CX Book Gems #41: "The Experience Performance System" by Zack Hamilton
Book summary of "The Experience Performance System" by Zack Hamilton.
Today’s feature is the new release The Experience Performance System by Zack Hamilton.
📘 Book Summary
In The Experience Performance System (EPS), Zack Hamilton issues a wake-up call for CX professionals: dashboards and sentiment scores aren’t enough. Most companies are managing perception, not performance. EPS is a blueprint for transforming CX from an insights program into a business-operating system that drives outcomes, prioritization, and decision-making. It’s not about listening to the customer; it’s about acting on what matters to the business.
You don’t need more signals. You need a system that makes them more usable.
💎 3 CX Gems
CX isn’t broken, systems are
The root cause of poor experiences isn’t sentiment, it’s operational friction. EPS reframes CX as a system issue, embedding it directly into sprint planning, investment decisions, and performance reviews.
Don’t sell CX, sell friction
CX earns executive attention not through dashboards but by exposing friction points that are already hurting revenue, retention, or cost. EPS leaders position experience as a constraint to business performance, not just a customer-facing concern.
CX needs an operating system, not another metric
EPS is a performance engine with reusable models that connect signals to sprints, prioritize actions, and create cross-functional ownership. It moves CX from passive feedback to active execution.
13 Models of EPS
At the center of EPS flywheel are business outcomes. Surrounding that are the 13 models that power the system.
https://www.mindmeister.com/3783113399/13-models-of-experience-performance-system-eps-by-zack-hamilton
✅ 3 Quickstart Tips
Lead with business impact, not NPS
Instead of presenting trend lines or customer sentiment, frame friction as a business performance constraint: What’s blocking growth, suppressing retention, or increasing costs?
Use the EPS Wedge
Start with a single, high-value friction point. Don’t pitch the entire system; solve one painful business problem with experience data and action plans that show results.
Build execution loops, not dashboards
Create sprint rhythms and prioritization models that turn feedback into cross-functional action. Loop in product, operations, and frontline teams to drive ownership.
The Experience Performance System is a bold departure from legacy CX thinking. It replaces passive listening with a system of performance, execution, and business alignment. If you’re ready to stop asking for buy-in and start leading with outcomes, EPS isn’t just a model, it’s your new operating system.
Go Zach!