In brief
Starting a CX strategy in financial services requires more than goodwill – it demands commercial logic, executive commitment, and measurable outcomes. In this episode of Competitive CX, industry leaders share how to build a data-led CX business case, align leadership, and pilot change that sticks. If you’re serious about loyalty, growth, or cost reduction, this is your first – and most important – step.
Every CX journey starts somewhere – but where, exactly, should that be?
In the final episode of Competitive CX, Melanie Aimer, Hamish Taylor, and Adam Grainger offer practical, high-impact starting points for CX transformations in financial services. The team challenges leaders to stop viewing CX as a soft add-on and start treating it as a strategic and measurable business function, building a CX business case in financial services.
From building a commercial business case to securing executive alignment and defining KPIs, they offer a playbook of first steps in client experience transformation grounded in decades of experience across asset management, wealth, and banking.
Their message is clear: CX isn’t a soft skill – map client behaviour to financial outcomes, secure leadership accountability, and pilot cultural change through practical tools. Getting started doesn’t mean starting big. It means starting right.
For firms looking to improve loyalty, reduce cost-to-serve, or stand out from competitors, this capstone episode delivers not theory, but practical advice from executives who have been there, done it, and lived with their decisions.
Starting a CX strategy in financial services
In Episode 9, the hosts outline how to succeed at starting a CX strategy in financial services from scratch – grounded in insight, alignment, and execution.
How to start a CX strategy in asset management?
Grainger recommends starting by creating alignment with your colleagues on three things: 1) what is CX, 2) why it’s important to them and you, and 3) your goals as an organization. Crucially, the third point should cover the effect you want to create, how you will measure it, and an identification of your areas of strength and areas for improvement. Then, how you address the areas for improvement becomes like any other change initiative.
Aimer elaborates how effective CX starts with a data-driven business case. “By connecting customer feedback with areas of financial bleed, CX moves from being fluffy to fundamentally commercial. Not only can you reduce cost to serve, but you can also drive top-line growth and client satisfaction – creating a true client-centric culture.” She urges leaders to link client complaints, behaviour, and financial leakage to CX initiatives that drive ROI.
Taylor emphasises that real change only happens when the executive team owns it, insisting that executive leadership should give CX the same importance financial performance and risk – complete with accountable champions and standing agenda items.
Together, the hosts call for practical pilots, commercial business cases, and consistent cultural reinforcement to make CX a business-as-usual capability – not a temporary project.
Key Takeaways
- A CX business case must link client behaviour to commercial outcomes.
- Executive buy-in is essential – CX must sit on the leadership agenda.
- Align on what CX means, why it matters, and how you’ll measure it across all client journeys.
- Benchmark against the best-in-class, which is completely different to just improving your previous results.
- Prioritize your efforts on your areas of underperformance.
- Pilot CX initiatives within your sphere of control, using tools, dashboards, and storytelling.
- Make CX part of business-as-usual, not a side project.
If you’re an asset manager, check out Accomplish’s client experience services here.
And if you just found this useful, check out our other podcast episodes designed for financial services professionals:
- Why care about CX?
- What is CX and who should own it?
- Cultures that kick CX down the road.
- Organisational structure gets in the way of CX.
- Incentives that inadvertently deprioritise CX.
- Regulator – friend or foe to CX?
- Technology – enabler or disabler for CX?
- Solving the most common CX complaints.
- Where to start with CX?
Listen to the full recordings on Podbean.
Connect with Hamish Taylor, Melanie Aimer and Adam Grainger on LinkedIn and follow Competitive CX for cutting-edge insights on client experience in finance.
Frequently asked questions
1. What is the best way to start a CX strategy in financial services?
Start by aligning on what CX means for your organisation, why it matters, and how it will be measured. Build a data-driven business case that links CX initiatives to client behaviour, complaints, and financial outcomes.
2. Why is leadership buy-in essential when starting a CX strategy?
Without executive ownership, CX efforts lack direction and permanence. CX must be treated like financial performance or risk – with accountable leaders, defined goals, and ongoing visibility at the top table.
3. How do you build a CX business case in finance?
Connect operational data with financial results and client behaviour. Show how poor journeys increase churn or cost-to-serve, and how improvements can drive ROI and growth.
4. What’s the first step for asset managers looking to launch a CX programme?
Use behavioural metrics to identify pain points, pilot improvements in your control, and measure results. Success builds momentum – and earns the credibility to scale.
