Influence Without Authority Is Core CX Work

What if removing friction isn't enough? Samsara's "Project Wow" challenges the entire CX industry to stop fixing problems and start creating experiences that make customers gasp.

Join hosts Chuck Moxley and Nick Paladino as they talk with Emma Sopadjieva, Head of Customer Experience Strategy at Samsara. With experience from Medallia, Eventbrite, and ServiceNow, Emma reveals why 90% of customer experience work is influence without authority—not data analysis. 

She shares how Samsara brought their entire executive team together for full-day workshops to identify five moments across the customer journey where they could create "wow" experiences, pushing every initiative from fixing pain points to delivering 10-star moments. 

Emma also unveils the game-changing concept of predictive NPS, using thousands of variables to identify unhappy customers before they even tell you—and activating customer success teams six months before renewal conversations.

Key Actionable Takeaways:

1. Master influence without authority by making others the hero - CX teams don't own product or support, so align insights to stakeholder metrics and show how your recommendations make them successful
2. Start with quick wins before long-term transformation - Launch purchase win-loss and renewal experience programs first to build credibility while working toward your five-year customer 360 vision
3. Predict customer experience, not just renewal risk - Build predictive NPS models using behavioral data to catch at-risk customers six months early, when you can still save them

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Emma Sopadjieva's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmasopadjieva/
Nick Paladino's LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/npaladino
Chuck Moxley's LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/chuck-moxley

Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction 
(03:00) What Samsara does - IoT hardware and software for physical operations
(04:00) Key lessons from Medallia, ServiceNow, and Eventbrite
(05:00) Why 90% of CX work is influence without authority, not data
(08:00) Making stakeholders the hero to drive change
(09:00) Balancing quick wins with long-term transformation strategy
(12:00) Project Wow - Creating 10-star experiences across the customer journey
(15:00) Five moments that matter and executive ideation workshops
(17:00) Measuring ROI of wow moments and delight
(19:00) Turning NPS improvements into quantified revenue impact
(22:00) Predictive NPS - Identifying unhappy customers before they tell you
(25:00) Using 5,000+ variables to catch churn risk six months early
(27:00) Building frictionless UX across physical and digital worlds
(30:00) CX teams as connective tissue across siloed functions
(32:00) Why technology doesn't equal experience
(34:00) The problem with AI chatbots in customer service
(35:00) Conclusion