The Modern Customer Podcast

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.

Creating A Customer-Centric Utility Company Utility companies aren’t typically known for their customer-centricity.  But Kevin Walker, CEO of Duquesne Light in Pittsburgh, is transforming the industry by making customers a central focus. Walker admits that the system used to be a one-way flow from facilities to customers. Until recently, most utility companies referred to their customers as “meters” or inanimate objects instead of focusing on them as humans. But customers are more involved in their utilities than before, and an increasing number of companies like Duquesne Light are transforming to provide personalized, digital service.   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.

Customer Experience Is A Decision People often refer to customer experience as a discipline. But it’s more than that—customer experience is a decision. No matter where you are in your career, customer experience is a decision to wake up and care about customers, influence change and create a better world. Customer experience is constantly changing and isn’t something you can check off your list once. You have to decide to show up every day and carry the energy with you to go above and beyond. Customer experience is a decision. You have to work like you have skin in the game and decide daily to care more and do more. 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.

What’s Next For Return Logistics Returns are a part of doing business for retailers, especially as e-commerce grows and shoppers have more options than ever before. But that doesn’t mean the return process has to be difficult for retailers or consumers. As e-commerce grows and transforms, so too does return logistics. David Sobie is the co-founder and vice president of Happy Returns, a leader in return logistics. Instead of the old method of customers having to print a label, package their item, and ship it back to the retailer, Happy Returns offers box-free and printer-free returns at its 5,000-plus Return Bars. Items from numerous retailers are collected for instant refunds and then shipped back to a central processing center for sorting.  Customer experience doesn’t end when a customer makes a purchase. The post-purchase experience includes fast and straightforward returns and significantly impacts a customer’s overall perception of the brand. When returns are easy, customers tend to make more purchases and expand their relationships. Returns affect both merchants and customers. And with the challenges of traditional returns come opportunities to improve the entire post-purchase experience. Shoppers don’t want to have to package and send a return and wait for their refund or exchange. Merchants are faced with the expensive and logistically complex returns process. But in the end, Sobie says return logistics is really about giving shoppers the best possible experience to increase lifetime value and loyalty. Returns aren’t going away, and the future of return logistics helps merchants find the most cost-effective way for shoppers to return their items. But returns can be incredibly expensive for retailers. Shoppers expect returns to be free, which means that merchants cover the cost. However, Sobie says that an increasing number of merchants are moving towards creating options for returns. There should always be a free option for returns, and Sobie suggests subsidizing the least expensive option for retailers. The future of return logistics includes innovative technology and sustainability. Instead of sending each package individually, companies can combine items to lower the return shipping cost and environmental impacts. The future also requires merchants to think outside the box, such as by offering return kiosks at other stores and providing instant refunds. As long as there’s e-commerce, there will be returns. Brands that embrace the post-purchase customer experience and innovate return logistics open the door to cost savings and customer loyalty.   The data is right in front of you. Leveraging the power of information can take your marketing efforts from a shot in the dark to a home run.    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.