Securing CX budget: Best practices for 2025 and beyond

Budgets have always been a critical focus area for customer experience (CX) leaders. Decisions about where to spend, where to save and how to secure more funding weigh heavily on decision-makers’ minds.

Fortunately, a positive trend has emerged: Research by TELUS Digital, in collaboration with Statista, reveals that 78% of leaders anticipate increased spending on CX initiatives in 2025. Among them, three quarters plan to boost digital CX investments by up to 25%, while 21% are aiming for an increase of 26-50% compared to 2024.

To ensure your CX initiatives remain on an upward trajectory, we've gathered best practices from industry leaders and experts who are well-versed in the art of negotiation. These strategies will help you effectively secure the budget needed to achieve your goals in today’s competitive landscape.

Five best practices for securing CX budgets

Securing budget for customer experience initiatives is a critical step toward delivering operational enhancements and bettering the customer journey. To get buy-in, leaders must present a well-crafted business case that resonates with stakeholders.

Read on for five best practices to help you secure more investment dollars to meet your objectives.

1. Aligning CX goals with business objectives

Connecting CX strategies directly to core business objectives — whether it's driving revenue, improving customer retention or enhancing operational efficiency — helps position CX as a key enabler of organizational success. When leadership views CX investments as integral to achieving these goals, the case for funding becomes far more compelling. However, achieving this alignment can be challenging.

The foundation of a compelling narrative begins with clearly identifying the problem your CX initiative addresses. By articulating the issue, proposing actionable solutions and detailing expected outcomes, you ensure your case speaks the language of decision-makers, focusing on metrics they value.

“Get really clear on what the goal is and then work backwards from there,” advises customer experience expert, Jeannie Walters, on the

podcast episode,"How can leaders win and optimize investment in CX?"

Walters shared an example to illustrate her point: “There are some leaders who really care about living the brand promise. That's part of their ethos. That's part of who they are. So you want to look at: ‘Where in our experience do we not do that? How can we make sure that we are identifying places where maybe we're not living up to the brand promise that will be really meaningful to that leader?’ And then break it down further and think about, ‘Where are those levers that we can pull? Where are those efforts that we can invest in around customer experience that will influence those outcomes?’”

A key step in this process, according to Walters, is to create a “CX success statement” — a clear and actionable definition of what success looks like and how it aligns with business objectives. Without this foundation, organizations risk investing in tools and technologies without achieving meaningful results.

Jeannie Walters, customer experience expert, on the

Questions for now

episode: "How can leaders win and optimize investment in CX?"

A strong business case should also highlight CX benefits across three key areas: customers, employees and the organization. Walters recommends using a combination of quantitative data, qualitative feedback and customer behavior insights to craft a narrative that resonates with leadership and aligns with broader goals.

She explains that brands need to be looking at what operational metrics and behavioral analytics reveal. Further, Walters goes on to recommend observation, and asking, "‘What's happening in the store, in the bank branch? How are people navigating that in real time?’ Because feedback only gets us so far. Humans don't always make sense. We don't always say what we actually do. And so, combining all that with the idea of, ‘What is the goal of this organization and who are we to our customers?’ We have to constantly tie that together to make our case.”

2. Showcasing potential ROI

Establishing a clear link between CX and ROI is essential to making your case compelling. “There’s a ton of data online to be able to show why and how an improved customer experience is going to deliver a higher return on investment,” advises Mark Raffan, negotiations expert, on the aforementioned podcast episode. “If you just say something to the effect of, ‘Hey, if you invest in this customer experience tool that we want, we will generate more money,’ whomever is going to be reading that is going to go, ‘Cool. Prove it.’”

Start by clearly identifying the specific business outcomes your initiative will impact, such as reducing churn or increasing conversion rates. Use a combination of data-driven projections and real-world examples to quantify the expected ROI. For instance, if improving customer service response times leads to higher satisfaction scores, estimate the impact on repeat business or customer referrals.

Mark Raffan, negotiations expert, on the

Questions for now

episode: "How can leaders win and optimize investment in CX?"

This approach applies whether your proposal involves tools, resources, processes or broader strategic initiatives. Regardless of the focus, credibility is critical to achieving buy-in, says Raffan. Strong data and persuasive analysis form the foundation, but the reliability of your sources is equally important. Raffan emphasizes the importance of independent validation: “Don't just rely on the research that whomever is selling you the tool is providing you, because that obviously is going to feel and sound biased.” Incorporating independent studies, real-world success stories and objective evidence will not only strengthen your proposal, but also build trust with decision-makers.

3. Creating an emotional appeal

While data-driven evidence is vital, emotional resonance can also be a powerful tool in securing budget approval. Raffan points out that people are often motivated by two factors: avoiding pain and seeking pleasure. “We know that statistically, in the vast majority of negotiation cases, especially around persuasion, that people are more motivated to not miss out on something than they are to acquire something. So if I can highlight my decision in their minds as, ‘Okay, if you make this decision, you won't miss out,’ then I know that's going to be significantly more persuasive than potentially the other way.”

Framing your proposal as both a solution to avoid risks and an opportunity to gain benefits can further strengthen its appeal. For example, highlight the risks of inaction: “By approving this budget, we ensure we don’t miss critical advancements that could compromise our market position.” This taps into the powerful motivator of avoiding loss. At the same time, emphasize the positive outcomes: “This initiative will deliver measurable results, strengthen our competitive edge and delight our customers.”

Striking the right balance between urgency and optimism creates a compelling case. Raffan cautions that over-reliance on fear can dilute your message, but pairing it with a vision of tangible benefits ensures your business case is persuasive, engaging and aligned with the organization’s goals.

4. Getting cross-functional support

Customer experience is not confined to a single department — it touches every part of an organization.

To successfully implement CX initiatives and secure budget, it’s essential to build cross-functional support by involving other teams that might be impacted by your proposed initiatives. In fact, according to

, organizations with highly aligned CX, marketing and digital teams report 1.6 times faster revenue growth and 1.4 times better customer retention compared to less-aligned peers.

Achieving this level of alignment requires a thoughtful approach to engaging stakeholders. According to Walters, defining the goals of a CX initiative and identifying the necessary stakeholders upfront is key to success. She warns that without the right resources and support, it’s difficult for CX leaders to achieve meaningful results. “We cannot do this alone,” she explains. “The role that I see that is really confusing to me is when a CX leader is told ‘Your job is to get Net Promoter Score [NPS] up,’ right? You’re given no resources, no team and you’re not accountable for the changes that need to be made. We could say all day ‘NPS is low because people hate the mobile app and that's what's dragging us down,’ [but] most CX leaders are not developing the mobile app.”

By aligning teams and engaging the right stakeholders from the start, CX leaders can shift their efforts from isolated metrics to company-wide priorities. Walters emphasizes that when teams understand the broader impact of CX initiatives — beyond just numbers on a dashboard — they become more invested. “If we can define [the initiative] upfront, then people start connecting these dots and seeing that this is not just something that is on a dashboard that isn’t really meaningful. This is about something bigger,” she explains.

Collaboration fosters shared ownership of CX goals, ensuring that CX initiatives are integrated into the broader business strategy. By emphasizing the bigger picture, CX leaders can rally the necessary support to drive meaningful, organization-wide success.

5. Preparing to address leadership concerns and priorities

Winning leadership approval for CX initiatives requires proactively addressing specific concerns and aligning your proposal with the executive team’s top priorities. Raffan offers strategies for navigating potential objectives. When leadership asks, “Can you do it for less?,” he suggests being firm and transparent: “No, the budget is calculated to deliver the required ROI.” Cutting costs might seem appealing but often compromises results, undermining the initiative’s potential value. Clear communication about the connection between budget allocation and expected outcomes can help mitigate these concerns.

When leadership brings up competing priorities, challenge claims of urgency by probing deeper, says Raffan. Questions like, “What decision needs to be made and by when?” and “When does the solution need to be implemented?” can reveal whether the urgency of other projects is overstated.

Next, evaluate the potential impact of delays — both for competing projects and your own. Highlight the risks of postponing your CX initiative, such as missed opportunities to improve customer satisfaction or address emerging challenges. Simultaneously, assess whether delays in competing projects would have a significant effect. Demonstrating that your project delivers immediate and strategic value strengthens your case as the more prudent investment.

By addressing leadership concerns with data, clarity and confidence, CX leaders can build trust and position their initiatives as essential to achieving both the company’s immediate and long-term goals.

Build a CX strategy that delivers results

Elevating your customer experience goes beyond securing a budget — it’s about aligning initiatives with your company’s strategic goals, deeply understanding your customers and staying agile in the face of evolving market trends. A well-crafted CX strategy not only drives measurable business outcomes, but also builds lasting connections with your customers.

As you plan for 2025, now is the time to position your CX initiatives for success. Let our team of experts help you create tailored solutions that deliver meaningful results for your business and delight your customers. Connect with us today.