The Experience Strategy Podcast

Today we're sitting down with the Director of Retail CX at Clayton Homes, Michael Stanton.  Clayton Homes is a Berkshire Hathaway Company that provides more homes to families than any other housing company in America. Michael's noticed, like many other experience strategists, that our inner circles are shifting. In addition to families, Clayton now sells more homes to friends, siblings, and others...

John Doll, from the Enterprise Design team at Edward Jones, had a very rough day recently. His rental car was broken into. What ensued was one of the highest drama CX stories we've heard in a while. Grab a hot cup of tea and listen to this dishy story of processes failed, jobs not done, and opportunities missed. Yes, this is a story of customer disservice, but it's also one of employee disservice,...

On this very special episode of The Experience Strategy Podcast, Dave Norton and Aransas Savas are getting meta as they are joined by the producer of this podcast and the Founder and CEO of Produce Your Podcast, Traci DeForge. Traci is a pioneer in the world of podcasting and has created a thriving business in helping companies translate their services into audio formats that grow their brands. Th...

Experience strategists are navigating increasingly complex decisions. Customer journeys are increasingly complex, channels are proliferating, expectations continue to rise, and data is abundant. How do we help our companies make the best decisions about how and where to spend money?  Craig Lutz is uniquely well positioned to help us answer this question. Craig has been a data scientist and researc...

On today's episode of Experience Strategy Podcast, hosts Dave Norton and Aransas Savas will prove to you that your business needs a strong strategic POV on your customer experience in order to thrive. Listen in to hear how brands like @Apple, @W Hotels, and @Best Buy's Geek Squad used a compelling experience POV to innovate and drive business success. KEY TAKEAWAYS One of the key elements of an ex...

Today we are joined by Jake Haupert and Jorge Perez, thought leaders and entrepreneurs in transformational travel. We explore why travel is the perfect launchpad for the transformation economy; how transformational experiences differ from our traditional ways of looking at categories like healthcare, finance, retail, technology and beyond; which customer types seek transformation and why they valu...

Experience Strategy and Branding Strategy sometimes reference similar ideas and frameworks, but often don't complement one another in execution, for the good of the customer. Catherine is the Co-Founder of the branding agency, clarkmcdowall. Catherine has been a thought leader in brand strategy, architecture and innovation since the 90's. Her work is built on the fusion of art and science, left an...

Historically, customers expected categories like hospitality and healthcare to support their wellbeing. Today, categories as wide-ranging as finance and electronics are expected to design for wellbeing.  Don't think you're in the wellbeing industry? Think again. Cultural shifts and crises have changed the game. In this episode, we are joined by Sallie Fraenkel, the founder of Mind Body Spirit Netw...

Experience Strategy has expanded over the past decade to include a wide range of disciplines: CX, UX, Patient Experience, Employee Experience, Service Design, and so many more. With all these exes running around, experience strategy can sometimes sound like a country & western song. Today we are joined by Gary David, a Professor of Sociology, and Professor of Information Design and Corporate Commu...

Chip Conley, legendary hotelier, was dubbed the Modern Elder at Airbnb because he was twice the age of the average Airbnb employee and as curious as he was wise. As the internal mentor to the young Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, Chip got to see the value of intergenerational collaboration in a company that has now grown to be the most valuable hospitality company in the world. His bestselling book "Wisd...

Customer needs and expectations are constantly evolving. What can recent trends in customer expectations and context tell you about what's coming next? How can these inform your experience roadmap and prepare your business for what's next? Our goal is to provide data-driven trends for Experience Strategists that will help you with planning by identifying the major customer and cultural trends that...

In this episode you'll meet Jake Kahana, the co-founder of Caveday, a company helping you improve your relationship to work. Their global community has participated in over 50,000 hours of deep work "In The Cave." Learn how Jake and his co-founders started with a specific job to be done and then wrapped an experience around it to create a game-changing solution, how they use internal and external...

The Washington Post recently shared evidence that US employees have gotten dramatically less productive. The Wall Street Journal reported that companies like Ford are giving severance packages to underproductive employees. And pretty much every media outlet has told us that employees are "quiet quitting" in astounding numbers. Today we are joined by Corinne Murray, an employee experience thought l...

As we continue our exploration of Modes: the behaviors and mindsets people adopt to accomplish a goal, today we will reflect on prayer mode with Agapi Stassinopoulos   the bestselling author of Wake Up to the Joy of You and Unbinding the Heart: A Dose of Greek Wisdom, Generosity, and Unconditional Love and most recently Speaking with Spirit 52 Prayers to Guide, Inspire, and Uplift You . If you're...

In this episode, we explore the difference between moments and modes with Justin Kirby and how they intersect with design, marketing, innovation, sustainability and technology. Tune in to discover how modes can trigger greater customer empathy and understanding about your jobs to be done. You'll also hear how this leads to greater self-awareness for customers, companies, and company culture- and h...

Today we dive into Turnaround mode with Lisa Gable, former US Ambassador, UN Delegate, and the bestselling author of Turnaround: How to Change Course When Things Are Going South. Lisa has turned around businesses, teams, nonprofits, political campaigns, and government projects, finding solutions to the hairiest problems. Since experience strategies must create economic value, losing sight of the J...

In this episode of the Experience Strategy podcast we go deep into the lived experience of Play mode with our friend, Michelle Lee, Managing Director of IDEO's Play Lab. Tap into Michelle's vast knowledge of the experience of play to understand the mindsets and behaviors associated with this mode, and how we, as experience strategists, can tap into the power of play.   Learn: Why play matters for...

Today we are joined by Matt Maher, a Futurist specializing in augmented and virtual realities, web3, the metaverse, artificial intelligence, the internet of things (IoT), and voice technology.  Hybrid experiences are now table stakes, whether you're in healthcare, wellness, events, or banking. In this episode, Matt will help us look not just at the future of fashion and other physical goods, but a...

Today we are joined by Zibby Owens, an author, podcaster, publisher, CEO, and mother of four. Zibby recently published her memoir: Bookends: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature and h er first children's book Princess Charming . As part of our ongoing Modes series, Zibby helps us understand what it's like to be a multi-hyphenate jetting from one mode to another, and the tools, behaviors and mind...

Jamie Norwood, named to Inc.'s Top 100 Female Founders and Forbes 1000, is the co-founder of Stix, a fast-growing startup in healthcare challenged by how to serve extremely distinct customer needs. In this episode we look at how Modes can create confident shoppers, a sense of community, and continuity across shopper journeys. Tune in and discover how you can apply these frameworks to businesses of...

Today we are talking to Roger Beasley about Customer Modes, the mindsets and behaviors that help people get jobs done. We look at what they are and how they work through the lens of the restaurant industry. Tune in to learn how modes thinking has the key to unlock experience strategy and journey work in powerful new ways.    IN THIS EPISODE:   [1:35] Introduction to Roger Beasley [3:37] What are m...

How can you turn your customer into a superhero? In today's episode, we are joined by Thomas Kolster, the Author of The Hero Trap and Goodvertising and one of the most recognized thinkers globally, where marketing, business, and sustainability meet. This week's episode covers experiences, why they are more sustainable than things, and how to make them truly transformational. Tune in to learn more...

Does your experience serve your current customer? How about your future customer? Do you know if your experience is time well spent for your customer? Or if they are truly engaged? Or if the outcomes you're delivering matter to them? In today's episode, we are joined by Sheila Akbar, the president & COO of Signet Education to explore what happens when companies make measurement a meaningful part o...

In today's episode, we are joined by Rilla Delorier. Rilla has over 30 years of experience as an executive leader within the financial services industry, serving as a trusted advisor to the CEOs of PNC, SunTrust, and Umpqua Bank. Tune in as we uncover how niche customer segments have completely upended the traditional way of thinking about banking, why it's important to go after unmet customer nee...

In today's episode, we are joined by Josh Liebman, the Guest Experience Evangelist for ROLLER Software. Josh has worked for some of the top tourism destinations in the world, from Walt Disney World and Universal Studios to Ritz Carlton, The Four Seasons, and Coca-Cola. With nearly 17 years of designing experiences in this industry, Josh specializes in service standards, complaint resolution, and g...