The Modern Customer Podcast

Business leaders and executives would all agree that today's customer experience has to be personalized, convenient, fast and right every time. But how many of them actually know what the experience is like for their customers? Are they aware of hold times, connection delays or other issues? Customer experience is one of the defining characteristics of today's brands. But too many brands measure t...

When you think of great stories, you probably think of things you connected with emotionally. Sweeping images and great characters and locations instead of rational content and lists of facts. That concept is followed by Tourism Australia, where Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Ronson says companies shouldn't be overly rational with customers. It's a common trap for many brands to over-explain things...

When it comes to understanding customer satisfaction, it's best to go straight to the source: the customers themselves. Perhaps no one does that better than the American Customer Satisfaction Index, a research groups that looks at more than four dozen industries to find out what customers are buying and how satisfied they are with their experiences. ACSI's data covers all major consumer industries...

It's a situation many people have found themselves in. As a young professional who was throwing herself into her career, Lori Wright looked around one day and realized the person she had become was not who she really was. She was so focused on building a great career that she neglected every other area of her life, from working through family vacations to not seeing friends or taking care of her p...

Business leaders, contact center employees and sales associates interact with customers every day and are faced with requests, questions and a wide variety of complaints and issues. The customer experience largely comes down to how they respond—is it with a rote reply or a personalized reaction? Jeanne Bliss, president of CustomerBliss, bestselling author and a pioneer in the CX field, wants leade...

The world of small business insurance has always been riddled with hoops to jump through. Instead of spending valuable time growing their businesses, entrepreneurs are forced to waste time on the arduous process of finding insurance. In many cases, these people end up just purchasing a policy to be done instead of being confident that they made the right decision for their business. Next Insurance...

Is your company running from the future or preparing for it? Nearly every business leader knows the the future of work and technology will bring huge changes, but very few of them are actually doing anything about it. Companies that invest now to become future ready will be the ones that lead and withstand upcoming changes instead of getting disrupted and being pulled in multiple directions. Wunde...

A huge change is coming to Europe, and most businesses aren't ready. The EU's General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, goes into effect May 25, and with it comes a power shift that allows customers more access to their personal data than ever before. Customer data has long been thought of as a business asset. However, under GDPR, customers are now taking back ownership of their information and...

There are often two camps when it comes to customer experience: those who think automation and technology is the future, and those who think humans will still perform every task. However, perhaps the most likely scenario is one championed by David Clarke, Global CxO & Experience Consulting Leader, Digital Principal at PwC, who believes future success in customer experience comes from a combination...

In a world filled with uncertainty, helping everyday Americans gain financial security has never been more important. That's been the goal of Prudential Financial since it was founded in 1875, but the company has changed its methods with the times and is now leading the charge for innovation. One of the big players in that charge is Chief Customer Officer Naveen Agarwal, who views his role as conn...

In a world where many customers just feel like dollar signs or voices on the phone, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world promises its customers they will be able to see the whites of its employees' eyes. No matter the issue, there will always be someone there so closely involved in the situation that customers will know who they are and feel their presence. It's a powerful...

Most CEOs don't clean bathrooms, report to entry-level employees, or stop by stores just to chat with customers. Then again, Larry Sutton isn't most CEOs. Larry has turned RNR Tire Express into the fastest-growing tire franchise in the country with a humble and self-deprecating attitude. Larry doesn't see himself as the head of the company; in fact, he's actually turned the entire structure upside...

When it comes to customer experience, many companies often overlook an important group of customers: their employees. According to Melanie Foley, EVP, Chief Talent and Enterprise Services Officer at Liberty Mutual, seeing employees as customers is key to creating a great experience. Just like customers can choose to buy your product or not, employees can choose to work for your company or not. Cre...

When an insurance claim is filed, it means there has likely been an accident or some damage to a person's car, home, or business. Understandably, most people aren't thrilled to have to go through the claims process. However, customer experience is still vitally important in the insurance industry and can make the journey more pleasant for everyone involved. According to Alex Glanz, global insuranc...

Zappos is considered a leader when it comes to customer experience, but it hasn't always been that way. When Rob Siefker, now the Senior Director of Customer Loyalty, started representing the company at conferences years ago, he estimates only 10% of people had heard of Zappos. Now that number is around 99%, and the company has become a model of how to create a customer-obsessed culture. However,...

Many businesses know the importance of becoming "experience-led" and went to get there, but knowing where to start can be overwhelming. Adobe recently created a new customer Experience Index after surveying more than 1,500 people across the country. The results show powerful insights into the minds of customers and show areas where companies are excelling with customer experience and where they ca...

There's no doubt that customer experience is changing. Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects is that it is changing so quickly. In order to keep up with the rate of change and ensure customers' needs are met, companies need to embrace a new wave of technology. In many cases, customer experience is only as good as a company's data and communication system. Think of how we communicate: we use t...

Not many companies end up highlighted on The Ellen Show, but that's exactly what happened for Capital One, and it can all be credited back to the company's customer-centric culture. After her fiancé broke up with her and she moved out, a Capital One customer's card was flagged for fraud when she ordered furniture sent to her new address. The customer called and explained the situation to contact c...

Culture has come to the forefront of many business leaders' minds lately due to attention around issues like sexual harassment and diversity. The problem is that most leaders don't know how to cultivate a corporate culture that is lively and sustainable, or else they are going about it the wrong way. Denise Lee Yohn, author of the book Fusion: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World's G...

Everyone wants to feel connected—it's part of human nature. Whether it's building relationships at home, in the community, or with friends, people like to feel bonded to each other. But perhaps it's nowhere more important than at work. A connection culture in the workplace can impact customer experience and create a place where employees are engaged and excited to be. Studies have shown that peopl...

Most anyone who has had a bank account for at least a few years is familiar with the traditional relationship between banks and customers—banks house the money, send the statements, and set the rules. Many people think of their bank as the "big bad wolf" who sets the terms of how money is used and comes after you with fees if you can't manage your money correctly. It's a necessary institution, but...

It used to be that customers had one basic cell phone that they used just to call or text people, and they would contact the phone's support center when things went wrong. Those days are long gone. Today's customers have multiple devices that are constantly connected, and they can interact with tech companies for more than just support questions. As the technology and mobile world changes, Samsung...

In 2017 I had a lot of great conversations with a wide variety of thought leaders. I gathered up some highlight clips from last year's podcast interviews and put them into one podcast mashup. These clips show how customer experience can be defined and implemented, what it means for businesses in the future, and more. The first interview I looked back on was with Mary Winfield, VP Customer Experien...

In today's work landscape, people aren't limited by what corporate position they hold or what their job title is. Everyone can piece together their dream career with initiative, hard work, and a little luck. Perhaps there's no better example of that than Jacob Morgan, a leading author, speaker, and expert on the future of work. He also happens to be married to me. After a few disastrous jobs in th...

The world is changing, and consumers are changing right alongside it. That's the biggest takeaway from the 2018 Looking Further with Ford Trends Report . With political unrest, natural disasters, and a growing spotlight on social inequality around the world, the tone of this year's report is much different than previous years. Sheryl Connelly, Ford's futurist and the lead of the report, says consu...