In a recent LinkedIn post, Jim Tincher, CCXP discusses a critical disconnect he observes between customer experience (CX) measurement and the strategic priorities of senior business leaders. Tincher argues that much of current CX measurement operates as an “autopsy” – accurate but too late to influence outcomes, failing to resonate with executives focused on future growth.
Tincher shares findings from interviews with 34 CEOs and senior leaders across various industries. He notes a consistent theme: while all leaders agreed on the importance of CX when asked directly, their immediate business priorities rarely included it. This disconnect became even more apparent when he probed their ability to quantify CX value.
“When I pushed further — ‘Can you quantify the value CX delivers?’ — only 1 of 34 could answer.”
This gap, Tincher asserts, is not a failure on the part of the CEOs, but rather a challenge for the CX profession itself. He contends that the industry has too often focused on reporting lagging indicators like satisfaction, when executives require predictive insights related to business growth.
The Autopsy vs. The Forecast: Rethinking CX Metrics
Tincher elaborates on this point, highlighting the divergence in focus between CX professionals and executive leadership. While 62% of CEOs identify growth as their top priority – a figure at a decade high – “Customers” ranked only eighth among their concerns. This stark contrast underscores Tincher’s central argument:
“If you can’t show how CX predicts the customer behaviors that drive growth, you’re reporting on the past to people building the future.”
Drawing from his own experiences, including a demotion at UnitedHealth Group for CX work that lacked demonstrable business impact, Tincher emphasizes that the solution lies not in working harder, but in working smarter by shifting the focus to leading indicators. He plans to share a comprehensive framework for this at the CXPA Annual Conference.
Building Leading Indicators for Business Impact
The core of Tincher’s proposed shift involves understanding and measuring the causal chain that connects operations to customer emotion, customer emotion to customer behavior, and ultimately, customer behavior to financial results. This approach moves CX measurement from a retrospective analysis to a forward-looking predictive tool.
“The shift isn’t about working harder. It’s about building leading indicators: which operations drive customer emotion, which emotions drive customer behavior, and which behaviors drive dollars.”
Tincher suggests a practical first step for CX professionals to begin bridging this gap immediately. He advises them to identify the key financial metric their CEO monitors most closely and then engage with the finance department.
“Find the financial metric your CEO watches most closely. Ask Finance: ‘What predicts this? I think I can help.'”
According to Tincher, approaching the conversation from the perspective of predicting and driving the metrics executives care about most is key to changing the dialogue and demonstrating the tangible business value of customer experience initiatives. This strategic reframing, he suggests, is essential for elevating CX from a departmental concern to a core driver of business strategy and success.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Jim Tincher, CCXP on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on March 30, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →