The Modern Customer Podcast

In the fast-paced tech world, it's tempting for companies to rely on their products. But Logitech, one of the world's largest hardware companies, knows the importance of being customer-focused instead of just product-focused. The company takes a unique approach by having its CIO, Massimo Rapparini, also lead customer experience. But the connection between technology, information and customer exper...

More than 150 million Americans will file their taxes in the coming months. But how many of them will have a good experience doing it? H&R Block aims to create a smooth experience for its customers that both instills confidence and wows them. And that comes from continually evolving the customer experience to leverage both technology and human connection. H&R Block's 20 million customers run the g...

When Sascha Mayer had her first baby, she realized a common problem for working moms: not having a good place to breastfeed or pump for their baby. Especially when she travelled for work, Mayer had difficulty finding a dignified place to use a breast pump and often found herself pumping in the bathroom. In talking with other moms, she realized she wasn't alone and that the problem was rampant acro...

The mattress industry definitely hasn't been sleepy in recent years. With the success and growth of online, direct-to-consumer mattress companies, industry stalwarts have had to undergo major transformations to innovate and stay ahead of the competition. Melanie Huet, CMO at Serta Simmons, says the company's reset has renewed its focus on consumer-led innovation and put customers at the heart of e...

When you think of your interactions with brands, you likely find yourself experiencing some kind of friction. In physics, friction is anything that slows down progress, like a block trying to move across carpet. In customer experience, friction is any unnecessary effort to complete a task, and it can hurt the experience and how a customer views the brand. Roger Dooley is the author of Friction: Th...

How do you create a great experience for customers of different generations? That's the challenge faced by children's hair salon Pigtails & Crewcuts, which has two very distinct and different types of customers: children and parents. According to CEO Wade Brannon, the key is creating a personalized and comfortable experience for everyone.   Haircuts can be stressful for both children and their par...

The supply chain isn't typically a strong consideration when building a customer experience strategy. But at Nordstrom, the supply chain is a critical element of delivering quality customer experiences. The company recently re-imagined its supply chain with customers at the center to create a delivery and logistics process that gets customers exactly what they need, when they need it.   In order t...

A company that rose out of tragedy is now a leader in experiential retail. Painting with a Twist was started 10 years ago after Hurricane Katrina to give people a safe haven and fun escape during a difficult time. Customers flocked to the chance to enjoy an evening painting and drinking with friends to escape from their cares and worries, and one of the first experiential retail businesses was bor...

Some companies let customer experience come together on its own, while others take a more intentional approach. At Slack, the thoughtful, intentional approach has made it leader in customer experience as it constantly evaluates and updates its experience to meet customer needs. The thoughtful approach starts internally. Ali Rayl, VP Customer Experience, has been with the company from the beginning...

Is your company operating in chaos or clarity? The difference often comes down to creating a knowledge-rich culture. Modern customers and employees want information on their own terms. In order to best educate employees and provide answers and tools to customers, many customer-focused brands create knowledge-rich cultures. These cultures pride themselves on offering learning and growth opportuniti...

In a world where more customers want to stay at home and have products and services delivered to them, a company in the pet industry is mixing things up with experiential retail. Zoom Room Dog Training is an indoor training gym for dogs that is turning the traditional training model on its head. Instead of focusing solely on each dog's experience like many pet companies do, Zoom Room focuses on th...

For years, Australia has had with a well-established culture of customer experience. In general, companies seem to connect with customers better and offer more personalized solutions than they do in other parts of the world, including the U.S. However, many Australians have hit experience roadblocks with big companies lately, especially when it comes to the contact center. Having trouble waiting o...

It may seem glamourous to fly around the world, deliver speeches to adoring fans, and bring in a big paycheck. In reality, the life of a professional speaker is much less glamorous and much more demanding. But even with the long flights and rejection, it can still be incredibly rewarding. My husband Jacob Morgan worked his last full-time job more than a decade ago. When the boss who had promised h...

Buying a car can be stressful and time-consuming. It's not a task that most consumers look forward to. But Carvana is changing the experience by giving power back to customers and letting them find their perfect car from the comfort of their own home without having to haggle with salespeople. Co-founder and Chief Brand Officer Ryan Keeton points out that the car-buying process hasn't changed in mo...

The telecom world faces constant change and evolution. A decade ago, smart phones didn't exist, and now they're the core of every company. Through the change, one company has seen incredible growth of 20-30% year over year to become a $1 billion-dollar company. Its secret? Focusing on customer service. John Marick started Consumer Cellular with a goal of bringing cell phones to people all over the...

In a company as large as AT&T, most customers will only ever interact with field operations technicians. That means that creating a strong experience in the field is vital for both employees and customers. Jennifer Robertson, AT&T's President of Field Operations, mixes technology with human decisions to create an efficient experience with a strong human touch. AT&T has thousands of technicians in...

In 2020, ecommerce logistics company Pitney Bowes will celebrate its 100 th anniversary. It's safe to say the company has seen tremendous change in its 100 years as it evolved from a postage company to a global technology leader. But instead of just reflecting on the past, the company is looking towards the future of ecommerce and preparing for what comes next with a digital transformation. Over t...

Instead of just being employees, Honeywell employees are now considered Future Shapers. It's part of the company's digital transformation and move to create a smart, convenient future for its customers. Future Shapers are dreamers and doers. As Ken Stacherski, Honeywell's VP Enterprise Transformation, shared, the company's internal motto is "The future is what we make it." With those words in mind...

If you had great intentions of playing the guitar but gave it up after your first lesson, you aren't alone. As many as 90% of new guitarists quit within their first year. But that might not be the case much longer. Fender Digital is building a thriving subscription model that teaches guitar skills that people actually stick with—and so far, 100,000 people are on board. Fender is known for its icon...

How does a 100-year-old company continually reinvent itself to change how the world works? By relying on and driving a high-quality customer experience. IBM's current success is built around its historic roots and the customer-first culture that has existed from the beginning. For CMO Michelle Peluso, that means standing on the backs of giants while also looking towards the future. The goal of IBM...

Taking a relaxing trip by rail or hopping on a high-speed commuter train to the next city is common in Europe and Asia, but it's a foreign idea for most Americans. Virgin Trains USA is hoping to change that by bringing the future of train travel to the U.S. The sweet spot for train travel is between highly populated city centers that are within 200 to 300 miles of each other. It's a distance that...

How do you take on an industry giant and deliver innovative solutions? With a customer-first culture that becomes a competitive advantage. Mike McDerment created FreshBooks when he couldn't find a great accounting solution for his small design business. He designed the product for business owners, not accountants. Now, the company has over 10 million customers and is the #2 small business accounti...

Most people don't think about their luggage when travelling. The goal is to focus on the experiences themselves instead of the product that's carrying your clothes and supplies. Samsonite is a staple in the travel world. As Chief Digital Officer Charlie Cole says, the goal is for customers to talk about the vacation and not about what they're packing. A good suitcase quietly gets the job done with...

For years, customers have traded their personal data for digital services, rewards or promotions. In order to gain access to a new program, get discounts from a company or connect with friends on social media, we've given up much of our personal information. But is it a fair trade? Data privacy issues have been growing in intensity for years, leading to a world where customers aren't in control of...

There's a lot of talk about innovation in the business world. But innovation is more than just a buzzword—it should be the culture and mindset of customer experience professionals. The best customer experiences push beyond the norm to provide creative, unique and memorable experiences and services for customers. According to best-selling author Josh Linkner, customer experience is a platform for c...