Think Your CX Is Fine? So Did Everyone Else. Until the Data Proved Otherwise
Think Your CX Is Fine? So Did Everyone Else. Until the Data Proved Otherwise
Introducing the CX20 Framework: The 20 Gaps Undermining Customer Experience
Let’s be blunt.
Most companies think they’re winning on customer experience. Customers don’t. And the disconnect? It’s not minor—it’s costing you trust, loyalty, and revenue.
We call it the Experience Gap - the space between what companies believe they deliver and what customers actually experience.
It’s wider than most realize. And it’s why we built the CX20 Framework.
Why
We Created
CX20
We executed an exhaustive analysis of the gaps within the Experience Gap.
We looked at our own client work. We observed. We interviewed leadership teams. We studied competitors. We reviewed almost every credible piece of CX research out there.
And what we saw was this: the prevailing conversation about the Experience Gap was only telling part of the story.
Something was missing.
The broader discourse was skipping chapters—treating CX breakdowns like one-off problems, not the systemic, repeating patterns they really are.
So, we dove deeper.
We built the CX20 Framework—a model to map the 20 most damaging and consistent blind spots in customer experience.
Then we pressure-tested it.
Over two years, we surveyed more than 1,500 global business leaders and over 4,000 consumers to validate the gaps—and understand which ones are growing, which ones are fixable, and what’s really driving customer defection.
The results?
Eye-opening. These gaps aren’t random—they’re predictable, avoidable, and measurable. And they’re happening in your company right now.
The CX20
Framework:
What It Is
CX20 is a research-backed framework that maps the 20 most common blind spots eroding customer experience.
These five categories explain why customers leave, trust fades, and revenue slips through the cracks. Ignoring them means repeating the same mistakes-at scale.
The Architecture of the Experience Gap
Perceptual Gaps
You think you’re delivering value. Customers disagree.
- CX Perception Gap – You believe the experience is great. Customers don't.
- Expectation Gap – You're not keeping pace with what customers now expect.
- Trust Gap – You make promises you don't consistently keep.
- Value Alignment Gap – You're selling what matters to you, not to them.
Operational Gaps
Your internal chaos is bleeding into the customer experience.
- Consistency Gap – Different teams, different regions, different results.
- Integration Gap – Systems don't connect, so neither do customer interactions.
- Process Gap – Internal inefficiencies = external frustration.
- Scalability Gap – CX breaks down as your company grows.
- Service Gap – When the level of service falls short of what customers expect-and notice.
- Talent Gap – Your teams aren't trained to deliver on the promise.
Technology Gaps
Digital transformation that doesn't serve the customer is wasted spend.
- AI Readiness Gap – You're unsure how to apply AI to CX-held back by limited resources, unclear strategy, or lack of expertise.
- Automation Gap – Self-service creates more frustration than relief.
- Human-Tech Balance Gap – Over-automation makes you feel robotic.
- Innovation Gap – You're behind where customers expect you to be.
Communication & Engagement Gaps
You're talking, but it's not landing.
- Channel Gap – Experiences vary wildly depending on the platform.
- Communication Gap – Your messaging is unclear or too slow to matter.
- Personalization Gap – Generic messages in a personalized world.
- Segmentation Gap – You treat every customer the same. They're not.
Data & Analytics Gaps
You’re collecting data. You’re just not using it to make CX better.
- Feedback Gap – You ask for input. Then ignore it.
- Measurement Gap – You’re tracking what’s easy, not what customers value.
These Gaps Are Costing You
CX failures rarely show up in board meetings. They show up in rising churn, fewer renewals, negative word-of-mouth, and slower growth.
And when leaders are flying blind—believing the customer journey is better than it is—those failures get normalized.
The CX20 Framework exists to break that cycle. It’s a fast, clear way to:
- Uncover the blind spots hurting your customer experience
- Align internal priorities with external reality
- Prioritize initiatives that will actually move the needle
- Build a CX strategy rooted in what customers feel—not just what teams report
If you're serious about CX, don’t wait