What CX Leaders Can Learn from Wham!

Lovers of pop music will undoubtedly have read the autobiography by Andrew Ridgeley, which touches on so many interesting and unexpected aspects of 80s supergroup Wham! Those in the customer management space would do well to keep in mind the lessons that Ridgeley imparts between the lines as they formulate their strategies for 2025 and beyond. Among the most salient from a CX perspective include:

• Make it happen – one immediate feature that stands out in the formation of Wham! is the need to keep moving forward. Ridgeley’s account of the band’s success has a lot to do with constantly working on its sound, visibility and image in an almost entrepreneurial manner.  For CX players, whether on the services or the tech side, taking an idea, cultivating it and bringing it to market counts in today’s fast-paced environment.  Running with the ball, whether in the early 1980s music scene or the customer management space 40 years later, has never been more important. To quote the immortal tune Young Guns… Go for it!
• Visibility counts – Wham! didn’t become a cultural phenomenon overnight; Andrew Ridgeley’s book recounts weeks on end performing at dingy pubs across the UK in order to gain the critical mass that eventually led to finding themselves strutting their stuff on their legendary first Top of the Pops.  CX providers and tech vendors would do well to draw inspiration from Wham! by ensuring a presence where buyers are to be found.  As an example, the recently-published 2025 CX Technology and Services Buyers’ Outlook by Ryan Strategic Advisory indicates that those looking to procure customer management tools and support are prioritizing trade shows / industry conferences; taking part in the right gatherings will do wonders for CX players, and who knows where it can lead.
• Be original in presentation – the CX tech and services sectors are at risk of becoming generic, and standing out has never been more important. Wham! did just this in the heyday of music videos by investing the resources needed to film Club Tropicana and Careless Whisper, two iconic clips produced in exotic locales that are still held up today for their excellence. Their originality also helped cement Wham!’s cachet amomg music fans.   Customer management operators should think about this when producing collateral and materials that stand out from the competition, ones that are provocative enough to get buyers wanting to know more, not wanting to find nearest recycling box.
• Expanding horizons mean expanding opportunities – Andrew Ridgeley states very clearly in his autobiography that while the UK was the basis of Wham!’s initial success, finding new markets for the band’s music was imperative. Thus, attacking the USA, Australia and China became a priority, and helped establish the band as a true super-group.  This is something that should be front of mind for CX tech and services players going into 2025 – selling into the same, reliable industries and geographies will only lead to stagnation.  Driving new revenues from emerging national markets and verticals will help keep an offering fresh and ensure long-term growth.
• Know when to evolve – Wham! wasn’t conceived out of thin air. Rather, it was founded on the back of at least one previous band, known as The Executive. Ridgeley describes the need to evolve into something new and fresh, as The Executive gradually became stale – hence the birth of Wham!  For those providing customer experience services and technology, there is a lesson here in making certain that what is on offer is what enterprise buyers are looking for.  Simply offering what is easy / convenient will not suffice, providing what is pertinent to buyers is a must!
• The right team counts – Wham! wasn’t just a vehicle for the emergence of arguably the greatest frontman of the 1980s. At its peak, it was a collective of four incredibly talented people that captured lightening in a bottle, all of which had amazing chemistry with each other.  When putting together a team within a CX organization, finding the best experience, empathy, collegiality and positivity has never been so important, as a means of leading to the best creative solutions.  Just ask Dee C., Shirlie or Andrew….  They know better than anybody!