Customer Experience Leaders

Jason Bradshaw is the Chief Customer Officer at Volkswagen Group Australia and author of a new book coming out about customer experience called ‘It’s all about CEX!’. He’s an expert at delivering engaging customer experiences across a network of businesses, and in this episode talks about how businesses can connect with customers on a personal level, plus explores what it takes to build trust and deliver a great customer experience during a crisis. Resources mentioned: Amazing Business Radio (podcast), by Shep Hyken It’s all about CEX! (book), by Jason Bradshaw Key takeaways (starts at 33:17): Documenting the principles that describe a great experience in your team. Celebrate when employees go above and beyond. When it gets harder, celebrate harder. Just act to implement a better experience.

Michael Barnard is is the General Manager of Customology - a company which helps businesses create loyal customers. He’s an expert at driving customer loyalty and in this episode shares his tips for creating a loyalty program that will actually keep your customers coming back.   Resources mentioned: Start With Why (Book), by Simon Sinek Eat That Frog! (Book), by Brian Tracy The Personal MBA (Book), by Josh Kaufman Crack the Customer Code (Podcast) The Intuitive Customer (Podcast) Freakonomics (Podcast) The Elements of Value (Research), by Bain & Company   Key takeaways (starts at 35:36): Design your loyalty program for the people you’re trying to reach. Look for ways to add more elements of value. Do something meaningful with the data you’re collecting.

Annette Franz is the Founder and CEO of CX Journey and is a highly respected customer experience consultant. In this episode you’ll learn about the importance of the customer journey map, how to get started with designing your own, and also some practical tips to make the most of your journey mapping experience.   Resources mentioned: Everybody Matters (book), by Bob Chapman AirBNB’s 10 Star Experience (article) CX Journey (website), by Annette Franz Designing CX (website)   Key takeaways (starts at 28:44): Journey Maps are easier than you think, so just get started. Customers will give you the deepest insights Journey maps are one tool in the CX toolkit Digitise and display your journey map so staff can see it. If nothing changes, nothing changes.

Steven Czeiger is the Managing Director of Sunlite Mitre 10 - a chain of hardware stores that is dedicated to providing exceptional customer experiences. In this episode Steven will share his tips for hiring great people who have a service mindset, and how to make sure you give customers a great experience in a retail environment.   Resources mentioned: Elephant Journal (website)   Key takeaways (starts at 22:31): Have an obsession with hiring the right people. Highlight staff who go above and beyond. Use customer feedback as part of your daily business. Invest in ‘Wow’ experiences even if you can’t see an immediate ROI.

Jeanne Bliss is the CEO of Customer Bliss, a best-selling author, and also one of the founders of the Customer Experience Professionals Association. In this episode Jeanne answers questions from the Customer Experience Leaders audience. You’ll hear practical tips and advice on how to implement a successful CX strategy within your own organisation.   Resources mentioned: Would You Do That To Your Mother (book), by Jeanne Bliss.

Jeanne Bliss is the CEO of Customer Bliss, a best-selling author, and also one of the founders of the Customer Experience Professionals Association. In this episode you’ll learn about the importance of the Chief Customer Officer role, and how you can drive a customer-centric focus within your organisation that would make your mother proud.   Resources mentioned: Would You Do That To Your Mother (book), by Jeanne Bliss.    Key takeaways (starts at 28:48): Treat customers like assets Think about your processes in reverse so you can focus on the customer first. Place trust in your front-line staff. Become a customer experience leader within your own organisation.

Janine Pawson is a Senior CX Design Lead at Australia’s NBN Co. She’s an expert at creating service blueprints to help companies understand the interactions they have with their customers. In this episode you’ll learn about the importance of a service blueprint, how it fits into the arsenal of a great CX pro, and how to actually create one for your business.   Resources mentioned: Mapping Experiences (book), by James Kalbach Realtime Board (example) Learning Space Toolkit (example) Service Blueprint (Wikipedia) Nielsen Norman Group (definition)   Key takeaways (starts at 26:43): Learning from in person workshops is valuable. Don’t interview people for a service blueprint, involve them in the creation process. You don’t need to be an expert, start mapping a service blueprint out on paper. Use visual displays to make information easier to digest. Service blueprints can help you build empathy around the customer experience.

Dan Fine is a customer experience professional who has worked on brands like NAB, Telstra, Sensis, and Vic Roads. In this episode you’ll learn how to define the role of a customer experience professional, plus you’ll discover many tips and resources that you can use on your journey to becoming a great CX pro.   Resources mentioned: Service Design Show (podcast). Why Service Design Thinking (podcast). This is HCD (podcast). General Assembly (course). Academy XI (course). Customer Experience Professionals Association This is Service Design Thinking (book), by Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider. The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design (book), by IDEO. The Ultimate Question 2.0 (book), by Fred Reichheld and Rob Markey. Beyond the Ultimate Question (book), by Bob Hayes. Bulletproof Radio (podcast), with Dave Asprey. Influencers (podcast), by Jon Levy Closing the Delivery Gap (research), by Bain and Company   Additional Resources: The Ten Principles Behind Great Customer Experiences (book), by Matt Watkinson. Outside In: The Power of Putting Customers at the Center of Your Business (book), by Harley Manning and Kerry Bodine. Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers (book), by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo. Xplaner (website). Strategyzer (website). Service Design Tools (website).   Key takeaways (starts at 30:35): Any CX initiative needs to be driven by the CEO. Present ideas with 51% confidence but 100% conviction. Treat survey data like an asset. Close the delivery gap between what you think you know and what the customer experiences.

Milly Schmidt is a product leader, UX designer, and instructor who helps companies integrate design thinking into their business. In this episode you’ll learn about the importance of design thinking, how it can help you make better decisions, and the five step process to help you apply design thinking to your organisation right away.   Resources mentioned: The Design of Everyday Things (book), by Donald Norman, Design Thinking Bootcamp (course), by Stanford Sprint (book), by Jake Knapp from Google Ventures, User Experience Design (course), by General Assembly Service Design (course), by Academy XI Jared Spool Don't Make Me Think (book), by Steve Krug A List Apart Skills of the Modern Age   Key takeaways (starts at 30:37): Design thinking is a scientific process to solve human problems Employ design thinking to gather evidence for decision making Where does the nexus of power lie in your organisation? Reframe the terminology you use to talk about customers.

Vince Parry is a veteran of the healthcare industry and is the President and Chief Branding Officer of the Parry Branding Group. He’s an expert on building healthcare brands and in this interview shares his tips for building engaging brands that connect with customers on a deep, personal level.   Resources mentioned: Identity Crisis (book), by Vince Parry   Key takeaways (starts at 30:48): Ensure that your employees feel great as they’re part of the transaction Lead the customer journey with education Think about how you can have a series of conversations with your customers Listen to what your customers have to say

Anne Bahr Thompson is also the founder of the Brand Citizenship movement and the author of the book “Do Good”, which is designed to help leaders turn their brands into better corporate citizens. She is also a global brand strategist and founder of brand consultancy Onesixtyfourth. Prior to that, she was an Executive Director at Interbrand. In this episode, Anne shares her five-step process to successful Brand Citizenship, and we discuss how businesses can use these steps to build a better customer experience.   Resources mentioned: Do Good (book), by Anne Bahr Thompson. Conversations with God (book), by Neale Walsch. The Trouble with Advertising (book), by John O’Toole. On Being (podcast) Radiolab (podcast)   Key takeaways (starts at 43:21): Trust - Build trust with your customers and do what you say Enrichment - Figure out how you will provide enrichment to customers Responsibility - Be responsible with your own staff Community - A great community brings everyone together around your brand Contribution - Make people feel like they’re part of something bigger

Robert Sørensen is a customer experience designer who specialises in improving customer experiences in the service industry. He was previously a Customer Experience Manager at IAG and was a Customer Experience Designer at Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN). In this episode, we discuss how to build a business case for CX projects and the four pitfalls to avoid when implementing a CX strategy.   Key takeaways (starts at 39:30): Make sure you get quick wins when starting a CX initiative Put your CX strategy down on paper so everyone knows what it is Enable and empower people to deliver on your CX strategy Share the glory with the entire team

Chris Dyer is the founder and CEO of PeopleG2, a company that provides background checks and human capital intelligence. He’s also the author of a new book called "The Power of Company Culture: How Any Business Can Build a Culture That Improves Productivity, Performance and Profits". In this episode, we discuss how to change the culture in an organisation and why it's important to take staff along on the journey.   Resources mentioned: The Power of Company Culture (book), by Chris Dyer. Turn the Ship Around! (book), by David Marquet. Daniel Pink’s Books Give and Take (book), by Adam Grant. Work Clean (book), by Dan Charnas. Work Rules (book), by Laszlo Bock. The Undoing Project (book), by Michael Lewis. 6Q (feedback software) Culture Amp (feedback software)   Key takeaways (starts at 36:40): The key to cultural transformation is transparency Listen with the intention to understand Avoid survey hell. Make your staff check-ins short but regular. Find (fun) ways for different people to play the devil’s advocate Think about the state of mind of your staff when trying to take them on your journey

Craig McCosker is a Mobile Product Manager for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Craig and his team are responsible for managing the ABC News Messenger Bot which has been used by hundreds of thousands of people. We speak with Craig about the process of designing through experimentation and discuss how the ABC has been able to adapt its news product for a new generation of mobile-savvy users.   Resources mentioned: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (book), by Yuval Noah Harari.   Key takeaways (starts at 34:26): Delightful experiences can come from anywhere so be prepared to think outside the box. Look for opportunities to engage with customers and build a connection. Remember to test, measure, and learn when developing new initiatives.

Teresa Sperti is the Chief Marketing Officer at World Vision, a charity known across the world for the support they bring in times of need. In this episode, we talk about how World Vision’s plans to keep the work they do relevant to customers on digital platforms. We also discuss the need for transparency with customers and how you keep customers engaged with the core mission of your business.   Resources mentioned: Live, Lead, Learn (book), by Gail Kelly. Service Design: From Insight to implementation (book), by Andy Polaine, Lavrans Løvlie, and Ben Reason. Value Proposition Design (book), by Strategyzer. The Field Guide to Human Centered Design (book), by IDEO.   Key takeaways (starts at 35:58): Use human-centred design (HCD) when thinking about your customer experience. Consider all the stakeholders involved in executing a campaign. Think about what parts of your business you want your customers to experience (backstage vs centre-stage). Don’t just invest in technology, invest in people and process.