Business Process Innovation (BPI) – with Rain Abueg of iCXeed

In this week’s episode, Derek Gallimore talks with Rain Abueg, the co-founder and Chief Culture Officer of iCXeed. iCXeed is a customer experience outsourcing firm located in the Philippines.

Rain’s discussess how their “work from anywhere” approach underscores their unique company philosophy and its role in shaping their organizational culture.

The birth of iCXeed

Rain, one of the co-founders of iCXeed, shares the story and vision behind the company. 

Rain and her co-founding team established iCXeed to challenge traditional outsourcing norms. They proudly consider themselves as “Business Process Innovators.”

She explained their distinctive approach to customer experience.

“The best customer experience is no service experience.”  She emphasizes that the ideal customer experience is one where customers never have to contact support in the first place.

“If you think about a time when you were really happy as a customer, it probably wouldn’t be when you had to call someone to fix like an error in your bill and they may have resolved it quickly. You may be happy with the service. But that wouldn’t be a best experience.

Your best experience would be never having to call them to fix anything in the first place. And so that’s our mindset at iCXeed.”

Rain discusses their approach to achieving this philosophy: “We cultivate a culture where our frontline experts are enabled and motivated to recommend innovations to reduce customer friction points.” 

This highlights their focus on empowering employees to provide a more seamless customer experience.

Building from the ground up

Rain reflects on the challenges of transitioning from established corporations to starting their own business.

“It has been an interesting journey. We have all been spoiled, working for bigger operations with much support, and we’ve had to learn how to do things on our own.”

She emphasizes the multitasking required in their entrepreneurial role. “We all wear many hats. I search for candidates and do interviews, versus my previous life where I just get a resume, and it’s already scheduled on my calendar, and all I have to do is click a button.”

Further, the iCXeed co-founder compares the experience of building their business from scratch to constructing a custom home. 

“Building from the ground up is like building your home, customizing room sizes, furniture, and placements. 

It adds a layer to the experience that is very organic and helps us understand the employee experience.”

Embracing remote work realities

Rain Abueg discussed the shift towards a “work from anywhere” approach, reflecting on how their perspectives have evolved since before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She explained, “I think it serves both [the workforce and the client]. For the client, it casts a wider net for talent, and we have discovered that talent is everywhere in the Philippines.” 

She pointed out that during COVID-19, many workers from Metro Manila returned to their home provinces, highlighting that remote work can be successful and revealing diverse motivations for staying in different locations.

Rain also stressed employee benefits, stating, “We like [working from home] because it also helps our employees. It makes for a better work and life experience not to travel to the office and commute for several hours.” 

She noted that as long as there are mechanisms to ensure work output is delivered effectively, working from home can lead to a more fulfilling work-life balance.

Discover additional information about iCXeed and the services they offer by exploring their website.

If you have any inquiries or need more details, you can explore their Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, as well.