Thinking Ahead.

Customer Experience Excellence – The Science and the Craft

no Every time I develop a customized customer service training tool for a client of mine, I caution that the tool is a “guidebook” for customer service behavior and that tool can fit every application. As such, a customer service toolkit is only as…

Customer Resolution 2017 - Perfect Experiences {Infographic}

Customer Resolution 2017 – Perfect Experiences

I am proud to say that Horst Shultze, the founder of the modern-day Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, has been a mentor. One day, I was asking Horst about a client of mine that was struggling to engage customers. As I presented the challenge to Horst, I…

Do's and Don'ts for a Human and Humane Holiday Experience {Infographic}

Do’s and Don’ts for a Human and Humane Holiday Experience

Over twenty-five years ago I used to speak about managing the stress of the holidays. Those speeches were loosely based on the book Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back into the Season . In it the authors, Jo…

As A Speaker Don't Try To Be Purrficct {Guest Post by Bill Lampton, Ph.D.}

{This is a guest post from Bill Lampton, Ph.D.} Yes, I misspelled perfect because I wanted you to see that it’s OK to make a mistake. You still knew what I meant, didn’t you? Now the good news is that audiences will get what you mean and understand…

It’s Not Easy Enough: Simplifying the Experience

If you are old like me, you will remember a time when there wasn’t an express checkout line at grocery stores. If you are somewhat younger, you might remember the days before self-checkout lanes were available. This generation of young people will…

It's Not Easy Enough: Simplifying the Experience {Infographic}

Nailing the Numbers - Your Future Equals Your Customer {Infographic}

Nailing the Numbers – Your Future Equals Your Customer Experience

I’ll admit it, as a customer experience consultant I have a tendency to see improving customer experience as a cure for all business ills. As the saying goes, if you have a hammer everything looks like nails. Over time, I have come to concede that…

Legacy Schmegacy - What Will You Be Known For? {Infographic)

Legacy Schmegacy – What Will You Be Known For?

Political pundits recently have been opining about the likely legacy of various global political leaders including Fidel Castro and President Barack Obama. Certainly, the word legacy seems fitting for leaders who play on the world stage, but what…

Thanksgiving & Your Business Year-Round {Infographic}

Thanksgiving & Your Business Year-Round

Author Melody Beattie once noted that: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home,…

From Online Search to Conversation and Then From Conversation to Sale {Infographic}

From Online Search to Conversation and Then From Conversation to Sale: The Importance of Channel Relevance

Writing in Automotive News , Vince Bond, Jr. asks a question that is mission critical for many businesses today, “How do you quickly turn an Internet search into a conversation and turn that conversation into a sale?” In general, I believe all…

Voting for Over-Delivery: The Inspirational Power of Promises Fulfilled {Infographic}

Voting for Over-Delivery: The Inspirational Power of Promises Fulfilled

not Brand advertising, marketing, and sales efforts are all “promises”. The product and service experiences that follow those promises either fall short, deliver on, or exceed the promises made as customers choose to engage your brand. In a world…

Connecting With The Need To Connect: Watching People Eat Online {Infographic}

Connecting With The Need To Connect: Watching People Eat Online

In his 1943 paper, “A Theory of Human Motivation”, Abraham Maslow foreshadowed a key ingredient to modern customer experience design. In essence, once you are able to meet a customer's basic or functional need…there are higher needs you can address…