In job descriptions and resumes, there are new required skills for candidate’s resumes in Behavioral Science. These jobs might be the most important new jobs in business today. But why? Behavioral science and the scientists that use it will tell you that understanding the “why” of what customers do has become table stakes in some industries today. 

In this episode of The Intuitive Customer, we discuss with two behavioral scientists their job descriptions, what they actually do, and what they wish people knew about what they do. 

 Anne Wilson, Ph.D., earned her doctorate at Harvard Business School, and now works in behavioral finance for a national investment firm. Lauren Cheatham, Ph.D., got her doctorate at Stanford University, and after a stint at the University of Hawaii and then Apple, she now works in Silicon Valley at a social media giant. Both scientists have been charged with applying what they know about the behavioral sciences to guide both internal decision making, and external customer decision making. 

Key Ideas to Improve your Customer Experience

As passionate promoters of the behavioral sciences in Customer Experience design, we are thrilled to hear that large, national brands are embracing these essential principles. We asked our guests why those firms hired behavioral scientists, what they wished everyone understood about the behavioral sciences, and if they had examples of how they were able to solve a problem using their behavioral sciences background.  

Here are a few key moments in the discussion:

• 04:09 Wilson shares what she does for the financial company with her skills.
• 05:36 Cheatham share why she thinks behavioral science works for organizations of all kinds, including hers.
• 12:17 Cheatham explains what drives her crazy about the perspective gap that exists with behavioral sciences in business.
• 13:20 Wilson explains why a basic knowledge of behavioral sciences is a good start, but not enough to handle the heavy lifting in the science. 
• 21:03 Cheatham shares how her behavioral sciences tool kit resolved an issue in their Customer Experience measurement.
• 24:24 Wilson shares what her team looks for to resolve poor financial decision-making in their customers. 
• 30:16 Colin asks the guests what advice they have for organizations that are considering hiring a behavioral scientist. 

 

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Customer Experience Information & Resources

LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has 289,000 followers of his work. Shaw is Founder and CEO of Beyond Philosophy LLC, which helps organizations unlock growth by discovering customers' hidden, unmet needs that drive value ($). The Financial Times selected Beyond Philosophy LLC as one of the best management consultancies for the last two years. Follow Colin on Linkedin and Twitter.

 

Click here to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. 

 

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Experience Health Check: You already have an experience, even if you weren't deliberate about it. Our Experience Health Check can help you understand what you have today. Colin or one of our team can assess your digital or physical Customer Experience, interacting with your organization as a customer to define what is good and what needs improving. Then, they will provide a list of recommendations for critical next steps for your organization. Click here to learn more. 

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