The Trusted Guide Podcast with Mark Slatin

How Leaders Can Leverage Video to Improve CX and EX - Rose Bentley, CEO, Qumu Video in business is here to stay. The question is how to best leverage it to engage employees and customers to improve their experience? On this episode: Qumu CEO and President Rose Bentley shares how you can best leverage technology to make deeper connections with your employees and customers.  She shares the specific...

Part 2 of 2 Predictive NPS - How Loyalty Measurement is Changing with Rob Markey A powerful, insightful, revealing interview so packed with gems that I had to break it into two parts! Rob Markey is the Co-Inventor of the Net Promoter System and the Co-Author of The Ultimate Question 2.0. In Part 2 (this episode): We discuss: Rob's definition of customer experience The impact of digital transformat...

Rob Markey on the Delighted Customers Podcast Part 1 of 2 What would you expect from one of the top CX thought leaders in the world? A powerful, insightful, revealing interview so packed with gems that I had to break it into two parts! Rob Markey is the Co-Inventor of the Net Promoter System and the Co-Author of The Ultimate Question 2.0. In Part 1 (this episode): We discuss: Loyalty levers to pul...

I caught up with Brittany Knox at MSU's CXM 360 Conference. Brittany is a graduate student in MSU's Masters of Science in Customer Experience Management. She's also a Project Consultant at BCBS of Michigan. In this episode, she shares: The benefits of walking in the shoes of the employee who is serving BCBS members The importance of looking at customer pain points holistically to determine root ca...

The Role of Perception and Expectations in Customer Experience This episode is definitely different! Gary David, PhD, is a professor of sociology and a conversational analyst.  On this episode: What his dissertation research at an immigrant-owned liquor store in downtown Detroit taught him about making emotional connections despite contentious social constructs We take a look at the role expectati...

Carla Higgins has made a career in the banking industry and held many positions. She knows banking from the inside out. Today we talk about the evolution of banking and how Covid accelerated the rollout of ITM's and how they may be a cost effective alternative to the traditional brick and mortar model. She breaks down the Interactive Teller Machines: What problem do they solve? How can they improv...

Today I talked to Bruce Temkin, speaker, thought leader, and a customer experience legend. Bruce co-founded the Customer Experience Professionals Association in 2011 and currently serves as the Head of the XM Institute. Bruce shared his thoughts on some important topics that can help empower your customer experience efforts: Bruce's transition from submarine engineer to CRM researcher at Forrester...

Risa Lovell, Director of Property and Casualty Customer Service at Farm Bureau Insurance joins us from the MSU Hotel and Conference Center at the first in-person episode of The Delighted Customers Podcast.  Risa shares some helpful insights: How Farm Bureau Insurance lives their mission to give back to the community How she broke down silos and looked through the customers lens to improve CX in th...

This episode is part 2 of a 2 part series featuring a very special guest, Professor of Marketing from the Wharton School of Business, Dr. Peter Fader. We will talk about how his new book may revolutionize the way Wall Street looks at what a company is actually worth based not on traditional financial metrics alone but the overall health of it's customers. At some companies, it's already starting t...

This episode is part 1 of a 2 part series featuring a very special guest, Professor of Marketing from the Wharton School of Business, at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Peter Fader. We will talk about how his new book may revolutionize the way Wall Street looks at what a company is actually worth based not on traditional financial metrics alone but the overall health of it's customers. At some...

Delivering Happiness 2.0 - Behind the Scenes Look at Zappos with Head of Customer Research, Alex Genov In 2009, Amazon bought a start up shoe company that broke the mold by selling entirely over the internet .  It differentiated solely on customer service. The legendary stories of their obsession with #DeliveringHappiness (CEO Tony Hsieh's bestseller) shifted paradigms. Amazon paid for $2.1billion...

In celebration of CX Week this episode features Nancy Porte, Chair, Board of Directors, CXPA.  Nancy discusses 3 important topics: 1. Why gaining the support of executives is critical and how you might go about achieving that. 2. Why CX professionals and those considering the profession might want to join the Customer Experience Professionals Association.  3. On a more personal note - Nancy shares...

In celebration of CX week, my special guest, CXPA CEO Greg Melia talks about how he ended up becoming the first full time CEO of CXPA and why the organization helps CX professionals differentiate their careers by joining and engaging in the organization. He also shares the new CX Book of Knowledge and shares a "sneak peek on what's on the horizon that will be a significant benefit to members. Cont...

The race to digital transformation was accelerated by the pandemic. Many organizations have invested time and money and have little to show for it. Jaya Sudarshan shares the secret to blending the right combination of digital improvements to an improved customer experience. She also emphasizes the importance of designing experiences with an awareness of different country cultures. From the differe...

Trust. Isn't that one of those soft, touchy-feely words? In today's word of digital transformation, isn't people skills so...yesterday? From someone who walked the walk as a CX practitioner, one of the most critical skills is the ability to influence - without positional power.  The ability to build trust with key stakeholders is a golden asset for any business leader but it's essential for a CX o...

Dr. Tom DeWitt, trailblazer and Director of CXM@MSU, talks about why it was time to launch a Masters of Science in Customer Experience Management (CXM) at Michigan State University.  He shares some powerful realities about why companies should lead with a customer experience strategy and how this program can close the gap by preparing leaders to lead CX at the C-level.   If you are thinking about...

In this episode, my guest Stacey Nevel gives practical tips on how to engage employees and avoid some of the most common mistakes that negatively impact employee engagement.  Have a clear purpose and align your team to that mission is the first step. She provides illustrations of how to do that and steps that winning organizations take to ensure congruence between corporate strategy and how it's l...

Customer friction can lead to customer defection. Often, companies attempt to fix their customer's pain with a short term solution. Diane defines design thinking and why it's a different approach that starts with putting your customer in the center.  She also shares what led her from a career as a clinical psychologist, supporting those dealing with death and dying, into the world of customer expe...

Jon shares gems from his new book: From Impressed to Obsessed: 12 Principles for Turning Customers an Employees Into Lifelong Fans. Excellence is never an accident. Jon brilliantly pulls the curtain back on proven methods to fundamentally change the way you think about creating a successful, beloved business. Jon Picoult shared practical and proven principles from his new book From Impressed to Ob...

The Delighted Customers Podcast is about trust. Hosted by Mark Slatin, the show helps CX leaders become trusted guides—earning executive confidence, influencing decisions, and leading change that sticks. Episodes focus on turning insight into credibility, building CX roadmaps leaders support, and navigating the realities of organizational influence for experienced CX professionals.