November 06, 2025
Top 5 Insights from New Metrics at EXP KSA
In October, CXM attended the New Metrics CX event in Saudi Arabia. Here are some of the key learnings
Saudi Arabia is a region that has moved from talking about customer experience to now delivering it at scale. That evolution was on full display at Experience KSA, where public and private sector leaders came together to share how technology, culture, and purpose are reshaping the region’s experience landscape.
I came away with five big lessons that go beyond borders, lessons any organisation can use to elevate its customer and employee experience strategies.
Experience is now a strategic imperative
It was clear that customer and citizen experience is no longer an add-on. It’s a central pillar of national transformation.
The collaboration between Medallia and New Metrics demonstrates how seriously Saudi organisations are taking this by embedding experience management into Vision 2030’s broader mission to enhance well-being, trust, and service quality.
When experience aligns with purpose, it drives measurable impact. It’s not just about improving satisfaction — it’s about improving lives.
For me, the takeaway was obvious for organisations. Make sure your experience initiatives are directly tied to your organisation’s purpose and strategic goals, not just metrics.
Action is what counts
We’ve all built dashboards, sent surveys, and tracked feedback. But organisations that stand out are those acting on insights in real time.
As Mike Debnar, VP Retail Executive Advisor at Medallia, put it, “The era of passive listening is over.” From social media sentiment to contact-centre analytics, the opportunity is to capture and act on customer signals in the moment they appear.
Debnar’s advice is simple. Build systems and habits that turn feedback into instant, visible action. The faster you respond, the quicker you build trust.
Orchestration at scale changes everything
True transformation isn’t about isolated improvements; it’s about orchestration. Experience KSA showcased how organisations are connecting journeys, data, and teams to deliver consistent, personalised experiences at scale.
This approach goes beyond fixing pain points. It creates a living, breathing experience ecosystem that adapts as customers move across touchpoints.
For organisations, it is essential to break down silos between departments and channels. Seamless experiences happen when data and ownership flow freely.
Global tech meets local culture
One of the most powerful lessons from Saudi Arabia’s CX evolution is that success depends on balancing global technology with local understanding.
Medallia brings advanced analytics and experience management tools, while New Metrics provides the cultural and strategic context that ensures those tools resonate locally.
This fusion of global capability and local insight is what’s enabling meaningful transformation. I spoke to Ben Morris, VP of Alliances at Medallia, and Nader Abu Zahr, VP, Experience Management & Digital Transformation, New Metrics, about the relationship and how they are bringing powerful solutions to businesses in KSA.
The future is human — even in a digital world
Despite the focus on AI, automation, and data, the heart of Experience KSA was unmistakably human.
Speakers consistently reminded us that empathy, understanding, and purpose are what give direction to technology. The best experiences are designed for people, by people — with tech as the amplifier, not the replacement.
One of the key messages from the event was that businesses should keep people at the centre of every transformation. Data tells you what’s happening, humanity tells you why it matters.
Final Thoughts
Experience KSA showed a region moving from theory to execution, from measurement to orchestration, and from listening to action.
It’s a reminder that experience is no longer a soft metric. It’s the engine that powers transformation for customers, citizens, and employees alike.
The future belongs to organisations that can combine data, technology, and human insight to deliver experiences that matter.
