Experience Action

Why do customer experience professionals still struggle to get buy-in from leadership—even in small organizations where alignment should be easier? This question from a listener in the UK captures a universal frustration faced by CX champions worldwide.

The challenge isn't about company size or industry. Whether in healthcare, education, or corporate settings, the fundamental issue is the same: creating a cultural shift in how ...

The delicate balance between business efficiency and customer needs sits at the heart of successful process improvement. When organizations focus solely on internal metrics like cost savings and scalability without considering the customer perspective, they risk creating short-term wins that ultimately damage loyalty and undermine long-term success.

This deep dive into customer-centric process improvement reveals how to maintain cus...

What's happening in CX today? In this episode, we'll explore the gap between CX ambition and execution. Camille Kremer, Senior Director of Customer Experience at Holiday Inn Club Vacations, joins Jeannie Walters for this CX Pulse Check to share how her team built a comprehensive CX program over five years—drawing on the powerful metaphor of bamboo growth: years of unseen root work before visible success emerges.

With only ...

Customer experience pros often face a common challenge: robust metrics like NPS or CSAT fall flat outside the CX team. Why? Because other departments don't see how those numbers connect to their goals.

This episode explores how to bridge that gap by translating CX data into the language of IT, Operations, and Finance. It's not about dumbing down the data. It's about building context. When CX metrics highligh...

What does it really mean to be customer-centric? Too many companies claim the title without living it. In this episode, we explore how to tell the difference between lip service and genuine customer focus. You’ll learn the key signs of authentic customer centricity—like feedback that drives real change, empowered employees who can fix problems, and consistency across every touchpoint.

Jeannie explains why true customer focus require...

Is “surprise and delight” really the secret to customer loyalty, or is reliability your real superpower? In this episode, we challenge one of CX’s biggest myths: that delight always wins.

Many brands, especially in B2B, utilities, or financial services, build trust not through flashy moments but through consistent, dependable service. We explore how neglected touchpoints, like billing or scheduling, can become powerful moments of em...

When half a billion customers interact with your service each year, you gain rare insight into what truly drives—or destroys—customer loyalty. In this CX Pulse Check, Jeannie welcomes Marcus Story, Corporate Director of Customer Experience and Social Customer Care at Delaware North, for a candid conversation about the state of travel and hospitality during the busy summer season.

They take a hard look at American Airlines’ new custo...

Why do so many customer experience initiatives fail to gain traction? Often, the challenge isn't the strategy itself, but how we build bridges with skeptical leaders.

CX leadership requires empathy, strategy, and communication. Stepping into a CX role means asking colleagues to embrace change, which can feel like added pressure. The most successful CX leaders recognize this challenge and approach it with empathy, connecting the...

Customer experience failures often illuminate the path to real transformation. In this episode, we explore how common CX missteps—from disconnected tools and siloed teams to unused customer data—can undermine trust and stall growth.

The pandemic exposed just how fragile customer loyalty can be. Brands like Peloton had to pivot quickly as expectations shifted overnight, revealing the importance of clear communication and leadership.

T...

Are you keeping pace with what your customers really expect? Customer behaviors—where they abandon journeys, which tools they use, and how they move between channels—reveal critical, unspoken expectations. Your competition isn’t just your industry; it’s every standout experience your customers have elsewhere.

AI holds powerful potential—but not as just a cost-saver. When applied strategically, it becomes an experience amplifier, ena...

What happens when we recognize employees as multi-dimensional humans instead of just job titles? The results can transform both customer and employee experience in powerful ways.

In this CX Pulse Check, John Garrett, author of What's Your And?, shares how companies that invest in employee experience see powerful returns—like 28% revenue growth and 50% higher sales from customer-facing teams who feel valued.

From knitti...

There's a world of opportunity waiting for marketing professionals looking to pivot into customer experience. In this episode, we tackle a timely question from a recent graduate wondering how to leverage his marketing background to break into CX.

Marketing and customer experience share significant DNA - both focus on understanding customers, building relationships, and communicating value. The key difference? While ma...

What truly creates an exceptional employee experience? The answer goes far beyond competitive compensation and trendy office perks.

Employee and customer experiences are inextricably linked - you simply cannot separate these two crucial elements of business success. When employees feel valued, aligned with purpose, and empowered to make decisions, that positive energy naturally flows through to customer interactions, drivi...

What happens when customer experience principles meet public service? Jeannie Walters answers a thoughtful question and explores how government agencies and public institutions can create exceptional citizen experiences despite not being driven by traditional profit motives.

The conversation begins with reimagining success metrics beyond customer acquisition and retention. For public sector organizations, value creation ta...

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing customer experience—but are businesses applying it with care? In this compelling episode, CX expert Jeannie Walters sits down with Ovetta Sampson, an AI design leader with a decade of experience at IDEO and Google, to explore how companies can harness AI without compromising trust. 

Ovetta challenges common assumptions with a powerful statement: “AI is neither artificial nor intelligent.” F...

Customer experience initiatives aren't delivering the results you expected? The answer might lie in a critical but often overlooked disconnect: the gap between your customer experience mission and your employee experience reality.

In this thought-provoking episode, Jeannie Walters tackles a question about aligning a company's CX mission statement with the actual employee experience. When organizations promise cus...

Trust is key to managing customer expectations in today’s fast-changing world. While perfection isn’t possible, transparency is—and customers deeply value honesty.

When transparency is your default, disappointments become opportunities for connection. Take the supplement company that added flavoring to an unflavored product: instead of ignoring feedback, they addressed it openly, building stronger relationships. Whether it’s a servi...

Customer experience leadership is not just about gathering insights—it's about securing genuine organizational buy-in. In this special episode of the Experience Action podcast, our host Jeannie Walters sits down with Sasha Fard, Country Lead for Customer Experience Management at Capital One Canada, to reveal the often-overlooked secret to successful CX implementation.

Speaking from the bustling Medallia Experience 202...

It's time for another CX Pulse Check to discuss current events and innovations in CX. In this illuminating conversation with Enrique Rubio, Founder at Hacking HR and Head of Global Community at Transform, and our host Jeannie Walters, we uncover how innovative organizations are finally bridging this gap through strategic use of data and technology.

Fresh from their encounters at Qualtrics' X4 conference, Enrique ...