We don’t talk about experience excellence. We define it.
ICXI — the International Customer Experience Institute — is the global authority for experience measurement, standards, education and recognition. We provide the frameworks organisations use to define, measure and certify customer, employee, patient and AI experience excellence.
Our story · Since 2005
Born from a gap in the standards world
ICXI was founded in 2005 by two former colleagues, Philip Forrest and Robert Keay, who shared a conviction that something was missing from the standards world. The customer service standards of the day were conformance-based — a binary test of whether an organisation met a fixed requirement. What did not exist was a standard built around performance levels and improvement opportunities: one that told an organisation not merely whether it complied, but how good it truly was, and how it could become better.
From that conviction the first ICXI standard — TICSS, The International Customer Service Standard — was born, introducing a graded, performance-led approach to service excellence that organisations could grow into, rather than simply pass or fail.
Twenty-one years later, ICXI has evolved into the global experience authority. What began as a single customer service standard has expanded into an integrated ecosystem spanning customer, digital, employee, patient and AI experience — standards, assessments, education and recognition. Established initially in London, ICXI today delivers its services around the world, and our products and solutions have expanded substantially.
But our foundation has never changed. Excellence in Experience runs through everything we do.
Who we are
The global experience authority
Our integrated ecosystem spans internationally recognised standards, AI-driven maturity assessments, professional qualifications and data-driven awards. Delivered through a global network of accredited partners worldwide, ICXI sets the benchmark for how organisations understand, improve and demonstrate experience excellence.
One integrated ecosystem. Eight standards. Three assessment types. Four maturity levels. Global benchmarking. Evidence-based recognition.
We don’t talk about experience excellence. We define it, measure it, teach it and recognise it.
Who we are
Four interconnected pillars
Each designed to help organisations move from aspiration to evidence, from intention to independently validated performance.
The SENMA pathway
Start wherever you are
ICXI’s integrated SENMA model — Standards, Essentials, Navigators, Maturity Assessments — provides a structured pathway from initial measurement through to full certification. An organisation might begin with an EEI Essential to establish a baseline, progress to a Navigator diagnostic, build capability through ICXI Academy qualifications, and ultimately achieve formal certification — with EEI Awards recognition at every stage of the journey.
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Standards
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Essentials
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Navigators
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Maturity Assessments
One integrated ecosystem. Eight standards. Three assessment types. Four maturity levels. Global benchmarking. Evidence-based recognition.
What makes ICXI different
A single, integrated authority
The experience industry has no shortage of consultancies, conferences and commentary. What it has lacked is one integrated authority that connects measurement, certification, education and recognition into a single coherent, evidence-based system.
Our leadership
Practitioners, standards professionals and industry leaders
ICXI is led by a team who have spent their careers at the intersection of experience management, organisational performance and professional standards development — bringing together deep expertise in CX strategy, standards development, AI-driven assessment methodology, professional education design and global partnership management.
Our global network
The framework is universal. The delivery is local.
ICXI delivers through a worldwide network of accredited partners — training providers, consultancies, assessment bodies and industry organisations — operating across many countries and languages.
Our largest and fastest-growing region is the GCC and Middle East, with deep partnerships across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Our UK headquarters anchors our European and African operations, with growing presence across Western Europe, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. We are expanding across Asia Pacific and the Americas through partners in Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil and beyond.
Whether an organisation is in Dubai, London or São Paulo, ICXI standards and assessments are delivered to the same global benchmark.