Customer Confidential: Untold Stories of Earned Growth

Episode 238: In what appears to be a paradox, Verizon is accelerating its responsible AI journey through a measured, deliberate approach—ensuring its technology is primed to enhance customer experiences when they matter most. Verizon isn't rushing to put AI in front of customers. Instead, they're deliberately building trust, refining data quality, and rigorously testing their AI tools internally....

How does democratizing intelligence enhance productivity and drive smarter decision-making? Murli Buluswar, Citigroup's Head of Analytics for the US Personal Bank, joins host Rob Markey to explore Citi's strategies for democratizing intelligence. Murli emphasizes building a conversational intelligence platform that enables proactive and reactive insights to reduce friction between curiosity, insig...

Episode 236: When telecom rivals offered lower rates and bigger networks, Macquarie bet big on customer loyalty—and won. David Tudehope, Macquarie Technology Group's CEO, joins Rob Markey to discuss Macquarie's competitive differentiator: a bold, customer-centric approach. David co-founded Macquarie to prioritize exceptional customer experience over price and network quality competition. Joining D...

Episode 235: In 2012, T-Mobile lost nearly two million customers. Its revenue fell precipitously. Its situation seemed hopeless. Then came a new CEO with an audacious plan and a penchant for F-bombs. Jon Freier, president of T-Mobile's US Consumer Group, joins host Rob Markey to share his firsthand account of the remarkable corporate turnaround. Jon describes the "Un-carrier" strategy, from its ri...

Why do some retailers excel at creating a welcoming environment for a diverse customer base while others fall short? Bain & Company's Naiara De León and Madison Dyal Anderson discuss their research on how companies that excel in customer advocacy and inclusion consistently outperform their peers by a staggering 10 percentage points annually. Beyond quantifying inclusion's sizable revenue impact, t...

What if the key to creating truly innovative products and solutions lies at least as much in uncovering the deep emotional and attitudinal needs of your customers as in mastering technology? Eckhart Boehme, founder and managing director of Unipro Solutions, shares his approach to putting Clayton Christensen's Jobs to Be Done framework into practical use. Eckhart demonstrates how in-depth interview...

Matt Harris, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, argues that generative AI will soon empower customers in unexpected ways. Consumers, he predicts, will soon use AI tools to continuously discover lower loan rates, higher-yield savings accounts, or more attractive insurance policies. As a result, Matt anticipates a shift in customer-company power dynamics. Imagine, for example, an AI agent able to con...

Discover the engine of Earned Growth as Rob Markey and Fred Reichheld, Bain Fellow and "Winning On Purpose" author, hold a working session on how references and referrals significantly contribute to organic growth. Rob and Fred unearth the pivotal role that references and referrals play in propelling Earned Growth. They answer key questions such as: How would you characterize different referral ty...

Why would a world-class sports academy invest in a student center, rather than more coaches, fancy equipment, or dorms? IMG Academy, a Florida boarding school, turns out some of the most successful college and professional athletes around. Its president, Tim Pernetti, led a massive cultural shift toward customer loyalty. Tim says IMG Academy used to be highly focused on coaching and sports operati...

How can businesses transcend traditional customer service boundaries to establish new customer experience benchmarks? Stan Swinton, Founder and General Manager of NPSx, Bain & Company, discusses how a comprehensive approach to customer experience extends beyond gathering feedback or managing customer journeys. Stan details Bain's NPSx framework—comparable to a restaurant star rating, he says—which...

How does a global medical technology company maintain customer focus while managing operational challenges during a pandemic? In this episode, Tony Ezell, executive vice president of North America and chief marketing officer for Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), explores how integrating customer feedback into your business strategy can maintain—and even enhance—customer loyalty by helping shape...

How does an insurance industry leader integrate a simple yet profound question—Would you do that to your mom?—to transform customer service and decision making? In this episode, Richard Watts, board member at Farmers Insurance and former sales and service president at Progressive, discusses how asking this question improves business operations. He explores how this unique approach revolutionizes c...

How do the needs of students at for-profit, mostly online colleges differ from those of typical college students? They often require financial aid, schedule flexibility, and academic support that can go far beyond the norm of traditional higher education. In this segment, we explore why graduation rates have traditionally been quite low at these colleges due to all the challenges students face. Ho...

How do high-quality NPS benchmarks unlock strategic priorities and initiatives? What if your NPS data seems highly counterintuitive? For example, what if Detractors seem to be more loyal than Promoters? Host Rob Markey and Jason Barro , a partner at Bain & Company and the leader of Bain's NPS Prism benchmarking service, unpack this situation in the airline industry. It's an illustration of how Net...

From reshaping the playful culture of a global toy company to cracking the customer-centricity code at Zurich Insurance, how did Conny Kalcher manage the leap? Conny Kalcher , now the group chief customer officer at Zurich Insurance , has a rich history of pioneering customer-centric transformations. Conny introduced a swath of fresh perspectives and approaches to the more traditional environment...

Host Rob Markey welcomes Mark Slatin, CEO of EmpoweredCX, to dissect the intricate dynamics of trust within customer experiences. Drawing insights from real-world examples, they explore the role of product and service quality in establishing trust, the impact of reliability and consistency in decision making, and the potential pitfalls of self-orientation. Delving deeper into the Trust Equation an...

In this episode, we launch our new show name: The Customer Confidential Podcast. We chose it after seeking lots of listener and guest input and believe that the new name better reflects the show's mission—namely, to delve into untold stories of customer and industry transformations, sharing the journeys of both well-known and unsung heroes of customer centricity. We also seek out deep conversation...

How do you measure patient experience and empathy within the healthcare industry in a way that truly captures real emotion and real experiences? Dr. Adrienne Boissy, guest staff neurologist at Cleveland Clinic and chief medical officer at Qualtrics, sits down with  Rob Markey  to discuss the need for a more comprehensive approach to capturing the patient experience. She also shares how healthcare...

How can an organization's passion for high-quality culinary delights forge unbreakable customer bonds? For food wholesaler METRO's customers, buying food is a personal experience. It's the art of witnessing, inhaling, savoring, and examining the produce, meat, and fish in the store—a sensory feast that leaves customers' hearts full. Creating exceptional fresh-food buying experiences is METRO's mis...

With an array of streaming platforms and the same amount of time in the day, getting an accurate read on where your customers spend their screen time has never been more important. And this shift in customer behavior has been particularly challenging for companies that rely on traditional ways to collect data on their customers. In this episode, guest David Kenny, c hairman and CEO of Nielsen, and...

In a digital-first environment, successful brands stay ahead of the curve by prioritizing agility and experimentation. Instead of merely solving problems, they drive innovative solutions to eliminate—not just mitigate—customer pain points to achieve a seamless and exceptional customer experience. In this episode, guest Joe Wheeler, CEO of CX/Digital, and  Rob Markey discuss how successful brands b...

What makes people recommend your brand and services to others? Winning referrals are more than just a marketing channel ; t hey're a way to turn prospects into lifelong customers through word-of-mouth advocacy based on authenticity and trust. In this episode, guest Andy Cockburn , CEO and cofounder of Mention Me, and  Rob Markey discuss the effectiveness of trust-based referrals, how to integrate...

In this episode, Ben Reason , CEO and founder of Livework, and  Rob Markey  discuss how , by taking consumers' needs and emotions into account, design can create products and services that are both functional and emotionally appealing, mak ing consumer experiences more enjoyable. We'd love to hear from you. Help us enhance your podcast experience by providing feedback here in our listener survey....

How can companies get revenue forecasting and value creation right? By slowing down. Michael Mauboussin , h ead of Consilient Research at Counterpoint Global, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, and Rob Markey  discuss the metrics and methods businesses can use to grow their long-term value. Make sure to listen to part two . ·         Get your copy of Michael's book, Expectations Investing , her...

Investing in customer happiness can be the surest way to high Net Promoter Scores. But how do you accomplish that while maintaining a healthy business? Michael Mauboussin , head of Consilient Research at Counterpoint Global, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, and Rob Markey  discuss how expectations investing impacts valuations and business growth. The two also share insights on how companies c...