Hospitality and Retail Take the Lead in the CEM Benchmark

Based on the CEM Benchmark, the international study of the current state of customer experience management, hotel chain Sokos Hotels has retained its position as the leading organisation investing in customer experiences, and shares the first place with the leading Finnish online retailer Verkkokauppa.com. They are followed by telecom operator DNA, sharing third place with insurance company Fennia and HUS Diagnostics Center from Helsinki University Hospital, the biggest health care provider in Finland.

In the international study conducted by CXPA Finland, the Finnish local networking community of the Customer Experience Professional Association (CXPA), other organisations reaching the top ten include passenger, logistics and maintenance service company VR Group (6th), telecommunications and digital services provider Elisa (7th), instrument manufacturer SCIEX (8th), shipping company Eckerö Line (9th), and a tie for 10th place between finance group LocalTapiola and Finnish Tax Administration (Verohallinto).

The average Shirute CEM Index Score remains on the same level as before (50). As many Finnish respondents as international respondents—over half of the organisations (54%)—plan to increase investments in CX development projects in the next 12 months.

” Overall, the results indicate a stable yet cautious approach to customer experience investments. Many organisations have projects underway, but few are making bold, transformative moves. The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence presents a unique opportunity for companies to rethink their CX strategies, automate processes, and personalise experiences at an unprecedented level. Organisations that embrace AI-driven CX solutions now will be best positioned for long-term success,” describes Sirte Pihlaja, Head of team at CXPA Finland and CEO of Shirute, who carried out the survey.

“The focus must now be on ensuring that CX stays at the top of management agendas to unlock its full potential. With budgets still being limited, strategic clarity and executive support are more critical than ever. Organisations should leverage their data for insights that help leadership make data-driven CX decisions, ensuring that resources are invested in initiatives that yield measurable business impact.”

The CEM Benchmark report, announced today by CXPA Finland and the Finnish customer experience design agency Shirute, marks its 11th year in Finland as it continues to expand its international reach to map the current state and future outlook of Customer Experience Management. This year’s survey included respondents from the Nordic countries, Central Europe, and the United States.

The level of maturity in customer experience management remains steady but challenges persist

A whopping 13% of the organisations that responded to the survey reached the highest (Visionary) level, the biggest percentage in the history of the CEM Benchmark study. Less than a fifth (17%) of the respondents reached the second-highest (Executive) level in the overall score this year. The second-lowest (Apprentice) level is reached by 41% of the respondents, while 28% remain at the lowest (Survivor) level.

The results show that the level of maturity of customer experience management has remained stable compared to previous years. On average, the index number of the respondent organisations is now 50 (scale 0–100).

Overall, 80% of organisations aim to differentiate themselves from competitors through CX development, and 16% strive to be pioneers across industries. An increasing number of the respondents (73%) feel that CX management activities have positively impacted business results over the past year.

Jaana Matikainen, VP Travel Business at S-Group (Sokos Hotels), highlights the importance of CX – making guests happy – in the everyday, on all levels of the organisation: “A huge thank you for this wonderful recognition! And a warm hug to the entire Sokos Hotels family, who works every day to bring happiness to our guests—both in our hotels and in chain management. Encouraged by this recognition, our work continues, always listening closely to the wishes of our guests.”

“In January, we launched the Sokos Hotels app to enhance the hotel experience for all our guests. This year will bring even more exciting developments: we are revamping the breakfast offerings at our Break and Original by Sokos Hotels properties and continuing the strong pace of renewal across our network. This summer, we encourage you to visit Break Sokos Hotel Tykkimäki Resort, which joins our hotel family in the spring, or to relax in newly renovated rooms in destinations such as Vuokatti, Pori, or Mikkeli,” suggests Jaana Matikainen.

More than half of the respondent organisations (57%) see competing business goals as the primary challenge for CX development, followed by the lack of a CX strategy (36%) and budget constraints (34%).

CX teams continue to expand activities but face resource constraints

Customer experience management has been elevated to the strategy level in the majority (91%) of the respondent organisations, but only 43% see it as a main strategic goal, compared to 58% last year.

Verkkokauppa.com’s CXO, Pekka Litmanen, shares that the company has made significant investments in customer experience development and management over the past two years: “A data-driven culture is deeply embedded in our DNA, and measuring and utilising customer experience guides our decisions at every stage of the customer journey, from the first interaction to post-purchase support. We have redesigned our website to make shopping even more intuitive, ensuring that our customers can easily find the products and information they need. In logistics, we have taken speed to a whole new level – more than 1.7 million Finns can now receive their orders at home in under an hour.”

“Our customers deserve nothing but the best. Our placement in the CEM Benchmark confirms that we are on the right path. We have made a determined effort to lead in customer experience management, measuring and analysing CX with AI-powered tools. Based on these insights, we have successfully built an online store where shopping is effortless, service is transparent, and deliveries are among the fastest in the market. Our high NPS score (75) is a direct result of this work.”

More than seven out of ten organisations (76%) have a substantial number of CX development projects underway, indicating a high level of activity. However, many organisations continue to face resource limitations, even more so than last year.

“As we predicted in our last results announcement, CX activities are picking up, but resource constraints remain a significant challenge. AI-driven automation can help bridge this gap by improving efficiency, streamlining processes, and freeing up CX professionals to focus on strategic initiatives. Leadership must prioritise investments in CX capabilities to ensure sustainable growth,” Pihlaja emphasises.

More than half of the respondents (58%) have either allocated a budget for CX or are considering doing so. In Finland, the corresponding figure is 54%. There is a somewhat substantial drop in both of these figures from the last study (63% and 61% respectively).

The most common number of full-time CX developers remains between 1 to 2, reported by 29% of organisations. Teams of 3–5 employees are now found in only 4% of the organisations, compared to last year’s 18%, while three out of ten (31%) have 6 or more employees in their CX teams.

This time, 57% of respondents reported having a dedicated CX team or unit, which is significantly lower than last time, when 68% said they have a CX team or unit. Only 55% have a dedicated CX manager, compared to seven out of ten (69%) last year.

Strategic focus areas: Customer-centric culture and Data-driven CX

According to the majority of respondents (64%), their top development priority is now Fostering a customer-centric culture. Many organisations also plan to continue investing in Data-driven CX initiatives. As many respondents (57%) intend to invest in “Customer data analysis and monitoring capabilities” as “Customer-centric process development” and enhancing “Internal communications and employee engagement” over the next 12 months.“Data-driven customer experience and business development are no longer optional. The ability to link CX initiatives to financial performance is a necessity,” Pihlaja explains.

“Organisations must invest in advanced analytics solutions to gain a comprehensive understanding of customer needs and purchasing behaviour. Leveraging artificial intelligence is key to deepening customer insights, anticipating needs, and enabling hyper-personalised customer experiences.

“I am particularly pleased with this success because improving customer experience is strategically important to DNA and we approach it with ambition. We do this work by systematically measuring, sharing customer understanding across the organisation and planning actions based on this. We believe that good customer experience is a natural consequence of good employee experience. At DNA, everyone develops customer experience, so the CEM index result shows customer focus throughout the organisation. It is gratifying to see that long-term work towards customer focus is bearing fruit,” sums up Niina Metsälä, VP, Customer Experience for DNA’s Consumer Business.

Fennia’s Director, Customer Experience and Marketing, Heidi Nurminen, shares that customer and employee experience have been placed even more firmly at the core of the company’s operations: “Thank you for this wonderful recognition! Over the past year, we have continued enhancing and expanding our customer experience measurement and analytics capabilities. We have also implemented a new, broader operating model to bring CX closer to our business operations and develop our customer experience more systematically. In the insurance industry, the experience of recovering from a loss is the most significant moment for customers, which is why we placed special emphasis on improving this aspect and successfully implemented impactful enhancements. At Fennia, we measure and monitor customer experience in relation to our strategic goals. In 2024, our customers found their interactions with us to be more fluent, more understandable, and more empathetic than before.”

HUS Diagnostic Center has also invested in data-driven management. “We collect extensive customer experience data through various channels, including feedback surveys sent via SMS to patients and targeted surveys for referring physicians. All the collected data is widely utilised across our organisation to develop a deep understanding of customer needs. Despite the rapid changes and challenges in our industry, patient satisfaction with HUS Diagnostic Center’s services has remained high, and satisfaction among other customer groups has also improved. Sharing insights about service usage with our customers and maintaining close collaboration with them has helped us gain a better understanding of their needs and expectations, allowing us to steer our operations in an increasingly customer-centric direction,” summarises Anna-Kaisa Saloranta, Customer Relations Manager at HUS Diagnostic Center.

Learn insights from the top-performing companies of the CEM Benchmark study on the current state and future of customer experience in an exclusive interview during the CXPA Finland webinar on April 11^th, 2025, from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. Sign up now!

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CEM Benchmark Continues to Provide a 24/7 Pulse on CEM Maturity

The study evaluated participating organisations against the Shirute Customer Experience Management Index™ to assess the maturity of their CX capabilities. The index measures how systematically and goal-oriented organisations approach CX development, how they organise their activities, the extent of their investments, how well they coordinate their projects and where they plan to invest in customer experience management.

Data was gathered through an online form and phone interviews between May and December. The target group consisted of Top 500 companies, public sector organisations, and leading brands. A total of 56 CX professionals from 46 organisations across more than 30 industries participated in this year’s study. Out of these organisations, 29% have an annual turnover of over 100 million euros, and nearly a tenth (8%) exceed 20 million euros. Almost a third (32%) have over 1,000 employees.

The CEM Benchmark is the most comprehensive study evaluating CEM capabilities and competencies globally, now in its 11^th year. The study was originally inspired by research conducted by the Temkin Group and continues to set the standard for assessing CX maturity.

The study was conducted for the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) Finnish local network by the customer experience design agency Shirute (www.shirute.fi). CXPA Finland and Shirute also collaborate with Surveypal, CX Magazine, CX Network, and Women in CX.

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About CXPA Finland, CXPA and Shirute

CXPA Finland (CXPA.fi) is the local network of the international, non-profit Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA.org) network in Finland. We operate as a community of customer experience management professionals. Our goal is to get companies to offer even better customer experiences and increase their success. We regularly organize exciting events and business cooperation related to the theme. Our activities are based on volunteer work and corporate donations. 

The Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA.org) is an international, non-profit umbrella organization for anyone interested in managing and developing customer experiences. There are currently more than 4,000 members in 80 countries, most of them in the United States and the United Kingdom. The founders of CXPA are Bruce Temkin, former head of Forrester’s Customer Experience, and Jeanne Bliss, a veteran customer experience management consultant. Activities at the local level are the responsibility of active members of the CXPA.

Shirute (shirute.fi) is Finland’s first design agency focusing on customer experience management. Customer Experience Path® is a registered trademark of Shirute. We are a founding member of the international CXPA (Customer Experience Professionals Association).