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:

1. Community Support: Stuart emphasizes the importance of reaching out to communities for support when facing challenges.
2. 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?
3. 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?
4. Change Management and ADKAR: The episode touches on change management models like ADKAR.
5. Building Trust: Stuart speaks about building and maintaining trust through practices like listening tours and the "emotional bank account" concept.
6. 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:

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

1. What are some misconceptions about proving the value of customer experience?
2. 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.
3. How does the IDIC framework relate to the customer lifecycle?
4. 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.
5. 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?

• 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."