Once upon a time, there was a customer experience (CX) leader who tried to get funding for a project but couldn’t explain the benefits in ways that the executive team actually cared about. The executives smiled and nodded and sent them away empty-handed. THE END.

Sounds less like a fairy tale and more like a horror story, right? In reality, it’s an all-too-common occurrence. Proving CX ROI often comes up in conversations with both current and prospective Forrester clients. It’s a source of frustration for both the people trying to get investments and those who hold the purse strings.

We’ve both experienced that moment of talking about the ROI of CX with the highest executives in a company and having them literally lean forward when they realize that CX could help them improve their top and bottom line. It’s a revelation for them when the story is told in such a way that they can clearly see how CX can be more than just “the right thing to do” and that its benefits can support the firm’s strategy and longevity.

And yet we also recall the conversations that we have basically weekly (and, during our events, daily) with CX leaders who are talking about improvements and projects in terms that haven’t earned that kind of engaged attention from executives. They describe how improvements will boost CX-specific metrics (such as satisfaction or likelihood to recommend) but don’t connect the dots for executives so that the story has a happy ending for everybody.

But fear not: Forrester has the solution!

Join us at CX Summit North America next month in Nashville, where we’ll host a workshop, “Build Your CX ROI Story.” You will learn how to tell your story in a way that connects CX and business outcomes — and we’ll show off tools that Forrester clients can use today to make the process as easy as 1-2-3. We hope to see you there!