The CX Cast

To know what good customer journeys look like — and to benchmark them — customer experience (CX) pros need to understand how to design for emotion. This requires gaining a more granular understanding of how emotions impact CX and discrete customer journeys, going beyond simply delight. In this episode we're joined by VP, Principal Analyst Joana de Quintanilha to discuss how to design for emotions...

As issues of gender equality, racial justice, and discrimination across the diversity spectrum hit the headlines, organizations are struggling to respond to customers, employees, and other stakeholders. In this episode, we discuss with Principal Analyst, Katy Tynan, about how having a diverse workforce is both a competitive advantage and table stakes for values-based consumers and employees. Click...

C-level leaders know they are on the hook for an anywhere-work strategy beyond the pandemic. A striking 75% of CEOs surveyed expect their office spaces to shrink. But many aren't sure what benefits they can expect from such a bold move nor do they know how to succeed.  In this episode we're joined by VP, Principal Analyst J.P. Gownder to discuss the advantages of supporting anywhere work, from tal...

Data ethics and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are increasingly critical issues for organizations. In research conducted for our Forrester Wave™ evaluation of customer database and engagement agencies, we uncovered an important mandate for CMOs: The convergence of these two practices is central to a brand's customer engagement strategy.  In this episode we're joined by VP, Principal Analys...

Once a company is bought-in on design, how do design leads scale the design organization to continue to meet the company's evolving needs?  In this episode we're joined by Lance Thornswood, Senior Vice President, Head of Design at US Bank, to discuss the scaling of their design practice, which has doubled in size each year for five years running. From utilizing and customizing existing methodologi...

All firms can access the same tools for business success — capital, business process, and tech — making it hard to generate a sustainable market advantage. The pandemic reveals that adaptive companies update their use of these tools more effectively than others. But adaptivity depends on an underutilized fourth tool: a workforce motivated to apply its creativity to business problems and opportunit...

Evolving an organization's culture towards greater customer centricity is complex work, requiring careful prioritization. In this episode we're joined by Chief Experience Officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC), Gratia Carver, to discuss her team's approach to evolving culture and the important role measurement plays. Click the titles below for more on this topic: Elevate An...

With vaccine rollout occurring around the world, hopes run high of returning to a life free from COVID-19. Vaccine passports promise to quickly turn this hope into a reality, including bringing employees back to the physical workplace. Despite the high expectations, employers must be cautious as they plan and execute their pandemic management plans. In this episode we’re joined by Senior Ana...

Marketers and CX professionals are out of touch with today's business realities. While companies pursue business models that scramble traditional customer lifecycles, marketing and CX functions remain siloed in outdated roles that become ineffective and wasteful. There is a better way forward: CX and marketing can master the new normal by reinventing their relationship with each other. In this epi...

In this episode, we're joined by VP, Research Director Harley Manning to discuss a recent internal research effort to better understand the needs of Forrester clients.  Iterative interviews with about 40 senior CX leaders helped to uncover what they're working on, what data and insights they're missing, and more. Click the titles below for more on this topic: Introducing Forrester Decisions

After a merger and acquisition, CX teams must face the realities of combining forces.  From VoC measurement to the overall approach for improving experiences, they must evaluate ways of working across both organizations.  In this episode, we are joined by Yvan Goupil, Head of Customer and Marketing Insight at Virgin Money UK, who experienced and succeeded at merging CX teams after an acquisition....

Measuring the impact of design is critical so that design teams can prove their value internally, scale up, and elevate their strategic influence. In this episode, Principal Analyst, Gina Bhawalkar, joins us to answer the question: What steps can companies take to measure the business impact of experience design? The complexity of this topic and wealth of examples led to a long episode, so we've i...

Companies are adopting agile frameworks and adding designers to their delivery teams to improve digital experience development efforts. But these two constituencies don't rely on the same workflow, artifacts, or ceremonies — and often struggle to find common ground as a result. In this episode, we're joined by Senior Analyst Karine Cardona-Smits to discuss how designers can better understand their...

Organizations don't typically know how customers derive value and which value drivers matter most. Instead, they measure value using flawed proxies. They also collect data about value in different parts of the organization, at different cadences, and using different tools, making it hard to assemble a complete picture of the value that customers derive. In this episode, we're joined by VP, Princip...

From CEOs to entry-level employees, people rely on digital tools at work — tools that are mostly inadequate or even terrible in terms of user experience (UX).  These enterprise UX problems cause their companies to waste time, undermine vital transformations, underserve customers, and risk dangerous mistakes. In this episode, we're joined by Principal Analyst Andrew Hogan to discuss the root causes...

To know what good customer journeys look like — and to benchmark them — customer experience (CX) pros need to understand how to design for emotion. This requires gaining a more granular understanding of how emotions impact CX and discrete customer journeys, going beyond simply delight. In this episode we're joined by VP, Principal Analyst Joana de Quintanilha to discuss how to design for emotions...

Many organizations struggle to define their customer experience (CX) vision, from where to begin and what to include, to how to act on it. In this episode, co-host and analyst Angelina Gennis discusses her latest research on how to create a unique CX vision to guide transformation. Aim framework: authentic, inspiring, mobilizing Click the titles below for more on this topic: Your CX Vision: How To...

Evolving an organization's culture towards greater customer centricity is complex work, requiring careful prioritization. In this episode we're joined by Chief Experience Officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC), Gratia Carver, to discuss her team's approach to evolving culture and the important role measurement plays. Click the titles below for more on this topic: Elevate An...

As companies strive towards more diversity, equity, and inclusion, they may turn to their measurement and VoC programs to assess the inclusivity of their current experiences. However, the data from those programs is often itself incredibly biased. In this episode we're joined by VP, Principal Analyst Maxie Schmidt to discuss how to measure and analyze data to identify biases. Click the titles belo...

Great customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) go hand in hand.  To deliver high-quality CX, companies must enable their employees, amid COVID-19 and shifting needs.  In this episode, we are joined by Verizon's Vice President of Sales and Service Operations, Ken Lain, to discuss his team's work supporting 17,000+ customer service employees as many transition to a work from home model....

Companies faced over 2,200 lawsuits in 2019 for failing to make their digital properties accessible, so it's no wonder firms are prioritizing accessibility. But it's about more than legal risk — accessibility efforts have a long track record of yielding innovations that help all customers, a benefit commonly called the "curb cut effect." In this episode we discuss with principal analyst, Gina Bhaw...

A key element of a strong customer experience practice is experience research. However, establishing, scaling, and evolving an experience research practice is no easy task. In this episode, we are joined by Senior Analyst Kelly Price to discuss the key elements of a good research practice and hallmarks of a truly advanced practice. Click the titles below for more on this topic: Establish Your Expe...

As we approach episode 250 and the podcast’s six-year anniversary, Adele and Angelina take a look back at episodes that stuck with them over the years, great episodes for CX newbies, and the episodes that have racked up the most listens.  Host Picks:  Humanizing Customer Research (Episodes 119 & 120) –Meena Kothandaram from Twig + Fish and Bentley University’s Human Factors And Information Des...

After a merger and acquisition, CX teams must face the realities of combining forces.  From VoC measurement to the overall approach for improving experiences, they must evaluate ways of working across both organizations.  In this episode, we are joined by Yvan Goupil, Head of Customer and Marketing Insight at Virgin Money UK, who experienced and succeeded at merging CX teams after an acquisition....

Diversity and inclusion is being considered and displayed more and more, in organizations' brand statements, employee experience (EX), and hiring practices. However, most organizations do not reflect those commitments in the customer experience (CX) they put out into the world. This is a big miss and a big opportunity. In this episode, we discuss with Principal Analyst, Gina Bhawalkar, how to appl...