From UX to CX lead: Nina’s journey in customer experience transformation

In Valencia, Spain, Nina Hoeberichts, a dedicated customer experience (CX) leader, embarked on a transformative journey with Sherpany, a meeting management software company. Her story highlights the power of a customer-centric approach in driving significant improvements and securing organizational buy-in, even in the face of resistance.

Who is Nina?

Nina is a Dutch CX expert based in Valencia, Spain, currently working as a customer experience lead for a SaaS B2B company based in Switzerland. With a background in marketing, sales, and UX design, she brings a holistic perspective to her role. After working as a UX designer and researcher, she transitioned into CX to focus on enhancing customer interactions and experiences.

Understanding the brand: Sherpany

Sherpany provides meeting management software used by boards of directors and C-level executives in large, regulated corporations such as banks. The platform enables users to securely upload meeting documents, manage agendas, take notes, and organize formal meetings in one place.

One of Sherpany’s key challenges is expanding adoption beyond boards of directors and demonstrating the tool’s tangible impact. The company must cater to different user types within organizations, each with unique needs.

The challenge: changing the mindset within the company

Nina's biggest challenge was shifting the company’s mindset toward CX. While the importance of customers was acknowledged, action often lagged. Resistance to implementing customer research insights was common, as other priorities frequently took precedence. A significant hurdle was demonstrating that CX is not just one department’s responsibility—it’s everyone's.

The solution: implementing customer-centric strategies and initiatives

To overcome these challenges, Nina implemented key strategies:

  • Building relationships: Establishing strong connections with senior management through regular check-ins to discuss CX activities and insights.
  • Involving stakeholders in research: Inviting senior management to customer interviews and research sessions to witness feedback firsthand.
  • Quarterly CX updates: Presenting CX updates, including video snippets of customer interviews, at management meetings to highlight key insights.
  • Implementing customer feedback metrics: Introducing surveys along the customer journey to gain a holistic view of customer experiences at key touchpoints.
  • Linking feedback to the product roadmap: Using tools like Product Board to connect customer feedback directly to product initiatives, quantifying customer pain points.
  • Defining CX principles: Conducting workshops with every team to develop CX principles and ensure their integration into daily customer interactions.
  • Aligning CX with company vision: Establishing a CX vision that became part of the company’s overall mission—to make every meeting count for customers.

Lessons learned & advice for CX professionals

Nina’s experiences at Sherpany offer valuable insights for CX professionals:

  • Involve stakeholders early: Engage key players from the start of research projects, including goal-setting and proposal development, to foster buy-in.
  • Share insights proactively: Over-communicate customer insights throughout the organization to raise awareness and drive action.
  • Align CX strategy: Integrate CX with other departmental strategies to ensure it’s a shared responsibility.
  • Challenge the status quo: Don’t be afraid to push for greater customer-centricity within the organization.
  • Experiment and adapt: Try different initiatives and be willing to pivot if something doesn’t work.

Nina emphasizes the importance of involving stakeholders early, challenging the organization, and being unafraid to advocate for CX.

Final thoughts

Nina’s journey at Sherpany illustrates how a dedicated CX professional can drive meaningful change. By fostering relationships, sharing insights, and aligning CX with broader business objectives, she transformed Sherpany’s approach to customer experience. Her story serves as both inspiration and a practical guide for CX professionals striving to create lasting impact within their organizations.