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.