The CX Strategist Redefining Customer Experience Through Art and Strategy – Interview with Abisola Fagbiye

Abisola Fagbiye is a Customer Experience Strategist and Microsoft 365 Productivity Consultant who helps organisations rethink engagement, build CX-driven cultures, and drive retention and growth. With global experience spanning SMBs to enterprises, she delivers workshops and training that blend strategy, energy, and actionable insight. She is a mentor and rising voice in CX leadership.

Abisola Fagbiye, Customer Experience Strategist

Who is Abisola Fagbiye?

I'm Abisola Fagbiye, a Customer Experience Strategist and Microsoft 365 Productivity Consultant, but before any of that, I was an artist. I spent years working with charcoal, acrylic, and pastels, learning to see beauty in relationships, in the way light falls on a subject, in replicating things with my own interpretation, and in the small details that make something memorable. That obsession with noticing what others miss? It never left me. It just shifted from canvas to customer interactions.

Professionally, I'm driven by a simple belief: every interaction is a chance to build trust or break it. I've spent nearly a decade connecting and interacting with customers. I've built CX teams across multiple locations, designed adoption frameworks for thousands of users, and delivered workshops that blend strategy with heart.

Personally, I'm passionate about mentoring young women in tech and volunteering with education-focused charities. It is something I commit to yearly. Something unexpected? I look at everyday interactions like grocery shopping, checking into a hotel, even navigating a website, and I can't help but redesign them in my head. My husband jokes that I can't experience anything without analysing it and creating an out-of-body customer experience.

What inspired you to dedicate your career to customer experience, and how did your artistic background shape the way you approach this work?

My journey into CX wasn't linear, fate led me here. I have a background in Estate Management (Real Estate) and started in the CSR arm of a construction firm, where I managed projects before moving into the main construction arm. I advised on colour palettes and created content that resonated with real people. I wasn't thinking "customer experience" at the time, but I was learning that every touchpoint matters. Every colour choice, every word, every interaction shapes how people feel about what you're offering.

My artistic background gave me a unique lens. As an artist, you see relationships: how elements work together, how minor adjustments change the entire composition, how beauty lies in the details. When I consciously transitioned into customer experience, I realised I was doing the same thing: looking at how customers interact and asking, "How can this be more seamless? Better? More human? More memorable?"

Art taught me that intention matters. Every stroke on a canvas is deliberate. Every customer interaction should be too. That's what sets my approach apart. I don't just see metrics and processes. I see moments that can create endearment, trust, and loyalty.

What challenges do organisations typically face with customer experience that you’ve witnessed?

Many organisations are dealing with one of three challenges, and often all three at once.

First, there's the disconnect between intention and execution. Leadership understands that customer experience matters, but their teams are still operating tactically rather than strategically. They're firefighting daily issues without stepping back to see the patterns. 

Second, there's the siloed experience problem. Customer experience doesn't live in one department, it spans marketing, sales, support, product, and operations. But if these teams rarely communicate effectively, customers feel the friction. I've coordinated experiences across physical and virtual locations and onboarded staff across EMEA regions, and one thing is consistent: customers don't care about your internal structure, they want seamless experiences regardless of the touchpoint they engage with.

Third, organisations struggle with adoption and engagement. They invest in tools, platforms, and processes, but user adoption falls flat. I've seen companies spend on technology that needs the human side of the change to give it an edge. That's why I developed a comprehensive User Adoption Framework for Change Management in different flavours. It's not enough to roll out new systems, you need to bring people along emotionally and practically. That framework led to increased interest in training and to smoother onboarding, driven by the human element.

Many organisations treat customer experience as a project rather than a practice. Emphasising a shared philosophy and collaboration can foster trust and openness, both of which are essential for cultural transformation.

How do you help teams and organisations achieve measurable improvements in customer satisfaction, retention, and engagement? 

I believe in transformation through intentionality rooted in data, strategy, and empathy, which can evoke confidence and reassurance in the audience about lasting improvements.

It is essential to understand the current state because there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Some things that are needed are touchpoint analysis, reviewing customer feedback metrics, interviewing frontline teams (crucial), and mapping the actual customer journey, not the one they think exists, but the one customers are experiencing. This diagnostic phase reveals the friction points that are costing organisations loyalty and revenue.

From there, design customised frameworks that blend strategic direction with practical implementation. I’ve introduced value-adds to the post-sale experience, increasing customer satisfaction scores. These weren't massive overhauls, they were intentional, small changes informed by what customers were telling us they needed. That's the artist in me: sometimes the most minor stroke changes the entire composition.

There is also a heavy focus on enablement and training. I've created and delivered customised training to thousands of attendees across different industries and time zones. These aren't generic workshops, they're tailored to each organisation's unique challenges, culture, and goals. The result? An increase in product understanding because teams finally had the tools, language, and confidence to deliver within their context.

But here's what matters most: I don't just pop in and disappear. I embed sustainable practices. I train internal champions, create playbooks, open lines of communication, and build feedback loops so organisations can continue evolving long after our engagement ends. Fundamental transformation isn't about one engagement, it's about what the organisation can sustain.

The proof is in the outcomes: an increase in customer satisfaction, revenue growth, a boost in training interest and revenue, and an increase in lead generation. These aren't vanity metrics; they're business results driven by better customer experiences.

Your background as a charcoal and pastel artist is a distinctive asset for a CX strategist. How does this artistic perspective inform your customer experience transformation approach and set you apart?

This is how I see the world differently.

As an artist, you're trained in multiple disciplines: observation, composition, and emotional resonance with pieces.

• Observation means seeing what's there, not what you assume is there. When I'm analysing or running through a product testing, I notice the micro-moments that can easily be overlooked. The three extra clicks to find information, the tone shift in an email, the confusion on someone's face during onboarding. These tiny friction points accumulate. They're like smudges on a drawing that distort the entire image. My artistic training taught me to spot them immediately.

• Composition is about how elements work together to create a cohesive whole. In art, you learn that every aspect must serve the overall vision – colour, light, negative space, and focal points. In CX, the same principle applies. Every touchpoint – your website, your emails, your support interactions, your onboarding process – must work together harmoniously. When I built and led a CX team that scaled to multiple locations, my focus wasn't just on individual touchpoints. It was on ensuring the entire experience felt intentional and cohesive, no matter where in the world a customer engaged with us.

• Emotional resonance is what separates good experiences from unforgettable ones. In art, you're not just creating something technically proficient, you're evoking feeling. You want people to feel something when they see your work. Customer experience is no different. There must be a "heart fondness" that warm feeling when something works, when someone anticipates your needs, when you feel genuinely cared for. That's not something you can engineer with process alone. It requires empathy, intuition, and an understanding of human emotion.

Most CX strategies focus on efficiency and metrics. I like to focus on beauty and relationships. I ask myself: What would this experience look like if we designed it with the same care an artist puts into their work? That mindset has led to go-to-market strategies that have increased lead generation. The artist's lens doesn't replace strategy; it enriches it. It reminds me that behind every data point is a human being with emotions, expectations, and the capacity to feel delighted or disappointed. My job encompasses both.

What skills do CX professionals need to develop to stay relevant in an increasingly AI-driven business landscape?

This is one of the most critical questions facing any industry right now, and honestly, it's one I think about constantly as I mentor young women.

The landscape is shifting rapidly. AI can now handle routine inquiries, analyse sentiment at scale, predict churn before it happens, and even personalise experiences in real-time. So where does that leave CX professionals? The answer isn't to compete with AI, it's to develop the distinctly human skills that AI can't replicate.

• Empathy and emotional intelligence: AI can detect sentiment, but it can't yet truly feel what a customer is experiencing. It can read tone but can't read the subtext in a frustrated email or recognise when someone needs reassurance beyond a scripted response. As automation handles transactions, the human moments become critical. My artistic background trained me to observe emotional nuance, to see what isn't being said. 

• Strategic thinking and systems design: CX professionals need to think systemically, understand how all the pieces fit together, and how changes ripple across the entire experience. When I scaled a CX team, the challenge wasn't optimising each location individually; it was designing a system that ensured consistency across all of them. AI can suggest optimisations, but it takes human judgment to navigate culture, politics, and design change that people will embrace.

• Change management and influence: Customer experience transformation isn't a technology problem; it's a people problem. CX professionals need to become skilled change agents who can build buy-in, address resistance, and sustain momentum. When I developed a User Adoption Framework that led to an increase in training engagement, the framework was only part of the success. The real work was getting people emotionally invested, training them effectively, and creating accountability. AI can't inspire a sceptical team or coach someone through resistance to change.

• Data literacy with human insight: As AI handles more analysis, CX professionals need to become more data-literate, not less. You need to know what questions to ask, which metrics matter, and critically, what AI might be missing. Numbers don't tell the whole story. Sometimes a metric looks fine, but qualitative feedback reveals deeper issues. We need to blend quantitative and qualitative insights without becoming slaves to data.

• Creativity and design thinking: AI excels at optimisation, finding efficient paths based on existing patterns. But it struggles with authentic creativity, imagining what doesn't yet exist, and designing experiences that surprise and delight. When I designed go-to-market strategies that increased lead generation, it wasn't about following best practices. It required creative thinking, experimentation, and all distinctly human traits.

• Ethical judgment: As AI increasingly makes decisions about customer experiences, CX professionals must serve as guardians of ethical practice. Just because we can do something, should we? How do we balance personalisation with privacy? How do we ensure AI doesn't perpetuate bias? These aren't technical questions as they require judgment, values, and a commitment to treating customers with dignity.

The bottom line is that AI will continue to automate routine and transactional tasks. That's good as it frees us to focus on what we do best: understanding complex human needs, designing meaningful experiences, driving change, and ensuring that as businesses scale, they don't lose their humanity. The CX professionals who thrive will be those who leverage AI while doubling down on distinctly human skills. If you can deeply understand people, think strategically, communicate compellingly, and lead with empathy, you'll always be relevant no matter how technology evolves.

What transformations, whether in individuals, teams, or entire organisations, remind you why this work matters?

There are transformations you can measure, like revenue increases, boosts in lead generation, and improvements in customer satisfaction, and then there are transformations you feel. Both matter, but the latter is what keeps me going.

One of the most profound transformations I've witnessed happened when building a CX team from the ground up. We were scaling across multiple locations in different time zones, and the challenge wasn't just operational; it was cultural. Teams were siloed, communication was fragmented, and customer experiences varied wildly depending on which location you engaged with.

We didn't just hire people and assign territories. We built a team united by a shared philosophy: every interaction matters. We established rituals – regular cross-location calls where teams shared wins and challenges, a centralised knowledge base to ensure everyone had access to the same information, and a customer feedback loop that made every team member accountable for the experiences we delivered.

Within months, people who had been working in isolation become collaborative problem-solvers. Frontline began contributing ideas. And customers noticed. Our consistency improved, and we generated over 6,000 new leads in four weeks when we opened a new physical location because every touchpoint, in every area, reflected the same care and intentionality.

That's what reminds me why this work matters. What really drives me is watching people rediscover their agency. Customer experience isn't an abstract concept owned by leadership; every person in the organisation shapes it. When teams realise they have the power to improve interactions, everything changes.

I've also had the privilege of mentoring young women in tech through platforms like Wentors and WILAN Global. Watching them grow in confidence, navigate challenges, and build careers in their own space is deeply fulfilling. Customer experience is about people, the customers we serve, and the teams we empower. When both thrive, that's transformation!

What mistakes do organisations commonly make in their customer experience efforts before seeking guidance?

It’s the same mistakes repeatedly, across industries and geographies. They're understandable, but they're costly.

• Mistake 1: Treating CX as a department, not a culture. Creating a "Customer Experience Team" doesn't solve the problem. But CX isn't owned by one team; everyone owns a part of it. Marketing shapes the first impression. Sales sets expectations. The product delivers the core value. Support handles issues. Operations ensure smooth delivery. If these teams aren't aligned, customers feel the disconnect. When I had to onboard team members, the biggest challenge wasn't training individuals; it was creating a shared language and mindset across functions and geographies. Customer experience is a cultural commitment, not a departmental responsibility.

• Mistake 2: Prioritising features over adoption. I've seen organisations invest heavily in new tools, platforms, or products, only to wonder why adoption is abysmal. They assume that if they build it, customers will use it. But adoption requires intentionality. You need to understand why people would change their behaviour, what obstacles stand in their way, and how to guide them through the transition. That's why I developed a User Adoption Framework for Change Management. It addresses the human side of change – communication, training, support, and feedback loops. Without that, even the best product sits unused.

• Mistake 3: Focusing on the transaction, not the relationship. Many organisations optimise for efficiency, like faster response times, fewer clicks, and streamlined processes. Efficiency matters, but it's not enough. Customers don't just want fast transactions; they want to feel valued. They want interactions that acknowledge them as individuals, not ticket numbers. This is where my artistic background informs my work. When I introduced value-adds that increased satisfaction, they weren't about speed; they were about showing customers we understood their needs and cared about their success.

• Mistake 4: Ignoring frontline insights: Frontline teams are closest to customers, yet they're often the last consulted when designing CX strategies. Leadership makes decisions in boardrooms based on data dashboards, missing the qualitative insights that only come from daily customer interactions. Frontline teams know where the friction is. They hear customer frustrations firsthand. Their insights shape every successful strategy that needs to be implemented.

• Mistake 5: Treating CX as a project with an end date. Customer experience isn't something you "complete." It's an ongoing practice that requires continuous measurement, iteration, and evolution. Sustainable transformation requires embedding practices, building internal capability, creating accountability structures, training internal champions, and developing frameworks that organisations can sustain long after an engagement ends.

  
  

The biggest mistake? Thinking customer experience is about tactics when it's really about mindset. It's about genuinely believing that every interaction is an opportunity to build trust, create value, and deepen relationships. Once that mindset shifts, the tactics follow naturally.

How can a leader or organisation know they're ready to invest in customer experience transformation?

Readiness isn't about having everything figured out, it's about recognising the need and being willing to commit.

Here are the signs that an organisation is ready: 

• You're experiencing symptoms you can't ignore: Customer churn is rising. Satisfaction scores are stagnant or declining. Sales are strong, but retention is weak. Teams are burned out from firefighting. These aren't just operational hiccups; they're signals that your customer experience needs strategic attention. If you're seeing these patterns and you're ready to address root causes rather than apply band-aids, you're ready.

• Leadership is willing to own the transformation: CX transformation doesn't work if it's delegated entirely to a mid-level team. It requires executive sponsorship, cross-functional alignment, and a willingness to make hard decisions, such as reallocating resources, changing incentives, or rethinking long-standing processes. When I’ve spearheaded strategic initiatives that have had results, they succeeded because leadership was committed. They gave the work the time, resources, and authority it needed.

• You're open to changing how you work, not just what you deliver: Many organisations want better customer outcomes but aren't willing to change internal processes, team structures, or cultural norms. Fundamental transformation requires internal change. If you're open to examining how decisions are made, how teams collaborate, and how success is measured, you're ready.

• You're willing to invest in enablement, not just strategy: A beautiful strategy deck means nothing if teams don't have the skills, tools, or confidence to execute it. Readiness means committing to training, coaching, and ongoing support. Every time I’ve delivered training sessions, the organisations that saw the most significant impact were those that treated training as an investment, not an expense.

• You see CX as a growth driver, not a cost centre: Customer experience isn't just about preventing churn, it's about driving growth. Satisfied customers buy more, stay longer, and refer others. When you see CX as a strategic lever for revenue and competitive advantage, you're ready to invest seriously. If you're nodding along to most of these, the question isn't whether you're ready; it's what you're waiting for. Customer expectations are rising. Competitors are investing in experience. The cost of inaction is higher than the cost of transformation.
  

The best time to invest in customer experience was yesterday. The second-best time is now.

What's the best way to connect with you about workshops, training, or strategic consulting?

The easiest way to connect with me is through my website. You'll find the information you need and ways to get in touch.

I'm also active on LinkedIn, recently joined TikTok and Instagram, where I share insights on customer experience, productivity, and the intersection of strategy and empathy. If something I've written resonates with you, reach out. I love having exploratory conversations with people who are genuinely curious about transforming their customer experiences.

If you're considering an engagement, here's what I recommend. Start with a conversation. I don't believe in cookie-cutter solutions. Every organisation has unique challenges, cultures, and goals. A discovery call sets the tone for what success looks like for you, and whether my approach aligns with your needs, no pressure, no sales pitch, just an honest conversation about whether we're a good fit. From there, we can design an engagement that makes sense.

What matters most isn't the size of your organisation, it's your commitment to doing this work with intention and care.

Let's design experiences that don't just work. Let's design experiences that matter.

Thank you!

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