AI affects every aspect of our lives, from romantic and personal relationships to finances, personal care, and employment. But AI and automation also provide incredible opportunities to take your CX efforts to the next level and lead a wave of new technology. Orly Lobel, author of The Equality Machine, says AI and automation can play a pivotal role in increasing equality and changing how people interact and manage all parts of their lives.  ________ Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future. For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. 

When you think of companies that put customers first with innovative solutions and personalized service, the wireless industry probably isn’t your first thought. But Mint Mobile is on a mission to change the traditional model and buck industry trends in the name of better service and innovation. Mint Mobile’s core mission is to provide affordable wireless service to customers. And one of the main ways it does that is with a unique direct-to-consumer model. While most other carriers have thousands of retail locations, Mint doesn’t have a single store. Aron North, Mint Mobile’s Chief Marketing Officer, says the company is always looking for the most efficient way to bring the product to customers and create an enhanced experience in a digital ecosystem. ________ Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future. For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. 

Today’s customers demand personalized and convenient digital solutions. The challenge for brands comes when trying to provide a personalized digital experience at scale.   Bank of America is a leader in digital banking, largely because each of its 55 million digital clients has a unique and personalized experience.    Ashley Ross, SVP, Consumer and Small Business Client Care Executive, says having a strong digital presence requires brands to stay close to the data.   Bank of America surveys clients in real-time right after they interact with the bank, either digitally, on the phone, or in a physical store. That information is funneled back to the teams that manage each product or process so they can stay in tune with how customers use the product. With more than 50 million responses, the feedback provides a view of the entire customer journey to find opportunities to grow and areas for improvement.     But data doesn’t mean focusing on big data sets. Ross says the modern digital experience pivots away from massive data sets to provide personalized experiences. It’s more about using that data for each individual customer than for the entire group as a whole. Instead of looking at a single customer journey that applies to every customer, brands should view the holistic experience for each person based on their feedback and usage data.    Banking is a high-stakes industry where people are emotionally connected to the outcome. Bank of America has 55 verified digital users who expect flawless execution and continual innovation. Ross says Bank of America underwent significant digital growth and changes during the pandemic, and that growth continues. Across all products and processes, teams work together to continually invest in and innovate the digital experience. Bank of America involves people from the product, digital, customer service, and other teams to stitch together the entire customer journey. They frame the experience not in isolation but by looking at what the client is trying to do and then building tools to meet those outcomes.   One reason for Bank of America’s digital success is the mission behind the technology. Instead of building digital tools to check a box, the company uses tools to further its mission of making clients’ financial lives better. It’s not just about performing transactions—it’s about helping customers improve their financial lives. That mindset frames all decisions to build innovative, convenient, and accessible digital financial tools.   No matter if you have hundreds of customers or millions, digital tools provide an opportunity to connect with them individually and provide personalized service. By staying close to data, keeping the customers in mind, and involving the entire company, you can become a digital leader.  ________ Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future. For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. 

The traditional approach to banking is transactional. Customers need to make a deposit or move money, so they interact with their bank to get the job done. Once the transaction is complete, the relationship stalls until the next time customers need help. But in today’s connected world—buoyed by the growth of fintech startups—customers are looking for brands to be strategic advisors. It’s more about building a lasting relationship and providing continual value than checking off a transactional box. And although this trend is evident in the world of finance, the principle applies to every industry. ________ Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future. For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. 

Every business, regardless of industry, location, or size, depends on communication to create a fantastic customer experience. You can’t build relationships, get feedback, understand customers, or share information without being a great communicator. But there’s a difference between communication that is brand-focused and communication that is customer-focused.  Online marketing expert and author Amy Porterfield helps entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes create clear, customer-focused communication. No matter if you’re getting a business off the ground or working with a beloved brand, communicating clearly is crucial.

The ultimate goal of customer experience is always to make customers’ lives easier and better. Or, in the words of Getaway Chief Experience Officer Carlos Becil, to give them everything they need and nothing they don’t.

The goal of customer experience is always to make customers’ lives easier and better. And a huge part of achieving that goal is solving problems for your customers and their communities. But taking a stance and getting involved in the community to solve problems is challenging for some brands. Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, DoorDash’s first-ever CMO, says the key is to find what is authentic to your brand. You can’t speak out on everything happening in the world, but you can get involved with issues that impact your customers and business. 

When The Halal Guys started as a New York City food cart in 1990, technology was the furthest thing from the founders’ minds. Today, the growing and thriving restaurant is rapidly expanding, thanks largely to a customer-focused digital approach to dining. Customers will always seek out great food, but they increasingly want a digital dining experience. Chief Development Officer Margaret Carrera says being open to evolving with new technology demands has allowed The Halal Guys to innovate and offer new digital capabilities. Technology has the power to enhance how people experience the food, from ordering to the in-restaurant dining and delivery experiences.

Employee experience and customer experience are clearly linked—especially on a large scale at the world’s largest employer.  According to Donna Morris, Chief People Officer at Walmart, if employees don’t have a great experience, it’s difficult for people who don’t get a paycheck to have a great experience. A great customer experience starts with a great employee experience, and the line between the two is increasingly blurring. After all, employees are customers of the brand. And with more than 2 million global associates, Walmart’s employees have an incredible impact on the brand and the customer experience.

How do you move an iconic brand towards the future?   That was the question Harry Overly, President and CEO of Sun-Maid, faced when he took over the company in 2017. The brand had vast stores of emotional equity, not to mention the familiarity and fondness for its iconic red raisin boxes. But it didn’t have a coordinated consumer marketing strategy and had missed an entire generation of consumers. Overly relied on data and customer feedback to bring the brand to the present.