White Paper: Restoring Customer Experience with Continuous Improvement & Lean Six Sigma
Learn how continuous improvement, Lean Six Sigma, and change management can restore customer experience by tackling root causes and driving sustainable business process improvement.
Customer experience (CX) is in trouble. According to Forrester’s 2025 CX Index, U.S. customer experience quality has declined for the fourth straight year, marking the lowest levels since the survey began. Companies continue to struggle with fragmented systems, overwhelmed employees, and customer journeys that feel disjointed at every step.
Too often, leaders view call centers as a cost to be minimized rather than a strategic asset. In response, they invest heavily in technology such as chatbots, automation, and AI, without the process discipline required to make those tools effective. The result is a patchwork of disconnected channels that frustrates customers and burns out employees.
Treating Call Centers as cost centers to be optimized with technology leads to:
- Fragmented customer journeys
- Disengaged employees
- Ineffective business processes
Instead, reverse the negative CX trend with:
- Continuous improvement
- Business process optimization
- Lean Six Sigma methods
This whitepaper explores how organizations can rebuild customer trust by applying continuous improvement and Lean Six Sigma methods. Using tools such as Kaizen process improvement, RCA root cause analysis, and the DMAIC Six Sigma framework, executives can address systemic issues, align employees with organizational goals, and create a culture of excellence that sustains improvements over time.
Why CX Is Declining
Forrester’s research shows that 25% of U.S. brands saw a statistically significant decline in CX quality in 2025, while only 7% improved. One key driver is the fragmentation of customer interactions. For example, a customer may start by chatting online with a representative, then escalate to a phone call—only to find the phone agent has no visibility into the prior conversation. This lack of data standardization forces customers to repeat themselves and signals to them that the company is not truly customer-centric.
"68% of brands showed no improvement in CX last year - proof that doing nothing is falling behind."
Another factor is the misapplication of technology. AI chatbots and automated systems have been rolled out rapidly, but without a process improvement plan to integrate them into the overall customer journey, they often make the experience worse. A bot that fails to resolve a customer’s issue only creates another handoff, another frustration, and another cost for the business.
Finally, there is the human factor. Employees report declining engagement, inadequate training, and weak alignment to organizational CX goals. Without a robust change management strategy and visible organizational change leadership, CX culture erodes and performance slides.
Three main Drivers of CX Decline
1
Fragmented interactions and silos
2
Technology without process improvement
3
Weak organizational change management
The Call Center Cost-Center Trap
Many organizations treat their call centers primarily as expenses to cut. This mindset leads to underinvestment in both people and process.
Consider a retail company that reduced agent headcount to lower costs. While expenses went down in the short term, wait times spiked, first-call resolution rates plummeted, and customer churn increased. The company saved pennies but lost millions in customer lifetime value.
When call centers are viewed as strategic assets, the focus shifts. Instead of asking “How can we reduce cost per call?” leaders begin asking “How can we resolve issues faster, reduce repeat contacts, and improve loyalty?” That shift unlocks opportunities for business process improvement and long-term value creation.
"Every minute customers spend repeating themselves is a signal of broken processes, not just a bad day at the call center."
Applying Continuous Improvement & Lean Six Sigma
Sustainable CX transformation requires more than technology investments; it requires continuous improvement discipline. The DMAIC Six Sigma framework provides another proven structure. By Defining the problem, Measuring its scope, Analyzing root causes, Improving processes, and Controlling for sustainability, organizations can eliminate waste and variation in CX delivery.
At one Revenue Cycle Management company, Adonis Partners used DMAIC Six Sigma methods to analyze recurring service bottlenecks. The assessment revealed systemic issues in front-end registration, billing workflows, and communication handoffs. By running four targeted Kaizen events and retraining staff in standardized processes, the company delivered measurable results:
$850k
in direct savings from reduced errors and rework
55%
reduction in patient wait times during registration
$4.8M
annual improvement in cash flow
This example shows how continuous improvement discipline, when applied rigorously through DMAIC, can transform frontline operations, reduce frustration for both customers and staff, and generate sustainable financial gains.
Tools like RCA root cause analysis and the 5 Whys ensure that leaders don’t just treat symptoms. For instance, a healthcare provider facing repeated patient billing complaints discovered—after five “Whys”—that the true issue was outdated system integration, not employee performance. By fixing the system, they eliminated the root cause instead of blaming frontline staff.
The Role of Change Management
Even the best-designed process improvements collapse without a strong change management framework. Employees must understand not just what is changing, but why the change matters. Without leadership reinforcement and cultural alignment, organizations risk sliding back into old habits.
A Food & Beverage manufacturer illustrates this challenge. The company faced systemic issues in quality, scrap, and productivity. Leadership engaged Adonis Partners to build a business process improvement program rooted in Lean Six Sigma. Early resistance was predictable: employees worried the new tools and metrics would add bureaucracy, not eliminate waste.
To overcome this, Adonis implemented a structured change management plan:
- Training 300+ employees in Lean Six Sigma methods, equipping them with problem-solving skills.
- Embedding Kaizen process improvement events that empowered frontline teams to own solutions.
- Establishing visible metrics that highlighted scrap reduction, quality improvements, and labor productivity gains.
- Reinforcing leadership accountability so executives modeled the behaviors they expected.
The results were significant: over $6M in EBITDA improvement and $6.9M in new savings. More importantly, the change stuck. Employees at every level understood the value of the new way of working, and leadership reinforced the culture through ongoing recognition and coaching.
This case demonstrates that organizational change leadership is the linchpin of CX transformation. Tools like Lean Six Sigma deliver the methods, but only effective change management strategy ensures the improvements endure.
Building a Process Improvement Plan
A comprehensive process improvement plan for CX should include:
1
Prioritizing systemic issues
Focus on recurring problems that impact customer satisfaction, not isolated complaints.
2
Customer journey mapping
Document touchpoints to identify breakdowns and opportunities.
3
Lean Six Sigma
project management
Assign accountability and track progress with clear metrics.
4
Continuous improvement cycles (PDCA or DMAIC)
Ensure improvements are tested, measured, and sustained.
5
Linking improvements to value creation
Measure ROI not just in cost savings but in loyalty, retention, and revenue growth.
For example, a dairy cooperative that implemented 27 continuous improvement projects
in one year saw $1M in savings in just four months and $5.3M by year-end. More importantly, leaders were equipped to sustain the improvements long after the projects ended.
Conclusion
CX decline is not inevitable. By shifting focus from chasing every noise to acting on meaningful signals, organizations can transform fragmented customer interactions into seamless experiences. The key is combining continuous improvement, Lean Six Sigma methods, and strong organizational change leadership to drive sustainable results.
Technology alone won’t fix customer experience. But with a disciplined process improvement plan, companies can restore trust, improve loyalty, and create lasting value.
Ready to Transform Your Customer Experience?
Customer expectations aren’t slowing down—and neither should your improvement efforts. At Adonis Partners, we help organizations cut through the noise, act on the signal, and build customer experiences that last.
- Proven results in continuous improvement and Lean Six Sigma methods
- Expertise in business process optimization and change management strategy
- A track record of driving measurable value creation across industries
Let’s talk about how we can help your team rebuild CX for long-term success.
Get in touch with our team today.
Share this White Paper
Facebook
LinkedIn
X
Email
