Creating Superfans

Customer experience is not a department—it’s a philosophy that must be embraced by every member of an organization. When executed correctly, it becomes your most powerful competitive advantage. Perhaps no guest has understood this better than Jim White, the Chief Experience Officer of Ignite Medical Resorts. 

Jim and his team at Ignite are “extinguishing the stereotype” of traditional rapid rehabilitation facilities- otherwise known as nursing homes- by providing the five-star hospitality of a luxury resort. In this episode of the Creating Superfans podcast, you’ll hear about the unmatched accommodations that Ignite offers, such as private chefs, on-site spas, specialty coffee machines, and magazine and newspaper delivery. In addition to the perks, Jim talks about the systems he puts in place to ensure incredible experience across 14 facilities, including hiring and training service-minded staff, creating warm welcomes and fond farewells, and looking for opportunities to surprise and delight guests. If you’re wondering how the medical industry can implement a 5-star resort-like experience, you won’t want to miss this episode.

Show Notes:

3:14 - How Ignite Medical Resorts differs from traditional nursing homes

4:33 - How has Jim used his background in hospitality to intentionally design the experience at Ignite Medical Resorts?

7:57 - Will the 5-star resort-like experience become normal among medical facilities? 

11:27 - Jim details the hiring and training process for his staff, including one of the most fun orientation programs!

15:12 - Why Ignite uses hospitality metrics as its benchmark for sucess

16:30 - How does Ignite’s NPR score compare to the average hospitality score?

18:00 - Using hospitality’s best practices to overcome the uncertainty gap that surrounds the typical patient experience

20:17 - The importance of referrals and reputation in the rehabilitation industry

22:28 - The challenges of managing new facilities and how Jim gets new staff on board with their philosophy 

24:38 - Incentivizing staff to create excellent customer experiences

27:03 - The “employee comes first” mindset that sets IMR apart 

29:34 - How Jim trains his staff to create a “warm welcome” and a “fond farewell”

34:15 - A heartwarming story that showcases the power of “surprise and delight”

35:40 - How IMR implements a CX strategy from the Ritz Carlton

You can learn more about Ignite Medical Resorts here.
Follow Jim White on LinkedIn here. 

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

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Social media is no longer just a content creation platform - it plays a complex role along every step of your customer journey. Your social accounts are the point of entry for prospects to learn about your brand for the first time,  the new call center where they go to voice their complaints, and everything in between.

In this episode of the Creating Superfans podcast, I chat with Hillary Applegate, the founder of Social HQ. Hillary challenges brands to say goodbye to boring social media and instead drive community and credibility, all while increasing sales. We chat about the importance of a strong brand voice, the power of social listening, and the best tools and strategies for improving your customer experience on social media.

Show Notes

2:40 - Hillary tells us about the agency she started, Social HQ

5:23 - Why social media is your 24/7 customer touchpoint 

6:23 - The importance of working with someone who understands your brand voice

9:35 - One of Hillary’s clients that used social media to connect with a superfan and exceed their expectations 

13:12 - How social listening can impact every aspect of your company 

14:22 - Hillary shares her top tools for social media listening, regardless of your budget

16:14 - Why newer companies are more open to using social media compared to older, publicly traded companies

18:24 - Why real customer advocacy is more powerful than influencer marketing

21:12 - The best return from any campaign Hillary has ever run

22:58 - How brands can exceed expectations on social media

26:11 - What is the “engagement loop”? 

29:48 - Hillary shares various paths companies can take to manage their social accounts

Find out more about Social HQ at www.yoursocialHQ.com

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

As consumers, our basic wants and needs haven’t really changed, but our preferences and expectations for how we achieve what we want or need has changed. Customers expect seamless digital experiences from the brands they interact with, which can introduce a daunting challenge to unprepared companies.

Joe Harouni is the Connected Commerce practice lead at Avionos, where he works with clients to deliver commerce solutions that enable a better customer, sales, and service experience. Avionos’ team of experts drives measurable business outcomes for Fortune 500 and 1000 companies by partnering with executives to turn their digital vision into reality.

In this episode of the Creating Superfans podcast, Joe and I chat about the current trends in digital transformation, the best communication strategies for company-wide adoption, the common mistakes to avoid, and some of his favorite examples of excellent digital experiences.

Show Notes

2:20 - What is a trend that businesses need to be aware of in the digital transformation space?

4:14 - How employee experience is impacted by digital transformation

5:16 - What does Avionos do?

6:12 - Joe’s favorite digital transformation projects he’s worked on

8:12 - What aspect of digital transformation is often overlooked?

10:57 - How does Avionos ensure a consistent communication plan across an entire organization?

13:44 - How does the Avionos team overcome the "inside out" approach to digital transformation?

15:00 - How can solopreneurs or small businesses collect meaningful customer research with limited resources available?

16:41 - What is the difference between UX (user experience) and CX (customer experience)?

19:20 - Joe shares his favorite app from a UX perspective

23:00 - What are the two biggest factors for a great customer experience?

24:07 - What advice does Joe have for companies that are trying to make their digital experience more seamless and more relevant for their customers?

26:14 - Joe’s biggest non-negotiables when it comes to the clients he works with

26:53 - What’s a company that Joe is a SUPERFAN of?

Find out more about Avionos at  www.avionos.com. 

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

This week's episode of the Creating Superfans podcast is a special one because it's all about my book! Creating Superfans is available NOW, and to honor its publication date, we switched things up a bit! My Chief of Staff, Alix Steinberg, asked me questions about what it was really like to write Creating Superfans, including the different editing phases, the design choices, and the recording of the audiobook!

Show Notes

3:15 - How long has Brittany actually been working on her book?

4:55 - the intentional design choices Brittany made for Creating Superfans

7:25 - Why Brittany chose to work with a hybrid publisher

9:10 - Brittany’s unconventional writing journey

15:30 - How quick was the editing process once Brittany handed in her manuscript?

17:25 - When did Brittany finally start to see her book come together?

20:17 - How Brittany’s mom helped her edit the book

22:11 - The process of narrowing down the songs for each chapter tile and major heading

23:00 - What are the takeaways Brittany wants the reader to walk away with?

24:44 - Alix shares her favorite lessons from the book

25:14- Why empathy is so important in customer experience

27:45 - What it was like to record the audiobook version of Creating Superfans

32:27 - That time Brittany’s husband, Jeff, starred in a Nook commercial

34:18 - How Brittany’s son, Kadoh, inspired the book

36:20 - Brittany reads one of her favorite lines from a review of Creating Superfans

You can order Creating Superfans here.

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

Episode 6 of the Creating Superfans podcast is a special one because I got to chat with the founder and CEO of Total Expert, Joe Welu. Joe transformed the company from a tiny startup developed in the basement of his real estate office to an organization with over 300 employees that powers customer engagement for 200 financial institutions, including 15 of the top 25 U.S. banks and lenders. Joe shares with us the importance of staying grounded in the tech industry and how you can balance software with the human touch to power meaningful interactions at scale.

Show Notes

3:00 - How Joe developed Total Expert from the basement of his real estate office!

3:33 - How Joe expanded on his original idea of bringing lenders and real estate agents together

5:34 - How Total Expert balances technology and the human touch at scale 

7:54 - The #1 core value of Total Expert and how it powers the infrastructure of their platform

9:00 - How Joe would respond to teams that are hesitant to implement and learn a new software 

10:12 - Why it’s important to start with the outcomes when making product decisions

11:08 - How you stay grounded in tech without going overboard with functionality and features

12:40 - For Total Expert’s customers’ customers - those that are buying homes or making financial decisions - what are the most important aspects in creating excellent client experiences?

14:53 - The mindset shift that separates Total Expert from many other businesses

16:05 - Why creating an exceptional employee experience is critical for the customer experience

17:00 - What does customer success really mean? 

19:40 - How the velocity of change for consumers is impacting businesses

21:25 - How financial services is behind eCommerce when it comes to data-driven recommendations

23:35 - Why it’s imperative, especially in financial services, to use customer data in an ethical way

27:57 - As a customer, what’s a brand that went above and beyond and really delighted Joe?

29:49 - What’s one piece of advice that Joe has for anyone that’s trying to improve their customer experience? 

Learn more about Total Expert.

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

In episode 5 of the Creating Superfans podcast, I interviewed the brilliant Hilary Billings, Co-founder and CEO of Attentioneers Agency. A self-proclaimed “engineer of attention,” Hilary is a viral video expert that helps brands drive exponential growth on TikTok. She has earned over a BILLION organic views on her social platforms and sheds some light on the science behind a viral video and how YOU can replicate it. Hilary explains why brands must capture the power of short-form content in order to create superfan customers and future proof your business long-term. If you’re on the fence about joining TikTok or you’re unsure about how to get started, you won’t want to miss this episode. Hilary will reframe the way you approach your social media strategy.

Show Notes

4:44 - The average user on social media spends HOW many minutes scrolling per day?

6:30 - What Hilary would say to someone who haphazardly dabbles into social media

7:00 - Does Hilary believe you need to be on all the platforms?

9:40 - What’s the “new account advantage?” and how does it benefit new creator accounts?

11:12 - The first step in Hilary’s process for designing an intentional social media strategy with her clients

12:07 - What Hilary says to clients who say they don’t want to dance on social media

13:15 - The second step in Hilary’s process for designing an intentional social media strategy with her clients

13:33 - How you can get a copy of Hilary’s Viral Video Story Map

14:02 - A common mistake most creators are making when it comes to their social media

18:00 - Why ‘going viral’ is intentional, not accidental, and how you can replicate that success

19:49 - How does HIllary convince people that now is the time to get started on TikTok

20:34- How this brand improved it’s year-over-year market sales by 78% through user-generated content

21:47- How AARP went viral on TikTok and engaged with a younger audience

23:45 - How short-form content is providing new opportunities for brands to connect with their customers 

26:27 - Hilary explains why TikTok is that important

27:57 - Why disengaging on social media will affect you long-term

30:05 - What is the “pattern interrupt” phenomenon?

31:40 - How many seconds do you have to make an impression with your content to stop the scroll?

Learn more about Hilary's company, the Attentioneers Agency.

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

In the 4th episode of the Creating Superfans podcast, I sat down with Kim Goei, Chief Operating Officer of Fexa. We talk about the under-the-radar aspects of customer experience that customers and entrepreneurs often take for granted. If you’re a fan of intentional experience design like me, you’ll be interested to learn about how Fexa technology can maintain or automate the crucial ingredients that make businesses run seamlessly. Kim began her career in operations, working with global brands like Virgin Group, Anthropologie, and Reading International, Inc., before joining Fexa in 2018. In addition to her role as COO, she’s on the Board of Directors of Connex to empower facilities to become more inclusive and accessible. 

Show Notes:

3:55 - Kim breaks down what it’s really like to work in facilities management.

5:44 - The repeatability of the Five Guys experience vs. the geographically-customized experiences of Prada and Michael Kors.

7:30 - What’s FEXA all about and what drew Kim to work there?

9:28 - How does FEXA make facilities and operations teams more efficient with less?

10:52 - Exciting news for FEXA as it scales

12:21 - How FEXA plans to help companies manage their inventory levels through technology

13:54 - Managing the internal customer experience for facilities managers 

14:33 - How you can personalize your communication strategy with FEXA

16:40 - The value of being a tech company with a human-first approach

18:00 - Kim’s favorite examples of things we’re able to predict and take care of using smart-connected devices

20:05 - How the restroom can impact a customer experience at a restaurant 

21:28 - Crate & Barrel’s stellar customer experience

23:19 - How the Crate & Barrel employee experience spills over to its customer experience

29:00 - A horrible customer experience that Kim had recently

30:30 - Brittany and Kim talk about the infamous Bucc-ee’s bathrooms

35:25 - DEI and facilities management

Follow Kim on LinkedIn
Learn more about Fexa

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

In episode 3 of the Creating Superfans Podcast, I interviewed former Walt Disney World executive, Dennis Show. During his twenty years with the company, Dennis worked his way up from a front-line attractions operator to founder of the Disney Institute, the internal firm that consulted for organizations like ExxonMobil, AT&T, and Coca-Cola. Now, he’s a full-time speaker and author who trains businesses large and small on how to run world-class, service-driven organizations. Dennis shared with me some of Disney’s hiring practices and interview techniques that ensure all of their team members are customer-centric. Later in the episode, he outlines the 3 easiest things any brand can do to improve their customer experience right away. Finally, hear what a local restaurant did for Dennis and his friends that blew him away and made him a superfan for life.

Show Notes:

4:23 - Can you teach your employees to be more friendly and more customer-centric?

5:03 - How long is the training at Disney?

5:56 - A simple way to reframe your interview questions to get a better understanding of a candidate’s skillset

8:27 - A secret most people don’t know about Disney

10:45 - How do you define your Story and use it to attract the right people?

13:00 - When did the Disney theme park become intentional about its superpower?

14:33 - What are some other brands that have superior customer experience?

18:00 - What are some things that businesses can do right away to be more customer centric?

20:31 - A small thing that outstanding organizations do.

22:18 - How often should you be collecting feedback from employees?

25:23 - The parallels between customer feedback and employee feedback and how to overcome internal resistance 

28:55 - How a local restaurant went above and beyond for Dennis and made him a superfan for life.

You can find Dennis at SnowAssociates.com

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

On the second episode of the Creating Superfans podcast, I interview Nashville-based photographer Fizzah Raza. I worked with Fizzah for my brand new headshots over the summer and had a WORLD CLASS customer experience. I was wowed before, during, and after our session together and immediately became her superfan. If you’re a solopreneur of any kind, this is a can’t-miss episode filled with tons of ideas that you can implement in your own business. 

Show Notes

4:00 - How Fizzah wowed me before we even met!

6:25 - Fizzah’s follow-up trick

8:11 - Why being personal is sometimes better than being professional

10:22 - What Fizzah did to exceed my expectations the night before our photoshoot

14:25 - The CRITICAL mindset shift that helped Fizzah transform her customer experience

16:15 - How Fizzah maximized the moments after our photoshoot session

19:53 - What are Fizzah’s CX non-negotiables as a customer?

21:44 - How Tiffany & Co and Nike blew Fizzah away 

25:38 - Fizzah’s #1 hack for getting more referrals and repeat business

27:37 - What’s a brand that Fizzah is a superfan of?

Fizzah Raza Photography Website

Follow Fizzah on Instagram

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

Welcome to the very first episode of the Creating Superfans podcast! What better way to kick-off than with the world’s top Customer Experience and Customer Service expert, Shep Hyken!

Shep is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, and his latest book is called I’ll Be Back. He’s a hall-of-fame speaker and a HUGE mentor of mine, which is why I was thrilled when he agreed to write the foreword of my book, Creating Superfans. 

On this episode, we discuss a few critical CX lessons Shep learned as a twelve-year-old, the world’s oldest customer complaint letter, and Shep’s non-negotiables when it comes to excellent customer service. 

Show Notes:

6:39 - What Shep learned on one of his first jobs as a twelve-year-old that powered his philosophy in customer experience

9:05 - The world’s oldest customer complaint letter

11:37- Shep’s non-negotiables when it comes to customer service?

13:10 - That time Shep became texting buddies with the CAPTAIN of his flight 

14:48 - Why Shep won’t be returning to one of his favorite restaurants 

22:22 - The #1 reason airlines go under

25:26 - My 5-year-old son’s blunt perspective on CX

Shep Hyken's Website

Shep on LinkedIn

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon