When you have to deal with very tight boundaries, like manpower and money, and a strict deadline you will not create a great UX.

So, in such environments, refuse to follow stakeholders communicating „we always put the customer in the center of all activities“.

Instead stand up and show them great examples (out of your company) of products or services which define the real baseline – ideally with corresponding successful business numbers. This will foster the right discussion and establishing concrete steps into this direction.

You will need extreme staying power for that but that’s the way it is.