The Candidate Experience is Broken – Time to Fix It - CX Journey™
Why is the experience so painful? What can brands do to fix that? What role does the candidate take to make sure it's a good experience?| CX Journey™
Culture isn’t what’s written on your walls or printed in your employee handbook. It’s the unwritten rules, the behaviors you tolerate, and the silent agreements that shape every decision, interaction, and result. It’s not “soft stuff,” and it's not fluffy. It’s the operating system of your business. Here’s the truth no leader likes to hear: if you’re not actively building it, you’re actively eroding it. The cost of ignoring culture is measured in lost talent, stalled strat...| CX Journey™
"Canary in a coal mine" is an idiom that refers to an early warning signal, a subtle but critical indicator that something is wrong or about to go wrong. The phrase comes from a practice used by coal miners in the early 20th century: they would bring canaries into coal mines because the birds were more sensitive to toxic gases like carbon monoxide. If the canary became sick or died, it signaled that the air was unsafe, giving miners a chance to evacuate before the gas levels became deadly. Th...| CX Journey™
Why is the experience so painful? What can brands do to fix that? What role does the candidate take to make sure it's a good experience?| CX Journey™
Image courtesy of Pixabay What is appreciative inquiry, and how can it help move your change management efforts forward – in a positive way? Change management is really key to any customer experience transformation. As you well know, the transformation always focuses on the bad, on what’s going wrong – in hopes of improving and […]| CX Journey™
Image courtesy of Pixabay I originally wrote today’s post for Intradiem. It appeared on their blog on July 17, 2014. What is your company’s approach to change management? In a previous post, I wrote about the customer experience inflection point. I stated: There comes a time in every company’s history, present time, or future when […]| CX Journey™
Image courtesy of Pixabay Is your customer experience transformation work stuck at good intentions? One of the biggest showstoppers in customer experience transformations today is execution – actually, it’s the lack thereof. You’ve got a ton of data, insights, and intentions, but action is the key – and it’s not happening. Customers can feel it. […]| CX Journey™
Image courtesy of Pixabay Change. It’s inevitable. And it’s hard. Many – as high as 70% of – change initiatives fail. But don’t let that stat scare you. And don’t let it change your attitude about what lies ahead. Don’t let that become a self-fulfilling prophecy! You know you need to make the change. You […]| CX Journey™
Culture is not something you can automate. And yet more companies are falling into the trap of thinking technology can solve their culture problems.| CX Journey™
Meet the Man in the Chair. He’s not your customer. He may not even know you exist. But he has a need, a problem to solve. And in that moment - before he’s clicked on your ad, visited your site, or called your sales team - his customer lifecycle has already begun. If you think that the customer lifecycle starts with a purchase, you’re already behind. You've lost him. Too many companies still define “customer lifecycle” as the point when cash changes hands. That's erroneous thinking. ...| CX Journey™
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_stops=”#7fafd8 0%|rgba(196,196,196,0) 15%” background_color_gradient_start=”#7fafd8″ background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(196,196,196,0)” background_color_gradient_end_position=”15%” custom_padding=”23px||23px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”3px||13px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_col...| CX Journey™
Uncover the ten foundational principles of deliberately designing a customer-centric culture in Built to Win!| CX Journey™
Do you know all of the building blocks of a customer experience transformation strategy? I’ve mentioned the CX Perception Gap before, right? You might know it as Bain’s Delivery Gap, which states findings from their 2005 research: 80% of executives believe they deliver a superior experience, while only 8% of customers agree. What gives? I […]| CX Journey™
Back in 2012, I argued that exit interviews alone were a missed opportunity. At the time, the conversation around retention was simple: ask people why they left and maybe you’d learn something for next time. Fast-forward to 2025, and that mindset is a liability. Attrition is costly, employees have more choice than ever, and culture, not paychecks, is the deal breaker. The new reality? If you’re not asking the right questions before employees consider leaving, you’re already too late. Th...| CX Journey™
I’ve seen and heard it countless times over the years: an HR leader or CX professional comes to the executive table asking for investment in employee experience (EX) or customer experience (CX), respectively, only to hear the same old tired line: "We’d love to, but there are competing priorities." Let’s call this what it is: a cop-out. Because nothing truly competes with putting people first - if you actually understand that the people are the engine of your business. So why do “compe...| CX Journey™
Making it difficult for customers to cancel creates friction, engineered not to serve customers but to squeeze more dollars out of them on the way out.| CX Journey™
Employee retention is a challenge. Let's look at the conversations you're having with - and the feedback you're getting from - your employees. It's time to have better, smarter conversations. It's time to ask the right questions.| CX Journey™
(Enjoy reading my 1,000th blog post!) A brand refresh is not about swapping out logos, updating colors, or chasing design trends. At its core, a refresh must honor the strategic heartbeat of your business: culture, experience, and authenticity. Those truths haven’t changed since I first wrote about this in 2020, but everything around them has. […] The post How to Refresh Your Brand Without Losing Customer Trust appeared first on CX Journey™.| CX Journey™
Most leaders agree that customer experience (CX) is a growth driver. (They do, right?!) But fewer recognize that the secret to CX success doesn’t start with customers; it starts with employees. Employee experience (EX) is the hidden multiplier that turns employees, tools, and leadership support into measurable revenue, retention, and acquisition gains. Why and how is it a multiplier? Read on to find out! The post The Multiplier Effect of EX: How Internal Investments Drive Results appeared f...| CX Journey™
Culture determines how AI shows up in your customer experience - intelligent, intentional, and human, or disconnected and damaging.| CX Journey™
Unlike flavor-of-the-month fads, psychological safety is backed by decades of cross-industry research. And the performance data is clear.| CX Journey™
Built with intention and measured with rigor, culture is the most powerful lever a business has to drive customer satisfaction, employee retention, operational efficiency, and revenue growth.| CX Journey™
Culture isn’t something you launch; it’s something you lead. It’s not a one-time initiative. It must be built, maintained, sustained - and scalable.| CX Journey™
Image courtesy of Pixabay Are you challenged in your efforts to implement organization-wide changes to improve your culture, the employee experience, and the customer experience? Have you considered how a Trojan Mouse might help you gain traction in these efforts? Trojan Mouse. What is it? And how does it differ from a Trojan Horse? Well, […]| CX Journey™
Image courtesy of Pixabay When it comes to a customer experience transformation, is there a burning platform in your business? Or is everyone happy with the way things are? No need to change how you do business? How leaders conduct themselves? How your people are treated? I’ve been writing a bit about complacency in business […]| CX Journey™
Today’s global CX leaders are charged with reshaping their role - and raising the bar - on what it means to lead CX globally.| CX Journey™
Let's debunk 10 myths about employee experience to set leaders straight on the facts - and on the path to designing a better employee experience.| CX Journey™
Franchisors and licensors: It’s time to elevate franchisee and licensee experience as a core business strategy.| CX Journey™
When we start there, with people, the technology we implement is no longer a blunt instrument. It becomes a powerful extension of our humanity.| CX Journey™
As customer expectations rise and technology evolves, customer experience (CX) leaders must transform - not just their strategies but their own roles.| CX Journey™
People often ask how my thinking and my writing have evolved over time. Fair question - one that reflects the natural progression of my career and my perspective.| CX Journey™
How do leaders drive (lasting) change? Last week, I enjoyed spending a few days in Vegas, speaking and networking at Fiserv’s annual client Forum. The keynote on the second day of the event was Troy Aikman, who was interviewed by Fiserv’s CEO Jeff Yabuki about sports, of course, as well as about leadership and business. […]| CX Journey™
Culture dictates whether the tools and programs designed to enhance the employee experience are embraced or undermined. Here’s why culture is not only the foundation but also the necessary starting point.| CX Journey™
Your culture is more than just an internal asset; it’s a powerful competitive advantage that influences brand perception, employee retention, productivity, customer loyalty, and business performance.| CX Journey™
Fix the culture, fix the outcomes. What does it mean? How do you achieve it? Where do you begin? And why?| CX Journey™
Brands can't forget to support their franchisees or licensees to build customer trust. Local businesses can't overlook the importance of this, either!| CX Journey™
A customer experience audit can take one of two formats or meanings. In this post, I talk about one of those two: the audit of the structure and strategy you have in place to deliver the experience your customers are having – or desire to have.| CX Journey™
It was a busy year of interviews and podcasts to spread the word about my new book, Built to Win: Designing a Customer-Centric Culture That Drives Value For Your Business. I wrote this book mostly for company executives and leaders, but it’s also for others who want to help executives and leaders understand what being customer-centric means, why it’s important, and how to build the business case for building a winning organization where the customer is at the heart of all you do.| CX Journey™
In today's post, I share another lesson that brands are learning or should be learning about during this crisis: that if the customer is at the heart of your business, that if you've designed and are living a customer-centric culture, today's customer experience should be no different to execute on than last year's experience was.| CX Journey™
Back in late 2015, I wrote an article titled Work Harder or Smarter? in which I offered up some ways to help employees work more efficiently - ultimately, to work smarter. The last item on the list was automation. Fast forward five plus years, and automation is likely at the top of the list now for a lot of companies! But for many, the term “automation” brings chills, with visions of job losses and customer frustration.| CX Journey™
I recently listened to an Inc.com RealTalk Business Reboot webinar with Simon Sinek in which he talked about how leaders inspire, even in times of crisis. He talked about how some folks have asked him questions about leadership and what to do in “these uncertain times.” I loved his response: ...| CX Journey™
So you've created a Culture Plan. How do you implement it? Who's involved? What are best practices for implementation?| CX Journey™
A Culture Plan is designed to shape, foster, maintain, and sustain your desired culture. How do you create this Plan, and who is involved?| CX Journey™
What is a Culture Plan? And why do I need one? Why is it important?| CX Journey™
Fact: Your brand has connected customers. That shouldn’t be a surprise. These are customers who interact with your brand via your website, their mobile phones, your apps, their internet-connected appliances, social media, and more. Also fact: Connected customers have connected experiences. Sadly, these connected experiences disappoint – or don’t exist at all.| CX Journey™
After a keynote I did last week, I took some questions. One of them was related to organizational silos, their impact on the experience (for both employees and customers), what you can do to break down/connect those silos, and my thoughts on the role of matrix organizations/structures in breaking down those silos. See my thoughts in this post.| CX Journey™
Is it time for a brand refresh? What do you think about when I say "brand refresh?" Probably the marketing definition of it. But that's not what I'm referring to. Read on to find out what I consider a brand refresh!| CX Journey™
Who makes decisions in your organization today? How are they made? What is the process? How are these decisions informed? How are values included in the process? What is it important to include them?| CX Journey™
There’s a lot of talk about customer-centricity and customer-centric organizations, but what does that really mean? I define it for you in this post - and I outline the four inputs that feed into and inform a customer-centric culture.| CX Journey™
Remember, you get the culture that you design or create - and/or the culture you allow. Core values are at the root of the culture you design; they support and facilitate the culture and the business model you desire, and they support the vision you have for the business, for your employees and their experience, and for your customers and their experience.| CX Journey™
Whether your business is large medium, or small, when it comes to developing a customer-centric organization, the soul of that transformation journey really is your corporate culture.| CX Journey™
Image courtesy of Pixabay Do employees believe in the core values? Do they even know their company’s core values? Core values are the fundamental beliefs of an organization; they guide executives and employees in identifying which behaviors and actions are right and which are wrong. Everything you do must be aligned with your core values, […]| CX Journey™
Why is it important to socialize your core values? And what are some ways that you can do that?| CX Journey™
mundane, repetitive tasks, it takes them away from what’s important, interesting, and impactful – and both the agent experience and the customer experience suffer. Is using AI in the contact center the right solution to get agents back on track?| CX Journey™
Customer-centricity is an often misused term, but it actually has a pretty straightforward definition: put the customer at the center of all the business does. You've got to first know and embrace the principles and the practices of customer-centricity, and you’ve got to ensure that they remain aligned to achieve the desired outcomes of designing such an organization. In this post, I outline the eight principles of a customer-centric culture.| CX Journey™
I'm honored that the customer experience community (and beyond) has embraced the book, and several people have invited me to be on their podcasts to talk about the book. I appreciate their help in getting the word out and letting me tell the story behind the book. In this post, I share a list of interviews I've done in the last couple months about the book. Hope you enjoy learning more about it!| CX Journey™
As we wrap up the year and the decade, I'm jumping on the countdown bandwagon and sharing my top 19 posts of 2019. It seems that hot topics this past year were journey mapping, customer-centricity, employee experience, and culture... among others. I have no doubt that these will continue to be hot topics in 2020 and beyond!| CX Journey™
To meet customer expectations, everyone in the organization must be open and able to work together to deliver the experience. Specifically, conversations, information, and data must flow freely across teams and departments. Cross-functional collaboration is well-established, supported, and encouraged within and across the organization. But that doesn’t just happen on its own.| CX Journey™
