Delighted Customers Podcast: Recent Episodes
Mark Slatin
This podcast is all about empowering business and CX leaders to achieve sustainable growth by delighting their customers...consistently. We'll share practical ways to improve your customers' experience. We’re going to highlight, front and center, real stories, real conversations with CX thought leaders, CX practitioners, university professors, and authors - who share their wisdom - all designed to empower you to make a difference - because I firmly believe that when we serve customers well, we make a difference in our world.
What’s stopping CX leaders from turning mountains of customer data into executive-ready stories that prompt real change?
In this episode, we dig deep into one of the most urgent—and often overlooked—challenges for customer experience (CX) teams: crafting compelling, actionable narratives from all that customer insight. Data is everywhere, but too often the dots just don’t get connected in a way that the C-suite cares about. The difference between a statistic and a strategic priority? It’s all in the storytelling. In my conversation with Ania Rodriguez, CEO of JourneyTrack, we explore the tools, techniques, and mindsets you need to bridge that gap—and the game-changing role that AI-driven storytelling is playing right now in CX strategy.
If you’re a CX practitioner, product leader, or anyone tasked with influencing business outcomes through customer insight, you’ll want to hear directly from Ania. Her twenty-five years in the field, expertise in journey mapping, and insider knowledge on harnessing technology for business storytelling makes this episode essential listening. Whether you’re tired of your insights landing with a thud—or want to lead boardroom conversations that spark action—Ania’s guidance is practical, forward-looking, and instantly applicable.
Here are three questions Ania answers in this episode:
- Why do even seasoned leaders struggle to translate customer data into executive-friendly narratives?
- How does JourneyTrack’s Storytelling AI automate the process of building empathy and urgency for C-suite presentations?
- What are the crucial integrations and data strategies for making journey management systems truly enterprise-ready—and how can you put them to work right away?
Ready to supercharge your customer storytelling and move your executive team from data fatigue to decisive action? Listen now and subscribe so you never miss an episode:
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify You’ll also find us on all your favorite podcast platforms!
Meet Ania Rodriguez
Ania Rodriguez is the CEO and founder of JourneyTrack, a pioneering journey management platform designed for enterprise-scale CX storytelling. With more than 25 years of experience, Ania has led transformational customer experience initiatives for some of the world’s most recognizable brands—including Google, where JourneyTrack first launched. She is also the founder and CEO of Key Lime Interactive, a renowned CX consultancy known for its expertise in journey mapping, research, and strategy.
Ania’s leadership style blends human-centered design with data-driven rigor, and she has a longstanding reputation for coaching executives and teams on turning insights into action. She was among the earliest to bring AI-powered capabilities—like Storytelling AI and Recommendation AI—to journey management, ensuring that organizations can not only aggregate data from diverse sources (like Jira, Qualtrics, Medallia, Snowflake, and more) but can also deliver that information as compelling, actionable presentations tailored to any audience.
Connect with Ania Rodriguez on LinkedIn
Show Notes & References
- “Using Storytelling Playbooks to Supercharge Journey Management” (White Paper): https://bit.ly/47gE1xE
- JourneyTrack platform: https://journeytrack.io/
- LinkedIn: Ania Rodriguez
- "Made to Stick" by Chip and Dan Heath (Velcro theory of memory): https://heathbrothers.com/books/made-to-stick/
- Integration partners referenced: Jira, Qualtrics, Medallia, Snowflake, Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics
- Forrester on Journey Management (industry wave publication): https://www.forrester.com/
Thanks for tuning in—subscribe for more expert strategies, and let’s make customer data tell the stories that drive business forward!
What happens when a profession built on human insight faces a tidal wave of change—from evolving business demands to the rise of AI? How do CX leaders stay relevant and drive meaningful results in this new landscape?
This episode digs deep into the shifting world of customer experience (CX) with Greg Melia, CEO of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA). I bring Greg back to the show because he sits at the epicenter of the profession’s evolution, witnessing firsthand how CX is growing up—no longer a scrappy teenager, but a vital contributor to business outcomes. The impact of this transformation is profound: The role of the CX professional is expanding, expectations are changing globally, and methods that once worked are being questioned. If you care about getting your organization, team, or career ahead of the curve, you’ll want to hear what’s unfolding—and what’s next.
Why should you listen to Greg Melia? As CEO of the CXPA, Greg is more than a thought leader—he’s a connector, advocate, and global influencer whose work directly shapes how companies and governments alike approach customer centricity. He and his team are pushing the boundaries of CX, integrating the latest research, championing AI-driven design, and framing the case for customer experience in terms the C-suite can’t ignore. If you want practical, future-facing insight from someone who leads the charge in building the future of CX, this is the episode for you.
Here are three questions Greg answers on the show:
- What are the most significant shifts happening in customer experience today, and how is the CXPA responding?
- How can CX professionals and organizations approach AI ethically and effectively to enhance—not replace—the customer’s voice?
- What does it take to earn C-suite respect for customer experience initiatives, and how can you build a business case that drives real outcomes?
Don’t miss this episode—listen, rate, and subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms! Apple Podcasts: Listen here Spotify: Listen here Or find Delighted Customers wherever you get your podcasts!
Meet Greg Melia
Greg Melia, CAE, is CEO of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA)—the premier global association dedicated to advancing the discipline of customer experience. Greg brings more than 25 years of association leadership to the table, having previously served at the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and held executive roles in strategy, membership, and organizational development.
Greg has shaped CXPA’s direction during a time of profound change, leading initiatives to define the competencies of customer experience, expand global reach, and harness technology—including AI—to serve both corporate and public sector needs. Under his guidance, the CXPA has launched global research, overhauled its brand, and rolled out innovative tools, certification programs, and learning experiences to unite and uplift CX professionals worldwide.
A frequent speaker and advisor on customer experience, leadership, and association management, Greg is recognized for fostering collaboration and creating professional communities that thrive in a rapidly changing world. He is committed to building the business case for customer centricity at every level and supporting the next wave of CX leaders as trusted advisors in their organizations.
Connect with Greg Melia on LinkedIn: Greg Melia, CAE
Show References & Resource Links
- Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA): https://cxpaglobal.org
- Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) certification: CXPA CCXP Information
- CX Book of Knowledge on Amazon: Buy here
- CX Education courses (including “Becoming a Trusted Guide”): https://cxeducation.com/
- CX Day and upcoming white paper on AI in CX: CXPA Events
- Jason Barro, Bain & NPS Prism: NPS Prism – Bain & Company
- Connect with Greg Melia on LinkedIn: Greg Melia, CAE
What drives customers to cling fiercely to a brand, even when it means paying more or overlooking problems others wouldn’t forgive? Is our political identity quietly fueling a new kind of “super loyalty” that’s transforming customer behavior, for better or worse?
In this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, I dive into these burning questions with my returning guest, Dr. Forrest Morgeson, associate professor, researcher, and interim chairperson of the Marketing Department at Michigan State University's Eli Broad College of Business. Forrest, drawing on a unique blend of academic rigor and industry insight, explores how political polarization isn’t just shaping national conversations—it’s shaping the way brands connect with customers, and how those customers, in turn, connect back.
If you’re in marketing, customer experience, or simply care about understanding what really makes customers tick in today’s politically charged climate, this episode is for you. Forrest’s background with the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), along with his extensive research on brand loyalty and the nuances of political extremism, make him a must-listen expert. He’s not just sharing theories—he’s revealing data-driven insights you can act on, whether you’re a CX leader or a curious consumer.
Here are three essential questions Forrest answers on the show:
- What is the surprising link between political extremism and “super loyalty” to brands, and how does this affect both customers and companies?
- Why do politically extreme customers sometimes become brand evangelists—defending their favorite brands even after service failures or price hikes?
- What practical ethical and strategic lessons should business leaders take away when targeting or retaining highly loyal customer segments in a polarized marketplace?
Don’t miss this timely, thought-provoking conversation—listen now and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Find Delighted Customers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or wherever you download your favorite podcasts!
Meet Forrest Morgeson
Forrest Morgeson, Ph.D., is an associate professor of marketing at the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, where he currently serves as the interim chair of the Marketing Department. With broad expertise spanning marketing strategy, customer satisfaction, and management, Forrest has played a pivotal role as co-director of the doctoral program and is deeply involved in shaping the next generation of business leaders at MSU.
He is renowned for his work with the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), where his research examines how consumers evaluate companies, sectors, and even government services over time. Forrest’s latest research breaks new ground by investigating the relationship between political identity and customer loyalty, shedding light on how political extremism can create deeply attached, even “defensive,” customers. He is a passionate educator, a prolific researcher, and has been published in leading journals on topics ranging from service satisfaction to the psychological underpinnings of loyalty.
To learn more or connect with Forrest, visit his faculty page at MSU or connect with him on LinkedIn.
Show Notes & References
- American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI): theacsi.org
- Oliver’s Framework for Loyalty (referenced work on the stages of customer loyalty): See summary on the four stages
- Recent case studies mentioned: Bud Light controversy | Target Pride campaign blowback
- Connect with Forrest Morgeson: Michigan State University Bio | LinkedIn
Catch every episode of Delighted Customers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms!
What happens when your company’s reputation—and your customers’ trust—hangs by a thread? Are you ready for a moment when a crisis isn’t just possible, but inevitable?
In this episode, I dive deep into one of the most critical topics for today’s leaders: how strategy, communication, and integrity intersect to protect (and sometimes rebuild) your organization's trust in the face of crisis. When everything is on the line, understanding this intersection isn’t just important—it’s essential. The choices you make, and how you communicate them, can mean the difference between lasting customer loyalty or irreparable damage to your brand.
That’s why you can’t afford to miss my conversation with Michael Meath. Michael has spent over 40 years advising companies across the country through some of the toughest, most sensitive situations—from toxic crises to everyday reputational risks. He’s also served as interim chair of the prestigious Syracuse University School of Public Relations, shaping the next generation of communicators. If you’re a business leader, organizational communicator, or anyone invested in customer experience, Michael’s insights are a must-hear.
Here are three questions Michael answers on this episode:
- Why is it essential for CEOs and leaders to invest in communication and public relations—not just in a crisis, but every single day?
- What are the most dangerous myths and common missteps companies make when high-stakes moments arise?
- How can leaders activate a simple yet powerful model to ensure their communications strategy is rooted in integrity, builds trust, and truly delights customers—even when things go wrong?
I invite you to listen and subscribe to the Delighted Customers podcast! You can find this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as all your favorite podcast platforms.
Meet Michael Meath
Michael Meath is a nationally recognized expert in crisis communications, public affairs, and ethical leadership. With more than four decades in the field, he’s guided Fortune 500 companies, public utilities, health systems, and financial institutions through high-profile challenges—like the Tylenol cyanide scare, Wells Fargo’s fake account scandal, and environmental disasters. His innate ability to “run toward the fire” has earned him a reputation as the trusted advisor organizations hope they never have to call—but are thankful for when the stakes are highest.
Michael served as interim chair and an adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s world-renowned S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, teaching ethics, communications, and leadership to both graduate and undergraduate students. He’s also a business owner, published author, and consultant to the military and veteran organizations. Michael’s signature model highlights the overlap between strategy, communications, and integrity—insisting that true organizational success requires all three, with integrity at the core.
Connect with Michael on LinkedIn: Michael Meath LinkedIn
Learn more about his work at michaelmeath.com or reach him via email at MF@falling-brooke.com.
Show Notes & References
- MichaelMeath.com
- michaelmeath@falling-brooke.com (Email)
- Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
- Tylenol Cyanide Crisis - History
- Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
- Wells Fargo Fake Account Scandal
- BP Deepwater Horizon Spill
- Wegmans Food Markets - Top Workplace
- Harvard Program on Negotiation: Dealing with an Angry Public
- Platinum Rule in CX
What if the real secret to customer loyalty and transformation isn’t just about great ideas, but about how you build consensus within your organization—before you make a single move?
Too often, even the smartest strategies can get derailed by resistance, misalignment, or simple miscommunication inside a company. That’s why I was eager to dig into the Japanese concept of "Nemawashi," a systematic approach to consensus-building that’s been central to Toyota’s legendary pursuit of customer delight and continuous improvement. Imagine cutting through internal silos and getting people not just to "buy in," but to truly commit—streamlining innovation from inside out. The impact? Smarter, faster, and more sustainable change that sticks.
If you care about transforming customer experience and sparking lasting organizational change, you don’t want to miss this episode with Dr. Graham Hill. He brings not only a global perspective but also hands-on experience as the former head of CRM for Toyota Financial Services—where these very principles drove jaw-dropping results. Dr. Hill’s blend of academic rigor, practical insight, and international expertise makes this a must-listen for anyone looking to break down barriers and drive real, measurable progress.
Here are three standout questions Graham answers on the show:
- What is Nemawashi, and how does it fundamentally change the way organizations drive internal consensus and transformation?
- Why is commitment more important than simple executive buy-in when trying to make organizational change succeed?
- How can the A3 model and concepts like Gemba and Kaizen help teams collaborate more effectively and boost campaign results?
Don’t miss this fascinating exploration—listen and subscribe to the Delighted Customers podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or find us on all your favorite podcast platforms.
Meet Dr. Graham Hill
Dr. Graham Hill is a recognized global authority on customer experience, loyalty, and organizational transformation. With an extensive background spanning over thirty-five years, Graham has worked with top brands such as British Airways, Ford Motor Company, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and notably spent over five years with Toyota Financial Services in Germany as Head of CRM. There, he learned firsthand the power of Japanese business principles like Nemawashi, the A3 model, and Kaizen—applying them to drive breakthrough improvements, including a leap from a 5–10% to a 35% response rate in customer campaigns.
He’s also held senior roles at firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG Consulting, bringing both rigorous academic and practical expertise to the table. While Graham humbly resists the title of "Japanese culture expert," his immersion in Toyota’s approach has given him a unique perspective on the art and science of organizational change. Today, he’s active on LinkedIn—passionate about sharing what he’s learned and helping others cultivate more collaborative, customer-centric organizations.
Connect with Graham Hill on LinkedIn: Graham Hill
Show Note References
- Toyota’s Secret Weapon: The A3 Report by John Shook (MIT Sloan Management Review): Read Article
- Culture’s Consequences by Geert Hofstede: Learn more
- Steve Blank’s quote: “There are no facts inside the building.” Steve Blank
- Servqual/ RATER Model: Overview
- 40 Years, 20 Million Ideas: Toyota’s Suggestion System: Book Info
- Tom Fishburne, Marketoonist: Marketoonist Cartoons
- Connect with Dr. Graham Hill: LinkedIn
What if the real secret to exceptional leadership isn’t control, charisma, or even performance—but generosity? Could the “soft stuff” like listening, empathy, and vulnerability truly drive the hardest results in business?
In this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, I dig into that very question with Joe Davis, legendary former Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group, co-founder of BCG’s Washington D.C. office, and author of “The Generous Leader: Seven Ways to Give of Yourself for Everyone’s Gain”. Joe shares his own journey from traditional, results-driven leadership to a generous, people-centered model—and why unlocking your team’s full human potential just might be the most powerful business move you can make. We explore how the traits of generosity drive not only team happiness and loyalty, but also real bottom-line outcomes, making this conversation essential listening for leaders and aspiring leaders at every level.
Why should you tune in to this episode? Joe has four decades of hands-on experience innovating in both the private and public sectors, founding major business initiatives within BCG, and working closely with Fortune 500 C-suite leaders. He distills this wisdom into practical strategies—whether you’re leading a team of three or a global enterprise of 100,000. His stories from the front lines of consulting, combined with actionable steps for building trust and humanity in the workplace, will change the way you think about leadership forever.
Here are three compelling questions Joe answers on the show:
- Why should organizations and their C-suite invest in “generous leadership” when they’re held accountable for hard business outcomes, not just a healthy culture?
- What are the seven key traits that separate good leaders from exceptional, generous leaders—and how do they play out in real-world scenarios?
- How can listening, vulnerability, and small acts of recognition dramatically improve your team’s performance and engagement?
Listen now and subscribe to the Delighted Customers podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! You’ll find this episode—and every episode—on all your favorite podcast platforms. If you find value in these conversations, please leave a review and share with a friend or colleague who wants to rethink what great leadership really looks like.
Meet Joe Davis
Joe Davis is a veteran senior partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he spent 37 years shaping strategy, developing talent, and transforming organizations at the highest level. Joe co-founded BCG’s Washington D.C. office and launched the firm’s North American Public Sector business, as well as leading BCG North America. Passionate about advancing equity and inclusion, he also founded and chaired BCG’s Center for Inclusion and Equity.
Joe is a Harvard Business School graduate and has been at the forefront of helping organizations evolve from top-down, authoritarian structures to cultures of trust, inclusion, and generosity. His experience spans advising CEOs of major corporations to hands-on coaching with emerging leaders. He is the author of “The Generous Leader: Seven Ways to Give of Yourself for Everyone’s Gain,” a groundbreaking book that reimagines the connection between caring leadership and delivering results.
Joe is currently an advisor and coach to BCG’s rising partners, teaching them how to inspire, motivate, and build lasting client relationships. You can reach Joe and learn more about his work via his LinkedIn profile or his website at joedavis.com.
Show References and Resources
- “The Generous Leader: Seven Ways to Give of Yourself for Everyone’s Gain” by Joe Davis Amazon Link
- Joe Davis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-davis-bcg/
- Joe’s personal website: https://joedavis.com
- Harvard Business School: https://www.hbs.edu
- Boston Consulting Group (BCG): https://www.bcg.com
- Michigan State University’s Trust and Leadership Education: https://broad.msu.edu
- CEO Joaquin Duato, Johnson & Johnson: https://www.jnj.com/leadership/joaquin-duato
- Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/company/about/leadership.html
- Sheila Bair, former FDIC chair: https://www.fdic.gov/about/leadership/sheila-bair/
Thank you for listening to the Delighted Customers podcast!
Is AI-powered personalized pricing the next frontier—or the next fiasco—for customer loyalty and corporate reputation?
That’s the burning question I dive into with my guest, Dr. Peter Fader, on this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast. With Delta Air Lines rolling out AI-driven pricing and the world watching closely, the conversation takes a provocative turn: Should the C-suite pursue every possible drop of revenue if it risks alienating the very customers whose business it depends on? Dr. Fader walks us through the razor’s edge between innovative revenue optimization and the real dangers of going “too granular” with pricing, shining a light on the long-term risks few companies are thinking about today.
Why should you tune in? Dr. Peter Fader is not just an academic—he’s a trailblazer whose work bridges the gap between data science, behavioral psychology, and pragmatic business leadership. His pioneering research on customer lifetime value and predictive analytics has redefined how top firms measure, value, and grow their customer bases for sustainable profitability—not just quick wins. If you work in pricing, revenue management, customer experience, or strategy, you need to hear his take on dynamic pricing, the emotional minefields of AI, and how to make decisions that customers—and shareholders—can live with tomorrow, not just today.
Here are three key questions Dr. Fader answers in this episode:
- What’s the real difference between smart dynamic pricing and dangerous personalized pricing—and why should every business care?
- How can companies avoid the temptation of “slicing the bologna too thin” with AI, and what are the hidden long-term costs of over-optimizing for short-term profit?
- Where are the true opportunities and ethical boundaries in customer-based valuation, and what lessons can firms learn from industries like airlines and pro sports?
Listen now and subscribe so you never miss an episode—find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or on any of your favorite podcast platforms.
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify
Meet Dr. Peter Fader
Dr. Peter Fader is a Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, renowned for his transformative contributions to customer analytics, customer lifetime value, and predictive modeling in business. His influential books include “Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage,” “The Customer Centricity Playbook,” and “Customer-Base Audit.” Beyond academia, Peter made waves as co-founder of Zodiac, a predictive analytics firm acquired by Nike in 2018, and continues pushing the boundaries at Theta, a company focused on customer-based corporate valuation for private equity and enterprise clients.
Peter’s work stands out for blending rigorous quantitative modeling with real-world application, helping executives across industries balance the drive for immediate revenue with strategies that nurture lasting customer relationships and true organizational value. His recognitions include teaching and research awards, and he is frequently sought after for his insights by global brands, sports franchises, and media.
Connect with Peter on LinkedIn: Dr. Peter Fader
Show Notes/References
- Delta Airlines’ AI-driven strategic pricing news: Delta, Fetcherr, and AI Pricing Example
- Customer-Based Valuation (Theta): Theta
- Prospect Theory – Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky: Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences 2002 – Daniel Kahneman
-
Dr. Fader’s books:
- Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage
- Customer-Base Audit
- The Customer Centricity Playbook
- Reference to Amazon’s 2000 personalized pricing backlash: Wired: Amazon Customers Upset About Price Tests
Have a question or feedback? Reach out—I love hearing from listeners!
What really makes customer service stick—not just as a business function, but as a transformative and human-centered experience—even in an era dominated by AI and automation?
That’s the burning question I dig into with my guest on this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast. If you’ve ever wondered why some organizations continually miss the mark (even with technology at their fingertips), or why change management feels like an endless uphill battle, this conversation is for you. More than ever, your customers expect seamless, empathetic experiences—and getting it wrong can cost you not just customers, but also your reputation and bottom line.
You should listen to Nick Glimsdahl because he’s not only spent years on the front lines of customer experience and contact center management, but he’s also channeled those lessons into his compelling new book, The Heart of Service. Nick brings practical wisdom, powerful stories, and tried-and-true strategies to the table. He knows the pain points, understands the evolution of customer expectations, and knows how to drive meaningful change—while keeping the “heart” front and center.
Here are three pressing questions Nick answers in our conversation:
- What are the hidden challenges (and necessary steps) when trying to transform a broken customer service culture from the inside out?
- How can organizations balance technology, such as AI, with the need to stay truly human and deliver standout customer experiences?
- What are the most common missteps leaders make when implementing new service solutions, and how can you avoid falling into those traps?
Tune in now and find out why your strategy—and your empathy—both matter more than ever. Subscribe to the Delighted Customers podcast on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify, or listen on any of your favorite podcast platforms. Don’t miss an episode!
Meet Nick Glimsdahl
Nick Glimsdahl is an industry leader in customer experience and contact center transformation, and the author of the new book, The Heart of Service. With over eight years in the world of contact centers, Nick has witnessed firsthand the rapid evolution—and common pitfalls—of service delivery in both technology-driven and human-driven environments. As a consultant at VDS, he’s helped numerous organizations assess, reimagine, and implement successful customer experience strategies by putting people and outcomes first.
Nick is also a seasoned podcaster and storyteller, using his platform and expertise to surface the real, behind-the-scenes challenges frontline teams and leaders face. He’s passionate about not only improving customer metrics like retention, employee morale, and NPS, but also championing the human side of service—helping organizations move beyond “marketecture” and truly listen to both customers and employees.
Want to connect with Nick? Find him on LinkedIn.
References from this Episode
- The Heart of Service by Nick Glimsdahl (book)
- VDS (Nick’s Consulting Firm)
- Patrick Lencioni - Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars
- Kindra Hall - Storytelling Expert
- Salesforce, used as a technology example
Listen and subscribe now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or search for “Delighted Customers” on your favorite podcast platform!
Is your business rushing into AI without really understanding how it fits into your strategy—or worse, letting “FOMO” drive your next big tech investment?
On this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, I challenge leaders to think beyond the hype and get real about the transformational (and sometimes risky) power of AI in delivering great customer experiences. With renowned customer experience innovator Bill Staikos as my guest, we dig into the strategic decisions today’s C-suite faces: not just adopting new technology, but making sure it’s purpose-built to enhance both customer and employee outcomes. Bill’s candid, practical approach exposes common missteps—like dropping AI tools into teams with no training or clarity—and offers an essential reset for anyone who wants lasting, measurable results.
Bill Staikos brings rare insight as a former Senior Vice President at Medallia and Bank of New York (the world’s largest custodian bank), and as founder of the boutique consultancy B Customer Led. Tune in to learn directly from someone who has led next-gen customer experience transformations at major financial institutions, built teams to scale, and now pushes the field forward with his own new show, The Multimodal Experience.
Here are three core questions Bill answers in our episode:
- What are the biggest mistakes companies make when incorporating AI into customer experience—and how can you avoid them?
- How should leaders think about the boundaries between automation and the human touch, especially in sensitive customer journeys?
- What’s changing about who your “customer” truly is in an age of agentic AI, and how does that reframe loyalty and relationship-building?
Don’t miss this episode if you want actionable, clear-eyed guidance on making AI work for the people who matter most—your customers and employees. Listen now and subscribe via Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find us on all your favorite podcast platforms!
Meet Bill Staikos
Bill Staikos is a visionary leader in customer experience, AI strategy, and organizational change, with a career spanning top roles at industry giants such as Medallia, Bank of New York, JPMorgan Chase, Credit Suisse, and American Express. He’s known for driving and scaling business outcomes in some of the most data-rich, complex environments in the world, particularly in financial services. As founder of B Customer Led, Bill helps organizations rethink how technology, data, and talent intersect to build customer-centric growth.
Bill’s approach is rooted in challenging the status quo—pushing companies to break old habits, design with both the “front-of-house” and “back-of-house” in mind, and always put human goals before shiny tech. He is also the creator and host of the new podcast, Multimodal Experience, where he explores how advanced technologies are fundamentally reshaping the way brands and people connect.
You can connect with Bill on LinkedIn: Bill Staikos LinkedIn
References from the Show
- ADKAR Change Management Model
- Medallia
- Bank of New York Mellon
- Bill Stakos on LinkedIn
- B Customer Led
- Strawberry Agentic AI Browser (referenced as an example in the discussion)
- NPS Prism at Bain
- The Multimodal Experience Podcast
What makes change so difficult—even for organizations that know change is inevitable and even necessary for growth? If we all agree that staying in our comfort zones holds us back, why do we continue to resist change—and what can leaders do to help teams navigate it better?
In this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, I sit down with Dennis Geelen, an accomplished author and consultant, to decode the human side of change management. We dive into strategies for easing transitions in workplaces rocked by mergers, tech shifts, and cultural upheaval. If you’ve ever faced pushback—even when a change is clearly for the greater good—Dennis’ actionable insights are for you. His creative approach takes the abstract concept of “change” and makes it tangible, actionable, and even relatable. From leadership lessons to frameworks you can use with your team tomorrow, Dennis explains it all with stories and wisdom.
Here’s why you want to listen: Dennis not only brings decades of experience helping organizations lead through transition, but he also recently co-authored a new book, The Five Shoes for Change, that pairs his business expertise with clinical psychology insights. If you’re a leader, CX professional, or employee wondering why company change initiatives so often falter—or just want to build your own change muscle—this episode is essential listening.
Three questions Dennis answers on the show:
What are the five “shoes” you need to successfully lead yourself—and your team—through change?
What are the most common missteps organizations make in change management, and how do these missteps affect employee experience?
How can leaders identify and address emotional baggage that employees bring to organizational changes, such as mergers or acquisitions?
Ready to build change resilience and transform your approach to leadership and customer experience? Tune in to this episode now.
👉 Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts 👉 Listen and subscribe on Spotify Available wherever you get your podcasts—don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share with your colleagues!
Meet Dennis Geelen
Dennis Geelen is a renowned author, consultant, and keynote speaker specializing in customer experience, change management, and leadership. As the founder of Zero In, he’s worked with organizations across North America, helping them create customer-obsessed cultures and navigate complex transformations. His new book, The Five Shoes for Change, is a collaboration with psychologist Christian McMillan, integrating clinical psychology with pragmatic business consulting to guide individuals and companies through the turbulent waters of change.
Dennis is also the author of The Zero In Formula, where he outlines a system for sustainable growth, and The Accidental Solopreneur, drawing on his own journey to entrepreneurship. Known for his engaging storytelling, Dennis brings practical frameworks to bear—with a focus on actionable steps and self-awareness that leaders can immediately implement.
Find Dennis on LinkedIn: Dennis Geelen on LinkedIn Learn more: dennisgeelen.me Book updates: 5shoesforchange.com (coming soon)
References from this episode:
- JourneyTrack AI-powered Journey Mapping Whitepaper
- The Five Shoes for Change (coming fall 2025)
- Dennis Geelen on LinkedIn
- dennisgeelen.me
- Edward de Bono – Six Thinking Hats
- The Zero In Formula by Dennis Geelen
- The Accidental Solopreneur by Dennis Geelen
Is your organization fully realizing the value of your contact center, or is it being limited by a narrow focus on efficiency and cost control?
In this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, I sit down with renowned Canadian contact center consultant and trainer Mike Aoki to examine how contact centers serve as the real-time pulse of customer experience. Together, we explore the evolution of the contact center from its early telephone-based days to today's complex, omnichannel environments shaped by agentic AI and chatbot technology. The discussion underscores the significant impact that leadership priorities, technology decisions, and agent empowerment have on both customer outcomes and business performance. When the contact center is viewed merely as a cost center and subjected to relentless efficiency metrics, organizations risk not only increased customer churn, but also missed opportunities for competitive intelligence, brand loyalty, and measurable business growth.
You should listen to this episode if you are committed to building an organization where customer experience is not just a catchphrase, but a measurable advantage. Mike Aoki brings over three decades of frontline and management expertise in contact centers, working closely with major organizations such as the Royal Canadian Mint, EQ Bank, and Pitney Bowes. His insights are especially relevant to leaders navigating the intersection of AI adoption, agent turnover, and rising customer expectations.
In this conversation, Mike provides clear, actionable answers to these pressing questions:
- What are the key differences between traditional chatbots and agentic AI, and how should each be leveraged within evolving contact center operations?
- What are the most common mistakes leaders make when managing contact center performance, and what metrics truly matter for customer experience and long-term retention?
- How can organizations successfully integrate AI to support—not replace—human agents and ensure that complex, emotionally charged interactions lead to positive outcomes?
If you are responsible for customer experience, service operations, or digital transformation, I would encourage you to listen and subscribe. Find the Delighted Customers podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as all major podcast platforms.
Meet Mike Aoki
Mike Aoki is a leading Canadian customer service and sales trainer with more than 35 years of experience in every facet of contact center operations. He has advised prominent organizations including the Royal Canadian Mint, EQ Bank, and Pitney Bowes on how to leverage the contact center as a strategic source of customer insight and a driver of customer loyalty. Starting his career when contact centers were voice-only operations, Mike has guided businesses through significant transitions—from FAQ-based telephone service, to the adoption of email, to the complexities of omnichannel engagement and the rise of agentic AI.
A noted speaker and writer, Mike emphasizes that while technology is essential for scale and efficiency, true customer experience excellence is achieved through a balanced focus on agent empowerment, emotional intelligence, and effectiveness. He challenges leaders to reconsider the metrics and incentives that shape agent behavior and to invest in both the technical and human sides of service delivery. Mike’s hands-on experience and practical frameworks have made him a respected voice in the industry.
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn.
What if the secret to building a truly loyal gym membership—or any recurring customer base—starts the moment someone tries to leave?
That question struck me while talking with Blair McHaney, a trailblazing fitness industry leader who’s spent more than 40 years reimagining how gyms can deliver customer (or, as Blair puts it, member) experience. Too often, fitness centers focus on sales at the expense of real loyalty, missing the deeper connection that gets members to not only return, but rave about you to others—even after they’ve canceled. In this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, Blair reveals why retention isn’t about holding onto credit cards, but about keeping (or regaining) a place in members’ hearts and minds. We dive into actionable strategies for creating club experiences so powerful that over 50% of new signups are from people who used to be members—and choose to come back.
Blair’s insights are essential listening not just for those in the fitness industry, but for anyone who wants to operationalize customer experience in a way that drives lasting loyalty and real business results. His expertise in data-driven experience design, journey mapping, and hospitality is second to none. Whether you lead a gym, a bank, or a tech company, Blair will challenge the way you think about member lifecycle, operational excellence, and the critical role of small, human moments that delight customers.
Here are three burning questions Blair answers on the show:
- Is it a myth that gyms just want to sell as many memberships as possible, hoping for high turnover—or is there a smarter, more humane way to build retention and lasting brand love?
- What are the often-overlooked operational “basics” (think: cleanliness, equipment repair, and front desk hospitality) that form the foundation for differentiation in a crowded industry?
- How do journey mapping and persona-driven training—far beyond standard SOPs—transform employee culture and drive a superior customer experience at scale?
I invite you to listen, subscribe, and share this episode! Find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or search for Delighted Customers on your favorite podcast platform.
Meet Blair McKaney
Blair McHaney is an entrepreneur, innovator, and CX educator with over 40 years of hands-on leadership in the fitness industry. He currently serves as President and CEO of MX Metrics, Medallia’s fitness vertical partner, where he leads data-driven strategies to enhance member experiences across nearly 1,000 fitness clubs worldwide. Prior to that, Blair spent three formative years at Medallia as VP of Strategic Initiatives, where his operational expertise—not tech background—helped launch scalable approaches to customer and member experience management. He’s also an owner of two successful fitness clubs in Central Washington, where he’s pioneered a radically member-centered approach to retention, alumni creation, and frontline hospitality.
Blair’s journey is a testament to learning by doing: from journeyman carpenter to gym owner at age 23, to tech-enabled CX leader, he’s obsessed with operationalizing experience. He’s a champion of “alumni creation”—ensuring members who leave do so as fans, not detractors—and believes the greatest opportunities in fitness (and beyond) are found in reimagining processes, policies, and employee education to put the customer first. Connect with Blair at LinkedIn or by email at blair@mxmetrics.com.
Is it time to finally admit that not all customers are created equal—and that treating them as if they are might be costing your business more than you realize?
In this episode, I dig deep with Dan McCarthy, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Maryland and co-founder of Theta, to challenge one of the most hotly debated questions in customer experience: Should all customers be treated the same? Dan’s expertise in customer lifetime value (CLV) exposes a stark reality—most companies are bleeding money on large swaths of their customer base and missing out on major growth opportunities by not prioritizing their highest value customers. The impact of understanding, modeling, and acting on CLV? Smarter resource allocation, optimized acquisition channels, and retention strategies that actually move the needle.
Why should you listen to Dan? His work—frequently featured in The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and The Economist—sits at the intersection of advanced academic research and bottom-line business outcomes. Having sold a business to Nike and now a partner at Theta, Dan brings a rare combination of rigorous analytics and practical execution, helping both corporate leaders and investors see their customers (and their value) more clearly. If you want your business to thrive—not just survive—in a customer-driven market, this episode is essential listening.
Here are three burning questions Dan answers during our conversation:
- How do you accurately calculate customer lifetime value, and why do so many businesses get it wrong?
- What are the most common missteps that leaders make when trying to identify and serve high-value customers?
- How can customer data be used to shift business strategy, improve profitability, and even recalibrate entire corporate valuations?
Be sure to tune in and subscribe on your platform of choice:
- Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
- Listen & Subscribe on Spotify And remember, The Delighted Customers Podcast is available on all your favorite podcast platforms!
Meet Dan McCarthy
Dan McCarthy is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, and a co-founder of Theta, a leading business focused on customer lifetime value prediction and insights. Previously, Dan taught at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School for seven years before moving to Maryland (my alma mater—Go Terps!).
Dan’s innovative research and commentary on customer lifetime value, corporate valuation, and unit economics have attracted national attention, appearing in media outlets such as Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Barron’s, CBS, CNBC, and The Economist. He is also nationally recognized for his work partnering with Dr. Peter Fader, with whom he initially founded a business acquired by Nike before their current collaboration at Theta.
Before his academic career, Dan earned both his undergraduate and PhD degrees from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He spent several years on Wall Street at a hedge fund, bringing a financial and data-driven lens to marketing science. As a frequent speaker and consultant, Dan helps enterprise leaders, marketers, and investors leverage advanced modeling to answer high-stakes questions about profitability, resource allocation, and growth.
To connect with Dan, reach out on LinkedIn.
References and Show Notes
- Learn more about Theta
- Connect with Dan McCarthy: LinkedIn
- Past podcast guests mentioned: Fred Reichheld (on CX metrics), Dr. Peter Fader (Wharton School, on not treating all customers the same)
- Read Dan's and Peter Fader’s research: Customer-Base Corporate Valuation
- Warby Parker (example discussed: CLV, growth, and valuation)
- Media coverage: Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, The Economist, USA Today, Barron's
- Delta Sky Club (loyalty programs and customer value example)
Ready to rethink your approach to customers? Hit play and subscribe now!
What if the very thing holding you and your team back from success isn’t a lack of skills or resources—but fear itself? How could learning to face what’s uncomfortable actually unlock your best results, greater job satisfaction, and even more meaningful customer experiences?
In this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, I dive deep with Jill Schulman, Marine Corps veteran, leadership consultant, and author of The Bravery Effect. Together, we explore how the ability to be brave—especially in business—can reshape not only what we accomplish, but who we become. If fear is quietly dictating the pace of progress and innovation at your organization, Jill’s approach to bravery will challenge your thinking and inspire you to lead differently.
You’ll want to tune in because Jill’s work spans battlefields, boardrooms, and classrooms alike. Her background in the Marine Corps, Fortune 500 consulting, and positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania gives her a distinctive perspective on why facing discomfort is essential for growth. She breaks down practical tools and strategies you can use to build your own bravery skills and create cultures where people dare to step out of their comfort zones.
Here are three questions Jill answers on the show:
- What are the most common myths and misconceptions leaders have about bravery—and why do they matter?
- How can you set brave goals for your team without overwhelming them, and why does this drive both engagement and results?
- What practical, research-based steps can anyone take to build their bravery “muscle” and overcome fear in the workplace?
Ready to rethink what it means to be brave—in leadership, customer experience, and in life? Listen and subscribe now! Apple Podcasts: Delighted Customers on Apple Podcasts Spotify: Delighted Customers on Spotify You’ll also find us on Amazon Music or wherever you like to get your podcasts.
Meet Jill Schulman
Jill Schulman is a United States Marine Corps veteran, leadership consultant, and author of The Bravery Effect. Her work focuses on developing leaders at all levels, drawing on her diverse experience as a Marine Corps demolition team leader and pharma sales professional, as well as her advanced study in positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Jill has spent over 25 years working with organizations ranging from Fortune 500s to small businesses, training leaders to move from “safe and stuck” to “bold and brave.” She is on a personal mission to help people not only embrace challenges, but run toward them, knowing that the biggest breakthroughs come from moments of discomfort. Jill delivers engaging evidence-based strategies for conquering fear, elevating engagement, and bringing out the best in ourselves and our teams.
Connect with Jill on LinkedIn: Jill Schulman on LinkedIn
Show Notes & References:
- Jill Schulman’s website and newsletter: jillshulman.com
- The Bravery Effect book—available everywhere books are sold
- Research referenced: Martin Seligman (PERMA Model), Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Flow), Aaliyah Crum & Kelly McGonigal (Stress Mindset Theory), Albert Bandura (Self-Efficacy Theory), Daniel Kahneman (Behavioral Economics & Risk Aversion)
Join us for this impactful conversation! Let’s discover together how bravery—not comfort—is the path to delighting customers and transforming organizations.
What if the key to sustainable business growth isn’t just about generating new leads, but about truly understanding and retaining your existing customers? Are you aware of the invisible forces sabotaging your efforts to create a loyal customer base—and, more importantly, what you can do to fix them?
In my latest episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, I sit down with Roger Nicholas, co-author of The CX Lighthouse and a seasoned business growth leader who brings over 25 years of experience in revenue training, business operations, and CX execution. Roger breaks down the real reasons small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) struggle with customer retention and reveals why traditional customer experience (CX) strategies are often missing the mark. He shows how using behavioral science and practical frameworks can help you identify your leadership blind spots, better understand your team and customers, and create CX strategies that actually move the needle.
You should listen to Roger because he’s not only walked the walk, driving growth for SMBs and enterprises alike, but he’s also created a practical, actionable playbook tailored to businesses that don’t have the massive resources of the Fortune 500. Together with his co-author, he demystifies CX, making it accessible—and adaptable—so listeners (whether startup founders or established leaders) can create systems that delight, differentiate, and drive referrals. If you want the blueprint for scaling your business through customer experience, Roger’s insights are simply essential.
Here are three thought-provoking questions Roger answers on this episode:
- What are the most common (and costly) leadership blind spots that undermine customer experience, and how can you spot them in yourself?
- Why is adapting (not just adopting) best-in-class CX strategies crucial for SMBs, and how do you tailor them to fit your unique customer needs and operational realities?
- How can businesses shift from reactive churn management to proactive customer retention—and what’s the ROI boost you can expect from that shift?
Don’t miss this powerful conversation! Listen to the episode and subscribe to the Delighted Customers podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and find us on all your favorite podcast platforms.
Meet Roger Nicholas
Roger Nicholas is a business growth leader with over 25 years of expertise in revenue training, CX execution, and operations across diverse industries. As the co-author of The CX Lighthouse: Navigating Business Growth with Customer Experience, Roger is on a mission to help small and medium-sized business owners unlock the ROI of customer-centric strategies tailored to their size and market—not just enterprise models. An inductee of the Cigna New Tau Entrepreneurial Honor Society and a Howard University graduate, Roger has held key leadership positions, including work with WMATA (Washington Metro). His approach combines the latest in behavioral science with hands-on business development, delivering actionable strategies for lasting growth and customer loyalty.
Connect with Roger Nicholas on LinkedIn.
Show Notes & Resources
- The CX Lighthouse: Navigating Business Growth with Customer Experience on Amazon
- https://thecxlighthouse.com
- CX Lighthouse 10 Day Challenge: Identify alignment between your business and customer expectations: https://qrcd.org/8vxM
- Leadership Blind Spots Assessment — “Leadership EKG” tool based on behavioral science https://qrcd.org/8vxL
Listen, subscribe, and elevate your CX game today!
What if you could close the gap between what you think your customers experience and what they actually feel—using raw, unfiltered feedback you can see and hear for yourself?
In a constantly evolving digital landscape, the journey from a customer’s very first click to their final interaction is more complex—and crucial—than ever before. But many leaders believe that their customer experience is far better than it really is—a costly blind spot that leads to missed opportunities for building trust and loyalty. How can organizations truly see their products and services through their customers' eyes and outpace the competition in building brand confidence?
You won’t want to miss this week’s Delighted Customers Podcast, where Mark Slatin sits down with Baran Erkel, Chief Strategy Officer at User Testing. Baran’s rich background—from developer to consulting to enterprise SaaS leadership—gives him a unique 360-degree view on why empathy at scale is the new differentiator and how User Testing’s platform enables businesses to bring the authentic voice of the customer into every decision. If you’re a leader who wants to turn insight into action, streamline feedback loops, and future-proof experiences in the age of AI, Baran’s expertise is essential listening.
Here are three compelling questions Baran Erkel answers on this episode:
- Why is traditional customer feedback (like NPS surveys) not enough for truly understanding and closing the customer experience gap?
- How does User Testing enable organizations to “get out of the building” and immerse themselves in real-time, video-based customer feedback—even at scale?
- What is the transformative role of AI in the future of human insights, feedback, and designing for trust?
Tune in to this insightful conversation and discover how to proactively bridge blind spots in your customer journey. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify—or catch Delighted Customers on all of your favorite podcast platforms so you never miss an episode!
Meet Baran Erkel
Baran Erkel is the Chief Strategy Officer at User Testing, where he leads strategy, corporate development (including mergers and acquisitions), and product management for their industry-leading platform. With over 15 years in enterprise software and a career foundation in computer science and consulting, Baran’s passion lies in helping businesses harness human insights to drive innovation and deepen customer trust. User Testing, founded in 2008, now serves over 3,000 clients—including global enterprises in financial services, tech, and retail—by enabling rapid, actionable feedback through both digital and physical customer experiences. Baran is committed to equipping organizations with the tools and mindset shifts needed to close the “experience gap” and thrive in today’s competitive landscape.
Connect with Baran on LinkedIn.
Show Note References
- Coupa Café anecdote illustrating the powerful impact of real-time, direct customer feedback
- The Bain & Company “CX Gap” statistic
- User Testing’s role in transitioning from reactive to proactive customer listening
- The future of AI-powered feedback and its integration with human insights
Don’t forget to listen and subscribe—transform your approach to customer experience starting today!
What if negative customer experiences matter more than you think—impacting your bottom line far beyond any single complaint or glowing review?
In the latest episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, we dive into why negative experiences carry outsized influence on customer loyalty and business revenue. Many leaders mistakenly chase the most frequent irritants, but as our guest explains, it’s not about quantity—it’s about which problems have the greatest financial impact. If you're a CX leader struggling to prove the ROI of your work, you’ll want to tune in for innovative strategies that bridge the gap between customer insights and business results.
Why listen to this episode? Paula Courtney, President of the Verde Group, is a global authority on customer retention and quantifying the financial risk of customer experience missteps. With over 30 years of research published in BusinessWeek, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review, Paula brings a unique, science-backed approach to identifying the most consequential pain points in your customer journey. Her team’s methods have helped organizations around the world—across 35 countries—focus investments where they count and avoid common CX measurement pitfalls.
Here are three engaging questions Paula answers on this episode:
- Why do negative experiences have a disproportionate effect on customer behavior—and what psychological principles drive this phenomenon?
- What critical missteps do organizations make by relying on “applause meter” surveys and chasing the wrong metrics?
- How can leaders accurately quantify the financial risk of negative experiences and build a rock-solid business case for CX investment in the boardroom?
Don’t miss this essential conversation for anyone seeking to transform their customer experience—and get buy-in from the C-suite. Listen to the episode now and subscribe so you never miss insights from top industry leaders.
Listen & Subscribe: Delighted Customers on Apple Podcasts Delighted Customers on Spotify Available on all your favorite podcast platforms!
Meet Paula Courtney
Paula Courtney is the President of the Verde Group, a global market research consultancy specializing in customer retention and the quantification of customer experience ROI. For over three decades, she has led the development of research methods that help organizations not only identify but truly measure the economic impact of customer experiences—especially the negative ones most likely to drive churn. Paula’s expertise has been featured in prominent outlets such as BusinessWeek, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review. Her work is rooted in psychology, utilizing principles like negativity bias and loss aversion, and grounded in data science to separate “noise” from actionable insights. An international leader, Paula and her team have supported customer-centric transformation in over 35 countries, providing business leaders with tools to prioritize investments and foster real, financially measurable change.
Learn more about Paula and the Verde Group at https://verdegroup.com Connect with Paula Courtney on LinkedIn: Paula Courtney LinkedIn
Show Notes & References
- Verde Group: Website and Resources
- Monthly newsletter, research blogs, and case studies: Available on Verde Group’s website
Be sure to subscribe and leave a five-star review to support the podcast and spread the word!
What’s the secret to building unshakeable trust with your customers—especially when you’re not face-to-face and your product passes through layers before it ever reaches the end user?
That question has been top of mind for me, and it’s exactly why I was so excited to sit down with Lisa Schwartz, Chief Operating Officer of Mathematica, on the latest episode of the Delighted Customers podcast. If you’ve ever wondered how trust really forms—not just in simple transactions, but in complex relationships where intermediaries stand between your company and your customers—you’re not going to want to miss this conversation. The little things we do, and the way we handle nuanced moments, can echo throughout an entire organization and set the tone for customer loyalty and business success.
I invite you to join me and Lisa as we explore the real-world power of trust. Lisa brings together an incredible mix of deep research, operational leadership, and street-smart experience (from her PhD in Developmental Psychology to her days as a bartender, practicing personalization long before it was a business buzzword). I learned so much from her perspective—she simply “gets it,” blending science, practical application, and genuine emotional intelligence in a way that makes it easy to apply to any customer relationship, no matter your industry or selling channel.
Here are three powerful questions we tackle together on the show:
- How can you demonstrate credibility and reliability when you don’t actually control the front-line customer interactions?
- What are best practices for creating intimacy and lowering self-orientation in situations where direct access to the end user isn’t possible?
- What kinds of small gestures truly move the needle in building lasting customer partnerships and loyalty?
If these are questions you wrestle with—or you want to elevate trust inside and outside your organization—I hope you’ll listen in. Subscribe to Delighted Customers on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or find us on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback and support mean the world to me, and I can’t wait for you to experience what Lisa has to share!
Meet Lisa Schwartz
Lisa Schwartz, Ph.D., is the Chief Operating Officer of Mathematica, a leading research and data consulting firm committed to improving public well-being through evidence-based solutions. With academic roots in developmental psychology (PhD, University of Maryland, College Park), Lisa spent years progressing from project leadership to executive management at Mathematica. Since 2019, she has driven the company’s customer experience strategy across all divisions, spearheading initiatives that blend data-driven objectivity with a client-centric approach. Lisa’s expertise lies in translating academic research into actionable, scalable business practices, all while championing relational trust as the cornerstone of every client journey.
Catch Part 2 of 2 with Lisa on Episode #139!
Connect with Lisa Schwartz on LinkedIn.
Show Notes and References
- Learn more about Mathematica: mathematica.org
- Explore the Gottman Institute’s work on emotional bank accounts: gottman.com
- Read about the Trust Equation from “The Trusted Advisor”: trustedadvisor.com
Meet Lisa
Lisa Schwartz brings 20 years of research and leadership experience to her role as COO at Mathematica, where she guides operational strategy and advances customer experience initiatives. A passionate proponent of evidence-based solutions, Lisa is recognized for blending the objectivity of research with the empathy required for impactful client relationships.
Note: This is Part 1 of a 2-part series
What does it take to create an onboarding experience so powerful that clients can’t imagine working with anyone else?
For executives and customer experience leaders, the onboarding process is much more than an administrative formality—it's the first date, the pivotal moment when a client decides whether to pursue a deeper relationship or walk away. In this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, Mark Slatin sits down with Lisa Schwartz, COO of Mathematica, to unpack the psychology and structure behind onboarding experiences that build trust, foster loyalty, and drive business results. Lisa draws from her unique blend of research expertise and executive experience to reveal why onboarding is critical for long-term client engagement and how intentional, personal touches can transform a standard process into lasting advocacy.
Why listen to Lisa Schwartz? With a PhD in psychology from the University of Maryland and two decades at Mathematica, Lisa bridges academic rigor with operational excellence. She’s led the company’s customer experience transformation since 2019, skillfully adapting evidence-based practices to real-world client relationships. Lisa's passion for humanizing business, her practical analogies, and her research-backed strategies ensure takeaways for leaders seeking meaningful change in their organizations.
Here are three provocative questions Lisa addresses in this insightful conversation:
- Why does the typical “welcome email” fall drastically short of what true onboarding should accomplish?
- What are the most common myths and pitfalls organizations fall into when designing onboarding experiences?
- How can customer experience leaders use psychological principles—like trust building and emotional “deposits”—to foster client relationships that last for years?
Don’t miss out! Listen to Lisa’s episode of the Delighted Customers podcast and subscribe to get every new insight. Find the show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or on any of your favorite podcast platforms.
Meet Lisa Schwartz
Lisa Schwartz, Ph.D., is the Chief Operating Officer of Mathematica, a leading research and data consulting firm committed to improving public well-being through evidence-based solutions. With academic roots in developmental psychology (PhD, University of Maryland, College Park), Lisa spent years progressing from project leadership to executive management at Mathematica. Since 2019, she has driven the company’s customer experience strategy across all divisions, spearheading initiatives that blend data-driven objectivity with a client-centric approach. Lisa’s expertise lies in translating academic research into actionable, scalable business practices, all while championing relational trust as the cornerstone of every client journey.
Catch Part 2 of 2 with Lisa on Episode #139!
Connect with Lisa Schwartz on LinkedIn.
Show Notes and References
- Learn more about Mathematica: mathematica.org
- Explore the Gottman Institute’s work on emotional bank accounts: gottman.com
- Read about the Trust Equation from “The Trusted Advisor”: trustedadvisor.com
Meet Lisa
Lisa Schwartz brings 20 years of research and leadership experience to her role as COO at Mathematica, where she guides operational strategy and advances customer experience initiatives. A passionate proponent of evidence-based solutions, Lisa is recognized for blending the objectivity of research with the empathy required for impactful client relationships.
What if you could unlock executive buy-in—and real alignment—by channeling the breakthrough strategies of world-famous celebrities in your customer experience approach?
In this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, guest Ania Rodriguez flips the script on how CX leaders can influence their C-suite and drive transformative change. By drawing on the archetypes of iconic figures like Oprah, Lady Gaga, Richard Branson, Mark Cuban, and Taylor Swift, Ania reveals how leaders can meaningfully connect with stakeholders, avoid the "hero's trap," and move from mere buy-in to active organizational alignment. The impact? A more dynamic, emotionally intelligent, and business-savvy customer experience program that gets noticed—and gets results.
Listeners should tune in to hear from Ania Rodriguez, an award-winning CX and UX advisor to Fortune 500 companies—and the founder behind both Key Lime Interactive and JourneyTrack. Ania’s hands-on experience helping brands like Google, Cisco, Amazon, Meta, and Disney achieve double-digit growth brings practical, actionable insight for customer experience leaders at every stage.
Here are three big questions Ania answers on this episode:
- What’s the difference between passive buy-in and active alignment—and how do CX leaders get to the latter?
- Which “celebrity archetype” do you need to channel when working with key executives on journey mapping and change management?
- How can AI-powered tools like JourneyTrack help organizations synthesize data, spot emotional inflection points, and make smarter, faster CX decisions?
Don’t miss this episode—it’s packed with memorable analogies, real-world case studies, and Ania’s expert playbook for leading change. Listen and subscribe now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find Delighted Customers on all your favorite podcast platforms!
JourneyTrack is a proud sponsor of The Delighted Customers Podcast
Learn more about how JourneyTrack can help you leverage AI to improve CX.
Meet Ania:
Ania is a self-made entrepreneur who has made a name for herself, serving as a CX/UX advisor to Fortune 500 companies around the world for over two decades. Known for her focus on actionable results and quality,
Ania’s leadership has resulted in double-digit growth for her first company, Key Lime Interactive, over the past decade. The company has emerged to become one of the leading user experience research firms in the United States. Her work as a CX/UX strategist and researcher demonstrated to her the need for a platform that could take her journey mapping vision to the next level. JourneyTrack is the tool that meets that vision.
Ania's LinkedIn Email Ania mentioned: sales@journeytrack.io Contact Sales form Book a Demo form JourneyTrack website Journey Impact feature Workshops feature Blog post: How to Get Started with Customer Journey Mapping Blog post: Understanding Journey Mapping, Orchestration, and Journey Management Blog post: How a Journey Mapping Workshop can Drive Business Growth
Are you struggling to cut through organizational resistance and win real buy-in for your customer experience (CX) initiatives?
You’re not alone. Even the most skilled CX professionals and change leaders often face the uphill battle of influencing executives and key stakeholders—especially when budgets are tight and positional authority is limited. That’s exactly why the launch of the new on-demand course, "Becoming a Trusted Guide: Empowering CX Leadership," is so exciting for anyone looking to make meaningful change in their organizations.
Gabe Smith, CCXP, Content Manager and Associate Director at the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), joins me to preview this new course and spotlights CXPA's new learning platform, CXeducation.com—crafted specifically so you can access high-impact learning anytime, from anywhere in the world. I explain how this program goes beyond traditional training: you’ll discover strategies to shift your mindset, frameworks for building stakeholder trust, and practical tools you can apply immediately in your unique business context. Plus, if you’re working toward your CCXP certification, the course qualifies for critical credit hours.
Here are three pressing questions Gabe and I answer in this episode—each one explored through the lens of this innovative course:
- Why is it so challenging to secure real executive support for CX—and what new frameworks in the course will help you overcome this barrier?
- How does on-demand, asynchronous learning transform professional development for busy change leaders worldwide?
- What actionable steps can you take right now to move from being a “CX hero” to a “trusted guide” and win broader organizational alignment?
Ready to transform how you lead change and champion customer experience in your organization? Dive into this episode and unlock details on the new course that could accelerate your CX career. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find Delighted Customers wherever you enjoy podcasts. Be first in line to benefit—this is a game-changer for anyone serious about leading CX transformation!
Meet Gabe Smith
Gabe Smith, CCXP, is the Content Manager and Associate Director for the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA). With five years at the CXPA and previous hands-on CX experience at the American Cancer Society, his mission is to empower professionals to lead with impact. At CXPA, he drives content strategy, knowledge sharing, and global standards like the CCXP certification and on-demand learning through cxeducation.com. His focus is advancing the CX field and helping you sharpen your leadership.
Show Notes & References
- Discover and enroll in the new on-demand course: www.cxeducation.com
- Explore more resources and the global CX community: www.cxpaglobal.org
- Learn more about Mark Slatin and other courses: www.empoweredcx.com
Don’t forget to subscribe and make the Delighted Customers Podcast your weekly CX leadership advantage!
Join us for a special episode featuring Lou Carbone, widely regarded as the father of the experience management movement. As the founder, president, and chief executive, Chief Experience Officer of Experience Engineering, a Minneapolis-based consulting firm dedicated to customer and employee experience management, Lou brings over 30 years of expertise to the discussion. He pioneered the field with his groundbreaking 1994 article "Engineering Customer Experiences," which may have originated the term "customer experience." Lou is also the author of the book Clued in, How to Keep Customers Coming Back Again and Again and has worked with major companies like Pizza Hut, KFC, Avis, H&R Block, General Motors, IBM, and Taco Bell. He has lectured and taught at leading institutions like Harvard Business School and Cornell School of Business and is currently a Professor of Practice at Michigan State University in the Customer Experience Management Program. Why listen? Lou believes the profession is at a crossroads and will challenge conventional thinking about CX, exploring the current state of the profession and offering insights into moving beyond traditional approaches to create truly distinctive value. He will discuss how organizations can shift their focus from how customers feel about the brand to how they cause them to feel about themselves after interacting with the brand, highlighting the critical role of emotional imprinting in designing memorable experiences that drive value. Tune in as we explore: •What does it mean when we say "customers cannot not have an experience," and how does this fundamental truth shape the approach to experience management? •How can organizations move beyond fixing problems ("fixing broken") to design experiences that leverage emotional imprinting and lead to "distinctive economic value"? •In a world where the definition of CX is fragmented, how can understanding "next practices" rooted in emotion, psychology, and neuroscience help prove the ROI and Return on Strategy of experience management initiatives? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review the Delighted Customers podcast on your favorite platform! Your support helps us bring you more insightful conversations with leaders shaping the future of customer experience. Apple Podcasts (US): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-delighted-customers-podcast-with-mark-slatin/id1635863804
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Official Website & Other Platforms: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
"It's Not About the Coffee": A Starbucks President's Recipe for Delighting Customers with CX
Join us for an insightful conversation with Howard Behar, a pivotal figure in Starbucks' legendary growth. As the President of Starbucks North America and the founding President of Starbucks International for 21 years, Howard participated in the company's expansion from just 28 stores to over 15,000. He also served on the Starbucks board of directors for 12 years before retiring. He's also authored two books on leadership titled "It's not about the Coffee" and "The Magic Cup," book titles that encapsulate his core philosophy. In this episode, Howard tackles a fundamental challenge faced by rapidly growing businesses: How do you scale operations from a small number of locations to a global empire while preserving the deeply personal customer experience that made you successful? Howard argues that the answer lies not just in the product, but in a relentless focus on people – both employees and customers – understanding that Starbucks was always "in the people business serving coffee, not the coffee business serving people". Listen in as Howard shares firsthand how this philosophy drove extraordinary growth and answers critical questions, including: •How did the philosophy "we're in the people business serving coffee, not the coffee business serving people" shape Starbucks' approach to customer experience? •How did Starbucks manage its rapid expansion from 28 stores to over 15,000 while maintaining a consistent, personal customer experience? •How did leadership make decisions about investing in initiatives and supporting teams, particularly when facing the challenge of proving the ROI of customer experience? Discover actionable insights on servant leadership, empowering employees, the power of listening, and taking calculated risks to build a truly people-centric organization that delights customers and achieves remarkable growth. Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation with Greg Kihlstrom! Listen and subscribe to the Delighted Customers podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or find us on your favorite podcast platform Meet Howard Howard Behar's extensive career spans over 50 years in consumer-oriented businesses. He served at Starbucks Coffee for 21 years, retiring after participating in the company's growth from 28 stores to over 15,000 across five continents. He held pivotal leadership roles as President of Starbucks North America and the founding President of Starbucks International. Howard also served on the Starbucks board of directors for 12 years before retiring. He is the author of two books on leadership. Books by Howard Behar: * It's not about the Coffee * The Magic Cup
Show Notes and References: Howard Behar has agreed to share his personal mission statement document for inclusion in the show notes. Connect with Howard Behar (Generously Provided by Howard): - Cell Phone: 206-972-7776 (Call or Text - he will get back to you) - Email: hb@howardbehar.com
What if AI-powered technology could not only solve your customers' problems faster but also anticipate their needs—and why do so many organizations still get it wrong?
On this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, we unlock the real reasons why companies struggle to implement AI and automation tools effectively, even as consumer expectations for personalization and seamless experiences reach new heights. Greg Kihlstrom, martech and CX expert, demystifies the hype around chatbots and agentic AI, showing us where most companies stumble and what it really takes to reverse-engineer remarkable customer journeys. If you’re wondering why some AI initiatives delight while others fall flat (and what you can do about it), this episode pulls back the curtain.
You should tune in to hear from Greg Kihlstrom, a thought leader at the intersection of marketing, technology, and customer experience, whose podcast network and consulting insights are helping brands evolve—whether you're leading a Fortune 500 organization or an ambitious mid-market player. His deep dive into what’s really working at marketing and CX conferences—and what’s next for both large and small companies—makes this discussion especially valuable for anyone navigating the fast-changing landscape of customer engagement.
Here are three burning questions Greg answers on the show:
- What are the real barriers that have kept companies from leveraging AI (like chatbots and agents) effectively in the customer journey?
- How can AI empower customer service teams to pinpoint root causes and improve experiences—without losing the uniquely human touch?
- For leaders at mid-sized companies, what are practical steps for selecting technology partners and overcoming siloed data challenges as they implement customer-centric AI?
Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation with Greg Kihlstrom! Listen and subscribe to the Delighted Customers podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or find us on your favorite podcast platform.
Meet Greg Kihlstrom
Greg Kihlstrom is a best-selling author, speaker, entrepreneur, and host of The Agile Brand Podcast. With 15+ years of experience at the crossroads of marketing, technology, and CX, Greg is the former founder and CEO of a successful digital agency in Washington, D.C., now working as an independent consultant to leading brands and organizations. He is the founder of The Agile Brand Podcast Network, a prolific writer on the evolving roles of martech and organizational change, and a key influencer in bridging the gap between digital transformation and meaningful customer outcomes. Greg is also recognized for his thought leadership on AI innovation, process improvement, and the future of customer experience.
Connect with Greg Kihlstrom on LinkedIn: Greg Kihlstrom LinkedIn
Show Notes & References
- Subscribe to Greg’s newsletter: "AI Isn’t a Goal or a Strategy" on LinkedIn
- Learn more about The Agile Brand Podcast Network: https://www.theagilebrand.com/
- Catch up with the Delighted Customers podcast on your favorite platform for more episodes!
What does it really take for smaller banks and mid-sized businesses to triumph over industry giants while still delivering exceptional customer experiences?
This burning question lies at the heart of the latest episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, where we dig deep into the unique advantages that smaller organizations hold in fostering emotional connections, empowering employees, and personalizing customer interactions—even when their resources pale in comparison to mega-corporations. The impact of this question stretches across industries: if you feel outmanned or outspent by competitors, Tara Brady’s strategies could just be the difference-maker. She reveals exactly how you can leverage your agility and authenticity to delight customers and transform employees into powerful brand advocates.
You should listen to Tara Brady, Chief Experience Officer at Provident Bank, because she has walked the walk—from big banks to credit unions to her current leadership role at a thriving regional institution. Tara brings practical, actionable insights on how to create customer and employee advocacy, how to turn real feedback into process improvements, and why empathy and emotional connectedness are your secret weapons. If you’re navigating the David versus Goliath landscape—whether in banking or beyond—Tara’s perspective will help you see your “smallness” as a superpower.
Here are three compelling questions Tara answers during the show:
- How can banks without massive technology budgets still compete with—and even exceed—the customer experiences offered by mega banks?
- What practical steps can organizations take to bridge employee and customer experience, ensuring both groups are genuinely heard and empowered?
- Why is building emotional connections more than just a “nice to have”—and how does it directly affect loyalty, advocacy, and your bottom line?
Meet Tara Brady
With over 19 years’ experience in Customer Experience (CX), Tara Brady is a successful brand evangelist known for coaching and leading organizations and teams to new heights in delivering exemplary, impactful, and results-focused customer experiences that drive sales and brand loyalty.
Tara believes that today’s consumer market means striving for excellence in customer AND employee experience is mandatory – and no longer optional or ‘nice to haves.’ As a leader, she operates from the premise that happy, empowered employees are the face of the brand for consumers. This is reflected in her holistic approach to CX that integrates employee experience as a foundational element.
Her multiple CX redesigns and transformations stem from working directly with customers and leading teams and users to deliver excellence. Known to surprise teams by showing up and working on-site to serve customers directly, test processes, and gather employee and customer feedback, her hands-on approach is a differentiator. This real- world laboratory shapes the innovations that transform customer and employee experiences.
TARA’S CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE USER EXPERIENCE MANIFESTO: Stellar experiences are built strategically – and require data/analytics, employee input and feedback, thorough understanding of an organization’s goals and vision, KPIs, and a project management approach – including timelines, deliverables, benchmarks, and assessments.
Outstanding CX/UX experience isn’t a matter of being ‘friendly’. Rather, it is ALL about having responsive technology, expertly trained and engaged employees empowered with all they need to serve customers, clearly defined value statements, executive support, defined journey maps, and more! ‘Friendly’ may be a factor in CX success, but it’s not a strategy. CX/UX is not something that’s ‘done’ and then revisited in a few years. Customers change. Products change. Company goals change. Technology changes. And employees change.
This means ongoing assessing, re-evaluating, re-calibrating, re- designing, and training to maintain excellence and the company’s competitive advantage.
Connect with Tara Brady on LinkedIn
Show Notes & References
- Learn more about Provident Bank: provident.bank
- Referenced research: Forrester’s CX Index and Bruce Temkin’s work
- Find JourneyTrack for CX journey management: JourneyTrack.io
Listen and subscribe to the Delighted Customers podcast to unlock Tara’s proven strategies. You can find the show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as all your favorite podcast platforms. Don’t miss these invaluable insights that can elevate your approach no matter the size of your organization!
Join us for a compelling conversation with Bruce Temkin, a true pioneer in the world of customer experience (CX) and the co-founder of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), the founder of the XM Institute at Qualtrics, and now, head of Humanity at Scale. In this episode, Bruce shares his journey from shaping the foundations of CX to launching a bold new initiative focused on helping leaders drive sustainable success by putting people first.
We dive into Bruce’s unique approach to making “squishy” concepts like customer experience concrete and actionable, including the creation of the Temkin Experience Ratings and the importance of accessible, meaningful data. Bruce offers candid insights on the evolution of CX metrics, the limitations of traditional surveys and NPS, and why emotion is the most powerful driver of loyalty.
Discover how Humanity at Scale expands the conversation beyond CX, challenging leaders to rethink the false tradeoff between business success and human-centric leadership. Whether you’re a CX professional, business leader, or simply passionate about making organizations more people-focused, this episode is packed with practical wisdom and inspiration from one of the industry’s true thought leaders.
Meet Bruce
Bruce Temkin is an Experience Management (XM) visionary and is often referred to as the “Godfather of Customer Experience.” He leads Humanity at Scale and hosts the Humanity at Scale podcast. He most recently founded the Qualtrics XM Institute, which provides thought leadership and training to help organizations around the world and is also building a global community of XM professionals who are radically changing the human experience.
Prior to Qualtrics, Bruce led Temkin Group, which provided research, advisory, and training that helped many of the world’s leading brands build customer loyalty by engaging the hearts and minds of their customers, employees, and partners. He is also the co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Customer Experience Professionals Association. Prior to Temkin Group, Bruce spent 12 years with Forrester Research during which time he led the company's B2B, financial services, eBusiness, and customer experience practices and was the most-read analyst for 13 consecutive quarters. Bruce has a mechanical engineering degree from Union College and a master’s in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Fred Reichheld is an expert on customer loyalty and a legend in the world of customer experience management.
He and his "co-pilot" Rob Markey, created Net Promoter System, arguably one of the most used loyalty metrics in the world.
He shared so many gems in our conversation that I decided to produce this edited version as a sort of "greatest hits" episode.
In this episode:
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Why did Fred feel a sense of urgency to write his book, "Winning on Purpose"?
- Fred shares a personal story about receiving a cancer diagnosis, which spurred him to focus on writing the book to correct misconceptions and realign the philosophy behind Net Promoter Score (NPS) and customer experience with genuine customer love and improvement.
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What is the core message of "Winning on Purpose"?
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Fred emphasizes that the central message is that customer love and referrals should be at the core of a business’s purpose. Companies need to prioritize customer satisfaction and loyalty over other metrics to achieve true, sustainable success.
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They key metric that most companies don't measure but should be
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Fred discusses the importance of tracking and measuring customer referrals to drive business growth.
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What is the "earned growth" model and why is it important?
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Fred introduces the concept of "earned growth," which focuses on measuring how much business growth comes from returning customers and referrals.
Ok, this one is a bit different.
I've been asked many times over for a sampling of The Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class and really couldn't share a nice condensed slice of it...until now.
It was quite by accident.
I used an AI tool that automated two virtual hosts, I'm calling them Abe (A) and Ivy (I), who took much of the material from a recent asynchronous course and with a press of a button, converted it into an 11-minute podcast episode!
I thought, 'Wow, this is so interesting...maybe others will think so too."
The episode starts with a personal failure of mine that illustrates why the hero's trap is so easy to fall into and so devastating.
The hosts capture the essence of the Master Class section on this topic in a fun way.
I hope you find it entertaining and insightful.
I'd love to hear your feedback!
Navigating the Power Core: A Strategic Approach to Customer Experience
Join us as we dive deep into the world of customer experience with Shelly Chandler, a seasoned CX strategist with 25 years of experience across B2B and B2C industries. In this eye-opening episode, Shelly shares her journey from banking to diverse sectors, offering unique perspectives on leading CX transformation from within the product realm.
Discover why aligning with your organization's "Power Core" is crucial for CX success, and learn how to navigate C-suite expectations by connecting CX initiatives to business objectives. Shelly also addresses common pitfalls in the CX profession and provides invaluable advice for practitioners looking to make a lasting impact.
Shelly answers these questions:
- What is considered "product" in different industries, and why is it important?
- How has the role of customer experience within organizations changed in recent years, particularly in relation to the "Power Core"?
- What advice does Shelly give to CX professionals when starting in a new role or trying to drive change?
Whether you're a CX novice or a seasoned professional, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you elevate your CX game and drive meaningful change in your organization. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from one of the industry's most versatile experts!
Meet Shelly
Shelly Chandler is a senior customer experience strategist and leader delivering proven results that increase revenue, reduce costs and solidify customer loyalty. In the specialized profession of Customer Experience that that spans all organizational functions, her career as a customer catalyst has helped companies to drive action within organizations that are ready for customer growth.
Shelly especially enjoys transforming blue-sky visions into tangible, executable programs, creating strategic change with others to enhance customer experience. Shelly has worked in many different industries, adding strategic value and broad understanding of the CX profession over the past 25 years. Key verticals include B2B and B2C, Hospitality, Retail, Automotive, Transportation, Manufacturing, SaaS, and Financial Services, with brands such as PNC Bank, Wells Fargo, Moen, Penske, Walmart, Forsta, and American Tire.
Specialized Skills: CX Strategy, Insights Development and Metrics, Customer Journey Mapping/Orchestration, and Experience Design are Shelly’s areas of expertise, along with public speaking, coaching and volunteering.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelly-chandler-cxleader/ shelly@evolvecxconsulting.com 704-995-7939
Dr. Joseph Michelli offers invaluable insights on balancing AI and human interaction in customer experience, drawing from his extensive research and work with renowned brands like Starbucks, Ritz-Carlton, and Mercedes-Benz. His expertise in understanding the emotional drivers behind consumer decisions and the importance of self-reflection for business leaders makes this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in enhancing their customer experience strategy.
Excited to share insights from the latest episode of the Delighted Customers podcast featuring Dr. Joseph Michelli, internationally renowned speaker, author, and organizational consultant! Here are three intriguing questions addressed during our conversation:
- How should CEOs approach the incorporation of AI and its intersection with customer experience?
- What are some common missteps companies make when balancing technology and human experience?
- How can businesses effectively leverage both technology and human touch to enhance customer relationships?
Don't miss Dr. Michelli's upcoming book, All Business is Personal available now for pre-order!
Meet Dr. Joseph Michelli
Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D., C.S.P., is an internationally sought-after speaker, author, and organizational consultant who transfers his knowledge of exceptional business practices in ways that develop joyful and productive workplaces with a focus on customer experience. His insights encourage leaders and frontline workers to grow and invest passionately in all aspects of their lives.
Dr. Michelli is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Nielson BookScan, and New York Times' #1 bestselling author. His books include:
• Stronger Through Adversity: World-Class Leaders Share Pandemic-Tested Lessons on Thriving During the Toughest Challenges • The Airbnb Way: 5 Leadership Lessons for Igniting Growth Through Loyalty, Community, and Belonging • Driven to Delight: Delivering World-Class Customer Experience the Mercedes-Benz Way • Leading The Starbucks Way: 5 Principles for Connecting with Your Customer, Your Products, and Your People • The Zappos Experience: 5 Principles to Inspire Engage and WOW • Prescription for Excellence: Leadership Lessons for Creating a World-Class Customer Experience from UCLA Health System • The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company • The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary • When Fish Fly: Lessons for Creating a Vital and Energized Workplace co-authored with the owner of the "World- Famous" Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle
• Customer Magic: The Macquarie Way -How to reimagine customer experience to transform your business
Joseph: • is a Visiting Professor of Service Excellence at Campbellsville University • is the recipient of the Customer Experience Professional Association’s – Impact on the Customer Experience Profession award • is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) • has been inducted into the Customer Experience Hall of Fame • has been named one of the Top 5 Customer Experience thought leaders for six consecutive years by Global Gurus • is on the founders' council of CustomerExperienceOne • has served on the editorial board member for the Beryl Institute's Patient Experience Journal • won the Asian Brand Excellence Award • holds the Certified Speaking Professional (CFP) designation from the National Speakers Association • is a member of the Authors Guild
He received his master's and doctorate from the University of Southern California. Having journeyed with a close family member through a six-year battle with breast cancer, Dr. Michelli is committed to social causes associated with curing cancer and abating world hunger.
Ania Rodriguez was trained as an engineer. She is Founder and CEO of JourneyTrack and a self-made entrepreneur. Ania's insights into modernizing journey mapping and reducing customer churn offer groundbreaking, actionable strategies for any organization interested in elevating customer experiences.
Ania shares how journey mapping has evolved into a powerful tool for leaders to drive business outcomes:
- Discover how Ania Rodriguez transformed the CX landscape by moving from outdated manual methods to efficient journey management and how this shift can significantly reduce customer churn.
- Learn about the surprising, low-cost quick wins Ania shares that can immediately improve customer retention and satisfaction.
- Get inspired by Ania’s insightful analogy comparing journey mapping to creating a movie and how it changes your perspective on customer experience....and so many more gems!
We welcome Ania and her team at JourneyTrack as new sponsors of The Delighted Customers Podcast!
Meet Ania:
Ania is a self-made entrepreneur who has made a name for herself, serving as a CX/UX advisor to Fortune 500 companies around the world for over two decades. Known for her focus on actionable results and quality,
Ania’s leadership has resulted in double-digit growth for her first company, Key Lime Interactive, over the past decade. The company has emerged to become one of the leading user experience research firms in the United States. Her work as a CX/UX strategist and researcher demonstrated to her the need for a platform that could take her journey mapping vision to the next level. JourneyTrack is the tool that meets that vision.
Ania's LinkedIn Email Ania mentioned: sales@journeytrack.io Contact Sales form Book a Demo form JourneyTrack website Journey Impact feature Workshops feature Blog post: How to Get Started with Customer Journey Mapping Blog post: Understanding Journey Mapping, Orchestration, and Journey Management Blog post: How a Journey Mapping Workshop can Drive Business Growth
Are you on LinkedIn?
Ever wondered how LinkedIn keeps its users engaged and loyal?
Join us for an insider's view of the platform that drives business networking.
Unpacking Value Creation: Sam Stern delves into the importance of distinguishing between LinkedIn users—members versus customers. He explains how this differentiation impacts the value each group gets from the platform, ensuring a balance between the needs of paying customers and non-paying members.
Continuous Evolution: LinkedIn is committed to continuous research, aiming to understand user pain points and iterating solutions based on direct feedback. This approach helps uncover underlying issues and experiment with ways to enhance user experience.
Aligning with the Power Core: Drawing on Jeanne Bliss's Power Core concept, Sam illustrates how aligning with LinkedIn's core strength as a product-driven organization has revolutionized their ability to influence change and elevate the customer experience. This alignment underscores the importance of understanding and working within the organizational power structure.
This episode promises a deep dive into the strategies that make LinkedIn a powerful networking tool!
Meet Sam: Sam Stern is a customer experience expert with more than 20 years in the field as a speaker, community builder, practitioner, podcaster, and researcher. Currently, he leads the Service Design team at LinkedIn, helping to design and deliver delightful experiences for the platform’s 1 billion members and customers. Sam has also created three LinkedIn Learning courses on customer experience, and hosts his own weekly podcast, CX Patterns. In past roles, he started a customer experience team for the footwear company New Balance, and worked in research and consulting roles at Forrester Research. While there, Sam helped launch Forrester’s CX Certification training curriculum, and he started Forrester’s popular “CX Cast” podcast.
Do you remember the shock ending of The Sixth Sense? The film taps into that mysterious sixth sense—something beyond our usual perception.
Similarly, in the world of taste, umami goes beyond salty, sweet, bitter, and sour to create a richer, more memorable experience. But what if businesses could apply this concept to customer experience?
In this episode, Aga Szóstek, PhD—author, CX leader, and design expert—shares a powerful framework that parallels umami, helping brands forge deeper emotional connections, stand out in the market, and drive lasting loyalty. Drawing from her work with companies like Google and Philips Lighting, Aga delivers invaluable insights, including:
- How to avoid the "syndrome of averaging out" and create a truly differentiated experience
- The core principles of an Umami Strategy that enhances emotional connection and loyalty
- How pragmatic values and emotional engagement work together to build lasting customer relationships
This conversation is packed with actionable wisdom you won’t want to miss!
🎧 Subscribe to The Delighted Customers Podcast for more expert insights.
Show Notes: 📖 The Umami Strategy: Stand Out by Mixing Business with Experience Design 📖 Leadership by Design: The Essential Guide to Transforming You as a Leader 🌐 www.catchingthenextwavepodcast.com 🌐 www.agaszostek.com 📖 Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd by Youngme Moon
MEET Aga!
Aga Szóstek, PhD is the author of "The Umami Strategy" and "Leadership by Design" and an expert in strategy and leadership.
Over the last two decades she has worked with leading companies combining design, technology and business. She has worked with brands such as Google, Philips, Samsung, Play, Allegro, EY, Santander, ING, Orange and many more, bringing a strategic experience design approach to design teams and boards.
Aga also supports her clients in leadership development based on key leadership challenges anchored in their organisational culture. She offers unique leadership programmes delivered in the form of an unforgettable experience.
- Website: https://www.delightedcustomers.com
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-delighted-customers-podcast-with-mark-slatin/id1635863804
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/67hea1Hnu0fFjMA6ZSKTkX
Are you a customer experience leader facing roadblocks when trying to get your initiatives approved? In this episode, Mark delves into the power of trust with Charlie Green, co-author of "The Trusted Advisor," to uncover strategies for breaking through bureaucratic walls and fostering buy-in. Key discussion points include: * The importance of building strong relationships with your leaders and understanding their priorities. * Why expediency can backfire and how taking the time to connect with stakeholders can save you time in the long run. * The Three Levels of Listening: Learn to listen beyond the facts to uncover the context and emotional meaning behind what others say. * The Trust Equation: Discover how credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation impact your trustworthiness and how to identify areas for improvement. * Practical tips for building intimacy and creating a safe space for open communication. * The significance of role-modeling trustworthiness as a leader.
Tune in to gain valuable insights on cultivating trust, overcoming resistance, and driving meaningful change within your organization. Bonus: Charlie shares a link to a trust assessment tool that can help you identify opportunities to deepen trustworthiness. * Link to TQ Assessment: https://trustsuite.trustedadvisor.com/
Other resources: 1. Building Trust with Key Stakeholders, The Delighted Customers Podcast with Charles H. Green - https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast/episode/28000408/building-trust-with-key-stakeholders-author-charles-h-green 2. The Trusted Advisor (book) - https://qrcd.org/5RkY 3. The Four Trust Factors (book) - https://qrcd.org/5Rkc 4. The Trust Equation explained - Trust Matters Blog - https://qrcd.org/5Rkn
Meet Charlie:
Charles H. Green is an author, speaker and world expert on trust-based relationships and sales in complex businesses. Founder and CEO of Trusted Advisor Associates, he is author of Trust-based Selling, and co-author of The Trusted Advisor and the Trusted Advisor Fieldbook. He has worked with a wide range of industries and functions globally.
Charles works with complex organizations to improve trust in sales, internal trust between organizations, and trusted advisor relationships with external clients and customers.
Charles spent 20 years in management consulting. He majored in philosophy (Columbia), and has an MBA (Harvard).
A widely sought-after speaker, he has published articles in Harvard Business Review, Directorship Magazine, Management Consulting News, CPA Journal, American Lawyer, Investments and Wealth Monitor, and Commercial Lending Review.
More about Charlie: https://trustedadvisor.com/consultants/charles-h-green
How can leaders support their teams effectively without falling into the trap of fixing everything themselves?
Leah Marone is a psychotherapist with expertise in treating anxiety and mood disorders. She also works with athletes on performance anxiety issues, demonstrating her ability to understand and manage high-stress situations.
If you can relate, there are a ton of gems in this show, including:
- What are some of the problems or ways that leaders lead that is the opposite of creating authentic spaces and solving?
- How can leaders balance the need to control and deliver results with the approach of validating and empowering their employees?
- What are the steps involved in transitioning from being a solver to a supporter as a leader, and how can these steps be applied in real-world scenarios?
- How can leaders effectively inquire and motivate their employees while ensuring that they maintain ownership of their tasks?
And hey, did you catch our role-play experiment? That was like a masterclass in what not to do—Leah's advice saved the day by turning a "Ron-ian disaster" into a pathway to peace.
Meet Leah
Leah Marone, MSW, LCSW, is a seasoned psychotherapist and corporate mental wellness consultant based in Charlotte, NC, with over 20 years of extensive experience. Leah received her Master's degree in clinical social work from the University of Texas at Austin, a top-ranked institution in social work education. She has conducted over 20,000 therapy sessions and contributed articles to reputable publications such as Psychology Today, The Atlantic, and Newsweek, earning recognition for her expertise in mental health.
Leah's personal journey as a former anxiety-ridden Division 1 basketball player fuels her passion for working with high-achieving individuals, often described as type A go-getters. She specializes in addressing internal pressures, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and performance anxiety.
In her dual role as a mental wellness consultant and board member, Leah collaborates with both companies and nonprofits. Her areas of focus include anxiety and stress management, burnout prevention, boundary setting, mindfulness practices, effective communication, and emotional intelligence. Leah's holistic approach involves a thorough assessment of company culture to tailor her services, meeting organizations where they are and addressing their specific needs.
Leah's innovative 5-step initiative underscores the significance of mental wellness organization-wide, identifying areas for growth and connection. This initiative aims to prevent high turnover, address burnout, and enhance overall collaboration and productivity.
Leah has facilitated dozens wellness workshops for educators, leaders, and healthcare providers and has presented her acclaimed "Support, Don’t Solve" framework on prominent stages. Her inspirational keynotes provide practical tools for self-awareness that can be seamlessly integrated into busy schedules. Renowned for her expertise in boundary setting and resilience, Leah is a sought-after speaker for leadership groups. She addresses individuals navigating perpetual burnout, often fueled by relentless inner critics and the challenges of people-pleasing. Her insights offer a transformative guide for cultivating resilience and establishing healthy boundaries in demanding professional environments.
Beyond her professional commitments, Leah enjoys traveling, hiking, exercising, and working on her upcoming book slated for publication early next year. Additionally, she actively contributes as a coach for her daughter's club soccer team, showcasing her dedication to both personal and community well-being.
https://www.leahmarone.com/
Brad Smith, CCXP, who brings his extensive experience from working with major companies like Symantec, Yahoo, and Sage. Mark and Brad delve into the future of customer experience (CX) management and explore a variety of valuable tools that can be applied to enhance CX.
Brad shares actionable insights on hidden value, value realization versus value erosion, and introduces the concept of value mapping. He also discusses the importance of having a clear brand promise and how it plays a crucial role in delivering a cohesive customer experience.
Key topics covered in this episode include:
- The importance of leveraging a comprehensive CX toolkit, including techniques like empathy maps, journey maps, and value mapping.
- A detailed discussion on identifying and unlocking hidden value within a company by examining areas with high customer traffic, and differentiating between value realization and value erosion.
- A fascinating case study on Brad's work with AARP, showcasing how to diagnose and rectify systemic issues that lead to customer churn and operational inefficiencies.
- The concept of value mapping, its significance, and how it helps in uncovering friction points in customer experiences.
- The critical role of brand promises and how they should guide every interaction to ensure consistency and memorability.
- Insights into the symbiotic relationship between marketing and CX in delivering on the brand promise.
Meet Brad
Brad has had the privilege of leading organizations in their customer-centric transformation at Symantec, Yahoo!, and Sage as their CCO/CMO. Across his 30+ years of leadership, Brad has led global support and service functions for Oracle, Openwave, and Verisign as well as small start-ups. Leveraging decades of experience and insights gained from over 50 client engagements, he knows how to quickly identify, unlock and realize the trapped value concealed across any organization.
Currently, Brad is the President & Chairman of the Board of the Consortium for Service Innovation and through the work of the Consortium, has helped 100’s of customer service organizations innovate better business models to deliver deep value to their customers while better engaging their employees to grow their businesses. He is also one of their recognized Innovators.
Brad is also a Co-Founder and Tribal Advisor at TribeCX Ltd, an alumni member of the Forrester Chief Customer Executive Council, and the Chief Customer Officer (CCO) council, and a alumni Board Member (2018-2021) & recognized Innovator of Customer Experience Professional Association (CXPA). He is also a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP).
He is a recognized thought leader in the Customer Experience and Service Innovation space and has published dozens of articles for various online publications including Forbes, New York Times, Fox Business, and Entrepreneur. He is a frequent keynote speaker across the CX and Customer Service industries.
Brad is home based in Irvine CA and is the Founder/President of Vector Business Navigation, Inc. – A customer experience/customer success transformation consulting provider - committed to mentoring inspired leaders to successfully navigate their CX ecosystems since 2015.
You can learn more about Brad here:
All things CX Considered Podcast with Bob Azman
The Conversational Podcast with Julie Roehm
Reasoned Podcast with Sabrina Meditz
I'm thrilled to host Dr. Maxie Schmidt, a principal analyst at Forrester's Customer Experience Practice. Maxie is a global thought leader in CX measurement and value for customers, and she dives into the significance of customer value metrics. From how companies can effectively measure what their customers truly value, to the intricacies of trust and co-creation, Maxie offers unparalleled insights that are sure to challenge conventional thinking and provide actionable strategies for CX leaders.
This conversation stands to be invaluable for anyone eager to foster stronger customer relationships and drive business success through customer-centric strategies.
Why You Should Listen:
- Learn about innovative approaches to measuring customer value.
- Understand how to build trust and maintain customer loyalty.
- Discover ways to co-create value with your customers.
- Gain actionable insights from a leading expert to elevate your customer experience strategies.
Key Questions: 1. What are customer value metrics, and why has measuring them been a challenge for companies?
* Maxie provides a foundational understanding of customer value metrics and sheds light on common misconceptions in current measurement practices.
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Can you explain the concept of co-creation of value with customers and provide practical examples?
- Maxie explores the co-creation of value by using real-world scenarios, emphasizing the importance of customer engagement and mutual value generation.
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What specific steps can companies take to better measure the value that customers perceive they are getting?
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She discusses methodologies and strategies businesses can implement to accurately gauge the perceived value from the customer's perspective.
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Why is it crucial for companies to understand their role in the customer's value network, and how can they identify where they should play?
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Maxie elaborates on the need for companies to identify the right touchpoints in the customer journey, backed by examples like DBS and AARP, to ensure they are adding genuine value.
Tune in to this episode for a transformative conversation that promises to enhance your approach to customer experience and business growth.
Forrester Articles on Value:
- How we define value:
- https://www.forrester.com/blogs/value-for-customers-a-60-second-look-at-the-top-11-driver-categories/
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https://www.forrester.com/blogs/three-truths-about-value-for-customers-hint-you-cannot-deliver-it/
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Deeper dive into why companies cant “deliver” value: https://www.forrester.com/blogs/the-customer-is-neo-not-you/
- And here a recent piece on journeys and value: https://www.forrester.com/blogs/energize-your-journey-portfolio-optimize-journey-value-for-customers-and-the-business/
Meet Maxie!
Maxie Schmidt
VP, Principal Analyst
Forrester
Dr. Maxie Schmidt is a principal analyst in Forrester’s customer experience (CX) practice. She leads Forrester’s research on CX measurement and value for customer. In her role, she advises leaders on how to build effective CX measurement programs, make the case for CX, and cocreate value with customers. Maxie is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences and leads CX workshops at events.
Previous Work Experience
Before joining Forrester, Dr. Schmidt was a management consultant at Simon-Kucher & Partners. She led global engagements with firms across industries to improve products and pricing and to design pricing processes and governance. Prior to that, Maxie was an assistant professor of services management at the School of Business in Ingolstadt, Germany.
Education
Maxie earned her doctorate and taught as the chair of service management at the School of Business in Ingolstadt, Germany. She was awarded an Emerald Literati Best Paper Award for research on the frustration that customers experience in loyalty programs. She also published a book on optimizing the quality of customer interactions in contact centers.
When you think of combinations who comes to mind?
👉 Jobs and Wozniak?
👉 Proctor and Gamble?
👉 Hewlett and Packard?
When it comes to customer experience and one-to-one marketing, hands down, it's Don Peppers and Martha Rogers. They are the individuals behind the Peppers and Rogers brand.
Don has authored or co-authored eleven different business books, collectively selling more than a million copies in 18 languages.
In 2022 Peppers and Rogers released the greatly revised and updated Fourth Edition of their graduate-level textbook and desk reference, Managing Customer Experience & Relationships (Wiley, 2022).
I had the chance to pick Don's brain about the intersection of AI and customer experience management. It was a lesson in how to think about the value customers expect and the value companies desire.
There were so many powerful insights including:
👉 Transforming Customer Interactions with AI:
Don highlighted how AI, especially generative AI, can revolutionize real-time, individualized customer interactions by analyzing emotional sentiment and providing empathetic, immediate responses.
👉 Rethink Success Metrics:
Don emphasized the importance of measuring success through customer-centric metrics like customer lifetime value (CLV) and proposed the innovative concept of 'Return on Customer (ROC)' as a more accurate gauge of business performance over traditional Return on Investment (ROI).
👉 Fostering Trust for Long-term Value:
A significant part of his message was about building trust with customers. Don stressed that maximizing customer value inherently requires businesses to always act in their customers’ best interest, nurturing trust and long-term relationships.
Don's vision and experience provide a roadmap for leveraging AI in creating truly personalized customer experiences. For more pearls of wisdom from Don Peppers, tune into the full episode of the Delighted Customers Podcast!
Meet Don Peppers
During the course of his career, Don has authored or co-authored eleven different business books, collectively selling more than a million copies in 18 languages.
His first book, The One to One Future: Building Relationships One Customer at a Time (Doubleday, 1993), coauthored with business partner Martha Rogers, kick-started the Customer Relationship Management discipline (“CRM”), which has evolved over the years into the “customer experience” field.
This is near and dear to my heart because I’ve had the blessing to teach customer relationship management at Michigan State in the first CXM Masters Degree program in North America.
So you’ll have to understand, this is an extra special episode for me. To have the Tom Brady, the Wayne Gretzky, the Babe Ruth, and the Michael Jordan the GOAT on the show is a big deal.
Finally, In 2013 Don and Martha were inducted into the Data & Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame, along with their business colleague Seth Godin (Don wrote the foreword for Godin’s 1998 breakthrough book Permission Marketing).
In 2022 Peppers and Rogers released the greatly revised and updated Fourth Edition of their graduate-level textbook and desk reference, Managing Customer Experience & Relationships (Wiley, 2022). As an Adjunct Professor of Marketing at Menlo College, Don teaches from this very textbook, and when time permits he Harvard Business Review articles:
- World Class Bull (May 2009), an HBR Case Study commentary, with Martha Rogers
- Is Your Company Ready for One-to-One Marketing? (Jan-Feb 1999), with Martha Rogers and Bob Dorf
- Do You Want to Keep Your Customers Forever? (Mar-Apr 1995), with Martha Rogers and B. Joseph Pine II
'Duh' was a common phase when I was an adolescent. Kids used it in a not-so-nice way to let the other person know that what they were stating was obvious.
In all of my years in customer experience management, it never occurred to me to consider the impact of partnerships on CX.
If you think about it, it's a 'duh.'
On today's show, I'm excited to introduce Theresa Caragol, who has authored Partnering Success: The Force Multiplier to Achieve Exponential Growth.
Theresa shares powerful insights on how to move beyond “random acts of partnering” and build intentional strategies that drive meaningful business outcomes.
We explore Achieve Unite’s three-part framework—talent development, ecosystem strategy, and profitable growth programs—and its role in fostering successful partnerships.
Other key topics include:
- Why strategic partnerships are essential to delivering exceptional customer experiences.
- Common misconceptions leaders have about partnerships and how to uncover gaps in their strategies.
- The concept of “partner lifetime value” versus “customer lifetime value” and the unique benefits of prioritizing it.
Tune in to learn how to create partnerships that not only fuel growth but also elevate your customer experience to the next level!
Show Notes:
- 2025 Partnering Trends: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2025-partnering-success-trends-theresa-caragol-bc7mf/?trackingId=O%2F4Y2pViSJa%2BFsYtopOTpw%3D%3D
- Link to what we would tell our younger selves: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/letter-our-younger-selves-theresa-caragol-czzoe/?trackingId=01m35CVRRhuwhlMSwAbtyQ%3D%3D
- All the partnering success monthly editions https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6932307608557010944/
- Partnering Success book for order: https://theresacaragol.com/partnering-success-book/
- Press release Partnering success book: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/739586771/theresa-caragol-s-new-book-shows-how-strategic-partnerships-drive-today-s-business-success
Meet Theresa
Theresa Caragol is the Founder and CEO of AchieveUnite Inc. A visionary leader with over 20 years of experience in global partnerships and strategic alliances valued at $500M+. She has driven business growth across 50+ countries through innovative collaboration. Theresa is passionate about empowering leaders through growth, trust, and collaboration. With expertise in leadership development, emotional intelligence, and partnerships, Theresa has trained thousands in leadership, channel, and partnering best practices. She also designs programs for companies, associations, and universities.
A sought-after speaker and author of Partnering Success: The Force Multiplier to Achieve Exponential Growth (Amazon #1 New Release and best seller in 20+ categories), Theresa has held executive roles at Extreme Networks, Ciena, and Nortel. She holds an MBA, an Executive Master’s in Leadership, and an executive coaching certification.
In this thought-provoking episode of the Delighted Customer Show, we are thrilled to welcome back Marbue Brown, the visionary founder and CEO of Customer Obsession Advantage. An authoritative voice in the intersection of AI and customer experience (CX), Marbu has recently contributed to the bestselling book, "The AI Mindset: Thriving in Civilization's Next Big Disruption."
Marbue discusses his chapter, "Transforming Customer Experience with AI Strategies and Innovation," where he refutes the common belief that AI-driven interactions lack personal touch. He shares insights on utilizing AI to tackle long-standing challenges in customer service, such as optimizing onboarding and training processes to improve proficiency and reduce costs. By leveraging AI to simulate training scenarios, companies are enhancing their customer support capabilities while drastically cutting their training times and expenses.
He shares real-world applications, highlighting how AI is revolutionizing business operations, especially in call centers, where quicker information aggregation and comprehensive customer journey insights are leading to improved agent performance and customer satisfaction scores. Marbu stresses the importance of selecting trustworthy AI providers and starting with clear use cases rather than getting lost in the technological allure.
Marbue also provides actionable advice for businesses, emphasizing maintaining an open mind and a learning posture towards AI opportunities while recounting his own enlightening experiences. I personally loved the example he shared about how Sam's Club is using AI to improve the checkout process for customers.
Tune in for a deeply insightful dialogue that addresses how AI can not only solve existing problems but also unleash new possibilities for businesses to thrive in the next big disruption.
Meet Marbue
B. A. Marbue Brown is author of the book Blueprint for Customer Obsession and the Founder and CEO of The Customer Obsession Advantage (customerobsession.net), a firm dedicated to helping companies achieve extraordinary business results through customer obsession.
He is an accomplished customer experience (CX) executive with a track record of thought leadership and signature business results at some of the most iconic companies on the planet, including JP Morgan Chase, Amazon.com, Microsoft Corporation, and Cisco Systems.
His expertise has been featured in premier media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, Fox Business, CNN Business, CBS News, Yahoo! Finance, Forbes, The Baltimore Sun, The New York Post, Wharton Business Daily, and KTLA-TV.
The new book is The AI Mindset: Thriving in Civilization's Next Big Disruption. You can find it here.
I'm excited to kick off season 3 with Rob Markey! It's his third time on the show, and I think you will see why I'm so excited about the insights he shares.
Rob is a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and an Advisory Partner at Bain and Company. He’s widely known for his work on customer loyalty and the development of the Net Promoter Score and System. 🌟
In this episode, we explore Rob's journey and his current role at Harvard, including his innovative approach to teaching customer experience management.
Here are 3 key takeaways you won't want to miss:
🔍 Service Business Design: Learn how understanding customer needs and crafting a value proposition around those needs can drive business success. From extermination businesses to banking, effective service design is crucial.
📈 Customer and Employee Management Systems: Dive into the importance of customer management systems that help customers navigate the business model and employee management systems that elevate and empower employees to deliver exceptional service.
💡 Learning and Adapting: Discover the power of customer feedback and how companies can adapt, innovate, and grow even in the face of market changes and challenges. A great example discussed was the untapped potential in effectively responding to customer praise.
🌟 Special Highlight: Rob shares fascinating insights from his classroom experiences and practical exercises, like the customer compatibility exercise and letter-writing campaigns to service organizations. These exercises show the powerful impact of customer communication and feedback.
Don’t miss out on this episode packed with actionable insights and thought-provoking discussions on modern customer experience management! Tune in now and transform your CX strategy. 🎧🔥
#CustomerExperience #CX #BusinessStrategy #HarvardBusinessSchool #Leadership #CustomerLoyalty #Podcast #NetPromoterScore #MarkSlatin
Dr. Forrest Morgeson, Interim Chairperson of the Marketing Department, Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing at Michigan State University, and former Director of Research at the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). With over two decades of rigorous research and numerous publications in top marketing journals, Dr. Morgeson shares his deep insights into the cyclical relationship between customer satisfaction and the economy.
Discover how economic fluctuations, global events, and energy prices intricately affect customer contentment, and why satisfaction decreased pre-COVID only to rebound post-pandemic. Dr. Morgeson provides a critical analysis of the Biden administration's efforts to enhance citizen satisfaction through executive orders, exploring the complexities that set governmental services apart from the private sector.
Join the discussion on common misconceptions, the importance of correlating customer satisfaction with ROI, and the challenges businesses face in capturing accurate data on satisfaction and churn. Learn why optimizing, rather than maximizing, customer experience is key to outpacing competitors, and what strategies can improve satisfaction and earnings across different industries.
Tune in as Dr. Morgeson shares practical advice for business leaders and reflects on his own career journey, providing valuable nuggets of wisdom for anyone interested in customer experience and satisfaction metrics. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain expert knowledge from a leading authority in the field.
Subscribe to the Delighted Customers Podcast on Apple, Spotify, and Amazon Music, and leave a five-star review to help us spread the word. New episodes drop every Thursday!
For more information on the topics discussed, visit the Michigan State University's marketing department website.
Meet Dr. Morgeson
Forrest V. Morgeson III is Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing, Eli Broad College of Business, Michigan State University. He also serves as the Co-Director of the Doctoral Program in Marketing. Dr. Morgeson teaches marketing management, marketing strategy, and marketing research courses to graduate students. Dr. Morgeson’s past position was Director of Research at the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), where he managed ACSI’s academic research and team of researchers, advanced statistical modeling and analysis, and the company’s international projects and licensing program.
Dr. Morgeson’s research focuses on customer satisfaction and customer experience measurement and management. His work also explores the marketing-finance interface, the impact of political identity on consumer attitudes and behaviors, and the impact of information technology on customer service delivery (e-commerce and e-government). His highly cited research (4,349 citations on Google Scholar) has been published in the leading journals in marketing, including Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Harvard Business Review, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Service Research, International Journal of Research in Marketing, and Journal of International Marketing, along with several publications in the leading journals in public administration and management.
Dr. Morgeson has recently published two books: Citizen Satisfaction: Improving Government Performance, Efficiency, and Citizen Trust (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014), and The Reign of the Customer: Customer-Centric Approaches to Improving Satisfaction (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). In addition, over the past 20 years
I first met Tom DeVries when he was giving a keynote at the 2024 CXM 360 Conference at Michigan State University. Tom took an unorthodox approach to the keynote by not talking for the first 5 minutes. What? Yup! He used non-verbals, videos, and audio cues to engage the audience.
Tom has built a successful design firm and has shifted his focus in the last 12 years to include customer experience. He is an expert in human-centered design and has worked with some of the biggest brands in the US.
He shares some invaluable wisdom in this episode including:
- CX Metrics vs. Genuine Improvement:
- Tom criticizes organizations for focusing too much on CX metrics rather than genuine improvements.
- Operational Changes for Better CX:
- He suggests that organizations should initiate changes at the operational level before implementing measurement systems.
- Transformative Change in CX:
- Tom speaks about the need for transformative change in CX.
- Adaptability in CX Roles:
- Tom notes the importance of learning how to learn and adapting quickly in the current business environment. How can CX leaders foster a culture of adaptability within their teams?
- Case Studies and Pilot Programs:
- Tom emphasizes using case studies and pilot programs to demonstrate CX improvements. He discusses some key elements that should be included in a case study to make it impactful
- Brand Behavior and Customer Perception:
- The episode discusses how a brand is defined by its behavior and how it is perceived through customer experiences.
- The episode touches on the idea that brands today compete for relationships rather than transactions. How can businesses effectively build and maintain strong relationships with their customers?
- Shifting from Mechanical to Ecosystem Thinking:
- He urges businesses to shift from mechanical to ecosystem thinking. In what ways can adopting an ecosystem mindset benefit an organization in today’s fast-paced environment?
- Storytelling in Brand Strategy:
The role of storytelling in brand strategy is highlighted in the episode.
The episode is loaded with useful insights; some of which challenge traditional CX approaches.
Meet Tom:
Tom DeVries is a creative, straight-shooting strategist with a reputation for crafting industry-leading products,
brands, and experiences. By fusing business, technology, and humanity, he creates solutions that hit hard, turn
heads, and boost bottom lines. As the founder of ThoughtFull, an award-winning design firm, and Crucx, the world’s simplest customer
experience operating system, Tom drives growth by liberating organizations and their customers from the ordinary.
One of the most challenging jobs is to change a culture that achieved success with legacy thinking. It all starts with trust, especially if you are a CX leader. Stuart Gilchriest is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) who has worked in CX for 10+ years across multiple industries .
After starting his career in the hospitality industry in his native England, he transitioned into Customer Experience roles in the travel industry and became a respected voice on VOC program management, CX Strategy and Experience Design. He is most proud of helping Hertz achieve their only JD Power Customer Satisfaction wins in the past 20 years, in 2019 and 2020.
Stuart shares some practical applications in this episode including:
- Community Support: Stuart emphasizes the importance of reaching out to communities for support when facing challenges.
- The Forgetting Curve: Stuart discusses the "forgetting curve" by Ebbinghaus and the importance of reinforcing information through repetition. How can this concept be applied effectively within an organization to improve stakeholder engagement and information retention?
- The Role of Repetition in CX: How do you ensure that key information and messages are consistently reinforced with your stakeholders to foster deeper relationships and ensure effective communication?
- Change Management and ADKAR: The episode touches on change management models like ADKAR.
- Building Trust: Stuart speaks about building and maintaining trust through practices like listening tours and the "emotional bank account" concept.
- CX Roadmap: Stuart emphasizes the importance of a CX roadmap that addresses both short-term and long-term goals while aligning with stakeholder metrics.
This episode is packed with gems
Meet Stuart:
Stuart Gilchriest, a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) has worked in CX for 10+ years across multiple industries including hospitality, education, travel, vehicle rental (Hertz), and HR technology (UKG). He is currently Director of Sales Experience at Mercury Insurance, a mid-sized P+C insurance carrier based in Los Angeles, CA. He is passionate about the CX discipline and helping turn customer and agent insights into financial and operational success for Mercury.
After starting his career in the hospitality industry in his native England, he transitioned into Customer Experience roles in the travel industry and became a respected voice on VOC program management, CX Strategy and Experience Design. He is most proud of helping Hertz achieve their only JD Power Customer Satisfaction wins in the past 20 years, in 2019 and 2020.
Stuart holds a BA in Economics from the University of Nottingham in the UK, an MBA from Hult International Business School in Boston, MA, and a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) designation. He currently lives in Naples, FL with his wife Mayra, son Nicolas (21), daughter Mariana (5) and dog Chewy. He is a sport fanatic and has watched live sports on 5 continents (and counting), is an avid traveler (Colombia is a favorite destination), and is currently working on perfecting his homemade Indian curry recipes (the spicier the better!).
This week on The Delighted Customers Podcast, I’m thrilled to welcome Jeff Dickshinski, a Senior Product Designer and Design Lead at Microsoft. With a career spanning digital product development, creative management, and UX design for public-sector and Fortune 100 companies, Jeff brings a wealth of knowledge to the table.
At Microsoft, he leads the creation of mission-critical products for U.S. government and enterprise customers, leveraging human-centered design and UX research.
In this episode, we examine the shift from engineering-focused solutions to user experience-driven design. Here are four key takeaways:
👉 Embracing User Experience Design: Learn how to foster a cultural shift from engineering-centric to customer-centric solutions, including strategies for educating teams and securing leadership buy-in.
👉 Microsoft’s UX Journey: Gain insights into Microsoft’s UX maturity levels, diverse design groups, and the integration of UX into product development.
👉 Tools and Methodologies: Discover the “jobs to be done” framework and traditional personas, emphasizing the importance of understanding customer goals and emotions.
👉 Building a User-Centric Culture: Explore the value of cross-functional collaboration in creating a culture that drives better product outcomes.
Whether you’re a designer, developer, team leader, or CX professional, this episode is packed with actionable strategies to elevate your UX game.
Meet Jeff
Jeff Dickshinski is an award-winning product design professional with extensive experience in
digital product development, creative management, and visual design, for public-sector and
Fortune 100 companies. Currently, Jeff is a Senior Product Designer and Design Lead at Microsoft,
where he creates mission-critical products for U.S. government customers and internal enterprise-
level products, leveraging human-centered design, UX research, and ideation for innovative, end-
to-end experiences.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Jeff led the UX design consulting practice at LMI. He has also worked at
Marriott International and IBM. He holds a BA in psychology, from the University of Maryland at
College Park.
Tanya Thomas is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) and VP of Client Experience Management and UX Design at Experian Health. She's brings years of experience in the CX world at one of the largest organizations in the world, Experian. Known as one of the big three credit bureaus, Experian Health is a major player in the healthcare market.
In this episode Tanya shares some great gems including:
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Customer Intelligence and Market Trends: Tanya emphasized the importance of gathering deep customer intelligence beyond just basic operational feedback. By understanding user behaviors within software tools, monitoring market and industry trends, and exploring customer pain points, organizations can better anticipate and meet evolving customer expectations. This intelligence is crucial for staying ahead in the market and continually disrupting sectors like healthcare, where incremental improvements can significantly enhance user experience.
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Mobilizing Action with Customer Insights: Tanya underscored the necessity of converting customer insights into actionable plans. It’s not enough to gather data; organizations must ensure it permeates throughout the company and drives accountability. One effective approach she highlighted was prioritizing key pain points and integrating them into the strategic priorities discussed by the executive leadership team. This ensures that actions are taken on feedback, and systematic improvements are made to enhance customer experiences.
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Collaborative Leadership and Influencing Change: Tanya discussed the importance of partnership and collaborative leadership in driving CX initiatives. Instead of trying to be the hero, it's more effective to be the guide. She shared how cultivating relationships with key stakeholders, including finance teams and executive leaders, and deeply understanding the business can help in getting buy-in for CX initiatives. By using data to support the narrative and speaking the language of business success, CX leaders can influence positive change and ensure that improvements are not only implemented but also aligned with the broader organizational goals.
Meet Tanya:
She is a strategic experience management leader driving customer focus and impactful change for over 15 years in roles spanning the retail and entertainment industry, financial services, and healthcare. She aspires to ignite those around her with a sense of purpose and to be an example of authenticity and integrity.
She has had a natural inclination toward creating seamless and delightful experiences, as well as an entrepreneurial spirit, for as long as she can remember. She would be the kid that wanted to pass out fresh fruit at garage sales or bring her own creative activities and supplies to babysitting gigs to ensure repeat business.
When she was old enough for "real jobs," she set her sights on companies like Nordstrom and Disney, which further fueled her relentless dedication to the customer and her curiosity for what makes some brand experiences stand apart from the rest. Along the way, she picked up an obsession with optimizing technology to increase efficiency, and she is addicted to the rush of collaborative problem-solving. Her greatest joy, however, comes from inspiring and motivating others toward their best work and being a force of positive momentum in everything she does.
Michael shares his impressive career journey that spans over 20 years in customer-facing roles, from the banking sector to an energy startup, and his impactful time as the SVP of Customer Experience at Figs, a notable direct-to-consumer e-commerce company specializing in medical apparel.
Michael shares the impressive story behind Figs—a company founded by two women who revolutionized the medical apparel industry and took the business public on the NYSE, all while growing to a $500 million enterprise paralleling athleisure brands like Lululemon.
We discuss the necessity for CX to be a unique differentiator in competitive markets, emphasizing the value of a superior customer experience in driving retention, referrals, and overall business growth. The discussion also touches on strategic planning for 2025, with a focus on justifying investments in technology and human resources in CX.
Michael offers practical advice on managing customer expectations, delivering consistent service, and creating memorable interactions through low-cost "surprise and delight" programs. He also dives into the challenges of subscription-based models and stresses the importance of educational opportunities for customer retention.
Listeners will also appreciate Michael’s personal anecdotes and wisdom, including financial strategies and life perspectives.
Tune in to this episode for a blend of professional expertise, actionable insights, and personal reflections that can help elevate your approach to customer experience and business growth.
Meet Michael:
Michael is a customer experience executive who cares deeply about wowing customers, exceeding goals, and developing future leaders. He is the Founder of Bair Consulting. He helps e-commerce and SaaS founders build customer experiences they are proud of and their customers love. Before starting his consultancy, he worked at diverse organizations from startups to Fortune 50 companies, including B2B SaaS, B2C subscription, and DTC e-commerce. He has been a senior leader on 3 exits including a 2021 IPO. He has managed customer success, inside sales, customer support/service, and quality assurance teams. He has built teams from scratch to 100-plus people. He loves leading organizations with a customer-centric mentality and has been consistently recognized as a leader of people, culture, and values.
Meet Alek
Alek Catlett is a manager in EY's AI & Data consulting practice, where he has worked for the past 4 years. Alek helps his clients solve complex problems where the customer and data meet. Prior to EY, Alek spent 6 years at Tailored Brands, parent company to Men's Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank, and Moores. Alek is also a graduate of the first Masters of Science in Customer Experience Management in North America from Michigan State University.
Tom Shimko, a seasoned expert in customer experience (CX) and marketing, to discuss the ROI of CX. Tom highlights the necessity of treating CX as a strategic imperative rather than a mere nicety. He unpacks the IDIC framework by Peppers and Rogers, emphasizing identification, differentiation, interaction, and customization as key steps.
Tom shares insightful case studies, including work with 1800 Flowers, AIG, and Prudential, demonstrating how targeted CX improvements can significantly enhance customer value and reduce attrition. He underscores the importance of aligning CX initiatives with senior leadership’s goals and understanding customer needs at every lifecycle stage to justify continued investment in CX efforts.
- What are some misconceptions about proving the value of customer experience?
- Addressing misconceptions helps CX leaders understand the critical elements that often go overlooked or misunderstood. Tom highlights the importance of measurable metrics in customer experience, which are essential for justifying investments and making informed decisions. It also helps shift the view of customer experience from being a "nice to have" to a strategic necessity.
- How does the IDIC framework relate to the customer lifecycle?
- Tom discusses the IDIC framework, which includes Identification, Differentiation, Interaction, and Customization. Understanding this framework allows businesses to segment their customers effectively, address their needs more precisely, and measure the impact of their strategies. By relating it to the customer lifecycle, Tom shows how this framework can be applied in real-world scenarios to enhance customer relationships and drive business growth.
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Can you walk through some use cases from your experience to give leaders a blueprint for how they might identify opportunities to calculate the ROI of CX?
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Real-world examples and use cases provide practical insights and a blueprint for CX leaders. Tom's examples from 1-800-Flowers, AIG, and Prudential show how specific strategies can have a significant impact on business metrics like customer retention, revenue, and cancellation rates. These use cases offer actionable steps for leaders to follow and adapt to their unique contexts.
Meet Tom!
Tom Shimko brings a background of 20+ years of experience leading marketing, customer experience, and strategic planning in both senior management and consulting roles.
These have included building and leading the consulting division as a Senior Managing Partner at Peppers & Rogers Group, Director of International Marketing at Prudential, Head of Marketing Intelligence and Customer Experience at GE Capital, SVP, Customer Retention and Loyalty at AIG, and as the Chief Marketing Officer at Pitney Bowes, Danbury Health Systems, and the DMA.
His consulting clients cross B2B, B2C and Nonprofit sectors, and include organizations such as Acxiom, Oracle, 1800Flowers, Space.com, Jaguar, Wolters Kluwer, Rodale Publishing, the American Cancer Society, and the Young President’s Organization.
Tom currently leads Shimko1to1.com, where he helps organizations to increase customer acquisition, improve retention, and grow customer value, by focusing on customer needs, potential value, and by improving the customer experience.
Known for driving transformative growth, Tom excels in crafting innovative customer-centric strategies and leveraging data-driven insights, with a focus on action, impact and results.
On the latest episode of The Delighted Customers Podcast, Roxie Strohmenger, CCXP, an acclaimed CX strategist and Board Chair-Elect of CXPA, shares valuable insights on the power of data in customer experience. Roxie has shaped industry standards, from co-defining Forrester's CX Index to leading award-winning CX initiatives at UKG, and is now a principal strategist at Heart of the Customer.
In this episode, Roxie introduces the “web of data,” a groundbreaking concept for accessing and integrating diverse data sources to accelerate decision-making. She explains how CX leaders can leverage this approach to give executives real-time, actionable insights supporting strategic business goals.
Roxie also examines the repercussions of limited data access, which often results in CX being seen as a cost center rather than a strategic partner. She offers practical strategies for CX professionals to foster collaboration with IT and data teams and overcome technical and regulatory barriers to streamline data integration.
Finally, Roxie highlights the importance of aligning CX metrics with key operational and financial metrics. This alignment helps CX professionals communicate their value effectively to executives, fostering buy-in and elevating CX as a strategic asset.
- Listen in to discover actionable strategies to navigate data challenges and make a compelling case for CX at the executive level!
Meet Roxie
Roxie Strohmenger is an innovative, determined, and passionate award-winning CX Change Maker who believes great things don't happen in your comfort zone. With over 20+ years of experience, Roxie has a passion for designing and executing innovative CX transformation initiatives that are linked to operational metrics and financials to create differentiated, high-quality emotion-focused experiences that create, sustain, and expand customer loyalty. Roxie is currently a Principal Strategist at Heart of the Customer partnering with CX Leaders to deliver solid ROI and also serves as the Vice Chair on the board of directors for the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA). Her expertise has also been featured in podcasts, webinars, and in the book, “Do B2B Better: Drive Growth through Game-Changing Customer Experience."
Seth is a legendary thinker and marketer known for challenging conventional wisdom. In this episode, he dives into his latest book, This is Strategy, offering fresh perspectives on how to craft and execute a powerful strategy in today’s fast-changing world.
Beyond just strategy, Seth explores the crucial connection between strategy and customer experience (CX), helping listeners understand why aligning these two elements is key to driving sustainable business growth. Whether you're a business leader, CX professional, or strategist, this episode offers actionable insights you can put into practice immediately.
Meet Seth!
Seth Godin is an author, entrepreneur and most of all, A teacher Seth is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and speaker. In addition to launching one of the most popular blogs in the world, he has written 21 best-selling books, including The Dip, Linchpin, Purple Cow, Tribes, and What To Do When It's Your Turn (And It's Always Your Turn). His book, This is Marketing, was an instant bestseller in countries around the world. His latest books are The Song of Significance and The Practice, and creatives everywhere have made it a bestseller.
Though renowned for his writing and speaking, Seth also founded two companies, Squidoo and Yoyodyne (acquired by Yahoo!).
By focusing on everything from effective marketing and leadership, to the spread of ideas and changing everything, Seth has been able to motivate and inspire countless people around the world.
In 2013, Seth was one of just three professionals inducted into the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame. In an astonishing turn of events, in May 2018, he was inducted into the Marketing Hall of Fame as well. He might be the only person in both.
Raj Sivasubramanian has served as a CX leader in great brands like AirBnB, eBay, Verint, and Bain and now leads the journey management practice at QuestionPro. He's a Professor of Practice at Michigan State University in the CXM Masters of Science Degree program. He’s worked with some of the most successful brands and joined us to share insights about how great companies differentiate on customer experience.
In this episode:
- What do we do about the metric trap?
This question is essential because many organizations fall into the trap of over-focusing on metrics like NPS (Net Promoter Score) and CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) without necessarily improving the customer experience. Raj provides strategies and insights to avoid this trap, which can help organizations focus on actionable insights rather than just numbers.
- How does operational data play into customer sentiment data?
Understanding how to integrate operational data with customer sentiment data is crucial for gaining a holistic view of the customer experience. Raj's explanation helps organizations realize that customer feedback alone isn't enough; it should be supplemented with operational metrics to drive meaningful actions that improve the customer experience.
- What approach works best for making organizational change happen from a CX leader's standpoint?
This question is critical for anyone trying to drive customer-centric changes within their organization. Raj discusses different strategies like looking for quick wins, connecting insights to key corporate initiatives, and the importance of having allies. His advice provides a roadmap for CX leaders to effectively influence and implement changes that can significantly enhance customer experiences.
Join us for an engaging conversation as Raj shares practical tips and actionable insights.
Customer Experience Management takes on an entirely different context when you or a loved one gets a cancer diagnosis. As you'll hear from my guest on this episode, the healthcare system is broken in many ways. UNC is starting with a better way to listen.
Loretta Muss, coordinator of the Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) at the North Carolina Basnight Cancer Hospital, recently retired after advocating for patients, families, hospital staff and administration for the past 14 years.
Muss started in her role with the PFAC in 2009 with the hope of strengthening the relationship between patients, caregivers and their cancer care teams.
On this episode of The Delighted Customers Podcast, Loretta talks about some of the realities stressing our healthcare system and the impact on patients. She shares the immensely successful PFAC she launched for UNC's Cancer Hospital and we talk about how the model can be used to help businesses inside and outside of healthcare.
Here are three pivotal questions she answered, which we believe can reshape how we view healthcare:
- How can caregivers' inclusion in advisory councils transform patient care?
Caregivers play a crucial role in the patient journey, often providing the most consistent care. Understanding their perspectives can lead to more holistic and effective healthcare solutions.
- What strategies can be employed to prevent burnout among healthcare providers while maintaining high standards of compassionate care?
Burnout is a critical issue affecting healthcare providers worldwide. Addressing it is essential to ensure that providers can continue delivering the high-quality, compassionate care that patients need.
- In what ways can personalized patient interactions improve overall healthcare outcomes?
Personalization in healthcare can bridge the gap between clinical efficiency and patient satisfaction. Exploring this can lead to better health outcomes and a more humane healthcare experience.
Curious about Loretta's insightful answers? Tune in to our latest podcast episode and discover how these questions and their answers can drive significant improvements in the healthcare sector.
Cyndi Lyon is the VP of Customer Experience and Strategy at Otava. She's a Certified Customer Experience Professional and earned her Master of Science in Customer Experience Management from Michigan State University. In this episode, she broke down some of the key barriers that get in the way of building a successful customer experience management practice and offered some actionable ways to overcome them.
In this episode Cyndi answered these questions and more:
- Do You Have a Clear Vision and Plan for Your Organization? Cyndi underscores the importance of having a clear roadmap for your organization’s future. It’s not just about the big picture—breaking it down into manageable, actionable steps that employees and stakeholders can understand and support is crucial for long-term success.
- Are You Iterating and Celebrating Small Wins? Cyndi believes that even the best plans will fall short without iteration. Starting small and making adjustments along the way allows for steady progress. By breaking long-term strategies into smaller, achievable milestones, you not only keep teams engaged but also create momentum by celebrating each victory.
- Is Your Approach Employee- and Data-Centric? Cyndi highlights the power of linking CX metrics to business data and effectively communicating these insights to stakeholders. She emphasizes the importance of understanding who owns the data and engaging champions within the organization to propel the CX strategy forward.
Meet Cyndi!
CYNDI LYON, CCXP
With nearly 30 years of industry experience, Cyndi Lyon is a trailblazer in the realm of customer
experience (CX). As the Vice President of Customer Experience Strategy at OTAVA, she is
leading a transformative shift towards a customer-centric model, ensuring that the customer is
always at the heart of every strategy through relentless focus on continuous improvement and
operational excellence.
Cyndi's dedication to CX is unparalleled. Recently, she earned her Master’s in Customer
Experience Management from Michigan State University, marking her as a pioneer in this
evolving field. Her expertise spans creating exceptional customer experiences, operationalizing
CX strategies, drive continuous improvement and fostering a customer-centric culture that
permeates every aspect of business operations. For Cyndi, the cornerstone of every successful
business is a deep understanding and genuine appreciation of the customer.
Cyndi's career spans product management, technology operations, professional services,
marketing, and more. This breadth of experience fuels her passion for delivering top-notch
customer experiences. Her drive for enriching product and service delivery is realized through
innovation, collaboration, process improvement, and organizational development.
Since joining OTAVA in 2018, Cyndi has built a legacy of success, leading the company’s
product, marketing, and business strategy, and heading the operations team to streamline
processes and systems. Her ability to build and inspire teams, coupled with her strategic
foresight, has been instrumental in OTAVA’s growth and customer satisfaction.
Outside of her professional life, Cyndi is a proud wife and mother of two teenage daughters. She
holds the prestigious CCXP certification and enjoys regularly participating in half marathons and
spending quality time with her family in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Transforming Workplace Culture Through Employee Experience
Dr. James Killian is an expert in the field of employee experience. He has held high-impact global leadership positions at Qualtrics, SAP, IBM, Hogan Assessment Systems, and led several startups to record growth, and he’s a professor in the Masters of Science CXM program at Michigan State University.
From exploring the significance of breaking down organizational silos to hiring a chief experience officer, we'll discuss how these strategies can uplift your team's experience and ultimately benefit the customer.
Our conversation also examines the pitfalls of disengaged leadership and the misconceptions CEOs often have about the value of HR and employee programs.
Dr. Killian and I will share personal stories, including an eye-opening experience at Starbucks, highlighting the direct link between employee satisfaction and a brand's reputation.
Lastly, we'll tackle the challenges organizations face, from supply chain issues to tech problems and ineffective engagement surveys, and offer actionable advice for leaders navigating these turbulent waters.
James Killian, Ph.D. is Managing Director of Growth & Innovation at HSD Metrics, leading the category creation of Employee Experience Process Outsourcing (EXPO). He previously held high-impact global leadership positions at Qualtrics, SAP, IBM, Hogan Assessment Systems and led several startups to record growth. In his role as an employee experience leader, Killian consults with highly complex global customers to help them navigate candidate attraction, employee retention, the criticality of technology in the future of work and collaboration, the importance of addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at work and other drivers of employee engagement and experience. He is also a pioneer in "CrossXM" helping organizations successfully connect their EX and CX programs to make better data-driven business decisions.
Dr. Killian is also a professor in the Master of Science in Customer Experience Management (MS-CXM) program in the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, and the author of over 50 published articles, conference presentations, and book chapters on the topics of leadership, assessment, employee engagement, and employee experience. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a serious fitness fanatic, foodie, and outdoor enthusiast.
Resources The Delighted Customers podcast website:https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/ Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/ The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
The Science of Sticky Ideas: Crafting Memorable CX Strategies
We revealed some powerful insights from "Made to Stick" by Chip and Dan Heath on my latest podcast episode with Megan Burns! We explored why some ideas thrive while others fade away, and how leaders can apply these principles to make a lasting impact.
From the death of traditional buttered “movie theater popcorn” to flip the pyramid when making your point, this episode is loaded with practical insights to help you tell stories that stick.
In this episode:
👉 How can transitioning from a "know it all" culture to a "learned all" culture foster genuine curiosity and continuous learning in your organization?
👉 What role does emotion play in B2B decision-making, and how can recognizing and incorporating it lead to more effective solutions?
👉 How can storytelling and envisioning future scenarios help in making more informed and impactful business decisions?
👉 What strategies can make your ideas sticky, memorable, and easily communicable within your team and to your stakeholders?
Tune in to gain insights from Megan Burns as she shares her expertise and experience! 📈✨
Megan Burns is a customer experience strategist, author, and keynote speaker who partners with Fortune 500 companies to build world-class customer experience programs.
A world-renowned expert in CX transformation, Megan led ground-breaking research as a Vice President at Forrester for more than a decade. The architect of two of the most well-known CX frameworks—the Customer Experience Index and the Outside In Maturity Model—Megan’s insights have been featured in books like “The Power of Moments” by Chip and Dan Heath and dozens of publications like The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, AdAge, and CNBC.
Megan has helped hundreds of corporate executives at companies like Microsoft, Workday, Akamai, FedEx, Verizon, and AT&T use CX to stay competitive, build loyalty, and accelerate growth in a customer-obsessed world. Her portfolio spans dozens of industries including B2B tech, financial services, healthcare, travel, logistics, manufacturing - even farming!
Her wit and wisdom make Megan a popular speaker at events like the Wall Street Journal’s Experience Management Forum, CXPA Leaders Advance, the Chief Experience Officer Summit, and the Qualtrics X4 Summit. As a CX pioneer, she is regularly invited to judge industry awards like the CXPA Innovation Awards and World Customer Centricity Awards and to appear on popular podcasts like Voices of CX and CX Luminaries. After interviewing Megan, one host said: “I’ve never seen anyone with customer experience so deeply in their blood.”
Resources The Delighted Customers podcast website:https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/ Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/ The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
Ritz Carlton is not just a brand.
It’s a brand that sets the bar for customer experience.
It was an incredible honor to host one of the icons in customer experience, Horst Schulze, the co-founder and former president of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company.
We talk about his new book, Excellence Wins, and he shares insights that transcend the hospitality industry.
👉 What lessons did Horst learn from his early experiences in the hotel industry that he applies to his business practices today?
👉 The concept of “We are, ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen” is central to Horst's philosophy. How has this idea shaped the service standards in the hotel industry and beyond?
👉 What role does leadership play in creating an environment where employees are motivated to meet and exceed customer expectations, according to Horst?
👉 How does employee orientation contribute to the overall vision and success of an organization?
How Horst overcame a terminal cancer diagnosis that led him to a newfound faith and deeper appreciation for life and relationships.
From the legendary 24 principles, to “my pleasure” (Chick-fil-A got it from Horst), to a $2000 customer happiness fund for every employee, Ritz is the gold standard for CX excellence.
A must listen for anyone who wants to learn from a true master.
🔊 Listen now and subscribe for more insights: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
A legend and leader in the hotel world, Horst Schulze's teachings and vision have reshaped the concepts of service and hospitality across industries.
Mr. Schulze's professional life began more than 65 years ago as a server's assistant in a German resort town. Throughout the years he worked for both Hilton Hotels and Hyatt Hotels Corporation before becoming one of the founding members of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in 1983. There Mr. Schulze created the operating and service standards that have become world famous.
During his tenure at The Ritz-Carlton, Mr. Schulze served as President and COO, responsible for the $2 billion operations worldwide. It was under his leadership that The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company became the first service-based company to be awarded the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award — twice.
In 1991, Mr. Schulze was recognized as "corporate hotelier of the world" by HOTELS magazine. In 1995, he was awarded the Ishikawa Medal for his personal contributions to the quality movement. In 1999, Johnson & Wales University gave him an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Hospitality Management. Most recently, Mr. Schulze was honored with the “Legacy of Innovation and Inspiration Award” by Historic Hotels of America.
After leaving The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Mr. Schulze went on to found The Capella Hotel Group. This luxury hotel company managed some of the most elite properties worldwide and gave Mr. Schulze the opportunity to further define the luxury hotel industry, receiving countless awards and recognitions.
Today, Mr. Schulze serves as Expert in Residence at Arch + Tower, a boutique, organizational strategy consulting firm. He serves on numerous boards and is a sought-after keynote speaker. He also recently completed his first book, titled “Excellence Wins.” In 2022, Auburn University announced its school of hospitality would forevermore be named The Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management.
Resources The Delighted Customers podcast website:https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/ Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/ The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company, https://qrcd.org/5b23
Salesforce.com is THE leader among their peers (11 straight years) in Customer Relationship Management solutions.
Phil Nanus leads Salesforce’s Customer Success organization, a team of over 2000 employees. He shared invaluable insights into how Salesforce is revolutionizing customer success through innovation, trust, and technology.
Here are my 3 key takeaways from our conversation:
-
Embrace Technology for Customer Success: Salesforce is leveraging AI to enhance customer experiences and improve sales; their collaboration with Gucci is a great example. The rise of AI and generative AI paves the way for more personalized and efficient customer interactions.
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Core Values Drive Success: Salesforce's commitment to values such as trust, innovation, equality, and sustainability is foundational. Their one-one-one philanthropic model (donating 1% of time, products, and profits) and V2MOM document, ensure alignment and a clear vision across the organization.
-
Passion and Lifelong Learning: Phil’s advice to university students is gold – find your passion and be a lifelong learner. Passion fuels opportunity, and embracing failure is crucial for growth and learning.
Phil shared a number of practical applications on how you get to be “Technology Led and Customer Obsessed” on this episode of The Delighted Customers Podcast.
Phil Nanus is the Executive Vice President of Account Success within Salesforce's Customer Success organization. His team helps orchestrate the Salesforce customer experience and partners closely with Sales to create growth and value realization through strategic customer care.
Since joining Salesforce in 2021, Phil has focused on customer health by working to optimize adoption, customer expertise, and technical health, at every stage of the customer lifecycle. He is passionate about helping customers build trust and maximize value from Salesforce products while enabling career growth and development for members of the Account Success team. Prior to Salesforce, Phil spent over 20 years in SaaS, Enterprise Software and management consulting (Accenture, Symantec, Infor, TSIA).
Phil holds dual bachelor’s degrees from the University of Central Florida. He currently lives in Florida with his wife and three children.
Resources The Delighted Customers podcast website:https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/ Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/ The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
How Bilt Uses 3-D Instructions to Enrich Lives
“...Bilt's greatest usage by just sheer volume, happens literally on Christmas Eve and early, early in the wee hours of Christmas morning. And, you know, parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles there, you know, put the kids to bed and -okay, now let's go and assemble this in a bike and a play set and whatever, and expect it to be a very frustrating experience.”
Nate Henderson, CEO of Bilt, turned a problem into an opportunity.
With millions of users and partnerships with top brands like Apple, Weber, and the United States Air Force, Nate’s team is redefining traditional instructions through interactive 3D guidance. Here are three key takeaways from our discussion:
- Empowering Users and Enhancing Brand Perception:
Nate emphasized the importance of creating enriching experiences that not only empower users but also improve their perception of the brands they engage with.
- Addressing Talent Shortages in Manufacturing:
One significant challenge in the manufacturing industry today is the talent shortage. Nate's company tackles this head-on by offering a unique, hands-on learning experience tailored for Generation Y and Generation Z.
- Future of Immersive Training with Apple Vision Pro:
Looking ahead, Nate shared his excitement about the potential of Apple Vision Pro in creating fully immersive environments for training and entertainment. He believes this cutting-edge technology will soon become the preeminent tool for training and enablement, eventually leading to extended reality through smaller, more accessible headsets or glasses.
Nate Henderson is chairman and CEO of BILT Incorporated, a SaaS company he co-founded in 2015. Under his leadership, BILT has grown from an idea to improve assembly instructions into a user experience revolution fundamentally changing the way professional technicians and consumers interact with the brands and products they buy.
BILT’s 3D Intelligent Instructions® transform paper manuals and videos into fully manipulable immersive guides. Hundreds of brands and manufacturers deliver next-generation training on BILT for the assembly, installation, and maintenance of thousands of products.
BILT is proven to reduce errors, rework, and calls to support while improving efficiency, productivity, and user sentiment. The award-winning BILT app is available worldwide in 12 languages on iOS, Android, Microsoft, and now visionOS for Apple Vision Pro.
Prior to BILT, Nate spent 17 years at SAP where he filled various roles in product management, consulting, sales, and innovation programs. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a BS in manufacturing engineering technology and the Thunderbird School of Global Management with an MBA in international business.
Resources The Delighted Customers podcast website:https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/ Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/ The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
CX leaders are faced with one of the most difficult challenges in their organization. They have small teams and limited positional authority and therefore need the support of others to make progress.
Patty Soltis, CCXP, shares her wisdom from decades of experience leading change in great brands like Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, The Moffitt Cancer Center, and now in her role as a Senior CX Manager at Upwork.
In this episode:
- Leading with Empathy
- The Role of Emotions in Decision-Making
- The importance of Detailed and Granular Information
- Servant Leadership
- Navigating Organizational Success
Learn how to treat your employees like your customers to improve the experience for your customers.
This episode is filled with practical tips and wisdom from a CX thought leader who has been there and done that and is still making a difference!
Resources
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class Special Podcast Offer Valid through June 5, 2024 here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/delighted
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
Do we make buying decisions as individuals or individuals who are part of a group?
The answer may surprise you.
Gary David, PhD is a Professor of Sociology and Experience Design at Bentley University. Dr. David has been researching sociology and its intersection with the business world for several decades.
His findings challenge the status quo when it comes to drivers of consumer behavior and how CX leaders should think about engaging customers.
We discuss how consumers perceptions of their social identities impact their brand loyalty, and ultimately, bottom line results.
In this episode we explore:
👉 How social identity impacts buying decisions
👉 How to design experiences that connect with consumers social identity
👉 Where most companies get it wrong
👉 Strategies on how to understand social identity and design experiences that earn customer loyalty
Resources
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class Special Podcast Offer Valid through June 5, 2024 here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/delighted
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
The Science of Brand Love
What makes brands like Apple and Nike not just recognized, but truly loved.
Dr. Ahuvia’s book, The Things We Love, explains the psychology behind brand love, and it has been named by Amazon as a “best business book.” He conducted the first scientific studies of brand love some 30 years ago and continues to lead research on this topic. His research on dating sites led to an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show.
On this episode of 🎙🎙🎙The Delighted Customers Podcast we explore the science behind “brand love” and strategies companies can use to drive customer advocacy.
Highlights of this episode include:
👉 Understanding Brand Love: Learn how 'brand love' evolves from mere satisfaction to deep emotional connections, much like human relationships. It's not just about the quality of products but how brands make consumers feel that determines loyalty and advocacy.
👉 Strategies to Cultivate Brand Love**: Discover actionable strategies such as anthropomorphism (think Siri or Alexa), connecting brands to relatable personalities, and aligning with universal values to foster a closer bond with your audience.
👉 Impact on Financial Performance**: Grasp the clear correlation between brand love and profitability. Brands that achieve emotional resonance with their consumers typically see enhanced financial outcomes.
👉 Warnings of reaching too far** - when deploying brand love strategies
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
In today's fast-paced networked economy, professionals (especially CX pros) must work harder than ever to maintain and improve their business skills and knowledge. But technical mastery of one's discipline is not enough and that’s why Charles H. Green co-authored the Trusted Advisor (and the recently published the 20th Anniversary edition).
The key to change leadership is the ability to earn the trust and confidence of key stakeholders.
The stakes are even higher for CX leaders who typically have constrained budgets, small teams and limited positional authority.
Charlie returns to the show and shares some fresh insights that leaders can use immediately to boost their impact on change on this episode of The Delighted Customers Podcast.
Highlights include:
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Why trust and trustworthiness are critical to any change leadership role
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How trust plays into the decision-making process
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Busting myths about trust - like it must take time to build or rebuild
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Lessons from Lincoln: The strategic importance of perception
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
Lessons from Taylor Swift About How to Create Superfans with Brittany Hodak
Have you ever wondered why some celebrities create a swarm of superfans that become lifelong advocates for them (and others, not so much)?
My guest on this episode of the Delighted Customers Podcast worked her way up from radio station mascot to the head of a marketing agency that promoted the biggest name stars from Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Dolly Parton along with some of the biggest brands like Walmart, Amazon, and Disney.
Now an author and speaker, Brittany Hodak and I explore her book, Creating Superfans: How To Turn Your Customers Into Lifelong Advocates.
Highlights from the show:
- What lessons can leaders take from Taylor Swift’s incredibly loyal fanbase?
- The power of “common lessons”
- How to cultivate customer loyalty
- Understanding personal brand influence
And much more…
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
Jennifer Ashman is a CX thought leader and experience design expert. She has been in the field for over two decades and is a Professor of Practice at Michigan State University, where she teaches Experience Design in the Master's Degree program in Customer Experience Management.
Jennifer shares some real world examples to help make the conversation easily relatable.
Content Highlights:
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Deep Dive into Qualitative Research: Jennifer unpacks the myriad ways this research method informs decision-making to avoid costly missteps and enhance customer engagement.
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The Art of Human Interaction: Discover the irreplaceable value of human-led research methodologies in drawing out the rich, personal details that AI tools often miss.
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Journey Mapping Mastery: Learn about the art of crafting journey maps from the customer's perspective with actionable insights, as Jennifer shares her hands-on approach to customer-centric problem solving.
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Real-World Impact: Be inspired by stories of organizations that transformed their practices and customer relationships through the actionable intelligence gained from qualitative research.
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
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The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
You’ve just been hired as the Chief Experience Officer to run a financial services firm. What are the keys to driving sustained success?
Join CXO Eric Smuda share his insights on the keys (and the challenges) to leading successful change by driving outstanding customer experiences.
My favorite quote from Eric? “If you’re not using CX as your growth engine, what are you doing???”
Some of the key lessons for this episode of The Delighted Customers Podcast (link in comments below):
- 'CX and Profit': Good customer experience merges business benefits with customer satisfaction.
- 'Interaction ROI': Show return on investment in CX by linking experience improvements to CX Suite imperatives such as enhancing acquisition, retention, customer lifetime value, and lowering service costs.
- 'Digital Impact': Enhance digital CX to increase conversion rates and decrease abandonment, demonstrating clear benefits. 4.
- 'Relationship Building': Build strong relationships by learning about colleagues' business areas and contributing to shared goals.
And lots more gems.
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
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The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
How can you design experiences to drive customer loyalty?
Kevin Budelmann is an Experience Design expert, a professor at both Michigan State and Northwestern Universities, and authored Brand Identity Essentials.
He brings over a quarter-century shaping design, strategy, and brand experience. We explore the converging paths of behavioral economics, design thinking, and customer experience—all through the lens of his extensive expertise. On this episode of the Delighted Customers Podcast.
🔑 3 Key Takeaways:
- Trust & Emotion in Branding: Kevin illuminates the critical role of emotional connection and trust in shaping the brand experience - imperative in an era where customers' decisions are heavily influenced by both.
- Understanding Beyond Surveys: We explore they why and how of recognizing customers’ deeper needs and desires, which often go unspoken, to excel in tailoring your product offerings.
- Impactful Design Decisions: Discover how design touches our everyday experiences, sometimes subtly, other times overtly, but always with the potential to create a strong impression – and why this matters to your brand.
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
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Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
Dr. Judy Wolfe, who still practices as an ER doctor, talks about the transformative power of patient experience in healthcare. We dive into the critical role of trust, and how reimagining job titles and communication training can revolutionize caregiver-patient interactions. Dr. Judy highlights the urgency of embracing change management and the dire consequences of stagnation in patient care. Dr. Judy prescribes helpful tips from "shift hacks" to loyalty driver tips to "teach backs." Tons of gems in this episode from one the top medical care facilities in the world.
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
Keith Ferguson brings his wealth of experience as an entrepreneur along with his career in academia (MSU and FSU) to share his wisdom on customer advocacy. Keith defines customer advocacy and then we talk about the financial impact of having customers who truly advocate for your brand. Keith shares some common mistakes about consumer behavior through a visualization of the customer lifecycle and provides 3 actionable steps leaders can take to create more advocates for their business.
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
Joe Pine is on my Mount Rushmore of Customer Experience. He shares the exact moment, quite by accident, that the concept of "experience" as the next economy after the service economy was hatched. In 2020 Mr. Pine and his partner James H. Gilmore re-released in hardcover The Experience Economy: Competing for Customer Time, Attention, and Money featuring an all-new Preview to their best-selling 1999 book The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage. Joe believes that goods and services are no longer enough; what customers want are experiences—memorable events that engage each individual in an inherently personal way. Join me on The Delighted Customers Podcast as Joe shares a vision for business—a world focused on human flourishing, where individuals become better people and achieve their goals. Discover how understanding your customers' wants, needs, and desires can help you create greater value and make a positive impact. Joe shares practical insights and real world stories of how you can drive business outcomes. Here are some highlights:
- The concepts of mass customization and the experience economy
- Creating robust, cohesive, personal, dramatic, and transformative experiences
- Comparing work to theater and the importance of intentional and engaging experiences
- Changing the world of business to focus on human flourishing
- The importance of not wasting customers' time and aligning value with what customers value
- The concept of "customering" and the individualization megatrend
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
Pink Zebra Moving: Differentiating on CX for Explosive Growth with CEO, Ron Holt
I can’t think of a better illustration of how to prove the ROI of Customer Experience.
Ron Holt sees opportunities in bad customer experiences.
In fact, he built a successful home cleaning based on disrupting a legacy industry by differentiating the experience his customers receive.
The model allowed him to scale a one-store cleaning business into a $40M nationally-recognized brand with 90 locations across the country.
Ron shared his entrepreneurial journey and the compelling story behind his company, Pink Zebra Moving. It’s more than just a business success story - it's a masterclass in innovation, customer experience, and entrepreneurial spirit in the home services industry.
🔥Here are 3 key takeaways from our conversation:
- Innovate With Customer Experience in Mind:
Ron emphasizes the importance of making the moving process fun. By focusing on building personal relationships and creating memorable experiences for customers, Pink Zebra Moving stands out in the highly competitive moving industry.
- Cultural Fit is Key When Scaling:
As the company expands, Ron is careful to maintain its unique ethos. Selecting franchise owners who genuinely share the company's mission is crucial for preserving the brand’s vision and ensuring consistent, high-quality service across all locations.
- Fail Forward and Commit to Your Vision:
Ron's honest reflections on the challenge of scaling a business and transitioning between industries reveal that perseverance and a clear vision are essential. Embracing mistakes as learning opportunities is a part of the entrepreneurial path toward success.
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
What’s the Pioneering Edge for Today’s CX Leaders according to NPS Creator, Fred Reichheld?
There’s so much to unpack in this episode:
Fred shares about a personal vulnerability
What’s the right way to listen to customers?
What is the huge mistake companies make relative to referrals?
How do you know if you’ve won or lost?
What is financial capitalism and why should it die?
What’s on the pioneering edge today for CX leading companies?
Will Southwest Airlines recover?
And a ton more!
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
Someone once said Marketing creates the brand promise and CX delivers it. But too often there's a gap between the two that's eroding customer loyalty and business performance. Nick Zeisler is a Lean Six Sigma expert and Professor of Practice in Michigan State University's Customer Experience Management Masters of Science program. In this episode Nick shares some valuable insights including: - the significant concept of 'Brand Alignment' was introduced, highlighting the imperative of aligning a company's customer experience delivery with its brand promise. - the importance of continuous improvement in process engineering was emphasized, advocating for a customer-centric approach to Lean Six Sigma prioritizing projects based on customer impact rather than traditional resource-focused methods - loyalty as a process beyond the initial purchase was underscored, with the suggestion that it's influenced by the consistency of the customer experience and alignment with the brand promise.
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website:https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
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Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
This episode features someone who has been at the forefront of the customer experience movement, tirelessly leading the charge in understanding how trust shapes our interactions: CX luminary Bruce Temkin. Bruce co-founded the Customer Experience Professionals Association and broke the news on this episode, that he will be transitioning as Head of the XM Institute (Qualtrics) to the next chapter of his life. This is a very special episode because Bruce and I explore the critical importance of trust as it relates to CX and ultimately, generating positive financial results. In this episode:
- Why the XM Institute declared 2024 as "The Year of Trust"
- the misconceptions CX leaders have about trust, and how can these potentially lead to ineffective customer experience strategies
- the connection between game theory and trust-building and how leaders can benefit by understanding that connection
- the difference between cognitive and affective trust
- Meyer Davis and Shorman's definition of trust is discussed and how does this definition informs our understanding of interpersonal and professional relationships
- How to repair broken trust
- A sneak peak about what Bruce has planned for the next chapter of his life
Meet Bruce Change creator, thought shaper, and movement maker who helps organizations become more human-centric. I help leaders gain clarity amid paralyzing levels of ambiguity, complexity, and uncertainty. I've advised many of the world's leading brands and hundreds of tech companies -- from start-ups to software behemoths. I'm often referred to as the “Godfather of Customer Experience” for defining and propelling the disciplines of Customer Experience (CX), Employee Experience (EX), and Experience Management (XM). I've helped shape multiple industry mega trends, including: Internet economy, cloud computing, digital transformation, CX, EX, and XM. The core of my work is an ability to forecast technology-driven trends, anticipate their impact on human beings, simplify the complex, and provide clear and actionable advice. I'm a builder who has led the creation of multiple global organizations. As an engineer at heart, I'm always intrigued by how things work. I study human behavior and how it is affected by different environments such as being a customer, employee, patient, fan, or senior executive. My advice always considers how different decisions will affect people, and how those moves will play out at scale and over time. So what is my profession? I have no idea. All I know is that I'm on an ongoing learning journey, continuously looking for ways to improve the world through a combination of empathy, strategy, experience design, leadership, and organizational behavior.
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Every customer experience leader should know the basics of UX and how it fits into the overall CX landscape. In this episode, I talk with UX expert Darren Hood, who has 28+ years of human-computer interaction, information architecture, and usability experience. He's a faculty member in the Masters of Science in Customer Experience Management at Michigan State University as well as several other colleges where he teaches UX. The show is packed with useful insights and practical tips like:
- The parallel importance of CX and UX in understanding and improving customer experiences.
- How UX heuristics were applied to the Fathead custom decal upload process to reduce abandonment rates?
- intervention with a heuristic analysis at Rocket Mortgage serve as a case study for the immediate impact of UX on a company’s profit margin?
- the risks of implementing AI in UX design without a solid grounding in UX principles
- What he statistics from IBM, NASA, Coca Cola, Apple, and Whirlpool reveal about the return on investment and competitive advantage of being a design-led, UX-focused company Meet Darren Darren is extremely passionate about all things UX, holding 28+ years of experience in the discipline. Darren’s professional footprint spans such organizations as Ford Motor Company, General Motors, DigitasLBi, MRM/McCann, Wunderman Digital, Bosch, Ryder, Rocket Mortgage, Omnicell, Cengage Learning, National Geographic Learning, Sherwin-Williams, Duracell, and USA Networks, to name a few. In academia, he serves and has served as an adjunct professor, teaching UX-related courses at several universities including UCLA, Michigan State University, Lawrence Technological University, Brandeis University, and Kent State University. Darren is one of the authors featured in the book “97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know.” You can also hear Darren on The World of UX podcast, available through a host of popular sources. Darren is currently a doctoral candidate, completing a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Northcentral University.
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Employee experience and customer experience outcomes are inextricably linked. That data (going back to the Service Profit Chain) provides evidence of that correlation. But there's a lot of confusion about the difference between employee experience and employee engagement and the impact that each has on CX. Employee Engagement is too often overlooked in terms of it's importance to the customer experience and financial performance. In this episode with Employee Engagement expert, Mary Poppen, President, Employee Experience Division, HRizons, and Professor of Practice, CXM Master's program at Michigan State University, unpacks how to get to the magical state where "contagious enthusiasm and customer intimacy live." Also in this episode:
- Defining and differentiating employee experience and engagement
- Avoiding Engagement Pitfalls: Learn how to navigate common mistakes like uniform incentive structures and insufficient listening channels that undermine true connection with your workforce.
- Building Virtual Bridges: In a remote work era, one-on-one meetings are more than just touchpoints; they are lifelines that foster support and connection amidst isolation.
- The Intimacy Factor**: Explore how trust and understanding in professional relationships enhance recognition and nurture a supportive work environment.
Meet Mary Mary Poppen is President of HRIZONS Employee Experience and Professor of Practice at Michigan State University teaching in the Customer Experience Management (CXM) Master’s Degree program. She is also a CS Angel investor. Prior to her current focus, Mary was Glint’s Chief Customer Officer at LinkedIn and Chief Customer Officer for SAP’s Global Cloud business before that. Mary holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and has over 20 years of customer delivery, business consulting and executive leadership experience. She is a well-recognized customer and employee experience thought leader, speaking at global events and authoring several publications in this space. She recently published a book entitled “Goodbye, Churn. Hello, Growth!” In addition to her current roles, Mary enjoys serving as a Board Advisor and executive coach, and has a passion for giving back through female mentorship programs. In her spare time, Mary enjoys traveling with her husband and two sons, playing Pickleball, and wine-tasting with friends.
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Listen for some insights that provide a fresh perspective on how to overcome the challenges CX leaders face. We uncovered why being a trusted guide is more impactful than a heroic leader and how to prove your value through a winning CX roadmap. My guest, Patty Soltis, shared priceless insights on gaining influence, and I revealed my own journey of overcoming stakeholder resistance. If you're a CX leader looking to elevate your game, you'll hear useful tips and get a sneak peak at The Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class. In this episode, Patty Soltis, CCXP and I explore:
- The roadblocks that impede and often derail customer experience efforts
- How lack of trust is a silent killer to real change
- Why some stakeholders may be resistant to your recommendations
- The 4 keys that help CX professionals and other change agents overcome common obstacles:
- Earning Trust
- Becoming a Guide
- Building Your CX Roadmap
- Proving the Value
Patty Soltis is a Senior Customer Experience Manager at Upwork, the world’s work marketplace that connects businesses with independent talent from across the globe. Patty's experience includes a CX leadership role at The Moffitt Cancer Center, Neiman Marcus, Lord and Taylor and more. Patty can be reached here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattysoltis/
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How would you rate your emotional intelligence? It turns out that the core of any successful customer experience initiative is deeply intertwined with the capacity and willingness of employees to communicate effectively. Emotional intelligence is a fundamental skill when it comes to communication. Sandra Thompson is an EI expert and ranks as a top 10 Emotional Intelligence leaders on LinkedIn. She joined me on The Delighted Customers Podcast to help leaders navigate EI and understand the very real impact EI has on the customer experience, and ultimately employee and customer engagement. "You have to put in the work!" Sandra says. "Some may be able to do it (improve their EI) on their own...while others may need an accountability coach to hold the mirror up and ask them tough questions." Sandra shares practical suggestions that business leaders can implement right away to lift their emotional intelligence personally and organizationally. Here are some of the highlights included in this episode:5 tips for improving emotional intelligence
- 5 Tips to Improve Emotional Intelligence
- Emotional intelligence and it's connection to CX
- The Jellybean Game and the importance of visceral customer experiences
- The impact of bad customer experiences and the inflection point for loyalty
- The practice of gratitude and its impact on starting the day positively
This episode is rich with ideas and insights and I love the British accent! Meet Sandra! Sandra Thompson is the first Goleman Emotional Intelligence Coach in the UK. She started out as a Customer Experience consultant in 2010 when she founded Exceed all Expectations, a management consultancy focusing on improving customer and employee experience. Sandra rebranded as The Ei Evolution in Jan 2021 because she believes that the skill of emotional intelligence can transform the way businesses behave, improve the relationships between customer and employee and between colleagues too. She is still working in the field of customer experience but the new brand enables Sandra to work more with schools – she believes that teaching young people how to become more emotionally intelligent could help them thrive.
Sandra has been fortunate to work with clients such as: Vodafone, Arsenal Football Club, Waitrose, Open University, Battersea Dog & Cats home, and Network Rail. She gives keynotes and frequently presents on webinars and podcasts to an international audience on all matters CX, EX and EI. Sandra has been fortunate to lecture part-time at a Business School in London on the topics of People Management and Leadership and Professional Behaviours and Customer Management and she runs a series of postgraduate courses in Customer Experience and Emotional Intelligence. She presented her first academic paper in 2019, TEDx in 2020, and intends to start a PhD in 2025. It’s true to say that she’s a lifelong learner.
Recommended Book: Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl - https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl-ebook/dp/B009U9S6FI Here is the reference to the cards:
https://www.ridersandelephants.com/the-emotional-culture-deck-pdf-download
Lisa Feldman Barrett link for her publications: https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com
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How could you leverage AI to earn growth from customer referrals? Andy Cockburn, CEO of Mention Me, took his knowledge and experience of working with Bain and with Fred Reichheld during the infancy phase of NPS's launch to create an AI tool that does just that. The Earned Growth Model, advocated by Reichheld in Winning on Purpose, posits a very specific point of differentiation from other growth models. It states that the customers who love you the most are where you can mine the most future growth. But how? Andy unveils how he pioneered a model to translate into customer love into earned growth. In this episode:
- Importance of Earned Growth and Referral Programs
- Leveraging earned growth as a vital metric for success
- Optimizing Customer Journeys for Advocacy
- Insights gained from referral networks about customer behavior
- The Concept of Extended Customer Revenue
- Using AI to assess customer propensity to refer and predict revenue
- Relying on advocacy for organic growth and stronger business relationships
...and so much more This episode is packed with gems! Meet Andy! Andy Cockburn is CEO and Co-Founder of Mention Me, the Customer Advocacy platform empowering brands to turn fans into a powerful growth driver. Since co-founding the business in 2013, he’s scaled Mention Me to employ more than 120 advocacy experts who have delivered over USD $2.2bn in revenue for more than 500 clients, including Puma, Charlotte Tilbury, Michael Kors and other major brands worldwide.
Prior to Mention Me, Andy was the UK Managing Director of VRBO, the world's largest market-place for vacation rentals (that floated on the NASDAQ for $3bn), and formerly the founder and CEO of Wigadoo, a technology start-up in the social payment space. He has an MBA from INSEAD and MA from Cambridge University. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andycockburn/
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Imagine a world where AI not only understands but acts on unsolicited customer and employee conversations, tapping into a treasure trove of data — from contact center chats to doctor's scribbles. Leslie Pagel is a CX thought leader who led organizations across industries in CX strategy during her 20 plus years at Walker. Now she's helping healthcare organizations provide better experiences by empowering them to tell stories with data. We talk about ways that AI can be used to tell stories that simply couldn't be captured without the technology that's available today. In this episode:
- Utilization of machine learning to identify customer care frictions
- Processing of unstructured data like doctor notes and health records
- The Role of Storytelling in Data Presentation
- AI's role in improving healthcare strategies
- The Future of Surveys in Customer Insights
Hear Leslie share her mission of leveraging AI to help humans understand humans. Meet Leslie Leslie Pagel is the Chief Evangelist of Authenticx – a conversational AI company dedicated to improving the way healthcare companies engage with patients and customers. In this role, she creates awareness, across the healthcare industry, of more efficient and effective ways for healthcare organizations to leverage the authentic customer voice to achieve the desired health and business outcomes. With over two decades of working with customer and patient experience teams, Leslie helps clients actualize the voice of the customer to show how these voices prompt meaningful action. Here’s a link to Conscious Capitalism: https://www.consciouscapitalism.org/
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What are some of the most common mistakes that leaders make when it comes to customer loyalty? Join customer and employee loyalty expert, NPS co-inventor, co-author of The Ultimate Question 2.0, and world renown CX thought leader, Rob Markey in Part 2 of our conversation on value, loyalty, and loyalty programs. In this episode: - Common loyalty pitfalls - The impact of broken trust on loyalty - Where Southwest and Delta Airlines misstepped and broke loyalty - Link between rational, experiential, and emotional aspects of customer evaluation - How the three lens we use to assess value work together If you haven't already listened to Part 1, I highly encourage you to do so. Meet Rob Rob Markey is a leader in Bain’s Customer Strategy & Marketing practice. He joined our firm in 1990, and has led assignments in the financial services, telecommunications, retailing, media, professional services, health care, building equipment and food processing industries.
Rob is an expert in customer and employee loyalty, new product development and customer service strategies. He has extensive experience with direct marketing, new customer acquisition and cost reduction for clients in the retail banking, credit card and insurance businesses.
Rob leads the NPS Loyalty Forum, a group of approximately 35 senior executives from loyalty-leading companies around the world, such as The Vanguard Group, American Express, JetBlue, Telstra, TD Bank, LEGO, Progressive Insurance, PwC and Intuit. He has published numerous articles on various aspects of customer experience and loyalty in publications such as the Harvard Business Review. He is the co-author of The Ultimate Question 2.0: How Net Promoter Companies Thrive in a Customer-Driven World, by Harvard Business Review Press, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. Rob is also the host of The Customer Confidential Podcast.
He formerly served as head of the firm’s Customer Strategy & Marketing practice.
Prior to joining Bain, he developed competitive strategy, led business development and served in product marketing for LEXIS/NEXIS and the IBM Corporation.
Rob earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He is a graduate of Brown University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.
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The Three Dimensions of Customer Value Creation
Rob Markey ought to know a thing or two about customer loyalty.
Rob was a CX expert and thought leader at Bain long before he and his colleague Fred Reichheld introduced Net Promoter to the world.
He is a leader in Bain's Customer Customer Strategy and Marketing practice and the co-author of The Ultimate Question 2.0 with Fred Reichheld.
This episode was originally intended as a deep dive on customer loyalty through the customer lifecycle for my Michigan State University Master's students but it was just too good to not share in an episode.
As usual, Rob brings insights and wisdom to empower anyone interested in creating value for their customers starting with the three dimensions of value according Bain uses in their approach with clients.
Also included in this episode:
👉 The 3 dimensions of value
👉 Examples of differentiating from competitors through unique features and exceptional customer service
👉 How different dimensions of value are weighed differently at various customer lifecycle stages
👉 Focusing on revenue and cost forecasting in a language understood by stakeholders
👉 Copying versus learning and synthesizing from others
👉 Warning against going down a technology or data-led path without clear goals
👉 Empirical evidence on NPS as a predictor of a company's growth rate
and a whole lot more, so much so that we had to break it into two episodes.
Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss Part 2 and insights from future episodes.
Meet Rob Rob Markey is a leader in Bain’s Customer Strategy & Marketing practice. He joined our firm in 1990, and has led assignments in the financial services, telecommunications, retailing, media, professional services, health care, building equipment and food processing industries.
Rob is an expert in customer and employee loyalty, new product development and customer service strategies. He has extensive experience with direct marketing, new customer acquisition and cost reduction for clients in the retail banking, credit card and insurance businesses.
Rob leads the NPS Loyalty Forum, a group of approximately 35 senior executives from loyalty-leading companies around the world, such as The Vanguard Group, American Express, JetBlue, Telstra, TD Bank, LEGO, Progressive Insurance, PwC and Intuit. He has published numerous articles on various aspects of customer experience and loyalty in publications such as the Harvard Business Review. He is the co-author of The Ultimate Question 2.0: How Net Promoter Companies Thrive in a Customer-Driven World, by Harvard Business Review Press, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. Rob is also the host of The Customer Confidential Podcast.
He formerly served as head of the firm’s Customer Strategy & Marketing practice.
Prior to joining Bain, he developed competitive strategy, led business development and served in product marketing for LEXIS/NEXIS and the IBM Corporation.
Rob earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He is a graduate of Brown University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.
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Eckhart climbed through the ranks at Microsoft leveraging his background as an industrial engineer turned customer experience maestro. He sheds light on the transformative "jobs to be done" concept and how understanding the true gains, pains, and solutions can revolutionize how we approach customer satisfaction. We’ll also hear how Eckhart's method veers away from traditional journey maps to dissect the full 360-cycle of customer progress. With a deep dive into a real-world case study, we'll see how his process not only saves companies from costly missteps but also propels them towards delivering profound customer-centric solutions. In this episode: - What does it mean to focus on customer "jobs to be done" - Importance of understanding customer gains, pains, and solutions - Utilizing the "wheel of progress" for structured data capturing - Conducting and consolidating customer interviews - The five-step process to understand and prioritize customer jobs This outside-in approach to understanding customer desires to design and deliver improved experiences that connect to customers emotions is groundbreaking. Meet Eckhart Eckhart Boehme is the former Curriculum Architect Marketing Excellence @Microsoft Corporation. Eckhart is the founder and managing director of strategy consulting firm unipro solutions and an internationally recognized Jobs to Be Done expert. He was the initiator and co-developer of The Wheel of Progress® Canvas - a tool for structuring qualitative customer research. He is the developer the Customer Progress Design method. He was the subject matter expert to the German editions of the Jobs to Be Done "bible" Competing Against Luck by Clayton Christensen et. al. and Eric Ries' The Startup Way.
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Elizabeth's professional journey is a tapestry woven with innovation, creativity, and dedication to enhancing the customer experience. With a career spanning over 18 years, including a significant tenure at the esteemed Chick-fil-A, Elizabeth's expertise has been sought after by illustrious brands such as Disney, Gap, and YMCA, as well as the Cooper Aerobics Center. As a serial entrepreneur, Elizabeth couples her business acumen with her artistic flair, notably stepping into the world of fashion as a pajama designer. Her passion for customer service culminated in authoring "The Power of Customer Experience," where she illuminates her insights through five pivotal elements designed to leave a lasting impact in the business sphere. Some of the practical tips from this episode include:
- How Chick-fil-A operationalizes CX
- The importance of care and Empowerment to business outcomes
- Leadership's role in building a customer-centric culture
- A victor mindset vs. a victim mentality
- Insights from her new book, The Strength of Purpose
- Lessons from cheerleading flops
- The power of "repotting"
- Her new line of comfy sleepwear
What a classy individual who has a seemingly endless amount of energy and inspiration! Meet Elizabeth Making the Daunting Doable
Elizabeth Dixon is an engaging business leader and serial entrepreneur connecting with executives and their teams, integrating strategy, innovation, leadership, and personal development in speeches that ignite conversation and inspire purposeful action.
She shares secrets to creating exceptional customer experiences for audiences world-wide at live events and through virtual video resources, consulting, and The Power of Customer Experience, her debut book outlining proven elements for lasting impact in what has become the most crucial component of business success.
Blessed to work for extraordinary brands including Disney World, Gap, YMCA, and Cooper Aerobics Center, mentored by renowned leaders including Dan Cathy and Horst Schulze, Elizabeth brings almost 20 years of experience as a leader at the Chick-fil-A Support Center, where she served in Service & Hospitality, Strategy, Research & Development, and Human Resources. She has also collaborated with the great brands of Southwest Airlines, Drury Hotels, Zappos, and Wegmans.
Always growing, always creating, Elizabeth’s current role is Executive Director of Trilith Foundation, reporting to Dan Cathy, Chairman of Chick-fil-A. She has founded, operated, and sold several small businesses while coaching emerging entrepreneurs toward success in achieving their business goals.
In her leisure time, Elizabeth enjoys being a student of cooking with her daughter, an average backyard soccer player with her son, a vigorous reader, and an adventure enthusiast with her family. https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethdixonspeaks/ Elizabeth Dixon bio - https://qrcd.org/45Oe www.slumbersleepwear.com https://vimeo.com/889308776
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One of my favorite stories is The Fisherman's Dilemma. It's a tale of an angler who wants to bring a treasure trove of fish home to his loving wife and family. Although he uses every strategy and tactic, he discovers a whole in the bottom of the net. Regardless of his harvest, the hole stole his bounty. Customer acquisition is an important first step for organizations to prosper. But much like the fisherman in the story, unless you've got a strategy to engage customers beyond their initial onboarding, they will slip through the hole in the net. Join the CEO and Founder of SuiteCX, and CX thought leader Valerie Peck as she shares some insights on how to engage customers throughout their lifecycle including:
- The Importance of Customer Engagement
- Consistency across different customer touchpoints
- Influence of departmental and channel silos on engagement
- Importance of engaging and enabling employees
- Technology as an Enabler, Not the Solution
Valerie was featured in this Creating Emotional Connections: The Power of Loyalty Programs with Valerie Peck: https://qrcd.org/42Mn
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What if you 1 in 4 Americans relied on the experience you led? 60,000,000 Americans rely on AAA for their roadside assistance when things don't go as planned. Bryan Sander, CCXP MBA, leads customer experience for AAA and joins me on the Delighted Customers Podcast (episode will drop tomorrow). Bryan's advice for CX leaders interested in strategies for growing credibility? He's assembled a CX team of over people helping AAA deliver outstanding and consistently good experiences to their members. Bryan is one of the sharpest minds among CX practitioners who I've ever met. You will not want to miss a minute. Tons of practical insights from one of my favorite CX leaders including: 👉 Use of ROI models and financial tooling to show the CX impact 👉 Understanding how the Rider and the Elephant metaphor can help you influence decision-makers 👉 The Alien and Clark Kent 👉 Bryan's opinion of Fred Reichheld's Earned Growth Model Powerful!
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Colin Shaw is one of the original CX thought leaders and podcast host. He brings a fresh perspective to what drives customer loyalty and the "why" behind loyalty. He predicts memory maps will replace journey maps because of the difference between our experiencing-self and our remembering-self. This episode is packed with insights that leaders can use immediately including:
Colin Shaw is one of the original CX thought leaders and has authored seven bestselling books on customer experience.
He brings a fresh perspective to what drives customer loyalty and the "why" behind loyalty. He predicts memory maps will replace journey maps because of the difference between our experiencing-self and our remembering-self.
This episode is packed with insights that leaders can use immediately including:
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Role of Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing Customer Experience by understanding and responding to customer emotions
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Reorientation of Loyalty Perspectives - The criticality of emotional attachment over rational decision-making in driving loyalty
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Memory & Experience in Customer Decision Making- Evaluation of past experiences and memories in shaping customer decisions
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Why the implications of the peak/end rule should impact experience design
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The significance of designing customer experiences for evoking desired emotions
Meet Colin! Colin Shaw is an original pioneer of Customer Experience. LinkedIn has recognized him as one of the ‘World’s Top 150 Business Influencers‘, where he has over 292,000 followers and is one of the exclusive Top Voices which is the official LinkedIn influencer program. Colin’s company, Beyond Philosophy, LLC, has been recognized by the Financial Times as one of the leading management consultancies for the last four years. He is the co-host of the highly successful business podcast The Intuitive Customer, rated in the top 5% of all podcasts by BuzzSprout. He has also authored seven bestselling books on the subject of customer experience. Colin’s LinkedIn newsletter has over 70,000 subscribers.Colin is also a keynote speaker and commentator on CNN, BBC TV, NPR, LBC, and other media publications.
Before this, Shaw was a senior executive in one of the world’s largest telecoms companies, where he led 3,500 people in sales, marketing, and customer service.
Colin Shaw founded Beyond Philosophy in 2002 as one of the world’s first customer experience consultancies. Under his leadership, Beyond Philosophy has helped many of the world’s most prestigious organizations improve their customer experience, including American Express, FedEx, and Caterpillar. Using Beyond Philosophy’s methodology, the world’s largest container shipping company Maersk Line improved its Net Promoter Score®* by 40 points in 30 months, which gave a 10 percent rise in shipping volumes.
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Dr. Stephanie Thum knows a thing or two about red tape. In fact, she just got her PhD in Red Tape Theory! In this episode, she provides a fresh perspective, discussing the pros and cons of red tape, and its elusive cousins, green and pink tape. Using these insights, we explore how these nuances can greatly impact customer experience and employees' engagement. In this episode:
- Red tape holds complexities: It has both its virtues, such as providing structure and thwarting fraud, but it can also lead to unnecessary impediments and sludge, ultimately leading to employee disengagement and customer dissatisfaction.
- Handling red tape: Increasing customer experience and reducing friction should be top priorities. Practices like human-centric design, tapping into the voice of the customer, and intensive data monitoring can help manage the burden of red tape efficiently.
- Role of leadership: As roles change and evolve, leaders need to tune into the needs and perceptions of their followers. This could involve managing the negative effects of red tape, and ensuring effective communication to avoid potential blind spots.
- New buzzword in business: Sludge! It's about those friction-filled administrative processes that eat up time and money. Want to fight the sludge? Steph shares valuable insights
Don't miss this insight-packed episode Meet Stephanie! I'm a senior professional with a proven track record as a customer experience practitioner and consultant, now part of SAP's global executive/board communication team. With roots in professional services business development, account teams, broadcasting, and content development, I've developed an expertise in customer- and business-oriented communication, leadership, and project management. My journey isn't limited to the global technology corporate world; I'm also a small business founder with experience in the non-profit and federal government settings. I recently completed a lifelong goal--to obtain a Ph.D. My research focused on global government administrative leaders' experiences with red tape frictions in their work. As a student I produced multiple pieces of peer-reviewed, published scholarship. These academic pursuits deepened my understanding of the intricacies of the human experience, organizational management, and extremely complex global leadership that I continue to apply to my professional endeavors.
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Customer loyalty is the currency that sustains growth in almost any company. It means better business outcomes in key metrics like:
- Increased Revenues
- More Referrals
- Lower Cost to Serve
- Fewer Complaints
- Greater Forgiveness
- and much more.
The question Valerie Peck, long time CX luminary, thought leader, and Managing Director of SuiteCX and I explore is what role do loyalty programs play and what role should they play in earning customer loyalty that's more than transactional. In this episode, we explore some important questions such as: 1. How do loyalty programs impact customer behavior, and what are the emotional components at play in these programs? 2. What are the potential downsides of loyalty programs, and how can companies navigate these to maintain customer loyalty without negative impacts? 3. In what ways could companies strategically design loyalty programs to drive repurchase and revenue, while also maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty? Meet Valerie! Valerie is the Managing Director of SuiteCX by QuestionPro. She is a senior executive with several start ups under her belt. She has deep experience in the CEM space as well in developing new products/practices at companies such as Pacific Bell, KPMG, PwC and StorageTek. In 2022, under her leadership, SuiteCX was merged into the QuestionPro Group as a wholly owned business. Her focus as managing director remains as the main evangelist, cheer leader and deal-maker for SuiteCX. She has over 25 years experience in building new businesses and making them profitable. Contact info: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-peck-4b143
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Did you know that trusted companies outperform their peers by up to 400%? That customers who trust a brand are 88% more likely to buy again? And that 79% of employees who trust their employer who trust their employer are more motivated to work(and less likely to leave)? The importance of trust is at an all-time high - just as our inclination to trust is at an all time low, Join me and my special guest, Deloitte Digital Principle and co-author of the new book, The Four Factors of Trust for this episode of the Delighted Customers Podcast. We discuss the link between trust and customer loyalty including:
- How her scientific research unveiled four trust factors
- Why despite being universally recognized by employees as important, it's still a gap in most companies
- The tool that she and the co-author created, Trust ID and how it helps benchmark the 4 factors
- Interventions needed for low trust scores
PS - Yes there is a family relationship to the other Reichheld in the CX world : ) Meet Ashley Ashley is deeply passionate about making the experiences people have with companies feel more human and has spent nearly 20 years helping her clients reimagine brands and experiences. Ashley believes that building trust is the single greatest opportunity to create a competitive advantage. So she created the TrustID™ –a groundbreaking measurement tool poised to become the gold standard for evaluating organizational performance—to help companies measure, predict, and build trust with their customers, workforce, and partners. Ashley is the Wall Street Journal Best-Seller author of The Four Factors of Trust. After graduating from Wellesley College, Ashley has lived, worked or visited nearly every continent and over forty countries, building a strong sense of global citizenship. Ashley’s work and ideas have been featured in many publications and conferences, such as HBR, Bloomberg TV, SMR, The Wall Street Journal, AdWeek, Dreamforce, CES, and Fortune's Most Powerful Women, amongst others.
Contact: areichheld@deloitte.com
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Ian Golding ought to know a thing or two about the CX profession. He was a founding member of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) and the very first Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP). He's the author of Customer What?, Keynote Speaker, and writer. He's written over 600 articles on CX and hosts International Customer Experience Awards all over the world. This episode is different because we didn't have any set agenda of what to talk about. We just explored some hard realities about the CX profession head on. I provides some deep insights about what CX leaders need to know and why they need to know it including:
- Problem: The 1st Step - Admit you have a problem
- Direction: Customer-led vs Product-led organization
- Trust: It's role in the corporate world
- Empathy: Why it's lacking in the CX profession
- Skeptics: Dealing with them in the "acknowledge phase"
- Facts: The importance of not basing CX on opinions
- Responsibilities: What CX leaders are 100% accountable for
And so much more! Contact info: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iangolding/
Meet Ian Ian Golding is a Certified Customer Experience Professional and Customer Experience Specialist. A certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Ian has spent over twenty years in business improvement, working hard to ensure that the businesses he works for are as customer focused as possible. Ian spent 17 years working in a variety of corporate organisations, including The Royal Bank of Scotland, GE Commercial Finance, GE Reinsurance and Brake Brothers Foodservice. In his last permanent role as Head of Group Customer Experience, Ian developed and deployed the Customer Experience strategy for one of Europe’s largest online retailers – Shop Direct. In 2012, he became an independent consultant, delivering projects in over 50 countries worldwide in the automotive, financial services, logistics and utilities industries. Ian has continued to work with a plethora of businesses across several sectors, including the pharmaceutical, banking, professional services, retail, manufacturing, education and technology industries. Ian has published more than 600 articles on the subject and delivered keynote speeches globally. Ian also served on the inaugural board of Directors of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), of which he was a founder member. Ian was also the first person in the world to be authorised by the CXPA to teach the Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) accreditation. He is also the Course Director, Customer Experience for the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Ian hosts Customer Experience Award ceremonies around the world, including the UK, European, US, Turkey and International Customer Experience Awards. Ian’s first book was published in April 2018 – ‘Customer What?’ The honest and practical guide to Customer Experience’ – is already being well received by professionals around the world. In 2021, Ian was awarded the title of the number 1 influencer in Customer Experience in the UK by Customer Experience Magazine. Examples of companies Ian has worked with are:
- Pfizer
- AbbVie
- Alexion (Astra Zeneca)
- Boehringer Ingleheim
- Volvo
- Nedbank
- KCB Bank
- Erste Bank
- Budapest Bank
- Old Mutual Group
- Tata Steel
- Toyota
- General Electric
- Tetra Pak
- Weleda
- Cisco
- Thom
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I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to interview Tom DeWitt, the creator of the groundbreaking MSU CXM Masters of Science program, on my podcast. This program is the first of its kind, offering a comprehensive and in-depth curriculum for professionals in the field of customer experience management. Key Takeaways from the interview:
1️⃣ Bridging the skills gap: The MSU CXM Masters program was created to address the fragmented nature of the industry and provide professionals with the broad skill set necessary to effectively manage the customer experience. With 15 courses and 15 different faculty members, including industry practitioners and specialists, this program offers a comprehensive learning experience.
2️⃣ Team-Based Learning: Unlike traditional lecture-based teaching, the MSU program emphasizes interactive and engaging team-based learning. Students work on real-world case studies, collaborate with classmates, and learn from each other's expertise. The strong bonds formed among students create a supportive and enriching learning environment.
3️⃣ Access to industry leaders: With a faculty comprised of experienced practitioners, including VPs of CX, students in the MSU CXM Masters program have unparalleled access to professionals who have been there and done that. Learning from their insights and experiences adds immense value to the program.
If you have a passion for customer experience and are looking to enhance your skills, I highly recommend considering the MSU CXM Masters program. It's a game-changer in the industry, providing the knowledge and credentials needed to thrive in the field of customer experience management. For more information about the program, interested applicants and companies should visit https://broad.msu.edu/marketing/cxm/.
Here's some interesting research that supported the creation and launch of the new degreed program at MSU:
According to a survey conducted in the summer of 2020 with 160 decision makers that were provided with a description of the proposed MSU MS-CXM degree program, 87% indicated that it is important to hire employees that are experts in the field of customer experience management (CXM); 80% said they would be likely to give a raise to current employees who have obtained the degree; and 78% of US companies and 89% of international companies would be likely to hire students graduating from the program.
Similarly, a survey of 338 professionals working in CX conducted at the same time found that 87% of respondents indicated that CXM is critical to success; 85% were interested in a master’s degree in CXM; 63% would be likely to apply if the MSU MS-CXM degree were offered; and 44% of respondents that are extremely likely to pursue a master’s degree in the next 5 years would be extremely likely to apply to this MS-CXM degree.
Meet Tom DeWitt, Ph.D
Tom DeWitt, Ph.D. is the Director of CXM@MSU, an entity dedicated to the advancement of customer experience management (CXM), and a fixed-term faculty member in the Department of Marketing of the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. As the Director of CXM@MSU, Dr. DeWitt has created North America’s first academic program in customer experience management (Masters of Science in Customer Experience Management - MS-CXM) and hosts industry conferences twice each year for organizations to share best practices in CXM.
For more than a decade Dr. DeWitt has also provided customer experience management
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In order to design customer experiences that earn their trust and loyalty, companies must have a listening strategy. While a wide range of philosophies around customer listening, my guest has a theory that he's built a business on. What are some potential consequences for businesses if they fail to address current customer issues effectively? Matt Selbie believes that the gap business leaders are missing, that's costing them customer defection, is responding real time and closing the feedback gap immediately. He identifies the downturn in customer experience levels across industries and has a solution that can help and help now...and all customers need is their mobile phone. In this episode: - Hostile business environment and its impact on CX - Importance of quick feedback in CX strategy - High defection rates due to failure to address current issues - Customers ability to provide real time feedback at any point in their journey - Opiniator technology for real-time feedback using mobile phones Meet Matt Matt Selbie is the President and Founder of Oberon3 Here's a summary of his background:
- 20 years of international experience in the energy, retail, and software businesses.
- Successful strategic marketer with proven ability to grow revenues and brand equity. Managed internationally and domestically (US and Europe), services and product marketing, B2C and B2B, start up and mature businesses.
- Strong functional competencies, including market segmentation, brand positioning, customer feedback, consumer insights, product innovation, advertising development, media planning, financial analysis, P+L management, promotion effectiveness, go-to-market execution, and customer marketing.
- Managed a startup from inception, secured funding and brought to market.
- Was Managing Director for ConocoPhillips in Malaysia, developing our JV relationship and managing all Government affairs.
- Extensive operational experience in Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and USA, together with staff experience directing strategic brand development at a global level.
Website: https://opiniator.com/about-us-opiniator/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewselbie/
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The Virtues and Values of Trust in Business, Part 2 of 2 with author Andrea Howe
In Part 1, Andrea introduced the Trust Equation and how we, as leaders, can apply it to become more trustworthy.
In this episode we delve in to some real world examples to consider how the values (applied individually) and virtues (applied institutionally) to earn trust and deepen loyalty.
In addition, this episode includes:
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The story of a SaaS company breaks trust and how to avoid the same pitfalls
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How building trust is highly paradoxical
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What to do when you get ghosted (and still be trustworthy)
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Trust "Values" and "Virtues" and how leaders can align to build a trustworthy organization
So many great gems in here you won't want miss!
If you haven't already listened to Part 1 with Andrea, I highly recommend you do!
Meet Andrea A recovering information technology consultant with nearly 30 years of experience, Andrea P. Howe previously worked for the $1B IT consulting firm American Management Systems (AMS), where her roles included client project manager, client relationship manager, and later, Director of Leadership Development.
Andrea is the co-author, with Charles H. Green, of The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook: A Comprehensive Toolkit for Leading with Trust. She is the founder of The Get Real Project which has one simple mission: to kick conventional business wisdom to the curb and transform how people work together as a result.
Andrea’s focus for the past 15+ years has been teaching people in consultative roles how to get better results by getting relationships right. She has designed and led learning programs for companies like Accenture, BNY Mellon, CGI, Deloitte and PwC, among many others. She has spoken to executives, leaders, and teams throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as in Mexico, Brazil, Europe, Russia, and the Asia Pacific region—both in-person and virtually.
Described by audiences as pragmatic and engaging, Andrea provides a toolkit to increase trustworthiness in any stakeholder relationship that is both practical and provocative. Andrea addresses topics such as how to:
-
Develop business/sell with trust
-
Promote customer intimacy and client loyalty
-
Apply the dynamics of influence to achieve results
-
Improve business relationships using all four variables of the trust equation
-
Deal with conflict in a trust-building way.
When Andrea’s not working, you can find her in her art studio (aka the basement) taking far too long to finish her latest mosaic project, or looking forward to a future opportunity for partner dancing somewhere near her current home town of Annapolis, Maryland, USA.
contact her: www.thegetrealproject.com
Timestamps
[00:02:03] Signed up for unused product, auto renewal, disputed charge.
[00:05:19] Missed opportunities, screw ups, transactional, low intimacy.
[00:08:27] Challenge self, beware of scarcity mindset, prioritize service.
[00:10:54] Trust challenges in business relationships and ghosting.
[00:14:46] Break the pattern, be daring, get noticed.
[00:20:45] Charlie's framework delves into building trust.
[00:24:18] Rich, instructive content for CX leaders. Opportunity to emphasize core values, personalize offers.
[00:27:34] Trust is personal; build human connections.
[00:30:09] Personal risks build trust and credibility.
[00:33:35] Trust instincts, don't ignore unconventional ideas.
[00:35:33] Don't miss out, subscribe to our pod
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“Focus on what you tend to neglect” Andrea Howe, CEO, Author, Guest on The Delighted Customers Podcast Trust is the centerpiece of influencing others, of making real change happen. There's no one better to learn from than Andrea Howe, who is not only a trust expert, but she’s the co-author, The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook and the CEO of The Get Real Project. She’s led learning programs and consulted with big companies like Accenture, Deloitte, and Price Waterhouse Coopers, as well as boutique firms. Andea shared some powerful insights on why trust is so critical to change and she offers some practical tips on how leaders can become more trustworthy on The Delighted Customers Podcast. In Part 1 of a 2 part series, this episode of the Delighted Customers Podcast includes: 👉 How leaders can lead with trust in today’s remote/hybrid environment 👉 Explanation of the trust equation and its four variables 👉 Why empathetic listening builds deeper trust than active listening In Part 2 we'll talk about a real world case study of a SaaS CRM company that broke trust and how that works through the lens of the trust equation. We'll also talk about what happens when you get ghosted and how to respond from a trustworthy lens. Meet Andrea A recovering information technology consultant with nearly 30 years of experience, Andrea P. Howe previously worked for the $1B IT consulting firm American Management Systems (AMS), where her roles included client project manager, client relationship manager, and later, Director of Leadership Development.
Andrea is the co-author, with Charles H. Green, of The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook: A Comprehensive Toolkit for Leading with Trust. She is the founder of The Get Real Project which has one simple mission: to kick conventional business wisdom to the curb and transform how people work together as a result.
Andrea’s focus for the past 15+ years has been teaching people in consultative roles how to get better results by getting relationships right. She has designed and led learning programs for companies like Accenture, BNY Mellon, CGI, Deloitte and PwC, among many others. She has spoken to executives, leaders, and teams throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as in Mexico, Brazil, Europe, Russia, and the Asia Pacific region—both in-person and virtually.
Described by audiences as pragmatic and engaging, Andrea provides a toolkit to increase trustworthiness in any stakeholder relationship that is both practical and provocative. Andrea addresses topics such as how to:
-
Develop business/sell with trust
-
Promote customer intimacy and client loyalty
-
Apply the dynamics of influence to achieve results
-
Improve business relationships using all four variables of the trust equation
-
Deal with conflict in a trust-building way.
When Andrea’s not working, you can find her in her art studio (aka the basement) taking far too long to finish her latest mosaic project, or looking forward to a future opportunity for partner dancing somewhere near her current home town of Annapolis, Maryland, USA.
contact her: www.thegetrealproject.com
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Storytelling is a critical skill for any leader but most of us struggle with how to do influence others. This episode will be unlike any other for several reasons: 1. Filling in the Blanks filmmaker, Jon Baime shares his secrets of applying the art and science of storytelling with the CX leader in mind 2. The documentary Jon shares is both shocking and captivating and reveals a long held family secret of his. 3. It also reveals a long held family secret of mine - yes, I'm in the film. Jon breakdown how he crafted the story and how you can use practical tips to master your own storytelling to make change happen! Listen to the podcast. Watch the film on Amazon, Apple, Vudu and on demand on most cable networks. Meet Jon Jon's new documentary, Filling in the Blanks is currently ranked in the top 10 of Amazon and has been featured in numerous film festivals. Jon Baime is an Atlanta-based independent producer with a specialty in non-fiction projects.
Jon’s work encompasses reality series and lifestyle programming on one end and science, environment, and socially conscious content on the other. Over the past 20 years, some of Jon’s work as a producer has included the nationally syndicated travel TV series “Small Town Big Deal” and the motorsports series “Caffeine and Octane.” He has also edited training videos for the Centers for Disease Control and a series of web videos called “Science Nation” for the National Science Foundation. Jon also produced segments for “This American Land,” a PBS series covering environmental issues.
Prior to being independent, Jon worked for TBS’s Environmental Policy unit, traveling the world, producing and editing the long-form documentary series “People Count” hosted by Jane Fonda focusing on climate change and population issues. He also served for two years as a producer on "Real News for Kids," a weekly children's news show produced by CNN and syndicated to television stations in over 200 markets. Jon started his career in television at CNN in 1987.
Jon originally hails from South Orange, N.J., and is a 1986 graduate of Ithaca College.
Filling in the Blanks is available on Amazon Prime, Apple Plus, Vudu, and more other cable and streaming outlets.
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In many ways, the Customer Experience leader has the most difficult job in the organization. Typically serving with a thin staff, a constrained budget, and limited positional authority, they need to get things done through influencing others. But how? Numbers along aren't enough. There's one powerful tool that CX leaders can and should become masters in, that's storytelling. On this episode of the Delighted Customers Podcast, Dennis Geelen, author of The Zero In Formula and The Accidental Solopreneur, joins me to talk about why storytelling wins over stakeholders and he shares a framework on how to tell stories that inspire change. In this episode: - The unique challenges faced by CX leaders in gaining approval and support - How stories can help convey the urgency and consequences of neglecting customer experience - Using powerful illustrations such as "The Kodak Story" to make the business case for change -Avoid the mistake of assuming that data alone will be enough to make an impact on senior leaders Special Note: This episode sets the stage for the next episode which features a filmmaker who breaks down how he crafted his story, currently a Top 10 Amazon Prime documentary. Spoiler - yours truly is in the film sharing a secret of his own : ) Meet Dennis Dennis Geelen, is the Founder and Chief Difference Maker at his solo consulting company, Zero In, that he founded in 2018. Through Zero In, Dennis helps companies ‘solve indifference’ by implementing strategies to build a brand customers love and culture where people are passionate to work. Author of the best-selling book ‘The Zero In Formula’, Geelen has worked with companies in several industries, spoken at countless events, conferences, workshops, webinars, with dozens of guest appearances on international podcasts. And now? Dennis also helps other solopreneurs get started. With his latest book, ‘The Accidental Solopreneur’, providing a playbook for success and told through a riveting and relatable parable that is getting rave reviews from entrepreneurs around the globe. Catch is weekly newsletter, Happy Accidents, for a new story each week about some of the most famous people, products, or companies who found success through serendipity. Timeline Overview: [00:02:52] Solo consultant turned author and coach for solopreneurs.
[00:05:09] Fascinating background; inspired to write differently.
[00:10:25] Key elements of great stories: relatable characters, clear theme, humor, emotional connection, life lessons, conflict.
[00:12:35] Editor assists writer in crafting effective story.
[00:15:14] Show, don't tell: Use stories to engage.
[00:21:12] Analytical person likes numbers, struggles with storytelling.
[00:23:58] Use stories to relate and inspire action.
[00:26:11] Balancing CX and security to retain customers.
[00:30:58] Start team meetings with customer stories, positive and negative.
[00:33:58] Self-publishing saves money and boosts credibility.
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How do companies like Ritz-Carlton, Apple, and Starbucks earn the trust of their customers?
Building upon the trust equation introduced in the Trusted Advisor book, we explore the four variables that contribute to trustworthiness: credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation. Through real-life examples, such as a heartwarming story about a lost stuffed animal at the Ritz Carlton Resort, we uncover the power of trust in creating loyal customers.
In this episode:
- Credibility: Showcasing professionalism, expertise, and trustworthiness through branding, communication, and online presence can instill confidence in your customers
- Reliability: Consistency is key. Consistently delivering on promises and providing a valuable, predictable experience builds trust with customers.
- Intimacy: Establishing psychological safety, discretion, and a personal connection with customers can be challenging on an organizational level, but it's not impossible
- Self Orientation: Are you more focused on the sale than the relationship? Asking that question through the customer's lens could help identify areas to become more trustworthy
Don't miss out on these valuable insights. Tune in to the Delighted Customers Podcast episode on "The Secret to Building Trust with Customers" and start creating amazing customer experiences that lead to loyalty and advocacy.
Timestamped Overview
[00:01:44] Elmo stays at fancy hotel, sends book.
[00:06:25] Workers must pass rigorous training, be screened. Trust through credibility; website appearance, navigation, testimonials, certifications matter. Online presence instills buyer confidence. IRS experience eroded trust, opposite of Terminex example.
[00:09:23] Hotel creates special book for lost Elmo. In the hospitality industry, personal connections matter. A hotel went above and beyond when they understood a guest's attachment to a lost stuffed animal. Instead of just returning it, they involved the entire staff in creating a picture book to assure the guest that Elmo was safe and cared for. This kind of personal touch can make a big impact, whether it's in business meetings or online interactions. Tesla even automates settings for different drivers, and Starbucks' mobile app saves your orders to Siri. It's all about making things personal.
[00:12:16] Embedding trust in your organization is key.
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Trust is the currency of leadership.
The most effective leaders don’t power their way through initiatives. They are masters at building trust as a way of influencing.
Businesses that cultivate trust with their customers and employees outperform their competitors.
We explore the Trust Equation, which originally appeared in The Trusted Advisor (now in it’s 20th Anniversary Print Edition).
We’re going to explore the four variables of trustworthiness:
- Credibility
- Reliability
- Intimacy
- Self Orientation
...and provide some practical tips on how you can become more trustworthy.
Join me for part 2 of a 3 part series called “Trust and Loyalty Depend on CX” on this episode of the Delighted Customers Podcast.
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We have a special treat for you as we kick off a three-part series on earning customer trust and loyalty.
In this episode, titled "The Fisherman's Dilemma and Three Types of Customer Loyalty," I will explore the deep connection between customer experience and elements such as emotion, trust, loyalty, and value.
- What's the connection between trust and loyalty?
- What are three different types of loyalty and why is it critical to know the difference?
- What does the data say about repurchase, customer referrals, forgiveness, and cost to serve?
- Why should customer loyalty matter to the C-Suite?
- What are some real world examples of customer loyalty?
Join me for this three part series. Next time we will delve into trust, both interpersonal and institutional and how it can be earned by individuals and by organizations.
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Amazon has been on my wish list for podcast guests.
Dr. Francis did not disappoint in a powerful and thoughtful insider perspective of what makes Amazon a consistent CX leader.
We will dive deep into the world of generative AI and its potential impact on customer interactions, as well as how Amazon harnesses this technology to stay ahead of the game.
Dr. Goh sheds light on the unique culture and principles that have made Amazon a global leader in innovation. As we explore the fascinating intersection of technology, customer obsession, and the ever-evolving business landscape, get ready to be inspired and discover new possibilities.
In this episode:
-
Amazon's journey from a bookshop to a tech giant
-
At least half of Amazon's leadership principles focus on innovation
-
Generative AI in customer experience and contact centers
-
Caution against technology-driven strategies
-
Amazon's efforts to help customers use generative AI
Meet Dr. Francis
Francis Goh is the Digital Innovation Leader, for Amazon, leading
innovation engagements with key clients of Amazon in the region. In
2016, he founded Hehsed Consulting, which specializes in Corporate
strategy, innovation, CX, Agile and leadership strategies. He was also a
mentor at NTU Nanyang (MBA) Business School. Prior to this he was the
CEO at the global HR consulting firm, Mercer and President CEO at
Fujitsu Singapore.
Francis has 28 years of international experience in the technology and
energy industries, having had numerous P&L and high impact
leadership roles with global leaders such as Accenture, SAP, HP,
Microsoft and ExxonMobil. During this time, Francis has lived and
worked across Asia, Europe and the United States.
Francis specializes in the areas of emerging solutions, breakthrough
business models and innovation. He has a proven track record in
building #high-performance teams and overachieving both revenue
and profit targets consistently. He has a strong reputation for
developing and deploying new business go-to-market strategies across
sales, operations and resource management. He establishes core
innovative business models which further enhanced brand positioning
and grew both topline and profits as a result. Francis is a hands-on
leader with deep solution and value-selling expertise across a broad
spectrum of clients in the Asia Pacific region across industries such as
Oil &Gas, FSI, telco, manufacturing and the government sectors.
Time Stamped Overview
[00:02:56] Passionate innovator shares Amazon's story and techniques.
[00:08:24] Excited to have Amazon on our podcast.
[00:11:09] Amazon's culture is centered around innovation. Innovation is crucial for organizations to avoid stagnation and competition. Amazon started as a bookshop and evolved into a successful ecommerce platform. Customer obsession is a core value and drives their innovation process. Starting with understanding customer needs before considering technology solutions is important.
[00:16:04] Start with customer and reverse engineer: avoiding technology-driven strategy trap. Customer obsession key in all aspects. Understand customer journey and priorities. Amazon's success: started as digital bookstore, applied principles to expand into diverse businesses like AWS.
[00:21:40] AI, specifically generative AI, is gaining popularity. It can generate new content and have various application
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Change management is a critical profession that focuses on the human side of change, utilizing various sciences and art to support successful projects and initiatives.
Working alongside project management, change management ensures that individuals are prepared and equipped for transitions, driving long-term success.
Doug Flory serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Change Management Professional and describes himself as a Changeologist.
In this episode of The Delighted Customers Podcast, we discuss:
- Implementation of five levers for effective change management
- the different levels of change management maturity and the role of trust in effective change implementation
- he highlights popular methodologies, such as Prosci, ADKAR, Kotter's Eight Steps, and Lewin's Stages
- the intersection of change managment and customer experience
Meet Doug
- We first met at the ACMP Summit in Charlotte and the topic was the Intersection of Customer Experience and Change Management
- 20 years of experience leading the way change works in Change Management & Transformation, Corporate Culture, and Ways of Working
- Background includes a multi-disciplinary approach towards a people-centered solution
- Currently, Doug serves on the Board of Directors @ ACMP and is an Executive Consultant
- His office colleague is a Yorkshire Terrier who is still how to trying to make copies
Timestamped overview
[00:01:01] Podcast host empowers leaders to delight customers.
[00:05:01] Change management: a profession focusing on people.
[00:10:05] "Steps to implement change in organizations"
[00:13:13] Understanding and applying different methodologies is crucial. Popular examples include pro size, ad, car, and model. They are taught in classes, followed by exams and certificates.
[00:16:30] Professional credentials like CCMP and CCXP.
[00:21:37] A global electric utility company faces challenges with change management. A consultant failed to handle the transition well, causing issues with HRIS system and employee trust. A new change management expert was brought in to rebuild trust and communication. The expert emphasizes the importance of identifying stakeholders, understanding change impacts, effective communication, training, and long-term sustainment. These levers are key to successful change management.
[00:31:41] Trust is core to many challenges faced.
[00:37:18] Impact of employee satisfaction on customer experience
[00:42:06] Customer and employee voices drive engagement, trust.
[00:43:53] Online retailer's bot miscommunication resolved by human.
[00:47:25] Hard question, unexpected path, successful career.
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Joe Wheeler, international bestselling author, technology innovator, consultant, and speaker. Joe has recently written a groundbreaking book called "Digital First Customer Experience: Seven Design Strategies From the World's Leading Brands."
Throughout this episode, Joe shares valuable insights and practical tips on how companies can leverage digital strategies to create highly scalable and repeatable experiences for their customers.
Joe also highlights some remarkable success stories from companies like Lemonade, Amazon, Starbucks and Nike, demonstrating how they have revolutionized customer experiences through digital design strategies. We delve into the importance of personalization, with Spotify serving as a standout example in the field.
But it's not just about technology and digital solutions.
We explore:
- the importance of understanding customer loyalty drivers
- the significance of addressing customer problems
- the potential pitfalls of falling in love with the product instead of focusing on customer needs
- The future of technology, including the imminent arrival of 6G and the convergence of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and edge-based computing
Join us as we dive deep into the world of digital first customer experiences, uncovering the secrets to delighting customers and turning them into loyal fans. Get ready for a thought-provoking and informative conversation with Joe Wheeler on this episode of the Delighted Customers Podcast!
Meet Joe
Joe Wheeler is an internationally recognized best-selling author, speaker, and consultant.
He is the CEO of CX/Digital a subsidiary of The Service Profit Chain Institute (SPCI), a
Boston-based consulting firm he co-founded with Professors Len Schlesinger, James
Heskett and W. Earl Sasser of the Harvard Business School. In 2002, he and Shaun Smith co-authored the best-seller: Managing the Customer Experience. He followed it up in 2008 with The Ownership Quotient, co-authored with James Hesket and Earl Sasser, Jr.
His latest book, The Digital-First Customer Experience will be released in July of 2023,
and describes the design strategies of leading brands including Nike, Amazon, CEMEX,
Starbucks and others.
Mr. Wheeler has delivered keynotes to clients and at conferences around the world on
topics including, customer experience, digital leadership and corporate culture.
Joe has worked with AT&T, Bank of America, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Digital Realty,
Equinix, GoDaddy, Humana, Irving Oil, Maersk. NetOne, Panera Bread, World Fuel Ser-
vices and many more.
He is also the Founder and Chairman of Bluemvmt, a company with a mission to protect,
restore and harness ocean resources for both commercial and conservation outcomes. Prior to co-founding The Service Profit Chain Institute, he held executive roles at Bank of America, The Forum Corporation and earned an MBA from Edinburgh Business School.
He lives in both Massachusetts and Nova Scotia when he is not on his way to or from a
client event.
Time Stamps
[00:03:11] Grew up in family business, wrote books.
[00:07:21] Controversy around technology replacing frontline staff.
[00:12:51] Digital-first challenges for legacy companies summarized.
[00:15:20] Key loyalty drivers revealed through research. Be wary of misinterpreting customer feedback.
[00:20:58] Culture, climate change, technology, and 6G speed.
[00:22:58] Six G will be 30 times faster. Competition and digital asset linkage are key.
[00
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"Why Reinvent the Wheel?"
That popular expression was taken seriously when the founder of woom was about to buy their child their first bike and realized something was wrong.
So the idea to consider the experience from a kids perspective and design a bicycle that wasn't just a smaller version of an adult bike was born.
Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, woom has expanded globally and now has over 240 employees and has sold over 1,000,000 bicycles all over the world.
On this episode I talk to April Overstetter who leads their employee and customer experience efforts.
Hear a fascinating story of the problem they were trying to solve and why they view their role as something much bigger than bicycles.
In this episode:
- Founding story of two brothers and a best friend creating a high-quality children's bike
- The connection between customer experience, design, and employee experience
- Importance of quick reactions and direct customer feedback
- Commitment to putting employees at the center of retention and engagement strategies
- Creating "magic moments" and valuing practicality based on customer feedback
- Innovation as a core value and dedicated future-focused team
Meet April
April Obersteller’s 15-year career in the service industry has been rooted within purpose driven companies that are in the fast and courageous stage of start-up to scale-up. Her passion for the human experience is combined with her appreciation for how data and technology can be powerful in identifying how-to make the most meaningful human impact. At woom, she is the Vice President of Global Experience, in which she leads a global team that supports both the Customer Experience and the Employee Experience with a focus on the full internal and external customer journey. Company Overview: woom is a globally-acclaimed kids’ bicycle company, originally founded in Austria in 2013, and expanded to the United States one year later. woom has disrupted the kids’ bike category across Europe and North America, as the largest and fastest-growing direct-to-consumer brand in the space. Its award-winning bikes include options that are 40% lighter than conventional kids’ bikes, making woom bikes the lightest series-production kids’ bikes in the world.
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Joe Pine is on my Mount Rushmore of Customer Experience.
He shares the exact moment, quite by accident, that the concept of "experience" as the next economy after the service economy was hatched.
In 2020 Mr. Pine and his partner James H. Gilmore re-released in hardcover The Experience Economy: Competing for Customer Time, Attention, and Money featuring an all-new Preview to their best-selling 1999 book The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage.
Joe believes that goods and services are no longer enough; what customers want are experiences—memorable events that engage each individual in an inherently personal way.
Join me on The Delighted Customers Podcast as Joe shares a vision for business—a world focused on human flourishing, where individuals become better people and achieve their goals. Discover how understanding your customers' wants, needs, and desires can help you create greater value and make a positive impact.
Joe shares practical insights and real world stories of how you can drive business outcomes. Here are some highlights:
- The concepts of mass customization and the experience economy
- Creating robust, cohesive, personal, dramatic, and transformative experiences
- Comparing work to theater and the importance of intentional and engaging experiences
- Changing the world of business to focus on human flourishing
- The importance of not wasting customers' time and aligning value with what customers value
- The concept of "customering" and the individualization megatrend
Meet JoeB. JOSEPH PINE II is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and management
advisor to Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial start-ups alike. He is cofounder of Strategic Horizons LLP, a thinking studio dedicated to helping businesses conceive and design new ways of adding value to their economic offerings.
In December 2019 Mr. Pine and his partner James H. Gilmore re-released in hardcover The Experience Economy: Competing for Customer Time, Attention, and
Money featuring an all-new Preview to their best-selling 1999 book The Experience
Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage. The book demonstrates how goods and services are no longer enough; what companies must offer today are experiences – memorable events that engage each customer in an inherently personal way. It further shows that in today’s Experience Economy companies now compete against the world for the time, attention, and money of individual customers. The Experience Economy has been published in fifteen languages and was named one of the 100 best business books of all time.
Mr. Pine also co-wrote Infinite Possibility: Creating Customer Value on the Digital
Frontier with Mr. Kim C. Korn, Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want with Mr.
Gilmore, and in 1993 published his first book, the award-winning Mass Customization: The New Frontier in Business Competition. His latest article in the Harvard Business Review is “The ‘New You’ Business” (January-February 2022), coauthored with Lance Bettencourt, Jim Gilmore, and Dave Norton.
In his speaking and teaching activities, Mr. Pine has addressed the World Economic Forum, the original TED conference, and the Consumer Electronics Show. Today he is a Lecturer in Columbia University’s Master’s Program in Technology Management in the School of Professional Studies.
Sign up for the newsletter https://strategichorizons.com/contact/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joepine/
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“Scale creates problems that empathy alone can’t solve”
Megan Burns unlocks the key to how leaders can differentiate their brands based on the experiences they deliver to customers on this episode of The Delighted Customers Podcast.
She ought to know...she spent more than 10 years as vice president principal analyst at Forrester Research where she developed ground-breaking research on how brands like Amazon, Apple, Starbucks, and Salesforce deliver great customer experiences at scale in the face of constant social and technological never-ending disruption.
In this episode we discuss the underlying problems leaders need to solve and why so many companies miss the target, plus:
- What’s the biggest challenge delivering an outstanding experience today?
- Why leaders should think about themselves as being in the experience delivery business
- Understanding the shift from “Pay Attention” to “Believe” to “Care”
- Why getting key stakeholders to care isn’t enough
- The Activation Challenge: Why is it critical to customer loyalty
- Why making the business case is not the entire solution
Meet Megan
Megan Burns is a customer experience strategist, author, and keynote speaker who helps companies build world-class customer experience programs that accelerate growth and drive strategic advantage.
A former Vice President at Forrester Research, Megan has advised hundreds of corporations over her 20+ year career, including Microsoft, Workday, Akamai, FedEx, Verizon, and AT&T. As the architect of two of the industry's most well-known frameworks - the Customer Experience Index and the Outside In Maturity Model - Megan is considered one of the world's foremost experts on leading experience transformation at scale.
Her insights have been featured in dozens of publications like the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, AdAge, and CNBC, and Megan is a popular speaker at events like the Wall Street Journal's Experience Management Forum, CXPA Leaders Advance, the Chief Experience Officer Summit, and the Qualtrics X4 Summit. As a CX pioneer, Megan is regularly invited to judge industry awards like the CXPA Innovation Awards and World Customer Centricity Awards and to appear on popular podcasts like Voices of CX and CX Luminaries. After interviewing Megan, one host said: "I've never seen anyone with customer experience so deeply in their blood."
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
Most companies don’t suffer from a lack of data.
They struggle getting the right data and to know specifically what changes they need to prioritize.
The key is know what levers to pull and exactly how far to pull them
Jason’s work with NPS Prism is nothing short of game changing.
In this episode of the Delighted Customers Podcast we explore:
- The risks of digitizing everything
- The discrepancy between a company's internal measures of success and customer perception
- The dangers of buying share through discounting
- The importance of competitive benchmarking
- The risks and challenges of digitization: when human touch is non-negotiable
- How NPS Prism was created and how it helps companies improve customer experiences
Meet Jason
Jason Barro is a leader in Bain's Customer Strategy & Marketing practice, specializing in the Net Promoter System® and customer-driven transformations. He is also the lead partner and founder of NPS Prism, Bain’s customer experience benchmarking service that provides actionable insights to grow loyalty and sales.
He has more than 14 years of consulting experience with Bain.
Jason has extensive experience leading customer transformations across a wide range of industries, including media, cable, retail, banking, credit cards, restaurants and healthcare. He has advised both business-to-consumer and business-to business companies.
Prior to joining Bain in 2004, Jason was an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard Business School from 1999-2004, where he performed research and taught courses on microeconomics, corporate governance and health economics.
Jason earned his PhD, Masters and Bachelor of Arts degrees in economics from Harvard University.
Connect with Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-barro-b25a8a/
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
Leah Marone, Mental Wellness Consultant, Psychotherapist, Keynote Speaker, Author competed at the top level in Division 1 basketball. She brings all of the highs and lows of a top tier athlete to her professional role as a psychotherapist.
As a board member and external consultant, Leah has been able to leverage her clinical background to develop solutions that prioritize both the bottom line and the well-being of team members and leaders.
This is one of my favorite episodes because it sheds light on customer experience from a different perspective.
In this episode:
👉 What’s the post-Covid “emotional hangover?"
👉 Why the “urgency culture” produces burnout.
👉 What’s the business risk of burned out employees?
👉 What’s the “full balloon” dilemma?
👉 What are the signs leaders should listen for?
👉 How can leaders improve employee engagement and retention through wellness?
MEET LEAH
Leah Marone, LCSW, is a psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience based in
Charlotte, NC. She has facilitated over 20,000 therapy sessions, writes for Psychology
Today, and is an expert forum contributor for Newsweek. Leah was a former
anxiety-ridden Division 1 basketball player which has led to her passion for working with athletes and coaches on combating pressure, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and performance anxiety.
As a mental wellness consultant, Leah works with companies and nonprofits on topics
such as; anxiety & stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, productivity, effective
communication, and emotional intelligence. She offers a number of supportive services and fully assesses the company culture in order to meet an organization 'where they are' and address its needs. Her 5-step initiative not only reinforces the importance of mental health within an entire organization, but also identifies areas where growth and connection are needed to prevent high turnover, address burnout, and improve productivity.
Currently, she partners with Equitable and facilitates a three-part wellness series for
teachers and administrators that focuses primarily on boundary setting and resilience
for the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System in NC.
Outside of work, Leah enjoys traveling, hiking, exercising, and writing. She also loves
being a coach for her daughter’s club soccer team.
Contact Leah on LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahmaronelcsw/
Or visit her on Leahmarone.com
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
Augie Ray is a foremost CX thought leader, speaker, and research at one of the world’s most respected research firms, Gartner. He’s had a leadership role in CX practices at CX leading brands such as USAA and American Express.
This episode is loaded with gems for business leaders who know the importance of putting the customer experience at the center of your corporate strategy.
In this episode (we covered a lot so there are a lot of gems):
- Common obstacles that hijack customer centricity
- How Amex used NPS to make the business case for CX
- Keys to USAA’s recognition as a CX leader
- Why employee onboarding is so critical to successful CX organizations
- The ROI of CX - What the research says
- The financial benefits and “secondary benefits” of CX
- Why do CX practices struggle?
- Latest Gartner Reserach: The 3 Primary Drivers of CX Success
MEET AUGIE
Augie Ray is a VP, Analyst covering customer experience at Gartner. He advises clients on CX strategy, Voice of the Customer programs, CX organization, personas, customer journeys, and the ROI of CX.
Before joining Gartner, Augie was the Director of Customer Experience Action at American Express, Executive Director of Community and Collaboration at USAA, and managed an experiential marketing agency in his hometown of Milwaukee, WI.
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
We’ve all taken surveys.
Clearly some are better than others.
Well designed and implemented surveys can provide business leaders with actionable insights that improve retention, reduce cost to serve, and drive customers loyalty - if acted upon.
They can help companies serve their customers better and provide them with more value.
Poorly designed surveys do just the opposite.
Martha Brooks is an expert when it comes to customer research.
Martha shares some of the secrets of best in class survey design with power and passion.
In this episode we discuss:
- What’s the primary problem with surveys today?
- What are the 3 areas of differentiation for scientific research
- How to ask provocative questions to increase market share
- The art and science of surveys
- The problem with most CX programs
- The power of 3rd party surveys
MEET MARTHA
Martha Brooke is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) and holds a Blackbelt in Six Sigma.
To dramatically improve the Customer Experience, Martha founded Interaction Metrics, a Customer Experience (CX) Consulting Company in 2004.
Clients such as Yaskawa America, Bosch, and Synchrony Financial choose Interaction Metrics for its pairing of scientific CX research with software such as Power BI, Alchemer, and Qualtrics.
With her team of Analysts, Martha uses qualitative and quantitative research methods to pinpoint customer experience gaps and improvement opportunities. Methods include Text Analytics, Surveys, and Customer Service Evaluations.
To spur dialogue about the Customer Experience, Martha leads top-rated conference sessions and workshops. Some of the organizations where Martha has been asked to speak include Project Management Institute (PMI), American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), HDI, The Score Conference, Customer Solutions Expo, American Marketing Association (AMA), NICSA at the Harvard Club, Operations Summit, Association of Support Professionals, and SOCAP International.
Prior to Interaction Metrics, Martha worked for two dotcoms, Lucy.com and Food.com, where she drove improvements into the customer experience. And she held operations positions in areas that touch on aspects of CX such as quality assurance and customer service.
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
What are the biggest obstacles to successful change initiatives?
Amanda Schmoldt has the expertise and experience that only comes from successfully leading change management initiatives at some of the most respected brands in the world like USAA and Neiman Marcus.
Not only is she the President of the Association of Change Management Professionals, but she’s also the Senior Director of Change and Transformation Enablement at Halo Branded Solutions.
Customer Experience Management (CXM) and Change Management (CM) are kindred spirits and have a lot in common.
We explore the intersection of both professions as well as some other practical advice for leaders such as:
👉 Why CM initiatives fail
👉 The intersection of CX and CM
👉 How she helped change the culture at Neiman Marcus
👉 What USAA did right when it comes to cultural transformation
👉 Using behavioral metrics to measure success for change initiatives
Meet Amanda
Amanda Schmoldt, CCMP, has more than two decades of experience in organizational change management, human resources, communications, and organizational effectiveness. Amanda is President of the Association of Change Management Professionals and serves as Senior Director of Change & Transformation Enablement for HALO Branded Solutions. In her current role, she leads a team that is dedicated to building enterprise change capabilities and supporting the people side of the company’s change and transformation efforts. Before joining HALO, Amanda held various leadership roles at Neiman Marcus Group, USAA, Caterpillar, Archer Daniels Midland, and the State of Illinois. She lives in San Antonio, Texas.
You can reach her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-schmoldt/
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
The 5 Leadership SUPERPOWERS with Jay Weiser, Principal and Founder, Jay Weiser Consulting
Jay Weiser is a leadership expert.
He’s a graduate of the Wharton School, and has consulted at Accenture.
He’s worked with recognizable names like Autotrader, Bristol Myers Squibb and others.
Jay helps us think critically about the tensions that exist for leaders and how to leverage them to build superior organizations.
In this episode we talk about:
- Lessons for leaders from SVB’s failure
- How Delta’s CEO provided 3 keys to success immediately following the Covid outbreak
- How Jay’s leadership insights intersect with outstanding customer experiences
- And, of course THE FIVE LEADERSHIP SUPERPOWERS
Meet Jay
Jay Weiser is the Principal and Founder of Jay Weiser Consulting. His passion is enabling leaders and organizations to not only survive but thrive in the face of disruptiveness and uncertainty. Knowing traditional leadership capabilities are insufficient in this environment, Jay developed THE FIVE LEADERSHIP SUPERPOWERS™ capability
model to address this need.
Through speaking, training, assessment, and advisory services, he helps his clients succeed by improving their preparedness/readiness enabling them to better withstand disruptions, recover quicker, accelerate forward, and
be positioned to jump on opportunities faster.
Jay has over 3 decades of experience advising executives across multiple industries and various environments. His clients and employers span from the middle market to Fortune/Forbes 500, including recognizable names like
Autotrader (Cox Auto), Bristol Myers Squibb, Fulton County Schools, JP Morgan Chase, to Publix.
Jay has delivered presentations to executive groups and has been interviewed for multiple podcasts around the globe. Most recently, he was interviewed by Eric McNulty with the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, a joint program between Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Chan School of Public Health. His thought leadership has been featured on Forbes.com, Rework.co, The Balanced Scorecard Report (an HBS publication),
LinkedIn, and on his website, www.jayweiser.com.
He has a BS in Economics from The Wharton School (UPenn) and his MBA from the Goizueta Business School (Emory).
LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/jayrweiser
Twitter – www.twitter.com/@Jay_R_Weiser
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
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Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
This episode is part 2 of a 2 part series featuring a very special guest, Professor of Marketing from the Wharton School of Business, at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Peter Fader. We will talk about how his new book may revolutionize the way Wall Street looks at what a company is actually worth based not on traditional financial metrics alone but the overall health of it’s customers. At some companies, it’s already starting to happen.
He challenges leaders who spend countless hours looking at traditional financial statements without understanding the health of their customer base.
In this episode we will break down The Customer Base audit with real world examples from his book and from my experience as a CX practitioner and other practical applications. I hope you will keep an open mind as we dive into some groundbreaking concepts that could change the way organizations think about their business.
Peter Fader's Bio
Peter Fader is the Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His expertise centers around the analysis of behavioral data to understand and forecast customer shopping/purchasing activities. He works with firms from a wide range of industries, such as telecommunications, financial services, gaming/entertainment, retailing, and pharmaceuticals. Managerial applications focus on topics such as customer relationship management, lifetime value of the customer, and sales forecasting for new products.
Much of his research highlights the consistent (but often surprising) behavioral patterns that exist across these industries and other seemingly different domains.
In addition to his various roles and responsibilities at Wharton, Professor Fader co-founded a predictive analytics firm (Zodiac) in 2015, which was sold to Nike in 2018. He then co-founded (and continues to run) Theta to commercialize his more recent work on “customer-based corporate valuation.”
Fader is the author of “Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage” (2020) and co-authored “The Customer Centricity Playbook” with Sarah Toms (2018). A third book, “The Customer-Base Audit,” will be published in Fall 2022.
He has won many awards for his research and teaching accomplishments. Among these achievements, he was named by Advertising Age as one of its inaugural “25 Marketing Technology Trailblazers” in 2017, and was the only academic on the list.
The Customer-Base Audit
The First Step on the Journey to Customer Centricity
Peter Fader, Bruce Hardie, and Michael Ross
As a leader in your organization, you will be very familiar with your organization’s key financial statements and monthly management reports. You may have spent countless hours discussing budgets and expenditures. But how much time have you spent reflecting on the fact that these revenues are generated by actual customers—the people who pull out their wallets and pay for your products and services?
In The Customer-Base Audit: The First Step on the Journey to Customer Centricity, experts Peter Fader, Bruce Hardie, and Michael Ross start you on the path toward really getting to understand your customers’ buying behavior as well as the health of your overall customer base.
To order the book:
https://www.amazon.com/Customer-Base-Audit-Journey-Customer-Centricity/dp/1613631618
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
This episode is part 1 of a 2 part series featuring a very special guest, Professor of Marketing from the Wharton School of Business, at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Peter Fader. We will talk about how his new book may revolutionize the way Wall Street looks at what a company is actually worth based not on traditional financial metrics alone but the overall health of it’s customers. At some companies, it’s already starting to happen.
He challenges leaders who spend countless hours looking at traditional financial statements without understanding the health of their customer base.
In this episode we will break down The Customer Base audit with real world examples from his book and from my experience as a CX practitioner and other practical applications. I hope you will keep an open mind as we dive into some groundbreaking concepts that could change the way organizations think about their business.
Peter Fader's Bio
Peter Fader is the Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His expertise centers around the analysis of behavioral data to understand and forecast customer shopping/purchasing activities. He works with firms from a wide range of industries, such as telecommunications, financial services, gaming/entertainment, retailing, and pharmaceuticals. Managerial applications focus on topics such as customer relationship management, lifetime value of the customer, and sales forecasting for new products.
Much of his research highlights the consistent (but often surprising) behavioral patterns that exist across these industries and other seemingly different domains.
In addition to his various roles and responsibilities at Wharton, Professor Fader co-founded a predictive analytics firm (Zodiac) in 2015, which was sold to Nike in 2018. He then co-founded (and continues to run) Theta to commercialize his more recent work on “customer-based corporate valuation.”
Fader is the author of “Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage” (2020) and co-authored “The Customer Centricity Playbook” with Sarah Toms (2018). A third book, “The Customer-Base Audit,” will be published in Fall 2022.
He has won many awards for his research and teaching accomplishments. Among these achievements, he was named by Advertising Age as one of its inaugural “25 Marketing Technology Trailblazers” in 2017, and was the only academic on the list.
The Customer-Base Audit
The First Step on the Journey to Customer Centricity
Peter Fader, Bruce Hardie, and Michael Ross
As a leader in your organization, you will be very familiar with your organization’s key financial statements and monthly management reports. You may have spent countless hours discussing budgets and expenditures. But how much time have you spent reflecting on the fact that these revenues are generated by actual customers—the people who pull out their wallets and pay for your products and services?
In The Customer-Base Audit: The First Step on the Journey to Customer Centricity, experts Peter Fader, Bruce Hardie, and Michael Ross start you on the path toward really getting to understand your customers’ buying behavior as well as the health of your overall customer base.
To order the book:
https://www.amazon.com/Customer-Base-Audit-Journey-Customer-Centricity/dp/1613631618
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
Delivering Happiness 2.0 - Behind the Scenes Look at Zappos with Head of Customer Research, Alex Genov
In 2009, Amazon bought a start up shoe company that broke the mold by selling entirely over the internet .
It differentiated solely on customer service. The legendary stories of their obsession with #DeliveringHappiness (CEO Tony Hsieh's bestseller) shifted paradigms.
Amazon paid for $2.1billion for Zappos.
Zappos is very much thriving today and poised for the next stage of its adventure.
Join us for a fascinating peek into the world of innovation and "meaningful culture" in this episode with speaker, author, PhD, and wicked smart...
Alex Genov, Head of Customer Experience Research, as he shares:
- Reflections of working with the legendary CEO, the late Tony Hsieh
.- Developing a culture of meaning.
-Zappos' scrappy beginnings and how that translated to results down the road - The shift that's Zappos is undergoing right now from customer. service excellence to customer experience excellence
- Zappos adaptive, which underscores Zappos is commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- His new book called, Forget the Customer, See the Person.
All that and a sneak preview into a little standup comedy from Alex, which should be a lot of fun. : )
Bio
Alex Genov, Head of Customer Experience Research, Zappos.com
Alex is an experienced customer research professional who applies his Experimental Social Psychology background and his passion for research, design, and innovation to solving important customer and business problems. His professional goal is to help teams create remarkable products and services which make people's lives easier and more enjoyable.
Currently Alex is leading Customer Research for the Zappos Family of Companies. In previous positions, he was responsible for research and usability of the products and services for companies like TurboTax (Intuit), State Farm Insurance, and the Active Network. Alex has a PhD in Experimental Social Psychology and over 25 years of relevant experience – 5 years of academic research and over 20 years of customer research in the software industry.
Alex’s areas of expertise include: defining and measuring emotions, the psychology of individual differences, usability, market research and consumer segmentation, customer experience research and strategy.
Here's a link to his new book:
Forget the Customer, See the Person: A business guide to deeper customer empathy in uncertain times and beyond
https://www.amazon.com/Forget-Customer-See-Person-uncertain/dp/B0B14MBQRZ
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
In celebration of CX Week this episode features Nancy Porte, Chair, Board of Directors, CXPA.
Nancy discusses 3 important topics:
-
Why gaining the support of executives is critical and how you might go about achieving that.
-
Why CX professionals and those considering the profession might want to join the Customer Experience Professionals Association.
-
On a more personal note - Nancy shares her work in support of disadvantaged children and teens where she serves on the Board of the Children's Village. She also talks about how she applies customer experience principles to help operationalize CX.
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
In celebration of CX week, my special guest, CXPA CEO Greg Melia talks about how he ended up becoming the first full time CEO of CXPA and why the organization helps CX professionals differentiate their careers by joining and engaging in the organization.
He also shares the new CX Book of Knowledge and shares a "sneak peek on what's on the horizon that will be a significant benefit to members.
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
The race to digital transformation was accelerated by the pandemic. Many organizations have invested time and money and have little to show for it. Jaya Sudarshan shares the secret to blending the right combination of digital improvements to an improved customer experience.
She also emphasizes the importance of designing experiences with an awareness of different country cultures. From the difference in dust levels, electricity portals, and personal applications, she shares how experience design plays out at HP.
Jaya also shares her mountaintop moments and pothole realities that help appreciate the journey of delivering outstanding experiences consistently.
Jaya's Bio
Jaya currently leads customer experience initiatives for the CS F&C organization across Greater Asia and India. She has been with the HP family (HP/HPE/HPI) throughout her 18 year old career.
She serves as a Board member for the Global Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) - a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and cultivation of the Customer Experience profession. A passionate Inclusion & Diversity advocate, she has holds office as the communication chair for the global CS F&C DEI council. As a certified #IamRemarkable facilitator, she furthers her volunteering efforts towards building a better, inclusive world. During her free time she enjoys travel, food and books!
Jaya can be reached by email at jayalakshmi.sudarshan@hp.com .
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
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Trust.
Isn't that one of those soft, touchy-feely words?
In today's word of digital transformation, isn't people skills so...yesterday?
From someone who walked the walk as a CX practitioner, one of the most critical skills is the ability to influence - without positional power.
The ability to build trust with key stakeholders is a golden asset for any business leader but it's essential for a CX or EX leader!
How Do You Build Trust with Key Stakeholders?
My guest on this episode of the Delighted Customers Podcast, Charlie Green, knows a thing or two about building trust - he should, he wrote the book on it.
Here are just a few of the benefits that trusted advisors enjoy. CX Leaders can expect their key stakeholders will:
- Reach for your advise
- Be inclined to accept and act on your recommendations
- Bring you in on more advanced, complex, strategic issues
- Share more information that helps you help them
Charles H. Green
Charles H. Green is an author, speaker and world expert on
trust-based relationships and sales in complex businesses.
Founder and CEO of Trusted Advisor Associates, he is
author of Trust-based Selling, and co-author of The Trusted
Advisor and the Trusted Advisor Fieldbook.
He has worked with a wide range of industries and functions globally.
Charles works with complex organizations to improve trust in sales,
internal trust between organizations, and trusted advisor relationships
with external clients and customers.
Charles spent 20 years in management consulting. He majored in
philosophy (Columbia), and has an MBA (Harvard).
A widely sought-after speaker, he has published articles in Harvard
Business Review, Directorship Magazine, Management Consulting
News, CPA Journal, American Lawyer, Investments
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
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Dr. Tom DeWitt, trailblazer and Director of CXM@MSU, talks about why it was time to launch a Masters of Science in Customer Experience Management (CXM) at Michigan State University.
He shares some powerful realities about why companies should lead with a customer experience strategy and how this program can close the gap by preparing leaders to lead CX at the C-level.
If you are thinking about advancing your education and you're a CX practitioner, or if you are an employer interesting in preparing leaders to contribute to revenue growth by earning customer loyalty, this episode is a must.
For more information about the program, interested applicants and companies should visit https://broad.msu.edu/marketing/cxm/.
Here's some interesting research that supported the creation and launch of the new degreed program at MSU:
According to a survey conducted in the summer of 2020 with 160 decision makers that were provided with a description of the proposed MSU MS-CXM degree program, 87% indicated that it is important to hire employees that are experts in the field of customer experience management (CXM); 80% said they would be likely to give a raise to current employees who have obtained the degree; and 78% of US companies and 89% of international companies would be likely to hire students graduating from the program.
Similarly, a survey of 338 professionals working in CX conducted at the same time found that 87% of respondents indicated that CXM is critical to success; 85% were interested in a master’s degree in CXM; 63% would be likely to apply if the MSU MS-CXM degree were offered; and 44% of respondents that are extremely likely to pursue a master’s degree in the next 5 years would be extremely likely to apply to this MS-CXM degree.
Tom DeWitt, Ph.D. Bio
Tom DeWitt, Ph.D. is the Director of CXM@MSU, an entity dedicated to the advancement of customer experience management (CXM), and a fixed-term faculty member in the Department of Marketing of the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. As the Director of CXM@MSU, Dr. DeWitt has created North America’s first academic program in customer experience management (Masters of Science in Customer Experience Management - MS-CXM) and hosts industry conferences twice each year for organizations to share best practices in CXM.
For more than a decade Dr. DeWitt has also provided customer experience management (CXM) solutions to organizations and audiences around the world through consulting, workshops and presentations. Prior to joining academia, Tom enjoyed a career in the hospitality industry, where he served in senior management roles in the USA and Asia.
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
In this episode, my guest Stacey Nevel gives practical tips on how to engage employees and avoid some of the most common mistakes that negatively impact employee engagement.
Have a clear purpose and align your team to that mission is the first step. She provides illustrations of how to do that and steps that winning organizations take to ensure congruence between corporate strategy and how it's lived in the organization's culture.
Ultimately, engaged employees drive customer loyalty, retention, profitability, forgiveness, and referrals.
She also shares an interesting story about how linemen in a utility company were out of alignment with that mission and how that impacted the impact on their clients.
Join us for some fresh perspectives from the Vice President of Voice of the Customer at the rock, Prudential Financial.
Stacey Nevel, CCXP
OVERVIEW
Stacey is a seasoned Customer Experience (CX) professional with over 25 years of experience designing and managing customer and employee feedback programs. She has a background in CX feedback measurement and management within client-side financial services and insurance companies as well as vendor-side CX technology and consulting providers. Throughout her career she has sought to better understand and share the linkages between VOC, VOE and operational metrics to positively impact the customer experience, customer loyalty and product usability. Stacey holds a B.S.B.A. in Marketing from Georgetown University as well as CCXP, CEM and NPS® industry certifications.
CURRENT ROLE
Currently, Stacey is serving as the Vice President, Voice of the Customer, where she oversees the strategy, methodology and competitive benchmarking of the US VOC program while also service as a senior relationship lead for 3 key business units. Since joining Prudential she has worked to develop a comprehensive Voice of the Customer (VoC) research strategy that supports a continuous cycle of listening, analyzing, action planning and monitoring, partner with Customer Experience (CX) leaders and teams on the design, measurement framework, analysis, synthetization and socialization of customer and evangelize the importance of democratizing customer feedback data to enable timely close loop processes and targeted employee training that drives customer-centricity. In addition to her role at Prudential, Stacey also serves on the board of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) and as chair of the CCXP Advisory Committee.
BEFORE PRUDENTIAL
Prior to joining Prudential Stacey was the Director, CX Consulting for Confirmit Inc., where she grew the Confirmit CX practice through thought leadership and strategic consulting to scope, design and sell customer experience feedback programs to prospective and current North American clients. In 2017 alone, she participated in over 15 speaking opportunities spanning broad CX and industry specific events. She also authored Confirmit’s internal methodology document and co-authored their CX maturity model, client onboarding process, and empathy and customer-journey mapping processes. Prior to Confirmit, Stacey has accumulated a wealth of CX and VOC knowledge from her experiences with major platform providers and agencies, including Allegiance, Satmetrix, Vovici, and CustomerSat.
FIRST CAREER ROLE
Citibank, N.A., Manager, Client Satisfaction and Support. Stacey managed the monthly survey and mystery shopping programs for the New York retail bank market for five years. She was the recipient of the Service Excellence Award in 1995 and the Corporate Quality Award in 1998.
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
Customer friction can lead to customer defection. Often, companies attempt to fix their customer's pain with a short term solution. Diane defines design thinking and why it's a different approach that starts with putting your customer in the center.
She also shares what led her from a career as a clinical psychologist, supporting those dealing with death and dying, into the world of customer experience management.
What caused her to career to change trajectories may surprise you.
Diane's Bio
Diane Magers, CCXP (Certified Customer Experience Professional), MS, MBA
Founder and CEO
Experience Catalysts
Passionate experience transformation executive and change agent. Sherpa for new and developing experience-obsessed organizations. Thought leader and innovator for engaging associates, customers, and partners. Believes sustainable change requires embedding customer and experience capabilities into all parts of an organization.
Skilled in creating Experience Management business value and systematically changing organizations to align around experience and drive financial impact. She specializes in enabling brands with skills and competencies like design thinking, journey management, and value mapping to drive sustainable shifts in how organizations work to achieve results. Over 25 years of transforming experiences working in and with brands such as Sysco, AT&T, State Farm, Dale Carnegie, CommScope, Invisalign, Ciena, Freeman, Cisco, and Sodexho.
Diane is the Emeritus Board Chair and recent CEO for the Customer Experience Professionals Association, speaks and conducts workshops all over the world to help transform Experience Management strategy into action. She has a very unique background…earned an MS in Clinical Psychology and an MBA. She is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) and holds certifications in Voice of Customer, Customer Experience Management, Net Promoter Score, and CX Design, and Innovation LUMA certified.
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
Jon shares gems from his new book: From Impressed to Obsessed: 12 Principles for Turning Customers an Employees Into Lifelong Fans. Excellence is never an accident. Jon brilliantly pulls the curtain back on proven methods to fundamentally change the way you think about creating a successful, beloved business.
Show Notes
Jon Picoult shared practical and proven principles from his new book From Impressed to Obsessed in this episode. We talk about real world challenges for CX leaders and what cognitive science implies about where organizations go wrong and what leaders can do about it.
Blog Reference: https://www.empoweredcx.com/post/the-holy-grail-of-cx-in-the-c-suite
About The Author
Jon Picoult helps companies impress their customers and
inspire their employees, creating “raving fans” that drive
business growth. He is the founder of Watermark Consulting
and a noted authority on customer and employee experience.
A sought-after business advisor and public speaker, Jon’s
insights have been featured by dozens of media outlets,
including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times,
Fortune, and Forbes.com (where he is a regular contributor).
His landmark study on the ROI of customer experience is one
of the most widely cited pieces of research in the industry,
referenced by firms such as McKinsey, Deloitte, Accenture,
Forrester, SAP, and Oracle.
Jon is also the author of the new book, “From Impressed to
Obsessed: 12 Principles for Turning Customers and Employees
into Lifelong Fans” (McGraw-Hill, Nov. 2, 2021), which debuted as an Amazon #1 New Release
and has earned praise from business luminaries such as Horst Schulze (co-founder of Ritz-
Carlton Hotels), Hubert Joly (former CEO of Best Buy), and Marshall Goldsmith (world-
renowned executive coach).
Jon has advised the C-suite at some of the world’s foremost brands, including companies such
as AT&T, Allstate, ADT, Generali, and Becton Dickinson. He’s helped these and other
organizations capitalize on the power of loyalty – both in the marketplace and in the workplace.
Prior to establishing Watermark in 2009, Jon held senior executive roles at Fortune 100
companies – leading service, operations, distribution, technology, sales and marketing. Early in
his career, at the age of 29, Jon earned the distinction of becoming the youngest executive
officer in the over 150-year history of a leading global insurance and investment firm.
Jon received his A.B. in Cognitive Science from Princeton University and his M.B.A. in General
Management from Duke University.
Learn more at Jon’s website.
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
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Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
The Delighted Customers Podcast trailer describes who the show is for (business leaders and CX leaders) and how it can help listeners delight their customers to achieve sustainable growth...consistently.
You can get all the podcast episodes at Empoweredcx.com/podcast.
https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Please subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
Contact me if:
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Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
This episode is part 1 of a 2 part series featuring a very special guest, Professor of Marketing from the Wharton School of Business, at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Peter Fader. We will talk about how his new book may revolutionize they wall street looks at what a company is actually worth based not on traditional financial metrics alone but the overall health of it’s customers. At some companies, it’s already starting to happen.
He challenges leaders who spend countless hours looking at traditional financial statements without understand the health of their customer base.
I wrote a post on linked in recently about this concept of segmenting and treating customers based on their value and the responses were highly polarized. Shouldn’t we treat all customers alike? He suggests that if you are leading a customer centric organization, you may want to think about the results you’re after.
**I this episode we will break down The Customer Base audit with real world examples from his book and from my experience as a CX practitioner and other practical applications. I hope you will keep an open mind as we dive into some groundbreaking concepts that could change the way organizations think about their business.
Peter Fader**
**Peter Fader is the Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His expertise centers around the analysis of behavioral data to understand and forecast customer shopping/purchasing activities. He works with firms from a wide range of industries, such as telecommunications, financial services, gaming/entertainment, retailing, and pharmaceuticals. Managerial applications focus on topics such as customer relationship management, lifetime value of the customer, and sales forecasting for new products.
Much of his research highlights the consistent (but often surprising) behavioral patterns that exist across these industries and other seemingly different domains.**
In addition to his various roles and responsibilities at Wharton, Professor Fader co-founded a predictive analytics firm (Zodiac) in 2015, which was sold to Nike in 2018. He then co-founded (and continues to run) Theta to commercialize his more recent work on “customer-based corporate valuation.”
Fader is the author of “Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage” (2020) and co-authored “The Customer Centricity Playbook” with Sarah Toms (2018). A third book, “The Customer-Base Audit,” will be published in Fall 2022.
He has won many awards for his research and teaching accomplishments. Among these achievements, he was named by Advertising Age as one of its inaugural “25 Marketing Technology Trailblazers” in 2017, and was the only academic on the list.
The Customer-Base Audit The First Step on the Journey to Customer Centricity
Peter Fader, Bruce Hardie, and Michael Ross
As a leader in your organization, you will be very familiar with your organization’s key financial statements and monthly management reports. You may have spent countless hours discussing budgets and expenditures. But how much time have you spent reflecting on the fact that these revenues are generated by actual customers—the people who pull out their wallets and pay for your products and services?
In The Customer-Base Audit: The First Step on the Journey to Customer Centricity, experts Peter Fader, Bruce Hardie, and Michael Ross start you on the path toward really getting to understand your customers’ buying behavior as well as the health of your overall customer
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
This episode is part 2 of a 2 part series featuring a very special guest, Professor of Marketing from the Wharton School of Business, at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Peter Fader. We will talk about how his new book may revolutionize they wall street looks at what a company is actually worth based not on traditional financial metrics alone but the overall health of it’s customers. At some companies, it’s already starting to happen.
He challenges leaders who spend countless hours looking at traditional financial statements without understand the health of their customer base.
I wrote a post on linked in recently about this concept of segmenting and treating customers based on their value and the responses were highly polarized. Shouldn’t we treat all customers alike? He suggests that if you are leading a customer centric organization, you may want to think about the results you’re after.
**I this episode we will break down The Customer Base audit with real world examples from his book and from my experience as a CX practitioner and other practical applications. I hope you will keep an open mind as we dive into some groundbreaking concepts that could change the way organizations think about their business.
Peter Fader**
**Peter Fader is the Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His expertise centers around the analysis of behavioral data to understand and forecast customer shopping/purchasing activities. He works with firms from a wide range of industries, such as telecommunications, financial services, gaming/entertainment, retailing, and pharmaceuticals. Managerial applications focus on topics such as customer relationship management, lifetime value of the customer, and sales forecasting for new products.
Much of his research highlights the consistent (but often surprising) behavioral patterns that exist across these industries and other seemingly different domains.**
In addition to his various roles and responsibilities at Wharton, Professor Fader co-founded a predictive analytics firm (Zodiac) in 2015, which was sold to Nike in 2018. He then co-founded (and continues to run) Theta to commercialize his more recent work on “customer-based corporate valuation.”
Fader is the author of “Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage” (2020) and co-authored “The Customer Centricity Playbook” with Sarah Toms (2018). A third book, “The Customer-Base Audit,” will be published in Fall 2022.
He has won many awards for his research and teaching accomplishments. Among these achievements, he was named by Advertising Age as one of its inaugural “25 Marketing Technology Trailblazers” in 2017, and was the only academic on the list.
The Customer-Base Audit The First Step on the Journey to Customer Centricity
Peter Fader, Bruce Hardie, and Michael Ross
As a leader in your organization, you will be very familiar with your organization’s key financial statements and monthly management reports. You may have spent countless hours discussing budgets and expenditures. But how much time have you spent reflecting on the fact that these revenues are generated by actual customers—the people who pull out their wallets and pay for your products and services?
In The Customer-Base Audit: The First Step on the Journey to Customer Centricity, experts Peter Fader, Bruce Hardie, and Michael Ross start you on the path toward really getting to understand your customers’ buying behavior as well as the health of your overall
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
Delivering Happiness 2.0 - Behind the Scenes Look at Zappos with Head of Customer Research, Alex Genov
In 2009, Amazon bought a start up shoe company that broke the mold by selling entirely over the internet .
It differentiated solely on customer service. The legendary stories of their obsession with #DeliveringHappiness (CEO Tony Hsieh's bestseller) shifted paradigms.
Amazon paid for $2.1billion for Zappos.
Zappos is very much thriving today and poised for the next stage of its adventure.
Join us for a fascinating peek into the world of innovation and "meaningful culture" in this episode with speaker, author, PhD, and wicked smart...
Alex Genov, Head of Customer Experience Research, as he shares:
- Reflections of working with the legendary CEO, the late Tony Hsieh
.- Developing a culture of meaning.
-Zappos' scrappy beginnings and how that translated to results down the road - The shift that's Zappos is undergoing right now from customer. service excellence to customer experience excellence
- Zappos adaptive, which underscores Zappos is commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- His new book called, Forget the Customer, See the Person.
All that and a sneak preview into a little standup comedy from Alex, which should be a lot of fun. : )
Bio
Alex Genov, Head of Customer Experience Research, Zappos.com
Alex is an experienced customer research professional who applies his Experimental Social Psychology background and his passion for research, design, and innovation to solving important customer and business problems. His professional goal is to help teams create remarkable products and services which make people's lives easier and more enjoyable.
Currently Alex is leading Customer Research for the Zappos Family of Companies. In previous positions, he was responsible for research and usability of the products and services for companies like TurboTax (Intuit), State Farm Insurance, and the Active Network. Alex has a PhD in Experimental Social Psychology and over 25 years of relevant experience – 5 years of academic research and over 20 years of customer research in the software industry.
**Alex’s areas of expertise include: defining and measuring emotions, the psychology of individual differences, usability, market research and consumer segmentation, customer experience research and strategy.
Here's a link to his new book:**
Forget the Customer, See the Person: A business guide to deeper customer empathy in uncertain times and beyond
https://www.amazon.com/Forget-Customer-See-Person-uncertain/dp/B0B14MBQRZ
Contact me if:
- You have feedback you'd like to share about the podcast
- You would like to be a guest on the show
- You would like to book me on your show
Email me at mark@empoweredcx.com
In celebration of CX Week this episode features Nancy Porte, Chair, Board of Directors, CXPA.
Nancy discusses 3 important topics:
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Why gaining the support of executives is critical and how you might go about achieving that.
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Why CX professionals and those considering the profession might want to join the Customer Experience Professionals Association.
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On a more personal note - Nancy shares her work in support of disadvantaged children and teens where she serves on the Board of the Children's Village. She also talks about how she applies customer experience principles to help operationalize CX.
In celebration of CX week, my special guest, CXPA CEO Greg Melia talks about how he ended up becoming the first full time CEO of CXPA and why the organization helps CX professionals differentiate their careers by joining and engaging in the organization.
He also shares the new CX Book of Knowledge and shares a "sneak peek on what's on the horizon that will be a significant benefit to members.
The race to digital transformation was accelerated by the pandemic. Many organizations have invested time and money and have little to show for it. Jaya Sudarshan shares the secret to blending the right combination of digital improvements to an improved customer experience.
She also emphasizes the importance of designing experiences with an awareness of different country cultures. From the difference in dust levels, electricity portals, and personal applications, she shares how experience design plays out at HP.
Jaya also shares her mountaintop moments and pothole realities that help appreciate the journey of delivering outstanding experiences consistently.
Jaya's Bio
Jaya currently leads customer experience initiatives for the CS F&C organization across Greater Asia and India. She has been with the HP family (HP/HPE/HPI) throughout her 18 year old career.
She serves as a Board member for the Global Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) - a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and cultivation of the Customer Experience profession. A passionate Inclusion & Diversity advocate, she has holds office as the communication chair for the global CS F&C DEI council. As a certified #IamRemarkable facilitator, she furthers her volunteering efforts towards building a better, inclusive world. During her free time she enjoys travel, food and books!
Jaya can be reached by email at jayalakshmi.sudarshan@hp.com .
Trust.
Isn't that one of those soft, touchy-feely words?
In today's word of digital transformation, isn't people skills so...yesterday?
From someone who walked the walk as a CX practitioner, one of the most critical skills is the ability to influence - without positional power.
The ability to build trust with key stakeholders is a golden asset for any business leader but it's essential for a CX or EX leader!
How Do You Build Trust with Key Stakeholders?
My guest on this episode of the Delighted Customers Podcast, Charlie Green, knows a thing or two about building trust - he should, he wrote the book on it.
Here are just a few of the benefits that trusted advisors enjoy. CX Leaders can expect their key stakeholders will:
- Reach for your advise
- Be inclined to accept and act on your recommendations
- Bring you in on more advanced, complex, strategic issues
- Share more information that helps you help them
Charles H. Green
Charles H. Green is an author, speaker and world expert on
trust-based relationships and sales in complex businesses.
Founder and CEO of Trusted Advisor Associates, he is
author of Trust-based Selling, and co-author of The Trusted
Advisor and the Trusted Advisor Fieldbook.
He has worked with a wide range of industries and functions globally.
Charles works with complex organizations to improve trust in sales,
internal trust between organizations, and trusted advisor relationships
with external clients and customers.
Charles spent 20 years in management consulting. He majored in
philosophy (Columbia), and has an MBA (Harvard).
A widely sought-after speaker, he has published articles in Harvard
Business Review, Directorship Magazine, Management Consulting
News, CPA Journal, American Lawyer, Investments
Dr. Tom DeWitt, trailblazer and Director of CXM@MSU, talks about why it was time to launch a Masters of Science in Customer Experience Management (CXM) at Michigan State University.
He shares some powerful realities about why companies should lead with a customer experience strategy and how this program can close the gap by preparing leaders to lead CX at the C-level.
If you are thinking about advancing your education and you're a CX practitioner, or if you are an employer interesting in preparing leaders to contribute to revenue growth by earning customer loyalty, this episode is a must.
For more information about the program, interested applicants and companies should visit https://broad.msu.edu/marketing/cxm/.
Here's some interesting research that supported the creation and launch of the new degreed program at MSU:
According to a survey conducted in the summer of 2020 with 160 decision makers that were provided with a description of the proposed MSU MS-CXM degree program, 87% indicated that it is important to hire employees that are experts in the field of customer experience management (CXM); 80% said they would be likely to give a raise to current employees who have obtained the degree; and 78% of US companies and 89% of international companies would be likely to hire students graduating from the program.
Similarly, a survey of 338 professionals working in CX conducted at the same time found that 87% of respondents indicated that CXM is critical to success; 85% were interested in a master’s degree in CXM; 63% would be likely to apply if the MSU MS-CXM degree were offered; and 44% of respondents that are extremely likely to pursue a master’s degree in the next 5 years would be extremely likely to apply to this MS-CXM degree.
Tom DeWitt, Ph.D. Bio
Tom DeWitt, Ph.D. is the Director of CXM@MSU, an entity dedicated to the advancement of customer experience management (CXM), and a fixed-term faculty member in the Department of Marketing of the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. As the Director of CXM@MSU, Dr. DeWitt has created North America’s first academic program in customer experience management (Masters of Science in Customer Experience Management - MS-CXM) and hosts industry conferences twice each year for organizations to share best practices in CXM.
For more than a decade Dr. DeWitt has also provided customer experience management (CXM) solutions to organizations and audiences around the world through consulting, workshops and presentations. Prior to joining academia, Tom enjoyed a career in the hospitality industry, where he served in senior management roles in the USA and Asia.
In this episode, my guest Stacey Nevel gives practical tips on how to engage employees and avoid some of the most common mistakes that negatively impact employee engagement.
Have a clear purpose and align your team to that mission is the first step. She provides illustrations of how to do that and steps that winning organizations take to ensure congruence between corporate strategy and how it's lived in the organization's culture.
Ultimately, engaged employees drive customer loyalty, retention, profitability, forgiveness, and referrals.
She also shares an interesting story about how linemen in a utility company were out of alignment with that mission and how that impacted the impact on their clients.
Join us for some fresh perspectives from the Vice President of Voice of the Customer at the rock, Prudential Financial.
Jon shares gems from his new book: From Impressed to Obsessed: 12 Principles for Turning Customers an Employees Into Lifelong Fans. Excellence is never an accident. Jon brilliantly pulls the curtain back on proven methods to fundamentally change the way you think about creating a successful, beloved business.
Customer friction can lead to customer defection. Often, companies attempt to fix their customer's pain with a short term solution. Diane defines design thinking and why it's a different approach that starts with putting your customer in the center.
She also shares what led her from a career as a clinical psychologist, supporting those dealing with death and dying, into the world of customer experience management.
What caused her to career to change trajectories may surprise you.
The Delighted Customers Podcast trailer describes who the show is for (business leaders and CX leaders) and how it can help listeners delight their customers to achieve sustainable growth...consistently.
You can get all the podcast episodes at Empoweredcx.com/podcast.
https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
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