There's a world of opportunity waiting for marketing professionals looking to pivot into customer experience. In this episode, we tackle a timely question from a recent graduate wondering how to leverage his marketing background to break into CX.

Marketing and customer experience share significant DNA - both focus on understanding customers, building relationships, and communicating value. The key difference? While marketing often zeroes in on conversion, CX professionals must adopt a holistic view of the entire customer journey. Your marketing skills in audience segmentation, messaging, and basic journey mapping provide a solid foundation, but success in CX requires shifting your perspective to consider how customers feel at every touchpoint, from first awareness through ongoing loyalty and even departure. The full customer journey extends far beyond the sale.

You have foundational skills that will set you apart in customer experience, and you're joining a field known for collaboration and knowledge sharing. Connect with the CX community, explore resources like our Learning Center at experienceinvestigators.com, and embrace the journey of continuous growth that defines this dynamic profession.

Resources Mentioned:
Experience Investigators -- https://experienceinvestigators.com
Learn more about CXI Membership™ and apply -- http://CXIMembership.com
Take the CXI Compass™ assessment -- http://cxicompass.com

Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)

What truly creates an exceptional employee experience? The answer goes far beyond competitive compensation and trendy office perks.

Employee and customer experiences are inextricably linked - you simply cannot separate these two crucial elements of business success. When employees feel valued, aligned with purpose, and empowered to make decisions, that positive energy naturally flows through to customer interactions, driving better results for everyone.

The foundation of great employee experience rests on three essential pillars. First, a purpose-driven culture rooted in a clear mission statement gives employees something bigger than themselves to work toward. Second, employees need clarity around what success looks like and how their specific role contributes to it. The third pillar is genuine empowerment through proper tools, training, trust and support.

While benefits and compensation matter, they're merely table stakes. The true elevation of employee experience comes when people connect to purpose and understand that customer experience is everyone's business.

Ready to transform your employee and customer experiences? Visit experienceinvestigators.com for resources or join our membership at cxmembership.com to access on-demand courses that will help you build a truly customer-centric organization from the inside out.

Resources Mentioned:
Download the free CX Mission Statement Workbook -- https://bit.ly/cx-mission-workbook
Get the Employee Journey Map Template -- https://bit.ly/ejmtemplate
Learn more about CXI Membership™ and apply -- http://CXIMembership.com
Experience Investigators -- https://experienceinvestigators.com

Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)

What happens when customer experience principles meet public service? Jeannie Walters answers a thoughtful question and explores how government agencies and public institutions can create exceptional citizen experiences despite not being driven by traditional profit motives.

The conversation begins with reimagining success metrics beyond customer acquisition and retention. For public sector organizations, value creation takes different forms—like operational efficiencies, higher compliance rates, and broader service accessibility. Jeannie explains how connecting back to purpose through an experience mission statement creates the foundation for meaningful improvements that align with public good.

Journey mapping emerges as a powerful tool for identifying friction points in citizen interactions. By examining specific processes with clear goals and scope, organizations can simplify procedures, humanize interactions, and clarify requirements—addressing common complaints about government bureaucracy.

The podcast explores practical strategies for co-creation with citizens, employee empowerment, and designing for inclusivity. Jeanne shares compelling examples of public institutions that transformed service delivery models to reach underserved populations, demonstrating that creativity and empathy can flourish even within government frameworks. Her insights on communication improvements, measuring meaningful metrics, and sharing success stories provide a roadmap for any public sector organization ready to elevate their citizen experience.

Ready to transform your organization's approach to citizen service? Listen now for actionable strategies that respect people's time, needs, and dignity—ultimately strengthening public trust and delivering on your mission.

Resources Mentioned:
Experience Investigators -- https://experienceinvestigators.com

Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing customer experience—but are businesses applying it with care? In this compelling episode, CX expert Jeannie Walters sits down with Ovetta Sampson, an AI design leader with a decade of experience at IDEO and Google, to explore how companies can harness AI without compromising trust. 

Ovetta challenges common assumptions with a powerful statement: “AI is neither artificial nor intelligent.” From chatbots that fabricate policies to biased algorithms in loan approvals, she shares eye-opening examples of how AI can go wrong—and what to do about it. 

Learn why AI needs continuous testing, feedback loops, and what Ovetta calls “Mike Tyson proofing” to avoid delivering broken experiences. She also offers a practical framework for implementation: focus AI efforts on your most frustrating customer touchpoints, not just where it’s easy. 

Looking to use AI more effectively in your organization? Ovetta is offering listeners an exclusive discount on to our listeners. Start building smarter, safer customer experiences. Use the coupon code "experience" for a 50% discount on one of the following: 

• 1 hour coaching session ($300 regular price)
• 1 hour AI Risk Assessment session ($300 regular price)
• 90-minute CEO lunch ($1500 regular price)

Coupon Code is: experience

Redeem at www.rightainow.com/appointments

About Ovetta Sampson:
Named one of the Top 15 People in Enterprise Artificial Intelligence by Business Insider in 2023, Ovetta Sampson is a tech industry leader who has worked with multiple technologies to help solve some of the biggest problems facing multiple industries. Leading engineers, designers and researchers, at top companies such as Microsoft, IDEO and Capital One, Ovetta has been designing and developing machine learning, artificial intelligence and enterprise software solutions for more than a decade. She left her last job as Director AI and Compute Enablement at Google to found Right AI, a consultancy that helps organizations and businesses minimize the human engagement risks when implementing AI.

Follow Ovetta on...
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovettasampson/

Articles Mentioned:

• A Contact Center Chatbot Invents Company Policies, Now Customers Want Out (CX Today)
• When Algorithms Deny Loans: The Fraught Fight to Purge Bias from AI (IoT For All)
• Singapore Airlines Elevates Customer Experience With $45 Million Investment In Changi Airport (Breaking Travel News)

Resources Mentioned:
Experience Investigators -- experienceinvestigators.com

Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)

Customer experience initiatives aren't delivering the results you expected? The answer might lie in a critical but often overlooked disconnect: the gap between your customer experience mission and your employee experience reality.

In this thought-provoking episode, Jeannie Walters tackles a question about aligning a company's CX mission statement with the actual employee experience. When organizations promise customers convenience, empathy, or frictionless interactions while their employees struggle with clunky systems, bureaucratic processes, or micromanagement, the disconnect creates more than just employee dissatisfaction – it undermines the entire customer experience strategy before it reaches a single customer.

The episode reveals how employee and customer experience together uncovers powerful insights about your organization. By analyzing the connections between employee engagement and customer satisfaction, you can identify patterns that highlight best practices to replicate or problem areas to address. Remember: your CX mission statement exists to help everyone understand their role in providing meaningful experiences – not just to external customers but to internal ones too. When employees feel the values you claim to uphold, they become your most powerful advocates for delivering those same values to customers. Ready to create true alignment between what you say and what you do? Listen now and transform your approach to experience.

Resources Mentioned:
Experience Investigators Website -- experienceinvestigators.com

Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)

Trust is key to managing customer expectations in today’s fast-changing world. While perfection isn’t possible, transparency is—and customers deeply value honesty.

When transparency is your default, disappointments become opportunities for connection. Take the supplement company that added flavoring to an unflavored product: instead of ignoring feedback, they addressed it openly, building stronger relationships. Whether it’s a service delay or a product change, a simple heads-up can turn complaints into appreciation.

Expectations are shaped by every brand interaction—not just yours. That means your competition isn’t just your industry, but every company your customers engage with. Successful businesses continuously revisit promises and review touchpoints to close gaps before they widen.

Empathy is your strongest tool. Change is hard, but clear, compassionate communication—explaining the “why” and how you’ll help—builds trust and respect.

Want to level up your strategy? Take our free CXI Compass assessment at cxicompass.com to find your top priorities. Understanding expectations is the first step to exceeding them.

Resources Mentioned:
Take the CXI Compass™ assessment -- http://cxicompass.com
Experience Investigators Website -- https://experienceinvestigators.com

Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)

Customer experience leadership is not just about gathering insights—it's about securing genuine organizational buy-in. In this special episode of the Experience Action podcast, our host Jeannie Walters sits down with Sasha Fard, Country Lead for Customer Experience Management at Capital One Canada, to reveal the often-overlooked secret to successful CX implementation.

Speaking from the bustling Medallia Experience 2025 event in Las Vegas, Fard dismantles the common misconception that actionable Voice of Customer data alone drives change. The real challenge? Getting cross-functional leaders to not just review customer feedback but commit to acting on it.

What makes this conversation particularly valuable is Fard's practical approach to change management. Following ADKAR principles (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement), he demonstrates how CX professionals must transform themselves into skilled salespeople for their initiatives. "You need to be a good salesperson too," Fard advises, "because you're selling an idea, you're selling an approach." This means understanding stakeholder objectives, speaking their language, and showing how CX directly supports their goals—not overwhelming them with metrics and industry jargon.

The most compelling takeaway? Start small, demonstrate value, and scale gradually. By securing incremental commitments rather than demanding wholesale change, CX leaders can build the credibility needed to expand their influence. This approach earned Capital One the Global CXPA Impact Award, recognizing their success in driving tangible business outcomes through customer experience initiatives. Ready to transform how you approach CX leadership?

Follow Sasha Fard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashafard/

Resources Mentioned:
Medallia Experience -- https://www.medallia.com/experience/
Experience Investigators -- https://experienceinvestigators.com

Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)

It's time for another CX Pulse Check to discuss current events and innovations in CX. In this illuminating conversation with Enrique Rubio, Founder at Hacking HR and Head of Global Community at Transform, and our host Jeannie Walters, we uncover how innovative organizations are finally bridging this gap through strategic use of data and technology.

Fresh from their encounters at Qualtrics' X4 conference, Enrique and Jeannie explore how our experiences as consumers now directly shape our expectations as employees. They examine Apple's $500 billion US investment through this lens, discussing not just the business implications but what it means for talent development and organizational design. The conversation turns to Ford's data-driven approach to employee experience, revealing how established companies with strong legacies can use analytics to understand workforce needs around career development and digital readiness. Perhaps most provocatively, they challenge prevailing wisdom about remote work.

Discover how connecting the dots between customer and employee experience can create competitive advantage where expectations are constantly evolving.

About Enrique Rubio:

Enrique is an HR, Tech and Future of Work expert, keynote speaker and founder of global communities. Enrique is currently an advisor to the community he built, Hacking HR, a global learning community operating at the intersection of future of work, technology, business and organizations, with thousands of members of all over the world; and the Head of Global Community at Transform, building a global community of local chapters covering every major city and region in the world. 

Enrique is one of the top 100 HR global influencers. He was the founder and CEO at Management Consultants, a firmed specialized in Human Resources in Venezuela. Before Management Consultants, Enrique worked in the telecommunications sector as a Senior Project Engineer for Telefonica and several other companies in the early to mid-2000s. Enrique is a guest author in several blogs about innovation, management and human resources. Most recently Enrique worked as an advisor to the Chief Human Resources Officer at the Inter-American Development Bank. 

Enrique frequently speaks about topics ranging from DEIB, future of work, HR strategy, employee experience, technology, among others. Additionally, Enrique designs hundreds of learning programs for the HR community in the form of events and short-term programs. 

Enrique is a Fulbright Scholar, and Electronic Engineer with an Executive Master’s in Public Administration from Maxwell School at Syracuse University.

Follow Enrique on...
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubioenrique/ 

Articles Mentioned:
Apple’s $500 billion U.S. investment: What HR leaders need to know (HR Executive)
Ford's data-driven approach to Employee Experience (Diginomica)

Resources Mentioned:
Experience Investigators -- https://experienceinvestigators.com

Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)

What happens when you bring together experience leaders from healthcare and elite sports education? You discover powerful insights that transcend industries and reveal universal truths about creating exceptional experiences.

Meet Heather Brace, Chief People Officer at Intermountain Healthcare with its 68,000 employees across six states, and Mike Milliron, Chief Operating Officer at IMG Academy, the world-renowned training ground for elite athletes. Both leaders share a remarkable commitment to turning feedback into action. Our host, Jeannie Walters, had the privilege of interviewing them at the X4 conference hosted by Qualtrics in Salt Lake City in March of 2025. 

Their organizations have rejected traditional annual surveys in favor of frequent, targeted listening programs that capture real-time sentiment. As Heather explains, "What does an employee remember? Probably what happened in the last 30 days." Both have created what they call "closed-loop" feedback systems where they not only collect insights but transparently communicate the actions they'll take as a result.

The most compelling revelation? Their data shows that employee engagement hinges on surprisingly simple human elements. At Intermountain Healthcare, they discovered that employees who stay past the four-year mark typically remain for ten years or more. This insight drove them to map the complete employee journey, identifying critical moments where intervention could improve retention.

Meanwhile, IMG Academy has developed highly personalized approaches that align students, parents and staff around individualized development plans. As Mike powerfully states, "We've found you can do more damage than good if you ask for insights and then just sit on it."

Ready to transform your organization's approach to experience? Listen now and discover how these leaders have built cultures where feedback drives meaningful change, accountability matters, and experiences are designed around authentic human needs.

Follow Heather Brace on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-brace/
Follow Mike Milliron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-milliron-6a234713/

Resources Mentioned:
Qualtrics -- https://www.qualtrics.com/
Experience Investigators -- https://experienceinvestigators.com

Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)

The magic of attending a truly exceptional event stays with us long after we've returned home. What makes some events so memorable while others fade quickly from memory? In this episode, we tackle a listener question about customer experience best practices for event planners seeking to create standout experiences.

Drawing from her extensive experience as both keynote speaker and attendee, Jeannie walks through practical recommendations that can elevate any event, regardless of size or budget. We start with seemingly small touches that make significant impacts - from double-sided name tags that don't flip around to clear wayfinding that helps attendees navigate unfamiliar venues confidently. These foundational elements create a sense of care and competence that permeates the entire experience.

Beyond logistics, we explore how thoughtful programming, personalized communications, and intentionally curated networking opportunities build meaningful connections between participants. We emphasize the importance of inclusivity through accessibility accommodations, dietary options, and creating sensory-friendly spaces where introverts and others can recharge. Looking toward the future, we imagine how artificial intelligence might transform events through personalized agendas while preserving space for those serendipitous hallway conversations that often become highlights of in-person gatherings.

Have you experienced an event that completely exceeded your expectations? Or perhaps you're planning one yourself? Want to create an unforgettable event experience? Let’s make it happen! Jeannie Walters brings real-world customer experience insights, engaging storytelling, and actionable strategies to help your audience think differently about CX. Whether it’s a keynote, workshop, or panel discussion, we’d love to help make your event stand out. Visit ExperienceInvestigators.com to learn more and to book Jeannie for your next event!

Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)