A complete list of episodes from The CX Leader Podcast.
In a special CX Day Celebration episode and playing of this year's theme "CX Drives Success," host Steve Walker welcomes experts Sean Clayton, Sheila March, and Jack Walker for a fun panel discussion on how racing shares similar traits with customer experience. CX Day is held every first Tuesday in October by the Customer Experience Professionals Association as a global celebration of the customer experience profession.
It might sound like more work but sometimes building a CX program from the ground up has its advantages. Steve welcomes guest Roberta O'Keith of Murphy-Hoffman Company, a full-service truck dealership, to discuss how she started customer experience programs in companies that had no such efforts in place.
Journey mapping is a powerful tool in the CX leader's arsenal, but there are some "detours" you should avoid. In the first of a three-part series, Steve discusses how to avoid the process map detour with guests Melissa Meier from Walker, and Sheila March from Ascension Ministry Service Center.
It’s been said a countless number of times on this show: customer experience has never been more important for companies today. The pandemic has changed not only how businesses operate, but how consumers are make purchasing decisions. This has provided CX programs an opportunity to make a huge impact on how companies navigate their way through new territory as we start to see the world emerge from the pandemic. Host Steve Walker welcomes back Jay Baer of Convince and Convert to discuss how CX has - or can - make an impact.
There are so many ways in which a companies' or individuals' efforts to provide an exceptional and memorable customer experience. It's easy to remember the bad experiences but important we share the good one's as well. In this episode, host Steve Walker welcomes back Shep Hyken, a customer service and experience expert, Chief Amazement Officer of Shepard Presentations, a best-selling author, to share stories of exceptional customer experiences.
Today’s marketing playbooks put social media at the top of many strategies, but regardless of its prevalence, your website is still your business hub and a vital extension of your brand. But when your customers say your site is not friendly or functional, it’s time to rethink your online experience. And in once such case we’re exploring on this episode, the result was award winning. Host Sara Walker welcomes Rajesh Sankaran, Senior VP of eCommerce for A-Max Auto Insurance, for a discussion about their award-winning approach to improving how customers interact with their website.
Mystery shopping: it’s that common practice where companies hire professional “shoppers” to evaluate and report on how your customers experience your business and gain valuable perspective on the customer’s journey. But, like many things today, the pandemic has shifted how customer experience pros approach their practice. Host Steve Walker welcomes guest Michael Mills, global vice president of sales for HS Brands International, to discuss why CX pros should consider broadening their toolbox with this practice.
What’s the first thing you think of when asked, “how well do you listen?” Many CX professionals might think of their listening systems: surveys, close-loop feedback, listening architectures. Some may say they interact with clients on a regular basis. But what about actively listening? Talking less and letting others express themselves, and then reassuring them that the conversation was worth it. Host Sara Walker welcomes Marisa Schwartz, senior regional medical director for St. Luke’s University Health Network, to discuss the importance of active listening.
Host Steve Walker invites guest Jennifer Batley, a senior vice president at Walker Information, to discuss collaboration as a part of our on-going series on the 10 traits of effective CX leaders.
One of the best institutions to learn leadership skills is the military. Veterans often become some of the best business leaders in their fields. So how does military life translate into becoming an effective customer experience leader? Host Steve Walker welcomes Michelle Buretta, a vice president and CX strategic advisor at Walker, for a discussion on how her service in the Army prepared her to be a customer experience leader.
It's Thanksgiving here in the United States and we've dedicated an episode to sharing some short stories of customer experiences that made a positive difference in people's lives. Producer Chris Higgins hosts an episode with stories that include industries such as retail, automotive, restaurants, government agencies, and hospitality.
Producer Chris Higgins takes listeners on another trip in the "way-back" machine to listen to some of our favorite "take-home value" moments in our Luminary series.
Larger companies can sometime pose unique challenges to customer experience programs. CX leaders often have to navigate complicated business structures and, of course, the ever-so-frustrating “silos” that can exist in organizations. And if a company grows through acquisitions, it can be a challenge to integrate the existing customer experience programs. But it’s not impossible to innovate – regardless of the company’s size or age. Host Steve Walker welcomes guest Jen Zamora, Senior Global Director of Customer Experience & Employee Experience at Dow, the multinational materials science company, to discuss how a company the size of Dow manages CX and EX of their size and through corporate change.
Customer experience includes many aspects of how we interact with our customers. One common aspect is the hospitality we afford to them. Some companies will have more opportunities to demonstrate hospitality than others – like hotels, restaurants, theaters, etc. So how can other companies take cues from these markets by putting a “yes” mentality in their customer interactions? Host Steve Walker welcomes Christine Trippi, an award-winning hospitality leader and the author of “Yes is the Answer: How Positivity, Passion, and Pineapples will transform your leadership and your life,” for a discussion on creating a "yes" mindset in your customer experience efforts.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 19 million people were enrolled in some level of college education for the fall semester of 2018. And just like any other business, it’s important for academic institutions to pay attention to their customer – or perhaps “student” – experience. But as you can imagine, CX in the higher education realm is a bit different. Host Steve Walker and guest Karla Fisher, chief industry advisor for education at Qualtrics, discuss the unique circumstances that CX pros work under at colleges and universities.
Steve welcomes back Dr. Troy Powell, vice president at Walker, to discuss how it's not necessary for CX leaders to know analytics, but it's critical for them to think analytically.
An often-overlooked fact about a customer’s journey is that the experience they have with your company doesn’t always begin with their first interaction with you – customers often become aware of your brand through various immeasurable actions. The creativity of your marketing is often the first impression a potential customer has about your company, so using the science of data to drive the art and creativity of your marketing can be very beneficial. Host Steve Walker welcomes guest Kirsten Williams, chief marketing officer for Episerver, for a discussion on how to drive creativity with data.
CX leaders have become increasingly effective at taking action on customer feedback. Today many organizations have effective closed-loop programs that efficiently route insights to the right person for timely action. However, there’s a blind spot – the vast majority of customers never provide their feedback. Actually that’s more than a blind spot. It’s a black hole! This episode's guest has built an impressive early warning system that addresses this problem. Host Pat Gibbons welcomes Maddie Clark, Customer Experience Insights Senior Manager at ServiceNow, for a discussion on how she built an early warning system that addresses the problem of identifying dissatisfied customers that don't provide feedback.
An effective CX leader will utilize the thought process needed to understand the key components of a situation and comprehend the consequences of actions. Steve welcomes Noah Grayson, a CX professional and senior vice president at Walker, to discuss the trait of being a business savvy CX leader.
On the 100th episode of The CX Leader Podcast, host Steve Walker interviews his friend and mentor Dwaine Canova, CEO of Zynity, a company that provides online tools for organizational Leaders. Dwaine discusses his new book, "Elite Executive Teams," and how executive leadership should be the driving force in making customer experience a priority in your company.