Building a Thriving, CX-Driven Culture at Axioned

When we founded Axioned, we had a vision: to create a company that not only delivered exceptional results for our clients (aka is "CX-driven") but was also a workplace where employees thrived.

Over the years, we've learned that these two goals are intrinsically linked – according to Gallup’s Q12 employee engagement assessment, actively engaged employees are less likely to job-hop, and low-engagement teams have turnover rates 18-43% higher than highly engaged teams.

We know that we still have a long way to go – and that’s okay! – continuous improvement and change are constant – but here’s what’s worked for us at Axioned so far….

Establishing strong core values (and involving our team in their creation)

By clearly defining our values and building accountability into them, we created a culture of trust, integrity, and honesty, leading to better business results. Core values aren't just for employees; they also impact profitability.  

Our approach: We invited our team to help shape our core values: Action Oriented, Intensely Curious, Help First, Proactive Ownership & Open Collaboration. This bottom-up approach helped everyone feel recognized and valued, creating a workplace they'd want to be a part of.

Creating an open and accessible company handbook

Our "Axioned Handbook" is a centralized hub for company values, culture, onboarding information, and guidelines. This ensures everyone is on the same page and feels included. We encourage the team to contribute to and continuously improve the handbook. Unlike many companies that may have hidden or restricted access to their internal policies, our handbook is both private and public facing. This means anyone can view it, ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the organization.

Prioritizing action and curiosity

Our company name, Axioned (think 'actioned' but with an X), reflects our commitment to a rapid, action-oriented approach. Our "intensely curious" value encourages employees to experiment, learn from mistakes, and iterate. As Jim Harter, Chief Scientist of Employee Engagement and Wellbeing at Gallup, says, "Engaged employees are a lot closer to the best ideas."

Fostering openness and collaboration

We are all a work in progress, and so is everything we do. We want our team to be comfortable with 'working in the open', whether it's sharing their views candidly or inviting feedback from others. When employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and collaborating, it leads to better decision-making and a more positive work environment. This openness extends to our clients as well. Even when facing challenges, we prioritize keeping our clients informed with proactive updates and clear direction.

Our dedicated "WOW" form and Slack channel provide a company-wide platform for recognizing and sharing exceptional service, and embody our value of 'open collaboration'.

Additionally, we hold regular "share, learn, apply" sessions, where employees can discuss tech topics, share their expertise, and receive feedback. These sessions provide a valuable platform for open dialogue and innovation, even in areas where we may not have established experts.

Another avenue for open brainstorming is our "office hours" format. These sessions can be organized within specific teams or with larger groups, and they provide a space for individuals to share ideas and collaborate. Ideas that emerge from these sessions are evaluated through an "adopt-trial-assess-hold-backlog" filtering process, ensuring that only the most promising initiatives are pursued.

We’re delighted to say that this way of working is paying off – both for our employees and our clients!

Here's some data to prove it: 

• Client Satisfaction: Our clients consistently rate us highly, with an average satisfaction score of 94% over the past year; testament to the hard work and dedication of our team.
• Staff Satisfaction: Our team members are highly satisfied with their work at Axioned. In our latest survey, 94% said they were excited about their work, 93% were clear on what they needed to do to succeed, 90% saw opportunities for growth and development, and 92% would recommend Axioned as a good place to work.
• Employee Tenure: While many of our team members are young and highly sought-after engineers, with an average tenure of around 4 years, our leadership brings extensive experience. Our founders have over 20 years of experience, and several members of our management team have been in the industry for 10+ years. This blend of fresh talent and seasoned expertise reflects the strong culture and growth opportunities we’ve built at Axioned.

Looking ahead…

What we’ve learnt over almost two decades, is that building a thriving CX-driven culture isn’t just about delivering great customer experiences; it’s about creating a workplace where people love to come to work. By creating a positive work environment rooted in strong values, we’re confident in our ability to build a sustainable and scalable business where everyone proactively contributes to our growth. Of course, this requires intentional effort, attention, and investment—but we believe that the ongoing investment will be worth it.

Author's note: This blog post was created by Content Strategy and Communication Consultant, Tamara Jacobs & Axioned CEO and Co-Founder, Libby Swan.