and Spotify.

Best certifications for customer experience managers

Obtaining the right certifications can significantly boost your expertise and career prospects. Acknowledging that, here are some of the top certifications for CX professionals:

Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) (Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA)): This certification is a well-regarded option for CX professionals. CXPA is a recognized organization in the field, and the CCXP validates your understanding of core CX principles, including customer journey mapping, experience design, and measurement.
Professional in Customer Experience (PCX) Certification (Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA)): This broader CXPA certification focuses on the entire customer experience journey. It can enhance your understanding of customer needs and expectations across all touchpoints.

Business Certifications (Valuable for CX Managers):

Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification (Project Management Institute (PMI)): Many CX initiatives involve project management. This certification equips you with methodologies for managing projects like customer journey improvements or implementing new CX technologies, a skill valued by employers.
Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) Certification (International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA)): CX managers often analyze customer data and feedback to identify areas for improvement.

Marketing & Analytics Certifications (Valuable for CX Managers):

Professional Certified Marketing Manager (PCMM) Certification (American Marketing Association (AMA)): Understanding marketing concepts is valuable for CX managers. This certification strengthens your knowledge of marketing strategies and their alignment with customer experience goals.
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate (Google on Coursera): Earning this practical certification equips you with skills in data collection, analysis, and visualization using Google tools. Customer experience decisions are often data-driven, and having this certification can enhance your ability to make informed decisions.

Best tools for customer experience managers

Being a CX manager means juggling multiple responsibilities, from mapping user journeys to monitoring the impact of customer experience strategies. Plus, you have to stay on top of market trends and changing user preferences. You’re even responsible for training and guiding customer-facing teams to improve user interactions at various touchpoints.

While the job comes with several complexities, using the right tools can make it easier. Here are a few tools that come in handy for customer experience managers:

Best tool for in-app CX: Userpilot – Userpilot offers numerous features to help you improve the in-app experience of your users. From tooltips to resource centers and surveys, it lets you understand your customers and create self-help resources for them.
Best tool for project management: Monday – The feature-packed project management platform lets you choose from 27+ views, including Gantt charts and Kanban boards. It’s ideal for CX managers leading hybrid cross-functional teams to develop and execute various CX strategies.
Best tool for product management: Jira – With Jira, you can collaborate with product teams and stay on top of product development and enhancement projects. You can even use the platform’s AI capabilities to generate actionable insights from your ideas.
Best tool for CX: Freshdesk – The cloud-based software by Freshworks comes with an AI-powered ticketing system and helpdesk solution. It’s ideal for delighting users with prompt, personalized support.
Best tool for customer success: ClientSuccess – The intuitive platform comes with several useful features, such as customer portals and user journey mapping. Plus, you can access a ton of valuable insights into user retention and churn.
Best tool for data analytics: Tableau – The business intelligence software helps CX managers analyze user behavior data, retrieve actionable insights, and generate visual reports.

Conclusion

Professional growth is a continuous journey, and investing in your development is key to staying competitive in the field.

We hope this guide has equipped you with the tools and knowledge needed to excel in your role.

Looking into tools for customer experience managers? Userpilot is an all-in-one product platform with engagement features and powerful analytics capabilities. Book a demo to see it in action!

Best Resources for Customer Experience Managers

TL;DR

Product Teams Can Use Userpilot to:

What is a customer experience manager?

What does a customer experience manager do?

Customer experience manager’s main responsibilities