Interview Guide for

Customer Experience Manager

This comprehensive Customer Experience Manager interview guide equips hiring teams with a structured framework to evaluate candidates effectively. Crafted with behavioral-focused questions and detailed evaluation criteria, this guide helps identify candidates who can champion customer-centricity, analyze customer feedback, and drive meaningful improvements across your organization.

How to Use This Guide

This interview guide serves as your roadmap to finding the ideal Customer Experience Manager. To maximize its effectiveness:

Customize to Your Needs: Adapt questions to reflect your company's specific customer experience challenges and priorities.
Share with Your Team: Distribute to all interviewers to ensure consistency and alignment in the interview process.
Follow the Structure: Use the planned sequence of interviews to thoroughly evaluate each candidate from different angles.
Leverage Follow-up Questions: Dig deeper into candidate responses to understand their true capabilities beyond rehearsed answers.
Score Independently: Have each interviewer complete their scorecard before discussing candidates to prevent bias and capture diverse perspectives.

For more insights on conducting effective interviews, check out our guide on how to conduct a job interview. You can also explore our interview scorecard guide to better understand the value of structured evaluation.

Job Description

Customer Experience Manager

About [Company]

[Company] is a [industry] leader committed to delivering exceptional experiences to our customers. Located in [location], we've built our reputation on understanding customer needs and consistently exceeding expectations.

The Role

As Customer Experience Manager at [Company], you'll lead efforts to understand, improve, and optimize the entire customer journey. You'll work cross-functionally to identify opportunities for enhancement and develop strategies that drive customer satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy. Your role will be central to our company's ongoing success and growth.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the development and implementation of customer experience strategies across all touchpoints
Analyze customer feedback, metrics, and journey maps to identify improvement opportunities
Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Sales, Marketing, Product, Support) to implement customer experience enhancements
Establish and track key CX metrics to measure success and ROI of initiatives
Develop and manage Voice of Customer programs to gather actionable insights
Create customer journey maps to identify pain points and opportunities
Stay current with CX best practices and emerging trends
Coach and mentor team members on customer experience principles
Present findings and recommendations to senior leadership
Drive a customer-centric culture throughout the organization

What We're Looking For

5+ years of experience in customer experience management, customer success, or related field
Proven track record of implementing successful CX initiatives that improved customer satisfaction and business outcomes
Strong analytical skills with experience using CX metrics and tools (NPS, CSAT, CES, etc.)
Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence across all levels
Experience with customer journey mapping and Voice of Customer methodologies
Ability to translate customer insights into actionable recommendations
Strong project management and organizational skills
Collaborative mindset with ability to work effectively across departments
Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or related field (Master's preferred)
CX certification a plus (CCXP, etc.)

Why Join [Company]

Join our team and be part of an organization that truly values its customers and employees. We offer a collaborative, innovative environment where your ideas will shape the future of our customer experience.

Competitive salary: [Pay Range]
Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance
401(k) matching program
Professional development opportunities
Flexible work arrangements
Collaborative and innovative company culture

Hiring Process

We've designed a streamlined interview process to help us find the right candidate while respecting your time:

Initial Screening Interview: A 30-minute conversation with our recruiter to discuss your background and experience in customer experience management.
Customer Experience Work Sample: You'll analyze a sample customer journey and provide recommendations for improvement.
Customer-Centricity and Collaboration Interview: A deeper dive into your approach to customer experience and cross-functional collaboration.
Leadership and Strategy Interview: Exploration of your leadership style and strategic thinking with our senior leadership team.
Final Conversation: An opportunity to address any remaining questions and discuss next steps.

Ideal Candidate Profile (Internal)

Role Overview

The Customer Experience Manager will be the driving force behind our company's efforts to create exceptional customer experiences. This role combines analytical skills with creative problem-solving to identify improvements across the customer journey. The ideal candidate will be both data-driven and empathetic, able to see the business through the customer's eyes while driving measurable business results.

Essential Behavioral Competencies

Customer Advocacy: Demonstrates unwavering commitment to representing the customer's voice within the organization; consistently works to improve experiences based on customer needs and feedback.

Analytical Thinking: Skillfully collects, analyzes, and interprets customer data to identify trends, pinpoint problems, and develop effective solutions; translates complex data into actionable insights.

Cross-Functional Leadership: Successfully influences and collaborates across departments without direct authority; builds consensus and drives unified action toward improving customer experience.

Communication Excellence: Clearly articulates complex customer experience concepts to various stakeholders; tailors communication style and content to the audience; effectively presents findings and recommendations.

Change Management: Expertly navigates resistance to change; develops and implements strategies to gain buy-in for customer experience initiatives; guides the organization through customer-focused transformations.

Desired Outcomes

Design and implement a comprehensive Voice of Customer program that increases response rates by 30% and provides actionable insights within the first six months.
Reduce customer friction points by 25% across key touchpoints by mapping the customer journey and implementing targeted improvements.
Increase Net Promoter Score (NPS) by 15 points within the first year through strategic CX initiatives.
Establish a cross-functional CX council that meets monthly to drive customer-centric thinking across departments.
Develop a CX metrics dashboard that provides real-time visibility into customer satisfaction and experience trends.

Ideal Candidate Traits

Customer-Obsessed: Consistently puts the customer at the center of all decisions; naturally sees business problems from the customer's perspective.
Data-Driven: Comfortable working with metrics and analytics; makes decisions based on data rather than assumptions.
Influential Communicator: Able to tell compelling stories with data that drive action; skilled at presenting to executives and frontline employees alike.
Collaborative Leader: Works effectively across organizational boundaries; builds strong relationships with stakeholders in all departments.
Resilient Problem-Solver: Persists through obstacles; finds creative solutions to complex customer experience challenges.
Empathetic Listener: Truly hears and understands customer and employee concerns; creates psychological safety for honest feedback.
Continuous Learner: Stays current on CX trends and best practices; eagerly adopts new methodologies and technologies.
Results-Oriented: Focuses on measurable outcomes; ties CX initiatives to business results.

Screening Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This screening interview is your first opportunity to identify high-potential Customer Experience Manager candidates. Your goal is to evaluate their fundamental understanding of customer experience principles, assess their track record of success, and determine if they have the analytical skills and cross-functional influence needed for this role.

Best practices for this interview:

Review the candidate's resume before the call to personalize your questions
Allow the candidate to do most of the talking (80/20 rule)
Listen for specific examples rather than theoretical approaches
Note how they measure success and impact in their previous roles
Pay attention to how they talk about customers - with empathy or as abstract data points
Save time at the end for candidate questions

Directions to Share with Candidate

"Today, we'll be discussing your experience in customer experience management, your approach to understanding and improving customer journeys, and your methods for measuring success. I'd like to hear specific examples from your past work. We'll have time at the end for any questions you have about the role or [Company]."

Interview Questions

Tell me about your experience in customer experience management and what drew you to this field.

Areas to Cover

Career progression in customer experience roles
Specific responsibilities in previous CX positions
Personal connection to customer experience work
Understanding of CX as a discipline and its business impact
Notable achievements in previous roles

Possible Follow-up Questions

What CX projects are you most proud of leading?
How has your approach to customer experience evolved over time?
What do you find most challenging about working in customer experience?
How would you define excellent customer experience?

Describe a time when you identified a significant customer pain point and led an initiative to address it. What was the situation, your approach, and the outcome?

Areas to Cover

How they identified the pain point (data sources, methodologies)
Their approach to analyzing the root cause
How they developed the solution
Cross-functional collaboration aspects
Implementation process and challenges
Measurement of results and business impact
Lessons learned

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you prioritize this issue among other customer concerns?
What resistance did you face and how did you overcome it?
How did you get buy-in from leadership and other departments?
What would you do differently if you could do it again?

What customer experience metrics do you consider most valuable, and how have you used them to drive improvements?

Areas to Cover

Knowledge of standard CX metrics (NPS, CSAT, CES, etc.)
Understanding of how to collect meaningful data
Approach to analyzing and interpreting metrics
How they translate metrics into actionable insights
Examples of metrics-driven decisions
How they communicate metrics to different stakeholders

Possible Follow-up Questions

How do you handle conflicting metrics?
How do you ensure metrics are measuring what truly matters to customers?
How do you tie CX metrics to business outcomes?
What tools or technologies have you used to track and analyze these metrics?

What methods have you used to gather customer feedback, and how did you ensure you were getting representative, actionable insights?

Areas to Cover

Experience with different feedback collection methods
Approach to designing effective surveys or research
Strategies for increasing response rates
Methods for ensuring representative feedback
Techniques for identifying actionable insights
Examples of turning feedback into action

Possible Follow-up Questions

How do you handle negative feedback?
How do you prioritize which customer feedback to act on?
How do you validate that feedback is representative of your broader customer base?
What techniques do you use to uncover unspoken customer needs?

How do you approach building cross-functional support for customer experience initiatives?

Areas to Cover

Strategies for influencing without authority
Methods for demonstrating value to different departments
Experience creating cross-functional teams or committees
Techniques for overcoming resistance
Communication approaches for different stakeholders
Examples of successful cross-functional initiatives

Possible Follow-up Questions

How do you handle resistance from teams with competing priorities?
How do you demonstrate the ROI of CX initiatives to leadership?
How do you ensure that CX remains a priority across the organization?
How do you translate customer needs to different functional areas?

In what ways have you contributed to building a customer-centric culture in previous organizations?

Areas to Cover

Specific programs or initiatives they designed
Training or education approaches
How they measured cultural change
Methods for reinforcing customer-centric behaviors
Challenges faced and how they were overcome
Impact on the organization

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you gain executive support for cultural initiatives?
What resistance did you encounter and how did you address it?
How did you measure the impact of cultural changes?
What specific behaviors did you try to change or reinforce?

Interview Scorecard

Customer Experience Expertise

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited experience with customer experience principles and methodologies
2: Basic understanding of CX with some implementation experience
3: Solid experience implementing CX programs with measurable results
4: Exceptional expertise and track record of transformative CX initiatives

Analytical Capabilities

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Minimal experience analyzing customer data or using CX metrics
2: Basic analytical skills with some experience using standard CX metrics
3: Strong analytical skills with proven ability to derive insights from CX data
4: Exceptional analytical capabilities that have led to significant business improvements

Cross-Functional Collaboration

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Primarily works within own team with limited cross-functional experience
2: Some experience collaborating across departments with mixed results
3: Demonstrated ability to build consensus and drive action across teams
4: Exceptional track record of leading successful cross-functional initiatives

Design and implement a comprehensive Voice of Customer program

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Limited experience with VoC programs
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Has implemented basic feedback systems
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Has designed comprehensive VoC programs with good results
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Has transformed organizations through sophisticated VoC programs

Reduce customer friction points by 25% across key touchpoints

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Limited experience identifying or addressing friction points
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Has made incremental improvements to customer journeys
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Has successfully reduced friction in significant customer journeys
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Has transformed customer journeys resulting in major improvements

Increase Net Promoter Score (NPS) by 15 points

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Limited experience with NPS or improving customer loyalty metrics
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Has achieved modest improvements in loyalty metrics
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Has significantly improved NPS or similar metrics in past roles
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Has consistently delivered exceptional improvements in loyalty metrics

Establish a cross-functional CX council

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Limited experience with cross-functional leadership
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Has participated in but not led cross-functional teams
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Has successfully established and led cross-functional initiatives
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Has created lasting cross-functional governance structures

Develop a CX metrics dashboard

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Limited experience with CX metrics and reporting
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Has created basic reporting systems
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Has developed comprehensive dashboards that drove action
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Has implemented sophisticated real-time analytics systems

Recommendation to Proceed

1: Strong No Hire - Does not meet our minimum requirements for the role
2: No Hire - Has some strengths but significant gaps in critical areas
3: Hire - Meets our requirements and likely to succeed in the role
4: Strong Hire - Exceptional candidate who will excel in the role and elevate our CX function

Customer Experience Work Sample

Directions for the Interviewer

This work sample is designed to assess the candidate's practical ability to analyze customer experience data, identify issues, and develop actionable recommendations. It will reveal their analytical skills, strategic thinking, empathy for customers, and ability to communicate complex findings clearly.

Best practices for evaluating this work sample:

Provide the materials at least 24 hours in advance
Be clear about your expectations for the deliverable
Focus more on their approach and reasoning than on perfect answers
Look for evidence of both analytical rigor and customer empathy
Assess how well they prioritize issues and recommendations
Evaluate the practicality and potential impact of their suggestions
Consider how well they communicate complex findings
Allow time for them to explain their thought process and answer questions about their analysis

Directions to Share with Candidate

"We'd like you to analyze a sample customer journey for [Company/Industry] and provide recommendations for improvement. You'll receive a packet containing customer feedback data, journey maps, and relevant metrics for a fictional but realistic scenario.

Please prepare a 15-20 minute presentation that includes:

Key insights from your analysis of the customer data
Identification of the top 3-5 pain points in the customer journey
Prioritized recommendations to address these issues
How you would measure success of your proposed changes

We're interested in your analytical approach, your ability to identify meaningful patterns, and how you develop actionable recommendations. Please be prepared to discuss your thought process and answer questions after your presentation."

Interview Scorecard

Analytical Thinking

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Superficial analysis that misses key insights or patterns in the data
2: Basic analysis identifying obvious issues but lacking depth
3: Thorough analysis revealing meaningful insights and connections between data points
4: Exceptional analysis uncovering subtle patterns and non-obvious insights that others might miss

Strategic Prioritization

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unable to effectively prioritize issues; focuses on symptoms rather than root causes
2: Basic prioritization but rationale not clearly supported by data or business impact
3: Clear prioritization with sound reasoning based on customer impact and business value
4: Sophisticated prioritization framework that balances customer needs, business impact, and implementation feasibility

Solution Development

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Generic or impractical recommendations lacking specificity
2: Workable solutions but lacking innovation or addressing only surface issues
3: Well-developed, practical recommendations that address root causes
4: Highly innovative yet practical solutions that could transform the customer experience

Measurement Framework

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Vague or inappropriate success metrics
2: Basic metrics that partially capture impact but miss important dimensions
3: Comprehensive measurement approach that captures both customer and business outcomes
4: Sophisticated measurement framework that includes leading and lagging indicators across multiple dimensions

Communication Clarity

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Disorganized presentation with unclear explanations of findings
2: Basic presentation of information but lacking persuasive elements
3: Clear, well-structured presentation that effectively communicates key points
4: Exceptional presentation that tells a compelling story, anticipates questions, and inspires action

Design and implement a comprehensive Voice of Customer program

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Shows limited understanding of VoC methodologies
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Demonstrates basic knowledge of feedback systems
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Shows strong capabilities in developing comprehensive feedback mechanisms
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Demonstrates innovative thinking about VoC that could transform our program

Reduce customer friction points by 25% across key touchpoints

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Failed to identify major friction points or proposed ineffective solutions
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Identified some friction points with reasonable solutions
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Systematically identified key friction points with effective solutions
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Demonstrated exceptional ability to identify and solve friction points creatively

Increase Net Promoter Score (NPS) by 15 points

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Recommendations unlikely to significantly impact loyalty
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Some recommendations could improve satisfaction
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Recommendations address key drivers of loyalty and advocacy
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Comprehensive approach that could dramatically improve customer loyalty

Establish a cross-functional CX council

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Shows limited understanding of cross-functional dynamics
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Basic understanding of stakeholder management
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Demonstrates clear ability to identify and engage key stakeholders
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Shows sophisticated understanding of organizational dynamics and influence

Develop a CX metrics dashboard

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Proposed metrics lack relevance or comprehensiveness
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Basic metrics approach but missing important elements
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Comprehensive metrics framework that balances different perspectives
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Innovative approach to measurement that could provide competitive advantage

Recommendation to Proceed

1: Strong No Hire - Work sample reveals significant gaps in analytical ability or strategic thinking
2: No Hire - Work sample shows some strengths but lacks depth or practicality
3: Hire - Work sample demonstrates solid capabilities that align with our needs
4: Strong Hire - Exceptional work sample that exceeds expectations and shows unique capabilities

Customer-Centricity and Collaboration Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This interview focuses on the candidate's ability to champion the customer perspective while effectively collaborating across different departments. Your goal is to assess their customer advocacy skills, cross-functional leadership, and ability to drive organizational change toward greater customer-centricity.

Best practices for this interview:

Ask for specific examples rather than theoretical approaches
Listen for how the candidate balances customer needs with business realities
Probe for details about how they've overcome resistance or skepticism
Note how they measure success of customer-centric initiatives
Pay attention to their language around collaboration - do they give credit to others?
Look for evidence of genuine empathy versus surface-level customer focus
Consider how they've institutionalized customer-centricity beyond one-off projects

Directions to Share with Candidate

"In this interview, we'll explore your approach to advocating for customers within an organization and how you collaborate with different departments to improve the customer experience. I'm interested in specific examples from your experience and the strategies you've found most effective for driving customer-centric change."

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you had to convince skeptical stakeholders to prioritize a customer experience improvement. What was the situation and how did you approach it? (Customer Advocacy, Cross-Functional Leadership)

Areas to Cover

The specific customer experience issue they identified
Why stakeholders were resistant or skeptical
Data or evidence they gathered to make their case
How they communicated with different stakeholders
Their approach to building consensus
The outcome of their efforts
Lessons learned from the experience

Possible Follow-up Questions

What was the most challenging aspect of gaining buy-in?
How did you tailor your message to different stakeholders?
What would you do differently if faced with a similar situation?
How did you measure the impact of the improvement?

Describe a situation where you needed to collaborate across multiple departments to resolve a complex customer experience issue. (Cross-Functional Leadership, Communication Excellence)

Areas to Cover

The nature and scope of the customer experience issue
Which departments were involved and their different perspectives
How they built relationships across functional boundaries
Their approach to navigating competing priorities
How they managed the collaborative process
The outcome of the collaboration
How they measured success

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you handle disagreements between departments?
What techniques did you use to keep everyone aligned?
How did you ensure each department fulfilled their commitments?
What were the biggest challenges in the cross-functional work?

Give me an example of how you've used customer feedback or data to drive a significant change in products, services, or processes. (Analytical Thinking, Customer Advocacy)

Areas to Cover

The types of customer data or feedback they collected
Their approach to analyzing and interpreting the data
How they identified the need for change
The process of translating insights into action
How they measured the impact of the change
Challenges they faced in implementing the change
Lessons learned from the experience

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you ensure the data was representative of your customer base?
What tools or methods did you use to analyze the feedback?
How did you prioritize which insights to act on?
How did you communicate the findings to different stakeholders?

Tell me about a time when you had to manage resistance to a customer-centric change. How did you handle it? (Change Management, Communication Excellence)

Areas to Cover

The nature of the change and why it was important for customers
Sources and reasons for resistance
Their approach to understanding concerns
Strategies they used to overcome resistance
How they communicated throughout the process
The outcome of their change management efforts
What they learned about managing change

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you identify the sources of resistance?
What was the most effective technique you used to gain buy-in?
How did you balance pushing forward with addressing concerns?
What would you do differently in hindsight?

How have you helped build or strengthen a customer-centric culture in a previous organization? (Customer Advocacy, Change Management)

Areas to Cover

Their definition of a customer-centric culture
Specific initiatives or programs they implemented
How they engaged leadership in the cultural shift
Methods for educating and engaging employees
How they measured cultural change
Challenges they faced and how they addressed them
Long-term impact of their efforts

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you make customer-centricity relevant to employees who don't directly interact with customers?
What incentives or recognition programs did you establish?
How did you ensure the cultural changes would be sustained?
What were the early signals that the culture was shifting?

Interview Scorecard

Customer Advocacy

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Views customer advocacy as secondary; prioritizes business needs over customer needs
2: Basic commitment to customers but struggles to effectively advocate when faced with resistance
3: Consistently and effectively advocates for customer needs across the organization
4: Exceptional advocate who has transformed organizational thinking about customers

Cross-Functional Leadership

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Has difficulty working across departmental boundaries; limited influence
2: Can collaborate with other departments but struggles with complex cross-functional initiatives
3: Successfully leads cross-functional efforts and builds consensus among diverse stakeholders
4: Exceptional at unifying different departments around customer needs; creates lasting coalitions

Communication Excellence

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Communication lacks clarity or persuasiveness; struggles to adapt to different audiences
2: Communicates adequately but may miss opportunities to tailor messages effectively
3: Communicates clearly and persuasively, adapting approach to different stakeholders
4: Masterful communicator who inspires action through compelling narratives and presentations

Change Management

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited experience or success with managing resistance to change
2: Basic change management skills but has faced significant challenges or setbacks
3: Successfully manages change and overcomes resistance through structured approaches
4: Exceptional at transforming resistance into enthusiasm; creates sustainable change

Analytical Thinking

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Makes decisions based more on intuition than data; limited analytical rigor
2: Uses basic analysis but may miss deeper insights or connections
3: Strong analytical skills applied effectively to customer experience challenges
4: Sophisticated analytical thinker who identifies non-obvious patterns and insights

Design and implement a comprehensive Voice of Customer program

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Limited experience or vision for VoC programs
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Has implemented basic feedback systems but lacks sophistication
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Demonstrates clear ability to create comprehensive feedback mechanisms
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Has designed innovative VoC programs that yielded significant insights

Reduce customer friction points by 25% across key touchpoints

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Shows limited understanding of friction reduction
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Can identify obvious friction points but may miss systemic issues
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Demonstrates methodical approach to identifying and solving friction points
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Shows exceptional ability to transform customer journeys

Increase Net Promoter Score (NPS) by 15 points

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Lacks proven experience improving loyalty metrics
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Has achieved modest improvements in customer sentiment
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Has history of significantly improving customer loyalty metrics
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Has consistently achieved dramatic improvements in customer advocacy

Establish a cross-functional CX council

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Shows limited cross-functional leadership ability
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Can collaborate but may struggle with formal governance structures
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Demonstrates ability to create and lead effective cross-functional teams
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Has exceptional skill at creating sustainable collaborative structures

Develop a CX metrics dashboard

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Limited metrics experience or analytical approach
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Basic metrics knowledge but lacks sophistication
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Shows clear ability to develop comprehensive measurement systems
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Demonstrates innovative approach to metrics that drives action

Recommendation to Proceed

1: Strong No Hire - Significant gaps in customer advocacy or collaboration abilities
2: No Hire - Some strengths but lacks critical capabilities in important areas
3: Hire - Strong across key dimensions with good potential for success
4: Strong Hire - Exceptional candidate who will elevate our customer experience capabilities

Leadership and Strategy Interview

Directions for the Interviewer

This interview focuses on the candidate's strategic thinking, leadership capabilities, and ability to drive customer experience transformation. Your goal is to assess how they develop and execute CX strategy, lead teams through change, and connect customer experience to business outcomes.

Best practices for this interview:

Ask for specific examples that demonstrate strategic vision and leadership
Probe for their thinking process, not just actions and outcomes
Listen for how they balance short-term wins with long-term transformation
Pay attention to their approach to measuring success and ROI
Note how they've developed team members and built capabilities
Consider their ability to operate at both strategic and tactical levels
Listen for examples of resilience and adaptability when facing setbacks

Directions to Share with Candidate

"In this interview, we'll explore your approach to customer experience strategy and leadership. I'm interested in how you develop and implement CX strategies, how you lead teams and influence stakeholders, and how you connect customer experience improvements to business outcomes. Please share specific examples from your experience whenever possible."

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you developed and implemented a comprehensive customer experience strategy. What was your approach and what results did you achieve? (Strategic Thinking, Leadership)

Areas to Cover

How they assessed the current state of customer experience
Their process for developing the strategy
Key components and priorities of the strategy
How they secured support and resources
Their approach to implementation
Challenges they faced and how they overcame them
How they measured success
Long-term impact of the strategy

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you align the CX strategy with broader business objectives?
What research or data informed your strategic decisions?
How did you prioritize different initiatives within the strategy?
What would you do differently if developing a similar strategy today?

Describe a situation where you had to lead a team through a significant customer experience transformation. How did you approach the leadership challenges? (Leadership, Change Management)

Areas to Cover

The nature and scope of the transformation
Their leadership approach and philosophy
How they built and developed their team
Methods for maintaining momentum and morale
How they handled resistance or setbacks
Their communication approach throughout the process
Key lessons learned about leading transformation

Possible Follow-up Questions

How did you help your team navigate through uncertainty?
What was the most challenging aspect of leading this transformation?
How did you develop capabilities within your team?
How did you recognize and celebrate progress?

Give me an example of how you've connected customer experience improvements to tangible business outcomes or ROI. (Strategic Thinking, Analytical Thinking)

Areas to Cover

The specific customer experience improvements implemented
Their approach to measuring impact
How they established causality between CX and business results
Methods for calculating ROI or business value
How they communicated results to leadership
Challenges in measurement and how they addressed them
How the business case influenced future investments

Possible Follow-up Questions

What metrics did you find most effective in demonstrating business impact?
How did you handle situations where the ROI was difficult to quantify?
How did you balance short-term metrics with long-term value?
How did these results influence future investment decisions?

Tell me about a significant customer experience challenge you faced where the initial approach wasn't working. How did you pivot and ultimately solve the problem? (Strategic Thinking, Resilience)

Areas to Cover

The nature of the customer experience challenge
Their initial approach and why it wasn't successful
How they recognized the need to change course
Their process for developing an alternative solution
How they managed stakeholder expectations during the pivot
The ultimate outcome and what they learned
How this experience informed their future approaches

Possible Follow-up Questions

What were the early warning signs that the initial approach wasn't working?
How did you maintain credibility and support during the pivot?
What would you do differently if you encountered a similar situation?
How do you build flexibility into your CX initiatives now?

How do you stay current with evolving customer expectations and emerging CX trends, and how have you applied this knowledge in your work? (Continuous Learning, Innovation)

Areas to Cover

Their methods for staying informed about CX trends
Professional development activities they pursue
How they evaluate which trends are relevant for their business
Examples of applying new approaches or technologies
Their process for testing and implementing innovations
How they balance innovation with proven practices
Their vision for the future of customer experience

Possible Follow-up Questions

What CX trend or innovation do you think has the most potential to transform customer experiences?
How do you evaluate which trends to pursue versus which to monitor?
How do you encourage innovation within your team?
What CX thought leaders or resources do you find most valuable?

Interview Scorecard

Strategic Thinking

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Tactical thinker focused on immediate issues rather than long-term strategy
2: Demonstrates basic strategic thinking but may lack comprehensive vision
3: Strong strategic thinker who effectively balances short and long-term objectives
4: Exceptional strategic visionary who anticipates future needs and positions organizations accordingly

Leadership

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Manages rather than leads; limited success inspiring or developing others
2: Competent leader but may struggle with complex or transformational challenges
3: Effective leader who builds strong teams and drives meaningful change
4: Exceptional leader who inspires highest performance and creates lasting organizational impact

Change Management

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Limited experience or success managing significant change
2: Basic change management skills but has faced notable challenges
3: Successfully leads change with structured approaches and strong stakeholder engagement
4: Masterful change agent who transforms resistance into enthusiasm and creates sustainable change

Analytical Thinking

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Relies more on intuition than data; limited analytical rigor
2: Uses basic analysis but may miss deeper insights or connections
3: Strong analytical skills applied effectively to complex business problems
4: Exceptional analytical capability that uncovers non-obvious insights and drives strategic decisions

Innovation

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Primarily relies on established practices with little innovation
2: Occasionally implements new approaches but tends toward conventional solutions
3: Regularly identifies and applies innovative approaches to customer experience challenges
4: Consistently pioneers new approaches that create competitive advantage

Design and implement a comprehensive Voice of Customer program

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Strategic approach to VoC appears limited
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Has basic strategic vision for customer feedback
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Demonstrates clear strategic thinking about VoC programs
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Shows exceptional strategic vision for transformative VoC programs

Reduce customer friction points by 25% across key touchpoints

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Lacks strategic approach to experience improvement
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Has some strategic vision but may not achieve full target
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Strategic thinking suggests ability to systematically reduce friction
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Demonstrates exceptional strategic capability to transform experiences

Increase Net Promoter Score (NPS) by 15 points

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Limited strategic approach to improving loyalty
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Has some strategies but may not achieve full target
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Strategic thinking suggests ability to significantly improve NPS
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Demonstrates exceptional strategic vision for loyalty improvement

Establish a cross-functional CX council

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Leadership approach not conducive to cross-functional governance
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Can lead teams but may struggle with complex governance
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Leadership style suggests ability to build effective councils
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Exceptional leadership capabilities for creating high-impact governance

Develop a CX metrics dashboard

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Unlikely to Achieve Goal - Strategic thinking about metrics appears limited
2: Likely to Partially Achieve Goal - Has basic approach to metrics but lacks sophistication
3: Likely to Achieve Goal - Strategic approach suggests ability to create effective dashboards
4: Likely to Exceed Goal - Demonstrates exceptional strategic thinking about measurement systems

Recommendation to Proceed

1: Strong No Hire - Significant gaps in strategic thinking or leadership capabilities
2: No Hire - Some strengths but lacks critical capabilities in important areas
3: Hire - Strong across key dimensions with good potential for success in a leadership role
4: Strong Hire - Exceptional candidate who will provide transformative CX leadership

Debrief Meeting

Directions for Conducting the Debrief Meeting

The Debrief Meeting is an open discussion for the hiring team members to share the information learned during the candidate interviews. Use the questions below to guide the discussion.

Start the meeting by reviewing the requirements for the role and the key competencies and goals to succeed.
The meeting leader should strive to create an environment where it is okay to express opinions about the candidate that differ from the consensus or from leadership's opinions.
Scores and interview notes are important data points but should not be the sole factor in making the final decision.
Any hiring team member should feel free to change their recommendation as they learn new information and reflect on what they've learned.

Questions to Guide the Debrief Meeting

Question: Does anyone have any questions for the other interviewers about the candidate?

Guidance: The meeting facilitator should initially present themselves as neutral and try not to sway the conversation before others have a chance to speak up.

Question: Are there any additional comments about the Candidate?

Guidance: This is an opportunity for all the interviewers to share anything they learned that is important for the other interviewers to know.

Question: Based on our assessment, how well does the candidate meet our expectations for customer advocacy and cross-functional leadership?

Guidance: Focus specifically on the candidate's ability to represent customer needs and work effectively across departments, as these are critical success factors for this role.

Question: Is there anything further we need to investigate before making a decision?

Guidance: Based on this discussion, you may decide to probe further on certain issues with the candidate or explore specific issues in the reference calls.

Question: Has anyone changed their hire/no-hire recommendation?

Guidance: This is an opportunity for the interviewers to change their recommendation from the new information they learned in this meeting.

Question: If the consensus is no hire, should the candidate be considered for other roles? If so, what roles?

Guidance: Discuss whether engaging with the candidate about a different role would be worthwhile.

Question: What are the next steps?

Guidance: If there is no consensus, follow the process for that situation (e.g., it is the hiring manager's decision). Further investigation may be needed before making the decision. If there is a consensus on hiring, reference checks could be the next step.

Reference Calls

Directions for Conducting Reference Checks

Reference checks are a critical component of the hiring process for Customer Experience Manager candidates. They provide valuable third-party insights into the candidate's past performance, leadership style, and impact on customer experience initiatives. When conducted properly, these checks can validate your impressions from the interviews or reveal important information that may have been missed.

Best practices for conducting reference checks:

Request references who have directly observed the candidate's customer experience work
Ask the candidate to make the initial introduction to references
Send questions in advance if it helps secure time with senior references
Build rapport before diving into specific questions
Listen for specific examples rather than general impressions
Pay attention to both what is said and what is not mentioned
Note the enthusiasm level of the reference
Follow up on vague answers to get specific examples
Consider conducting multiple reference checks to get a more complete picture

Remember that even at this final stage, you should remain open to new information that might change your hiring decision. Great candidates sometimes don't interview perfectly, and seemingly perfect candidates sometimes have concerning performance issues that only references can reveal.

Questions for Reference Checks

Can you describe your working relationship with [Candidate] and the context in which you worked together?

Guidance: Establish the nature and duration of the relationship, the candidate's role, and the reference's ability to evaluate their customer experience work.

What were [Candidate]'s key responsibilities related to customer experience, and how effectively did they fulfill them?

Guidance: Listen for specifics about the scope of their CX responsibilities and concrete examples of their performance, not just general impressions.

Can you tell me about a significant customer experience initiative that [Candidate] led or contributed to? What was their role, and what was the outcome?

Guidance: This question helps verify the candidate's claims about their past work and impacts. Note the scale and significance of the projects mentioned.

How would you describe [Candidate]'s ability to influence across departments and gain buy-in for customer experience initiatives?

Guidance: Cross-functional leadership is critical for this role. Listen for specific examples of how they built relationships and overcame resistance.

What were [Candidate]'s greatest strengths when it came to improving customer experience?

Guidance: This open-ended question often reveals capabilities that align with or complement what you've observed in interviews.

What areas would you suggest [Candidate] focus on developing further to become even more effective in a customer experience leadership role?

Guidance: This is a diplomatic way to ask about weaknesses. Listen carefully for areas that might be critical to success in your specific environment.

On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you be to hire [Candidate] again for a customer experience leadership role, and why?

Guidance: The number is less important than the explanation. Strong references will give specific reasons for their rating, whatever it may be.

Reference Check Scorecard

Customer Experience Expertise

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates limited expertise or effectiveness in CX roles
2: Reference suggests adequate CX knowledge but no exceptional achievements
3: Reference confirms strong CX expertise with meaningful results
4: Reference enthusiastically verifies exceptional CX capabilities and significant impacts

Leadership and Influence

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates struggles with leadership or cross-functional influence
2: Reference suggests adequate leadership but with some limitations
3: Reference confirms effective leadership and cross-functional influence
4: Reference enthusiastically verifies exceptional leadership that transformed organizations

Analytical and Strategic Capabilities

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates limited analytical rigor or strategic thinking
2: Reference suggests adequate analytical skills but no exceptional strategic vision
3: Reference confirms strong analytical capabilities and effective strategic thinking
4: Reference enthusiastically verifies exceptional analytical insights and strategic innovation

Communication and Collaboration

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference indicates challenges with communication or collaboration
2: Reference suggests adequate communication but no exceptional collaboration skills
3: Reference confirms strong communication and effective cross-functional collaboration
4: Reference enthusiastically verifies exceptional communication that built bridges across teams

Design and implement a comprehensive Voice of Customer program

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference suggests candidate would struggle with this goal
2: Reference indicates candidate has some relevant capabilities but may not fully achieve goal
3: Reference confirms candidate has successfully delivered similar programs
4: Reference enthusiastically verifies candidate has exceptional capabilities in this area

Reduce customer friction points by 25% across key touchpoints

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference suggests candidate would struggle with this goal
2: Reference indicates candidate has some relevant capabilities but may not fully achieve goal
3: Reference confirms candidate has successfully delivered similar improvements
4: Reference enthusiastically verifies candidate has exceptional capabilities in this area

Increase Net Promoter Score (NPS) by 15 points

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference suggests candidate would struggle with this goal
2: Reference indicates candidate has some relevant capabilities but may not fully achieve goal
3: Reference confirms candidate has successfully delivered similar improvements
4: Reference enthusiastically verifies candidate has exceptional capabilities in this area

Establish a cross-functional CX council

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference suggests candidate would struggle with this goal
2: Reference indicates candidate has some relevant capabilities but may not fully achieve goal
3: Reference confirms candidate has successfully delivered similar initiatives
4: Reference enthusiastically verifies candidate has exceptional capabilities in this area

Develop a CX metrics dashboard

0: Not Enough Information Gathered to Evaluate
1: Reference suggests candidate would struggle with this goal
2: Reference indicates candidate has some relevant capabilities but may not fully achieve goal
3: Reference confirms candidate has successfully delivered similar systems
4: Reference enthusiastically verifies candidate has exceptional capabilities in this area

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I prepare for conducting these customer experience manager interviews?

Thoroughly review the job description, this interview guide, and the candidate's resume before each interview. Familiarize yourself with customer experience terminology and common CX metrics (NPS, CSAT, CES). Consider your company's specific customer experience challenges so you can evaluate how the candidate might address them. For the work sample, ensure you have prepared the materials well in advance and are ready to evaluate both the analysis and recommendations objectively.

What if a candidate doesn't have experience with a specific CX tool or methodology we use?

Focus on transferable skills and adaptability rather than specific tool experience. Great Customer Experience Managers can quickly learn new tools if they understand core CX principles. Ask about their learning agility and how they've adapted to new technologies or methodologies in the past. Consider whether their experience with similar tools or approaches would enable them to quickly become proficient with your specific systems.

How important is industry experience for this role?

While industry knowledge can be valuable, customer experience principles often transcend specific industries. A candidate with strong CX fundamentals, analytical capabilities, and change management skills from another industry may bring fresh perspectives. Consider your specific needs - if your industry has unique customer dynamics or regulatory requirements, industry experience might be more important. You can learn more in our article on hiring for potential.

What's the most important competency to look for in a Customer Experience Manager?

While all the competencies in this guide are important, customer advocacy combined with analytical thinking is particularly crucial. The ideal candidate must genuinely care about improving customer experiences while also having the analytical capability to identify issues, develop solutions, and measure impact. Without both elements, they may either propose changes without proof of value or analyze data without effectively driving meaningful improvements.

How can I ensure we're evaluating candidates consistently?

Use this interview guide with all candidates and have the same interviewers conduct each specific interview type. Complete scorecards independently before discussing candidates together, and base evaluations on specific examples rather than general impressions. You can explore structured interview best practices in our article on why you should use structured interviews when hiring.

What if we receive mixed feedback about a candidate during the debrief?

Mixed feedback is common, especially for complex roles like Customer Experience Manager. During the debrief, focus discussion on specific examples rather than general impressions, and consider which competencies are truly essential versus those that are merely preferred. If uncertainty remains, reference checks become even more important - they can often clarify conflicting impressions from interviews. In some cases, an additional focused interview on the concerning areas might be warranted.