Innovation in Client Experiences: Unveiling the Key Drivers of Progress

Tim Lee • July 10, 2023

Customer Experience Is King

“We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” – Jeff Bezos

This article is based on an interview the author, Founder Kade Brewster, had with Andrew Thompson, VP, Manager, Client Experience Measurement and Insight at BOK Financial. The full interview can be watched here.

Take a look around the most recent business headlines, especially in the financial sector. What’s a common thread that you see? For starters, poor management practices led to the demise of Silicon Valley Bank. We all saw that. But what caused the biggest waves in the fallout was customer sentiment. Suddenly, people panicked, wondering if their bank was next. Financial institutions were scrambling to release statements ensuring their customers that the money was safe and they were far above board when it came to their management practices.

For these institutions, it was a nearly painful reminder that the customer experience is king. If customers even perceive weakness or a lack of emphasis on their experience, they can move their money elsewhere.

Client experience is critical for all industries because the customer has never been more informed than now. Personalization has become commonplace. Businesses need to understand who the customer is, what they like, and what they will benefit from next, or risk losing them forever. They need to understand how their customers think, so they can anticipate their next move and respond appropriately.

Predictive Action Over Reaction

Remember when it took real effort to cancel something? Not two clicks, I’m talking about real effort. When I was in college, I vividly remember spending over two hours on hold to cancel our satellite tv when we moved out of our house at the end of the semester. Honestly, I would have given up if I didn’t have to get it canceled. That was the point. Companies used to have large barriers for cancellation that a customer had to be really angry, or desperate, to actually follow through with a cancellation.

Today, if you don’t like a product or service, you are just seconds away from ending your subscription to that business. In moments, a person or business can transfer all of their funds from one bank to another. Some customers engage with an organization only to have their relationship last less time than a Hollywood marriage.

As a business, how do you prevent this from happening to you? There’s so much data available, it’s up to your team to understand the pulse of your client. The reality is that your ability to retain customers has diminished drastically, making the ability to understand the customer journey more essential than ever.

Matt Dixon, author of “The Effortless Experience” wrote about this pain point. He suggested that as a business’s ability to reduce friction improves, so too does the customer’s experience. Dixon discussed the idea of using your customer data to identify and eliminate sticking points in order to ensure a smooth and effortless experience. This can be especially helpful as the relationship begins.

Alex Hormozi, author of “The $100 Million Dollar Offer” wrote that giving customers milestone wins in the first two to four weeks of utilizing your product or service does so much for overall satisfaction and customer loyalty. Knowing what problems to provide solutions for before your customer does will keep retention levels high and your customers satisfied.

Personalization

Everything is personalized today. If you watch the Youtube video at the top of this article, you’ll hear Andrew Thompson, Vice President and Manager of Client Experience Measurement and Insight at BOK Financial point out that Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon have mastered the art of personalization, presenting custom queues and suggestions every time you log on. Many organizations think that personalization is a “happy birthday!” email, or your name showing up in the title or subject of their latest email blast. Those efforts completely miss the mark.

While your system may not be able to personalize and suggest new items on the same level as Spotify, companies with data silos can turn to investments in a data repository or an experience management firm. Your data funnels into a centralized location and then the firm’s AI can run analytics to provide your team with actionable insights.

For example, if you are a financial institution, it would be helpful to know if one of your clients is looking at his 401k rate or his recent financial contributions. Your financial planner can use that data to reach out and check with the client to see if their goal has changed and what the proactive next steps could be.

As Thompson points out, none of this is possible without the ability to collect and aggregate the data effectively. Knowing what your clients are looking for and personalizing solutions for them can keep your customers happy and coming back for more as their needs grow.

Employee experience leads to customer satisfaction

Once upon a time, each customer interaction was face to face with one of your employees. Today, the push to digital and automated solutions becomes more prevalent with each and every day. The number of unique customer journeys that could take place is exponentially higher than it used to be, meaning that there are more avenues than ever to reach a business outcome. . The front lines of customer interaction have gone from personal to digital. Instead of real representatives, now we have chatbots and ATMs to walk users through the prompts.

However, in this digital age, it is important to recognize that the employee experience still plays a crucial role in driving customer satisfaction. While the mode of interaction may have shifted, the impact of employees on the overall customer experience remains significant.

When employees are satisfied and engaged in their work, it positively influences the way they interact with customers, even in a digital setting. Their enthusiasm and commitment translate into better customer service, like responding to chat inquiries promptly and effectively.

Investing in your employees produces a number of benefits:

Knowledge and Expertise: Well-trained and knowledgeable employees contribute to a better customer experience.
Empathy and Understanding: Employees who feel valued and supported by their organization are more likely to display empathy and understanding towards customers.
Problem Resolution: An employee’s problem-solving skills, combined with a positive attitude, can turn a potentially frustrating situation into a positive and memorable experience for the customer.
Brand Advocacy: Satisfied employees are more likely to become brand advocates. They understand the company's values, products, and services, and they genuinely believe in what they offer.

Innovation Starts at the Top

Andrew Thompson, Vice President of BOK Financial, recently sat down to chat about his recommendations for unlocking great client experiences. At its core, innovative focus on client experience starts from the top and trickles down to the rest of the organization.

(you can watch the full interview here)

In this video, Andrew talks about the process for rallying around a true Client Experience Management system, even if your company can’t invest in the topline solutions. He outlines several of his top suggestions, listed below.

Identify a champion: Someone in your organization who will be the person who understands the vision and can help that idea for innovation in client experiences be passed down the chain.
Build your team: Putting the different pieces of client experience under the same umbrella is incredibly important. In order for your processes to mature, silos should be broken in favor of collaboration. A team that is unified around a common goal of client experience spans departments. Mapping out roles, responsibilities, and work flows is essential.
Vendors: Andrew explained in our recent interview, one of the key reminders he benefits from each and every day is to “let the experts be the expert”. While it doesn’t have to be a firm on the level of Qualtrics, allowing a specialized firm to help organize and interpret your data can create powerful action items for your brand. Connecting your customer data through CRMs and strategy sessions creates more alignment. As Andrew says, “it helps make business more human.”

Whether you’re a large business with hundreds of thousands of dollars to invest in better infrastructure, or a small business trying to improve their process without the budgetary investment, these best practices can help your team align on the focus of this entire article: client experience.

Remember the Steve Jobs quote from the beginning of the article? “It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.”

With each step we take, each goal we rally around, and each goal we focus on, the customer experience improves. Good for the business, good for the customer, and good for your bottom line.

We’ve talked about drivers and concepts, but maybe your team needs a team with the knowledge and expertise to create the infrastructure to make this possible. Reach out to us and set up a consultation where we can walk you through our process and discuss how we can increase your team’s collaboration, innovation, and focus on the client experience.

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How Small Marketing Firms Can Scale Smarter with Fractional Project Management

By Ranae Peterson • October 29, 2025

In the fast-paced world of marketing, agility is everything. But for many small marketing firms , staying organized and executing effectively can feel like an uphill battle. Between juggling client deliverables, managing creative teams, and keeping up with digital trends, it’s easy for even the most talented agencies to lose focus or momentum. That’s where fractional project management comes in - a cost-effective, flexible way for small agencies to gain project management expertise without the overhead of a full-time hire. What Is Fractional Project Management? Fractional project management allows marketing firms to hire an experienced project manager or project management team on a part-time, contract, or as-needed basis. These professionals provide the strategic direction, structure, and accountability of a full-time role, but with the flexibility and affordability that small firms need. Unlike traditional project management roles, fractional project managers adapt to your workflow. They can: Create or refine marketing project management frameworks. Oversee campaign timelines, deliverables, and communication. Manage resources, budgets, and vendor relationships. Introduce project management tools, such as Asana. Provide performance insights to keep campaigns aligned with business goals. The Common Challenges Small Marketing Firms Face: Running a small marketing firm means constantly balancing creativity, client satisfaction, and growth, all while working with limited time, budgets, and staff. While many small agencies deliver incredible results for their clients, their internal operations are often suboptimal. Without proper structure and project management in place, business operations can quickly become reactive instead of proactive. Here are some of the most common challenges small marketing firms face, many of which can be alleviated with the right fractional project management support: 1. Inconsistent Execution of Marketing Strategies Small firms often start projects with enthusiasm but struggle to maintain consistency across campaigns, clients, and platforms. Without a clear project roadmap or centralized process, teams can lose sight of timelines, priorities, or deliverables. This inconsistency can lead to missed deadlines, off-brand messaging, and a loss of client confidence over time. 2. Limited Budgets and Tight Margins Many boutique agencies operate on razor-thin margins, meaning that hiring a full-time senior project manager or operations manager may simply be out of reach. This leads to a “DIY” approach to project coordination, where creative directors, account managers, or even designers end up juggling scheduling and task tracking in addition to their core roles. It’s a recipe for burnout and inefficiency. 3. Attracting and Retaining Talent In the marketing world, top talent wants growth, clarity, and collaboration. When internal processes feel chaotic or constantly changing, employees can become frustrated or disengaged. A lack of structured project management can contribute to high turnover, especially among younger professionals looking for organized environments where they can learn and thrive. 4. Keeping Up with Industry Trends and Technology Marketing trends shift faster than ever, from SEO and social media algorithms to automation and analytics tools. Small firms, often focused on servicing clients, rarely have time to step back and strategically assess which technologies to adopt or how to integrate them effectively into their workflows. This can result in wasted subscriptions, underutilized tools, or outdated methods that slow productivity. 5. Balancing Growth and Quality As marketing firms grow, the complexity of managing multiple campaigns, channels, and clients multiplies. Without scalable project management processes, expansion can lead to growing pains: stretched teams, missed opportunities, and declining quality of work. Fractional project management can help maintain creative excellence while effectively scaling operations. 6. Cash Flow and Resource Allocation Project delays, scope creep, and unclear task ownership often lead to billing inaccuracies and wasted time. Many small agencies underestimate how much untracked work cuts into profit margins. Without proper project visibility or a defined workflow, forecasting becomes guesswork, making it harder to predict cash flow or plan for sustainable growth. 7. Client Communication and Expectation Management Misaligned expectations between the firm and its clients are another major pain point. When communication is informal or scattered across emails and chat threads, misunderstandings arise. A structured project management system creates transparency, accountability, and shared visibility, all key to stronger client relationships. 8. Content Creation Bottlenecks Small firms often pride themselves on creativity, but without workflow organization, content can get stuck in feedback loops. Campaign approvals, revisions, and scheduling can all become bottlenecks that stall production. Over time, this can limit the firm’s ability to scale output or deliver consistently across multiple accounts. 9. Lack of Technology Utilization Even when agencies have invested in tools like Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com, they often fail to leverage them effectively. Either no one owns the system or team members don’t have time to update it. The result is a fragmented picture of project progress and duplicated effort, both of which fractional project managers specialize in resolving. 10. Burnout and Overwork With so many moving pieces, it’s no surprise that burnout is common among small marketing teams. When deadlines stack up and roles blur, people spend more time reacting to problems than delivering creative solutions. Over time, that stress impacts morale, retention, and ultimately, client results. In short: most small marketing firms aren’t lacking talent, they’re lacking structure. And without a scalable framework for managing people, projects, and priorities, even the most brilliant ideas can get lost in the shuffle. How Fractional Project Management Helps Small Marketing Firms Fractional project management offers both strategic and operational advantages for small agencies, including: Strategic Oversight Without the Cost: Fractional PMs bring senior-level strategy to the table without requiring a full-time salary. They guide teams on where to prioritize resources, how to align goals, and how to scale efficiently. Flexibility and Scalability: Whether your firm manages two clients or twenty, fractional project management services scale with you. You can engage in support during busy periods or for specific initiatives without long-term commitments. Immediate Access to Top Talent: Fractional project managers are seasoned professionals who’ve worked with multiple marketing firms, giving your team instant access to best practices and proven systems. Improved Accountability and Execution: With an external PM keeping projects on track, your creative team can focus on what they do best: creating and delivering exceptional marketing work. Enhanced Profitability and Efficiency: From budget management to workflow optimization, a fractional project manager helps uncover bottlenecks that waste time and money, improving cash flow and project margins. When Should a Small Marketing Firm Consider Fractional Project Management You might not need full-time help yet, but here are a few signs it’s time to bring in a fractional project manager : -You’re juggling too many high-value projects at once. -Projects are constantly behind schedule or over budget. -Your team is overworked, burned out, or missing deadlines. -You lack internal project management expertise. -You feel stuck or overwhelmed trying to manage growth. If these sound familiar, fractional project management might be the missing piece. The Bottom Line For small marketing firms, fractional project management isn’t just about organization; it’s about unlocking growth. With the right systems in place, marketing agencies can scale confidently, deliver better results, and focus on what they do best: creativity and strategy. As the marketing landscape evolves, fractional project management services offer a competitive edge, one that combines flexibility, structure, and cost efficiency.

Turning Data into Direction: Why Small Businesses Need Fractional Analytics

By Ranae Peterson • October 9, 2025

Many small businesses are laser-focused on growth, sales, and staying afloat. In that constant hustle, one of the most valuable assets, data , often gets overlooked. Even when businesses “look at the numbers,” that doesn’t always mean they’re collecting the right data, tracking the right KPIs, or translating those insights into actionable strategies. Fractional analytics bridges that gap. It allows small businesses to access experienced data analysts or analytics teams on a part-time or project basis, essentially bringing enterprise-level data expertise without the full-time cost. Think of it as analytics-as-a-service for small business owners who need clarity and insight but can’t justify a full analytics department. The Reality: Why Data Gets Overlooked While most business leaders know data is “important,” it can be hard to see its impact until it’s visualized through dashboards, real-time reporting, or guided by a professional who knows how to turn information into action. Without these tools and expertise, business decisions often rely on gut instinct instead of insight, leading to inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and in some cases, failure. Statistics show that: About 20% of small businesses don’t survive their first year. Nearly 50% fail within five years. Around 65% close within ten years. While the reasons vary, from financial mismanagement to poor planning, many of these challenges stem from a lack of data visibility or poor data management . In other words, the root cause often isn’t just financial; it’s analytical . Real World Analogy Imagine running a restaurant without ever checking what inventory levels, most frequent orders, or best margin products. You might think you’re doing well because the restaurant is busy, but when you do the books, you’re not actually making any money. Now, imagine having a fractional analytics consultant helping you organize and visualize your data. They don’t need to be in the kitchen every day, but when they are, they bring order to chaos, tracking inventory and margin by menu item, predicting staffing needs, and saving costs by cutting waste. That’s what fractional analytics does for your business data. It helps you understand what’s really happening across operations, finance, and customer service so you can make smarter, faster decisions. Common Operational Challenges Solved by Fractional Analytics Here are a few common pain points small businesses face that fractional analytics services can address: Inefficient reporting and manual data entry. Lack of clear KPIs or performance tracking. Inconsistent financial forecasting. Missed revenue opportunities due to incomplete data. Poor inventory or resource management. Lack of clarity around customer behavior and profitability. Benefits of Fractional Analytics for Small Businesses Engaging a fractional analytics provider offers far more than just numbers and dashboards. It’s about empowering smarter decisions without breaking the bank. Cost efficiency: Avoid the high salary and benefits of full-time analytics hire. Speed to impact: Gain immediate access to expertise, no lengthy onboarding or training required. Scalability: Bring in analytics support when you need it and scale it up as you grow. Better decision-making: Replace guesswork with data-driven insights and actionable KPIs. Time savings: Spend less time in spreadsheets and more time growing your business. Long-term cost reduction: Identify duplicate payments, missed invoices, and inefficiencies that quietly drain profit. Fractional analytics also enhances cash flow management and enables business leaders to spot opportunities for optimization, often resulting in measurable growth and sustainability. Why It’s a Make-or-Break Decision Choosing whether to work with a fractional analytics consultant could be the difference between surviving and thriving. Many business owners don’t realize that outsourced analytics is even an option, one that offers flexibility, affordability, and strategic insight without high overhead. The truth is, small business leaders don’t have to do it all alone, nor do they need to rush into hiring a full-time team. Fractional analytics gives them the best of both worlds: the expertise of a senior data strategist and the flexibility of a part-time engagement. Final Thoughts In today’s competitive market, data-driven decision making isn’t optional; it’s essential. Small businesses that embrace fractional analytics gain clarity, confidence, and control over their operations. By investing in the right insights today, they set up the foundation for sustainable growth tomorrow. If your business is ready to move from guessing to growing, now’s the time to explore what fractional analytics services can do for you.