--- title: 8 Actionable Takeaways from the 2025 Customer Salience Summit description: Discover 8 actionable insights from the 2025 Customer Salience Summit to build a customer-centric culture and drive impactful decisions in your organisation. image: https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Marketing_Files/Blogs/Headers/8-actionable-takeaways-summit-2025.png --- close ## Ready to level up your insights? Get ready to streamline, scale and supercharge your research. Fill out this form to request a demo of the InsightHub platform and discover the difference insights empowerment can make. A member of our team will reach out within two working days. close ## Cost effective insights that scale Quality insight doesn't need to cost the earth. Our flexible approach helps you make the most of research budgets and build an agile solution that works for you. Fill out this form to request a call back from our team to explore our pricing options. [![FlexMR logo](https://www.flexmr.net/skin/images/images-custom/2b221b67-b091-4584-9017-872ee2ddf960-logo.svg)](https://www.flexmr.net/) Book a Demo Request Pricing [Contact Us](https://www.flexmr.net/contact/) Menu - [Home](https://www.flexmr.net/) - [InsightHub](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/) - [What is InsightHub?](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/) - [Data Collection](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/data-collection/) - [Data Analysis](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/data-analysis/) - [Data Activation](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/data-activation/) - [Research Templates](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/survey-templates/) - [Information Security](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/information-security/) - [Services](https://www.flexmr.net/services/) - [Our Expert Services](https://www.flexmr.net/services/) - [Support & Education](https://www.flexmr.net/services/support-and-education/) - [Consultative Services](https://www.flexmr.net/services/consultative-services/) - [Insight Delivery](https://www.flexmr.net/services/insight-delivery-services/) - [Research Methods](https://www.flexmr.net/methods/) - [Sectors We Work With](https://www.flexmr.net/sectors/) - [About](https://www.flexmr.net/about/) - [About Us](https://www.flexmr.net/about/) - [Leadership](https://www.flexmr.net/about/leadership/) - [Meet the team](https://www.flexmr.net/about/meet-the-team/) - [Advisory Board](https://www.flexmr.net/about/advisory-board/) - [Press & Media](https://resources.flexmr.net/tag/press) - [Accolades](https://www.flexmr.net/about/accolades/) - [Careers](https://www.flexmr.net/about/careers/) - [Blog](https://blog.flexmr.net/) - [Resources](https://resources.flexmr.net) - [Contact](https://www.flexmr.net/contact/) - [Book a Demo](https://blog.flexmr.net/) - [Request Pricing](https://blog.flexmr.net/) - [Home](https://www.flexmr.net/) - [InsightHub](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/) - - [What is InsightHub?](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/) - [Data Collection](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/data-collection/) - [Data Analysis](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/data-analysis/) - [Data Activation](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/data-activation/) - [Research Templates](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/survey-templates/) - [Information Security](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/information-security/) - ![Camp InsightHub](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Website_Files/Images/Navigation/camp_insighthub_nav.png) Embark on a new adventure. Join Camp InsightHub, our free demo platform, to discover the future of research. [Sign Up Today](https://insighthub.flexmr.net/users/new) - ![FlexMR InsightHub](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Website_Files/Images/Navigation/insighthub_screenshot.png) Read a brief overview of the agile research platform enabling brands to inform decisions at speed in this PDF. [Download Brochure](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Public_Files/InsightHub_Brochure.pdf) - ### InsightHub on the Blog - [Surveys, Video and the Changing Face of Agile Research](https://blog.flexmr.net/surveys-video-changing-agile-research) - [Building a Research Technology Stack for Better Insights](https://blog.flexmr.net/research-technology-stack) - [The Importance of Delegation in Managing Insight Activities](https://blog.flexmr.net/delegation-importance-insight-activities) - [Common Insight Platform Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)](https://blog.flexmr.net/platform-pitfalls-how-to-avoid-them) - [Services](https://www.flexmr.net/services/) - - [Our Expert Services](https://www.flexmr.net/services/) - [Support and Education](https://www.flexmr.net/services/support-and-education/) - [Consultative Services](https://www.flexmr.net/services/consultative-services/) - [Insight Delivery Services](https://www.flexmr.net/services/insight-delivery-services/) - [Research Methods](https://www.flexmr.net/methods/) - [Sectors We Work With](https://www.flexmr.net/sectors/) - ![FlexMR Services Team](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Website_Files/Images/Navigation/services.jpg) Our services drive operational and strategic success in challenging environments. Find out how. [Download Brochure](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Public_Files/Brochures/FlexMR_Services_Brochure.pdf) - ![Video Close Connection Programme](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Website_Files/Images/Navigation/video_services.jpg) Close Connections bring stakeholders and customers together for candid, human conversations. [Read Press Release](https://resources.flexmr.net/close-connections-launch) - ### Explore our Practices - [Communities Practice](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/) - [Closeness Practice](https://www.flexmr.net/practices/customer-closeness/) - [CX Practice](https://www.flexmr.net/practices/customer-experience/) - [Insight Communications Practice](https://www.flexmr.net/practices/insight-communications/) - [About](https://www.flexmr.net/about/) - - [About Us](https://www.flexmr.net/about/) - [Leadership](https://www.flexmr.net/about/leadership/) - [Meet the Team](https://www.flexmr.net/about/meet-the-team/) - [Advisory Board](https://www.flexmr.net/about/advisory-board/) - [Press & Media](https://resources.flexmr.net/tag/press) - [Accolades](https://www.flexmr.net/about/accolades/) - [Careers](https://www.flexmr.net/about/careers/) - ![FlexMR Credentials Deck](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Website_Files/Images/Navigation/flexmr_credentials.png) The FlexMR credentials deck provides a brief introduction to the team, our approach to research and previous work. [Download Credentials](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Public_Files/Brochures/FlexMR_Credentials.pdf) - ![FlexMR Insights Empowerment](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Website_Files/Images/Navigation/insights_empowerment.png) We are the insights empowerment company. Our framework addresses the major pressures insight teams face. [Download Brochure](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Public_Files/Brochures/Insights_Empowerment_Brochure.pdf) - ### Latest News - [Insight as Art Shortlisted for AURA Innovation Award](https://resources.flexmr.net/aura-innovation-award-2021) - [FlexMR Launch Video Close Connection Programme](https://resources.flexmr.net/close-connections-launch) - [VideoMR Analysis Tool Added to InsightHub](https://resources.flexmr.net/videomr-launch) - [FlexMR Makes Shortlist for Quirks Research Supplier Award](https://resources.flexmr.net/quirksmr-mr-supplier-award-2020) - [Blog](https://blog.flexmr.net) - - [Latest Posts](https://blog.flexmr.net) - [Strategic Thinking](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/strategic-thinking) - [Technology & Trends](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/tech-trends) - [Research Methods](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/research-methods) - [Practical Application](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/practical-application) - [Insights Empowerment](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/insights-empowerment) - [View Full Blog Archives](https://blog.flexmr.net/all) - ![FlexMR Close Connection Programme](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Website_Files/Images/Navigation/close_connection.png) Discover how to build close customer connections to better support real-time decision making. [Build Connections](https://blog.flexmr.net/practical-support-real-time-decisions) - ![Market Research Playbook](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Website_Files/Images/Navigation/market_research_playbook.png) What is a market research and insights playbook, plus discover why should your team consider building one. [Discover Playbooks](https://blog.flexmr.net/market-research-playbook) - ### Featured Posts - [Five Strategies for Turning Insight into Action](https://blog.flexmr.net/5-strategies-turn-insights-into-action) - [How to Design Surveys that Ask the Right Questions](https://blog.flexmr.net/effective-survey-design-guide) - [Scaling Creative Qual for Rich Customer Insight](https://blog.flexmr.net/scale-creative-qual-rich-understanding) - [How to Measure Brand Awareness: The Complete Guide](https://blog.flexmr.net/measure-brand-awareness) - [Resources](https://resources.flexmr.net) - - [All Resources](https://resources.flexmr.net) - [Client Stories](https://resources.flexmr.net/tag/case-studies) - [Whitepapers](https://resources.flexmr.net/tag/whitepapers) - [Events & Webinars](https://resources.flexmr.net/tag/events) - [The Open Ideas Panel](https://ideas.flexmr.net/auth/sign_in) - [InsightHub Help Centre](https://help.flexmr.net/en) - [FlexMR Client Network](https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9165407/) - ![Insights Empowerment Readiness Calculator](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Website_Files/Images/Navigation/insights_calculator.png) The insights empowerment readiness calculator measures your progress in building an insight-led culture. [Get Your Score](https://resources.flexmr.net/insights-empowerment-calculator) - ![MRX Lab Podcast](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Website_Files/Images/Navigation/flexmr_podcast.png) The MRX Lab podcast explores new and novel ideas from the insights industry in 10 minutes or less. [Listen Now](https://resources.flexmr.net/mrx-lab-podcast) - ### Featured Stories - [Specsavers Informs Key Marketing Decisions with InsightHub](https://resources.flexmr.net/specsavers) - [The Coventry Panel Helps Maintain Award Winning CX](https://resources.flexmr.net/coventry-building-society) - [Isagenix Customer Community Steers New Product Launch](https://resources.flexmr.net/isa-insights) - [Curo Engage Residents with InsightHub Community](https://resources.flexmr.net/curo) - [Strategic Thinking](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/strategic-thinking) / - [Insights Empowerment](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/insights-empowerment) / 9 MIN READ ## 8 Actionable Takeaways from the 2025 Customer Salience Summit #### Charlotte Duff # [Workshops and Beacons: A Guide to Building Custome...](https://blog.flexmr.net/workshops-beacons-customer-salience) Most organisations are not short of data, insight or decks.Their biggest challenge is not whether cu... [Read more](https://blog.flexmr.net/workshops-beacons-customer-salience) 9 MIN READ #### Ed Hill - [Events (1)](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/events) - [Insights Empowerment (38)](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/insights-empowerment) - [Practical Application (178)](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/practical-application) - [Research Methods (285)](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/research-methods) - [Strategic Thinking (232)](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/strategic-thinking) - [Survey Templates (7)](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/survey-templates) - [Tech & Trends (397)](https://blog.flexmr.net/topic/tech-trends) 8 Actionable Takeaways from the 2025 Customer Salience Summit 9:18 After a day of inspiring presentations and workshops, we asked attendees of the 2025 FlexMR Customer Salience Summit a simple question. When you leave here, what will you do differently based on what you learned today? Over 60 attendees submitted pledges, committing to the one thing they will do differently. We’ll be checking in on progress in 3 months’ time. But, for now, we’ve distilled those pledges into a set of actionable takeaways that summarise the key learnings from the summit. These are things you can apply in your everyday work to build a customer-centric culture, get more out of your insight, and have a greater impact on decisions. ## 1. Get to REALLY Know Your Stakeholders Understanding stakeholders isn’t just about identifying what makes them tick. It’s about diving beneath the surface to uncover what truly drives their decisions. Find out what their agendas are, what pressures they face, and what motivates them to act. Perhaps even start with the simple question of asking what KPIs they are measured against. For this is one of the most important factors that will drive their decision-making frames. As Judy Taylor and Jane Frost reminded us during the Summit, communication only creates impact when it’s delivered in a language stakeholders understand. Data may not be political. But influence sure is. And influence starts by understanding the levers you can pull on to shape those decision-making frames. So, make it your mission to translate data into relevance. Speak their language. Connect insight to their strategic goals. When you do, your work will go further. ## 2. Be the Person Who Connects the Dots Data and insight live in every corner of an organisation, often hidden away in team silos. As insight professionals, our greatest value lies in bringing all of those pieces together. We must not only produce information, but connect the dots (many of which exist beyond the walls of the research team) to tell a coherent, compelling story. Alan Gilchrist explained this role with a handy metaphor. Imagine your marketing function as the central hub of in an office. It’s the linchpin that ties everything together*.* Not owning any particular function, but connecting them and greasing the wheels of commercial activity. Data should be flowing in, and decision-making guidance out. So, how can you do this? Start by mapping what data exists, where it lives, and who owns it. Once you can see the full picture, you can weave it into a narrative that drives alignment and action across teams. At FlexMR, we support insight teams in achieving this with [Sprint Reviews](https://www.flexmr.net/services/insight-delivery-services/) that are underpinned by ActivateMR. Our Sprint Review service involves facilitating a regular, bi-monthly meeting that brings together different insights and teams to level the playing field. It’s an approach which ensures no one is left with gaps in their knowledge and everyone has a shared understanding of the customer landscape. By creating unified, but nuanced, view, teams can pull together as a collective force, aligned around the same truths and empowered to take meaningful action from the insights. ## 3. Bring Customers Closer to Decision-Makers Inspired by Charlotte Vicary’s tales of bringing customers into the boardroom, many attendees pledged to start or expand Customer Closeness Programmes. These programmes help senior leaders experience real customer challenges first-hand, creating empathy, sparking new ideas, and ensuring decisions reflect genuine needs. At FlexMR, our [Video Close Connection](https://www.flexmr.net/services/insight-delivery-services/) programmes enable research teams to connect senior stakeholders with customers in a similar way. These short, one-on-one conversations allow decision-makers to hear authentic stories directly from multiple consumers, creating an immediate sense of empathy and understanding that data alone simply can’t deliver. ## 4. Breathe Life into Customer Stories Bring colour to customer perspectives through their stories, rather than just reporting on data points. Use tools such as pen portraits or customer-of-the-month activities to add a crucial human-interest angle to your insight communications. When you bring people to life, you enable stakeholders to connect with your audience on a deeper, more emotional level and see them in glorious Technicolour. What’s the best way to bring stories to life? Of course, storytelling is a key skill. But it starts with how your research [engages with customers](https://resources.flexmr.net/saffron-members-room). Survey are dull, flat and two-dimensions. But [online communities](https://resources.flexmr.net/year-of-joy-happiness-community) are an ideal mechanism for bringing that richness. Our insight communities offer an ongoing window into [customers’ worlds](https://resources.flexmr.net/lowell-dedicated-customer-panel), revealing not just what they think, but what they feel and do. ## 5. Start Small, Build Momentum In reflecting on Ellie Osborne’s presentation, I’m reminded of the immortal quote from the tennis legend, Arthur Ashe: “To achieve greatness, start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can.” What this means for researchers is that instead of waiting for the perfect platform, process, or even moment - start small and simple. By sharing human stories, not just data points, you’ll make your insights more relatable and memorable. Over time, these small beginnings can grow into a strong, insight-driven culture across the organisation. Ellie demonstrated this momentum building process in action by telling the story of the community Saga built with the FlexMR InsightHub platform. In this session, she described how a single snowflake of insight became a catalyst for richer storytelling and deeper organisational engagement. But Saga isn’t the only brand we work with to build strategic momentum. [Curo](https://resources.flexmr.net/curo) has credited their insight community as incremental at first, and then transformational in shifting how their teams make decisions. ## 6. Harness the Power of Video Video is fast becoming one of the most powerful storytelling tools for researchers. Whether its short clips shared with executives via WhatsApp (as Rupesh demonstrated in the Summit Pitch Battle) or polished summaries where customers tell their stories in their own words, video bridges the gap between data and emotion. Integrating video into your existing work can make the information more memorable and impactful, transforming static reports into experiences that linger long after the meeting ends. At FlexMR, this is something which has long been important to us. [VideoMR](https://www.flexmr.net/insighthub/data-analysis/), an analysis and distribution tool within the InsightHub platform helps research teams create quick impact. We’ve worked with Saffron Building Society, M&G, RVU and many more to build libraries of video footage that can be edited, stitched together, and shared across teams, bringing customer voices to life in a way that no slide deck ever could. These visual stories provide far greater impact than pages of verbatim quotes buried in survey results, helping evidence insight with authenticity, emotion, and clarity. ## 7. Measure What Really Matters Measuring success shouldn’t stop at the number of attendees who joined a debrief. Think bigger. Evaluate the strategic and cultural impact of your work. Is insight shaping better decisions? Is it helping teams think more customer-first? Is it influencing behaviour, process, or language within the organisation? These are the markers of genuine, lasting impact. When insight becomes part of the organisational DNA, that’s when transformation truly happens. ## 8. Above All… Don’t Be Dull If you’re bored pulling it together, your audience will be bored reading it. The best insight work is creative, dynamic, and engaging. Challenge yourself to experiment, to tell stories differently, and to break away from the ordinary. Because if there was one unifying message from the summit, it was: *be brave*. Challenge the status quo. Don’t wait for permission to make change happen. Build the momentum, brick by brick, and bring your organisation along with you. Take a leaf out of British Gas Business’ book. At the recent [MRS B2B conference](https://resources.flexmr.net/mrs-b2b-2025), Stuart Hotchkiss explained how the brand worked with us to elevate the creative impact of insight. After discovering how debt collection letters were creating barriers between customers and their payments – this insight was reported in letters sent to stakeholders written in the same tone those sent to customers. The exercise made stakeholders stop, reflect, and truly consider how their communications might impact customers at an already sensitive time. It was bold, human, and highly effective. Ultimately, it was proof that creativity in insight delivery can lead to deeper understanding and real behavioural change. ## Final Thoughts The 2025 Customer Salience Summit reminded us that the power of insight doesn’t lie in data alone. It lies in our ability to connect, inspire, and move people to act. Whether it’s through empathy, storytelling, or creativity, every small step you take toward customer-centricity adds up to lasting impact. Catch up with the on-demand summit [here](https://resources.flexmr.net/css-2025-on-demand). [![CUstomer Salience Framework & Toolkit](https://blog.flexmr.net/hs-fs/hubfs/Marketing_Files/CTAs/customer%20salience%20cta_general.png?width=1000&name=customer%20salience%20cta_general.png)](https://resources.flexmr.net/customer-salience-toolkit) #### About FlexMR We are The Insights Empowerment Company. We help research, product and marketing teams drive informed decisions with efficient, scalable & impactful insight. #### About Charlotte Duff Winner of the IIeX Europe Best New Speaker Award, Charlotte’s research and communication experience is invaluable to our clients. #### Stay up to date ## You might also like... ![Blog Featured Image Header](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Marketing_Files/Blogs/Headers/Workshops.png) ### [Workshops and Beacons: A Guide to B...](https://blog.flexmr.net/workshops-beacons-customer-salience) Most organisations are not short of data, insight or decks.Their biggest challenge is not whether customer understanding exists since most teams have access to more customer insight than ever before. ... [Continue reading](https://blog.flexmr.net/workshops-beacons-customer-salience) 9 MIN READ ![Blog Featured Image Header](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Marketing_Files/Blogs/Headers/ZeroParty.png) ### [Communities and the Post-Cookie Fut...](https://blog.flexmr.net/communities-post-cookie-future) The abundance of data available at our fingertips is not an uncommon topic in the industry these days. Neither is the question: how do we use it effectively? [Continue reading](https://blog.flexmr.net/communities-post-cookie-future) 6 MIN READ ![Blog Featured Image Header](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Thea%20Closeness%20Blog.png) ### [Empathy, Emotion and Compassion in ...](https://blog.flexmr.net/empathy-customer-closeness) Empathy, compassion, and emotional understanding are increasingly recognised as essential components in building a culture of customer closeness, yet many organisations still struggle to move beyond a... [Continue reading](https://blog.flexmr.net/empathy-customer-closeness) 6 MIN READ ![](https://www.flexmr.net/skin/images/images-custom/48f118ee-cef9-42d6-b60b-5575d5ac26e3-flexmr_footer.svg) - [Home](https://www.flexmr.net/) - [Contact Us](https://www.flexmr.net/contact/) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.flexmr.net/legal/privacy/) - [Cookie Policy](https://www.flexmr.net/legal/cookies/) - [Terms of Use](https://www.flexmr.net/legal/terms-of-use/) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/flexmr/) [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/_flexmr) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/flexmr) [Follow us on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/FlexmrNetOnlineResearch) [![Grit Top 50 Logo](https://www.flexmr.net/uploads/photo-gallery-include-images/34/44258f4d-7452-40d6-bb23-0e220c8ba21f.png)](https://www.greenbook.org/mr/grit/business-innovation-edition) [![ISO 27001 Alcumus](https://www.flexmr.net/uploads/photo-gallery-include-images/34/fa89f9b3-d866-43b8-8de0-4a052a9053d8.png)](https://www.alcumus.com/en-gb/certification/iso-27001/) [![Cyber Essentials Plus Logo](https://www.flexmr.net/uploads/photo-gallery-include-images/34/cba57df6-75a2-4544-9599-dcc0c2f14b79.png)](https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Public_Files/Other/FlexMR_Cyber_Essentials_Certificate.pdf?__hstc=163229475.dde2c3d212762f49b059c9f62e7537a0.1624542718433.1626339489304.1626701624468.7&__hssc=163229475.2.1626701624468&__hsfp=3142549060) © FlexMR 2021. All rights reserved. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Charlotte Duff", "url" : "https://blog.flexmr.net/author/charlotte-pearson-duff" }, "dateModified" : "2025-11-03T10:04:17.530Z", "datePublished" : "2025-10-24T11:09:20.000Z", "headline" : "8 Actionable Takeaways from the 2025 Customer Salience Summit", "image" : [ "https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Marketing_Files/Blogs/Headers/8-actionable-takeaways-summit-2025.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.flexmr.net/actionable-takeaways-customer-salience-2025", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.flexmr.net/hubfs/Website_Files/Images/Logos/flexmr_logo_amp.png" }, "name" : "FlexMR" } } ```