The Intuitive Customer - Helping You Improve Your Customer Experience To Gain Growth Uncomfortable Truth: The Focus on Customer Experience Hasn't Paid Off, Why?
Customer satisfaction has barely moved in over 30 years — despite enormous investment in Customer Experience.
In this episode of The Intuitive Customer, Professor Ryan Hamilton and Morgan Ward speak with Forrest Morgeson from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
ACSI has tracked customer satisfaction continuously since 1994 using the same questions and methodology across the entire US economy. And the long-term data tells a story that challenges many comfortable CX assumptions.
Rather than steadily improving as CX practices mature, customer satisfaction rises and falls in cycles — heavily influenced by pricing, profitability, cost-cutting, and broader economic forces.
This episode explores why satisfaction scores stagnate, why record profits often coincide with declining customer satisfaction, and why CX leaders need to think beyond journey maps and empathy training.
Best Quote from the Episode
"Customer satisfaction isn't a straight line. It moves in cycles — and when companies start squeezing for profit, customers feel it."
Forrest Morgeson, American Custoimer Satisfaction Index
Why You Should Listen?
If you work in customer experience, marketing, or leadership, this episode will challenge some of the most widely held beliefs in CX.
You'll gain:
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A data-led perspective grounded in 30 years of evidence
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A clearer understanding of why satisfaction scores fall despite CX investment
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Practical insight into the economic forces shaping customer experience
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A more realistic way to think about CX performance and ROI
Resources Mentioned
American Customer Satisfaction Index: https://theacsi.org/the-acsi-difference/us-overall-customer-satisfaction/
Forrest Morgeson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/forrestmorgeson/
About the Hosts:
Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World's Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book launch in June 2025 called "The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things" Harvard Business Press Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.
Morgan Ward is an adjunct marketing professor, weekly expert guest on The Take—11Alive's in-depth news program that explores timely stories through expert insight—With over 20 years of experience advising clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500s and publishing in top academic journals, she's passionate about decoding the symbolic and cultural forces that shape consumer behavior. Her work focuses on status, identity, and decision-making across sectors like luxury, retail, and tech. Beyond consulting, Morgan serves as an expert witness in branding and advertising litigation, bringing academic rigor to questions of perception, distinctiveness, and influence.
Follow Morgan on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgankward-phd/)
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