The CX Leader Podcast | A resource for customer experience leaders

Steve Walker hosts another Live with CXPA event with guests Mark Slatin, senior vice president and director of CX at Sandy Springs Bank, and Ann Schrader, CX strategist at Farm Credit Service of America, for a discussion on ways for CX leaders to improve their CX program's visibility and build a reputation as a valuable part of their company's strategy.

In Part 1 of "CX for Start-ups" guest Jen Batley discussed why it's so important for new companies to really be in-tune with their customers. Knowing their needs while providing a product or service that disrupts the field is critical for start-ups. But what if you've been around for a while and are looking to scale-up? Are you providing what you promised to your customers? How are you listening t...

New business owners have a lot to think about when trying to get their company off the ground, and hopefully one of the many things in their mental "to-do" list is customer experience. We've always maintained that a strong CX program and customer-centric culture is vital in today's business environment, and that's just as true for new companies. But how do you get started? What insights should you...

With supply chain shortages throughout the globe CX pros are reminded how operational logistics can affect the customer experience. All companies have some sort of operational processes – shipping, legal work, graphics design, as a few examples - so it's important to consider how the efficiency of your operations impacts the customer experience. Host Steve Walker welcomes Dr. John Olson, professor...

Many companies rely on partners to deliver the best results for their customers – we here at Walker enjoy the benefits of being a member of the Qualtrics Partner Network. But any CX pro will know that it may not be particularly easy to manage the experience when it's in another organization's hands, and it's natural to want to ensure that any experience your customers have with you or your partner...

Building a CX program from the ground up can be a challenge, especially in a field such as healthcare. Where do you start? What's most important to customers? How do we develop a customer – or "member" – centric culture? Host Steve Walker welcomes Gratia Carver, vice president and chief experience officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, or "Blue KC", for why measurement is such a crucial...

The customer experience profession is evolving to recognize the importance of going beyond the customer. If a company's culture doesn't include employee experiences then it will be difficult to mature a CX program. Host Steve Walker welcomes Karyn Furstman, vice president and Head of CX Strategy & Solutions at Designit, for a discussion on building a customer-focused culture through employee exper...

Note: this episode is an encore presentation of the Live with CXPA event, "10 Traits of Effective CX Leaders" which premiered on March 8th, 2022. You can also watch a video presentation of this event on CXPA's Vimeo channel.  What makes an effective leader in customer experience? On this special episode of The CX Leader Podcast and Live with CXPA, host Steve Walker leads a discussion with panelist...

Just as a car requires regular maintenance, customer experience programs need regular evaluation, leading to small "tune ups" or complete overhauls so they deliver the best possible results for your company. Host Steve Walker welcomes Christine Beishline from Freeman to discuss how they "design for beautiful," always keeping the end results in mind.

Just like any other business process, customer experience programs need occasional review and scrutiny to ensure it delivers the best possible experience. This is true even if your program seems to be running smoothly. Guest host Pat Gibbons welcomes Luis Angel-Lalanne from American Express to discuss the process in which they transformed how customer sentiment was gathered to help improve their C...

Live events can also be great way to gather insights into your customers while providing an exceptional experience. More companies are designing events to provide almost over-the-top experiences to help engage with their customers. So how do you design a great event AND gather the insights you need to improve your customer experience? Host Steve Walker welcomes Johnathan Yaffe from AnyRoad to disc...

CX professionals know that the frontline employees can be a great source of customer insights. And customers often supply feedback in ways they often never realize. Having your employees recognize and communicate that feedback can provide valuable insights, and in some cases, warn you of potentially major problems. Host Steve Walker welcomes Stephanie McFarland from McFarland PR and Public Affairs...

If your company is not providing a digital experience at some level then you've already missed the boat. If you consider the possibilities of personalizing a digital experience, then you have a potentially powerful tool that can differentiate your company from competitors. So, how do you personalize the digital experience? Host Steve Walker welcomes Michael Scharff, CEO at Evolv Technologies, for...

Businesses and organizations have had to endure drastic changes in the last two years, and the way business owners manage their office space is no exception. With more employees working from home, business leaders have had to rethink how they use their commercial space, and landlords and property managers are starting to think about their tenants' experience while they work to adapt to the current...

This podcast has always maintained that customer experience is one of the best differentiators you can leverage in driving customer loyalty. And there's yet another piece of research that is proving this assertion, with customers giving companies a clear warning about 2022: "we won't tolerate bad experiences." Host Steve Walker welcomes Bruce Temkin, head of the Qualtrics XM Institute, to discuss...

In the 200th episode of The CX Leader Podcast, host Steve Walker and guests Sonya McAllister and Sean Clayton reminisce on how customer experience has evolved since the podcast began in 2018, how businesses' views and acceptance of CX have changed in those four years, and what customer experience will look like in 2022.

Fresh into a new year is often a good time to look at how customer experience is progressing within companies. The XM Institute has recently published their report, "The State of CX Management" which examines the CX efforts and maturity of several companies. Host Steve Walker welcomes back Moira Dorsey from the XM Institute to discuss the findings from the report. 

Even in an era where self-service options are becoming essential to many companies' customer experience, the contact center is still a large part of many organizations' frontline efforts. But how has call center technology adapted to accommodate customer experience, and how aligned is your company's culture to providing the best possible experience for your customers? Host Steve Walker welcomes St...

A new report has found that more people are looking for self-service options to find help with their products and services but many companies' online support and documentation is not able to handle the task. This can create problems for companies offering support and frustration for customers who simple want to find simple solutions for simple problems online. Steve Walker welcomes Gal Oron, CEO o...

The employee experience is becoming more critical in making certain your company has the best possible customer experience. But there's one department that is critical in establishing and maintaining an effective EX program: human resources. Host Steve Walker welcomes Dr. Cecelia Herbert, a certified experience management professional and a principal XM catalyst for the Qualtrics XM Institute, for...

It can be argued that small businesses make the backbone of the U.S. economy. According to a study conducted by the Small Business Administration released in 2019, small businesses generated 44% of the U.S economic activity and created two-thirds of net new jobs. Granted those numbers would likely look different given the reality of the COVID pandemic, but it still underscores the importance of sm...

Note: this episode is an encore presentation of the Live with CXPA event, "Combining CX and EX: Better Together" which premiered on November 9th, 2021. You can also watch a video presentation of this event on CXPA's YouTube channel.  Customer experience and employee experience are typically separate programs run by different departments. However, what if they were more in sync? Join guest host Ste...

It's an unfortunate result of the pandemic that most people have experienced: supply shortages. Everything from breakfast cereal to new cars, jewelry, the newest name-brand mobile phone, and even turkeys. And it's hard not to feel some sympathy for front-line retail workers as they receive the brunt of consumer anger over things they clearly have no control. But there are tools that can help both...

As a CX leader it is important to better understand and promote the customer experience field within your company. Regardless of profession, there are certain traits and skills common to leaders. But what leadership traits are important specifically to customer experience professionals – what qualities of leadership should you prioritize? Host Steve Walker welcomes Lambert Walsh, senior vice presi...

Relationships are an important part of our lives. Humans are social creatures and it's important to understand that fact when leading a CX program. But companies sometimes miss the mark on ensuring employees and leaders throughout the company understand how to build and maintain relationships with customers, and each other. Host Steve Walker welcomes John Dijulius, chief revolution officer and pre...