The Customer Experience World Games 2022 are underway! In our previous blog, we covered the purpose of the games and its history. Now that the captains are set and teams are formed, the games began on Friday, June 3rd with an opening ceremony and an announcement of the first challenge.
Opening Ceremony
Christopher Brooks opened with an overview of the games, and an idea for what players should expect. The purpose of the games is to support charities in need, but players can also expect professional and personal development from participating in each challenge. Each team is made up of CX-focused professionals from all over the world, and they each bring a unique perspective to the conversation. Sharon Boyd, the captain of Team CX Top Gun, remarked that “because the games are so global, not only do the charities benefit but also the players.” People bring their own methodologies and tools, which you may never have the opportunity to experience in your own bubble. All submissions and materials are democratized; made available to both charities and players to look back on.
Jess Noble, Digital Experience and Transformation Specialist, was a captain in previous years and came back this year as a judge. Her advice to participants is to be practical when designing submissions, because None-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) don’t have a lot of time or resources to implement complex strategies. The winning submission for Resonate in Rwanda from last year is a good example of this. Jess said the organization reached out and said they were beyond grateful for the CX World Games because they were able to successfully implement the winning strategy, and even exceeded their 2021 goals because of it.
We also heard from CX Leader, Nate Brown, who says the games are all about “inspiring creativity and generating curiosity”. The CXWG are unique because people get invested in the experimentation of it all. Even after the challenges are over, participants are interested to see what works and what doesn’t.
The First Challenge
The First Challenge announcement was an emotional one, presented by Elena Rozanova. Teams were asked to use their CX knowledge and resources to propose a tool kit that could support the efforts of volunteers in helping refugees. The tool kit should be applicable for refugees all over the world, but especially relevant to the Ukrainian refugees displaced by the current war. Elena’s announcement was particularly moving, being that she herself is a Ukrainian refugee. Her unique understanding of the situation helped shape the first challenge, as she noticed that moms and kids have an especially difficult time navigating the refugee experience. The brief for challenge #1 summarized, “The goal is that moms and kids can reduce the level of uncertainty in which they live and feel safer, avoiding being victims of violence, harassment or human trafficking.”
Participants were asked to imagine the position of a female refugee with kids who doesn’t know the language of their current post and is without proper funds (or any at all). The tool kit will serve to support refugees, but also spontaneous volunteers. This is “a person who is in areas around the conflict and who, by his or her own choice, spends part of his or her time supporting other people in a state of greater vulnerability. Someone who, through their skills, values and abilities, can help a person in their relocation process in different ways.”
Callzilla has two team members participating in the challenge, as well as our President, Neal Topf, as a game mentor this year. We look forward to seeing efforts put forth for this first challenge, and the positive change they bring to the refugee experience. Good luck, everyone!