CATEGORY: BETWEEN US
4 Things I Learned From X4
I just got back from attending my first Qualtrics X4 Summit in Salt Lake City. It felt like the Disney World of conferences!
From keynotes to concerts, every hour of the event was structured to entertain, amaze, and inspire. There was even a section of the conference center called the “Park.” I make this comparison in jest, but there was more in common between X4 and the Magic Kingdom than just grandeur and entertainment. Attentiveness to detail is what caught my eye.
For example, the queue to attend the keynotes (a lineup that included Michelle Obama, Lindsey Vonn, and Dwayne Wade!) was sprinkled with coffee stations to soothe the wait. Alerts about surprise treats pinged from the event app in between sessions, and the Qualtrics “Dream Team” hustled to fulfill as many attendees’ wishes as possible.
The real magic of the conference was in the human connection. As an employee of a fully remote company that supports clients all over the world, getting to interact with clients, partners, and colleagues in person was truly the highlight for me.
Big hugs, shared meals, full belly laughs, and enthusiastic dance moves are the moments seared in my brain. To each of you that made those memories with me – thank you!
Amidst all the excitement, there were a few key messages that stood out.
Partners Are More Than Vendors
I also had the privilege to introduce our client, partner, and friends at Pella Corporation on stage as they led a breakout session on “Going beyond: from insights to outcomes.” I have witnessed the heart and soul behind the employee listening work they are doing, and hearing them share their story was a full-circle moment.
Throughout our two years of working together, we have grown to become true partners. Newmeasures is not just a contracted, third-party vendor to Pella, and neither are they just an implementation client to us. We are each other’s cheerleaders, thought partners, and big dreamers. We can push ourselves, our teams, and the platform further together than we ever could have as individual entities. We are an ecosystem in which everyone benefits, and celebrating that in person was so energizing.
AI Gives Managers More Time to be Great
I was encouraged to see this common pain point has been top of mind for Qualtrics. At X4, we got a sneak peek at the new AI-driven Qualtrics tools designed with front-line managers in mind to shorten the time between understanding results and taking action.
Traditional Survey Follow-Up Expectations
Where AI Can Help
We know intangibles like interpersonal relationships, care for employees, and fostering trust are critical components to effective action planning and execution. Leveraging new tools to take care of the more tedious parts of a survey follow-up process can free up leaders’ time to focus on the pieces that AI (or any other technology) will never replace.
Measuring Engagement Isn't Enough Anymore
Engagement matters…and in 2024, employee listening professionals also collectively recognize that a robust experience survey measures multiple key outcomes like inclusion, retention, and well being.
A recent Qualtrics report stated, “While engagement has long been a key metric for understanding employee experiences, a larger share of leaders now say they track well-being (66% do so) and inclusion (55%) compared to those that measure engagement alone (47%).”
As we share in our Engagement to Experience article, “Expanding your listening program from engagement to experience involves reframing the ‘why’ from measuring and evaluating to exploring and understanding.” these outcome measures can be a great fit for programs that have made progress on employee engagement and are ready to evolve to the next level of employee listening.
Trust Is A Must
Qualtrics thought leaders Ben Granger and Cecilia Herbert spoke to the importance of benevolence, the belief that leaders have employees’ best interests at heart. Several of the break-out sessions lead by organizations across industries emphasized discovering that employees with higher trust in the benevolence of the company were more likely to participate in surveys and be engaged at work.
Specifically, Qualtrics and client organizational leaders noted these indicators of trust key drivers of the holistic employee experience:
- Trust in your manager
- Trust that senior leaders will make the right choices for the organization
- Trust that positive changes will come from survey feedback
I have a feeling that trust will be a major headline of the employee experience puzzle in 2024 – stay tuned for more on what we are learning about this in our data!
My first X4 experience was inspiring, motivating, and energizing. Thank you, Qualtrics, for hosting a successful X4 Summit – we can’t wait to see what you have in store for 2025!
