In an impressive feat of customer advocacy and engagement, NICE successfully rolled out five customer marketing programs in just one year. This accomplishment was driven by the company’s vision to enhance customer relationships, streamline internal processes, and deliver tangible business outcomes. By integrating their technology stack and adopting a data-driven approach, NICE has set a new standard for customer advocacy in the industry.

The Initial Challenge: Fragmented Programs and Processes

Before the transformation, NICE’s customer programs were disjointed, spread across various teams and systems. Customer advocacy, community, and customer reference programs were managed independently, leading to internal confusion and an inconsistent experience for customers. Teams were working with outdated systems, using spreadsheets and email to handle critical tasks like customer references, which created inefficiencies and hindered visibility.

The lack of integration made it difficult for NICE’s sales teams to leverage customer references, and there was no cohesive system to manage engagement across the programs. This fragmentation not only caused delays but also impacted the company’s ability to scale its efforts. NICE’s leadership recognized the need for a fundamental shift, one that would centralize operations and transform their approach to customer engagement.

The Pivot: Centralizing Customer Engagement

To address these challenges, NICE decided to completely overhaul their customer programs. This meant starting from scratch—terminating vendor relationships, scrapping old systems, and implementing a unified platform to manage everything. The company turned to Base as the core system for their advocacy, community, and customer engagement initiatives.

By consolidating these functions onto one platform, NICE was able to seamlessly integrate with Salesforce and Gainsight, enabling real-time tracking of customer health and advocacy activities. This technological shift allowed NICE to eliminate silos, improve visibility, and create a more streamlined and efficient workflow for managing customer relationships.

Results: Data-Driven Success and Tangible Business Impact

Since implementing the new system, NICE has seen significant improvements across their customer engagement programs:

• 75,000 customer interactions (asks) completed by just 3,000 members in the past year, with 63% of users actively engaging with the platform.
• A 500% increase in new advocates, demonstrating the program's ability to nurture and grow customer relationships.
• 900 million dollars in influenced pipeline, contributing directly to NICE’s revenue growth.

One of the most significant outcomes of this transformation is the newfound visibility and influence of the customer engagement team within NICE. The company’s CEO now tracks five key performance indicators (KPIs) for the entire marketing organization, and four of them are driven by the customer engagement team. This level of alignment with senior leadership underscores the importance of the program and highlights its role in driving business success.

Key Lessons Learned

Throughout this journey, NICE has learned several valuable lessons about customer engagement and advocacy:

1. Simplify and Integrate Your Technology: NICE’s move to consolidate its tech stack under a single platform was a game-changer. By reducing complexity and centralizing data, the company was able to scale its programs more efficiently and improve collaboration between teams.
2. Build Trust with Internal Stakeholders: Initially, NICE’s sales teams were reluctant to engage with the advocacy program, creating their own reference systems instead. By demonstrating the value of the program and providing real-time insights, NICE was able to build trust and foster collaboration with Sales.
3. Leverage Real-Time Customer Feedback: NICE introduced the We Asked, You Answered initiative, which fed customer feedback directly into product development. This closed-loop process ensured that customer insights were not only heard but also acted upon, leading to improved products and customer satisfaction.
4. Create Value Beyond Products: NICE found success by offering value that extends beyond their core products and services. For example, they integrated non-business content—like TED Talks and even customer-submitted recipes—into their engagement platform to foster a deeper sense of community among users.
5. Data is Key to Driving Engagement: By using platforms like Gainsight and Base to track customer health metrics and engagement levels, NICE was able to make data-driven decisions that enhanced their programs. This data not only helped improve retention but also allowed NICE to demonstrate the ROI of their efforts to senior leadership.

The Future of Customer Advocacy Programs at NICE

NICE’s approach to customer engagement and advocacy has proven that a unified, data-driven strategy can deliver exceptional results. By simplifying their tech stack, building trust with internal teams, and leveraging real-time data, the company has transformed its customer programs into a powerful engine for growth.

As the landscape of customer engagement continues to evolve, NICE is positioned to lead the way with a focus on customer-led growth, advocacy, and retention. The company’s success demonstrates that with the right technology, a clear strategy, and strong internal alignment, it’s possible to create impactful customer programs that drive both engagement and revenue.