The Intuitive Customer - Helping You Improve Your Customer Experience To Gain Growth

Explore the influence of language in shaping customer interactions. British idioms highlight the importance of language and creating misunderstandings. Using positive language in customer support improves the customer experience. Language patterns and specific words impact communication. Language in customer service influences customer experience, emphasizing the role of empathy and evoking customer emotions.

This has been created in partnership with YouGov. Our listeners will enjoy $ 500 off their first survey from YouGov. Click here.   Customer research has some big problems. You might think the big problem with customer research is not asking the right questions. But it isn’t.    Then, surely it’s asking the wrong people the wrong way, right? But that’s not it either.    The biggest mistake people make in customer research is not doing it often enough.    Let me explain. Frequently, clients hand me their most recent customer research—and it’s from seven years ago. Seven years constitutes a significant timeframe in the realm of customer markets.    Consider the preceding seven years and the transformative impact they had on the world:   We grappled with a nearly two-year-long pandemic that brought the world to a standstill and dealt a severe blow to businesses.    This global crisis spurred an unprecedented acceleration in the digital transformation of analog experiences, reshaping how people communicate, work, and shop.   Our return to the new normal revealed double-digit inflation across various consumer goods, significantly disrupting spending habits.    When grocery bills rival what individuals used to allocate for car payments, and car payments align with previous spending on mortgages, the available disposable income diminishes. Consequently, people's responses to survey questions may change a bit.   In this episode, we explore the problems of customer research, how to avoid them, and a powerful new tool that can help you unlock customer insights like you have been doing it all your career.    In addition, you will also learn:   Which restaurants survey respondents think Colin and Ryan are more likely to frequent based on their pictures A must-have three-step system for developing customer surveys and the new platform that makes it accessible for anyone to get started How many murders it takes to be a mass murderer, and how many chainsaws Ryan has in his garage even though he is not a lumberjack (or a murderer or any sort) How surveys showed that nearly two-thirds of customers don’t realize the influences that drive their behavior as customers What you should do to improve the customer insights you ascertain from your customer research efforts Hosts: Colin Shaw, Founder & CEO Beyond Philosophy LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as a ‘Top Voice’ and as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has over 283,000 followers and 82,000 subscribers to his LinkedIn newsletter ‘Why Customers Buy’.   Professor Ryan Hamilton, Emory University  Ryan is an award-winning teacher and researcher in the field of consumer psychology.    Guests:  Brian Reitz Contact: brian.reitz@yougov.com This has been created in partnership with YouGov. Resources and Links Mentioned: Beyond Philosophy Website YouGov Website

We want to hear from you. Simply record a video with your thoughts, ideas, reactions, lists, or whatever else you have to offer, and we might discuss it on the podcast.  It’s called None of Us Are As Clever As All Of Us. To learn more, click here.    Justin Stafford (justin@customersmarts.co), founder of a Customer Smarts shared how sports can teach us how to improve your Customer Experience.    Justin's metaphor holds true in various scenarios. In sports, not every player on the field has an equal chance of scoring, but for the team to succeed, they must collaborate seamlessly.   Similarly, in many organizations, sales teams often occupy the flashiest roles. They wield significant influence due to their role in closing deals. However, just as in sports, the flashy players, like the quarterback in American Football, rely on their team, especially the offensive line, to execute their tasks effectively. Ignoring their support can hinder their performance—and leave them picking turf the out of their helmets.   Justin's sports analogy remains relevant here. While sales teams may clinch deals, departments such as finance, IT, and operations need to align with the sales strategy. Ultimately, all departments should work together to enhance customer value.   As a devoted season ticket holder at Luton Town Football Club, I'm thrilled to share that they have earned a promotion to the English Premier League, where they compete against well-known teams like Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Manchester City. I've noticed parallels between the dynamics in football and Justin's insights from AFL.   In football, forwards often command higher salaries compared to other positions, such as the left back. The left back's role mainly involves defensive work and may not be as glamorous. In contrast, center forwards often receive double the pay compared to other players on the team.   In this episode, we explore the concept introduced by Justin. Plus, we share our thoughts on the concept, including whether Colin really knows anything about the AFL.     Here are some other key moments in the discussion:   02:03  We explain our new feature, None of Us is as Clever as All of Us and how you can be a part of it.  04:48  Justin shares his thoughts about how sports teams and their game-winning strategy is a good analogy for an organization that wants to pursue customer centricity in their experiences. 13:28  We refer to a past podcast about how departments like Finance affect the experience, and why it is essential to have everybody working together for a common goal. 21:56  Colin explains some interesting details about Luton Town Football Club’s field, which might surprise you, particularly if you are in the ladies’ room during halftime. 24:17 We both share what we liked best about Justin’s metaphor about the AFL and Customer Experiences.   Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. About Colin Shaw LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has over 294,000 followers and 78,000 subscribers to his LinkedIn newsletter ‘Why Customers Buy’. The Financial Times selected Beyond Philosophy as one of the best management consultancies for four years.    Colin is a renown keynote speaker and undertakes consultancy work and educational workshops to help organizations improve their Customer Experience.    Click here to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University.  How can we help? Click here to learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services.   Please tell us how we are doing! Complete this short survey.   

Per Statista, the amount of e-commerce losses to online payment fraud in 2022 since 2020 is $41 billion. If you think that is bad, get this: it’s supposed to rise to $48 billion by the end of this year.    But wait, there’s more. Messente, a dedicated business messaging platform, notes the surge in package delivery scams. TransUnion's published a study that unveiled a staggering 1500% spike in shipping fraud between 2019 and 2021, likely spurred by the flourishing ecommerce landscape and the surge in digital solutions post-pandemic. What’s more, a 2023 study highlighted that nearly half of all fraudulent emails and texts revolved around package delivery.    Clearly, fraud is on the rise and that means organizations have to protect themselves. So, two-factor authentication, text confirmations, codes, and retinal scans (not really) should be part of every transaction then, right?   Not so fast. Customers don’t like getting hassled during their purchases with extra steps or queries that question whether they are who they say they are. Some might get annoyed enough to create some significant abandonment issues in your e-commerce channel.   So, how do you balance the need to prevent fraudulent activity in your interactions with customers and the need to provide and easy and excellent customer experience? In this episode, managing partner and CEO of Messente Uku Tomikas joins us to explain.   Here are some other key moments in the discussion:   05:07 Tomikas explains that the next big thing in fraud is using AI for it; marking perhaps the first use of AI in customer experiences that Colin isn’t enthusiastic about. 07:07 We begin our discussion about how to be diligent about fraud and security while still providing an easy and excellent customer experience. 13:00 Tomikas explains how organizations are handling this balancing act currently and how their efforts can unwittingly make it easier for fraud to occur.   21:03 We talk about the particulars of how AI can get into the mix with these tricks and personalize the fraud attempts.  27:17  We share the practical advice we have for organizations to deal with this threat without driving customers around the bend with security hurdles.    This has been created in partnership with Messente.   About Colin Shaw LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has over 294,000 followers and 78,000 subscribers to his LinkedIn newsletter ‘Why Customers Buy’. The Financial Times selected Beyond Philosophy as one of the best management consultancies for four years.    Colin is a renown keynote speaker and undertakes consultancy work and educational workshops to help organizations improve their Customer Experience.    Click here to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University.  How can we help? Click here to learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services.   Please tell us how we are doing! Complete this short survey.   

Picture this: Your customers, like individuals, operate on habitual inclinations. So, if they habitually favor a competitor’s product or service, how does one instigate change? Here, we present seven potent ways to turn the tide.   But before diving into these transformative strategies, let's peer into the psychological underpinnings of habits. They possess distinct characteristics:   A cue within our environment kickstarts the habitual response.  This cue triggers an automatic reaction stemming from ingrained memories.  The reward at the end reinforces the habit loop, solidifying its existence.   The crux lies in our Intuitive System. This part of our brain swiftly recognizes this cycle and transforms it into an automatic routine.   Colin’s Intuitive System has influenced his habits enormously as a customer. In the realm of modern convenience, Colin’s shopping mantra revolves around a singular hub: Amazon. Be it the fleeting wish for something or a dire need, Amazon stands as his go-to, an ingrained habit so sturdy that breaking it seems an arduous feat for anyone.   However, daunting doesn't equate to impossible. In today's episode, we delve into the art of habit transformation, uncovering seven strategic pathways to overhaul routines and maximize returns on investments.   Here are some other key moments in the discussion:   04:10  Ryan explains the habit cycle, and what each point of it has to do with our brain’s way of processing information.  09:24  We discuss the importance of recognizing these cycles in customers behavior and how that translates into your strategy for changing it with our first two rules.  18:31 We explain how to craft a winning strategy for changing customer behavior (spoiler alert: it involves making it easy and rewarding for the customer).   24:17  The discussion turns to how you can help things get easier and feel more rewarding by educating and reinforcing your desired customer behavior with rules 5 and 6.  31:49 Colin reviews and summarizes the seven rules and how they can help.    Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. About Colin Shaw LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has over 294,000 followers and 78,000 subscribers to his LinkedIn newsletter ‘Why Customers Buy’. The Financial Times selected Beyond Philosophy as one of the best management consultancies for four years.    Colin is a renown keynote speaker and undertakes consultancy work and educational workshops to help organizations improve their Customer Experience.    Click here to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University.  How can we help? Click here to learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services.   Please tell us how we are doing! Complete this short survey.   

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and time for one of our favorite traditions: looking back on what we learned.  Each of us has three things we learned in the past year that we think can help all of us moving forward into 2024.   Reflection is a key part of the growth process. That’s why we are excited to continue our tradition of reflecting on the past year and what we learned during it.    Moreover, it's essential to take note if no changes have occurred. A lack of progress signals a need for reassessment.   Sometimes what we learned was personal, but it has implications for the business world. For example, you may have heard Colin share about his wife, Lorraine, and her back surgery this year—a major undertaking that necessitated extensive physical therapy during recovery.    Lorraine has diligently worked through it, making gradual changes that have cumulatively resulted in significant progress. Pre-surgery, everyday activities like walking or solo grocery shopping were challenging for her. Now, she can accomplish these tasks without enduring constant pain.   The transformation wasn't immediate. Initially, Lorraine relearned walking using two sticks, then transitioned to just one stick, and now, she confidently walks without any sticks at all.   The same principle of gradual improvement through diligent effort holds true for Customer Experiences. Achieving a customer-centric organization isn't an overnight switch. It evolves over time, with incremental enhancements fostering a culture and experience centered around customers.   In this episode, we look back at what we learned in 2023 and how it can help us in 2024. As it turns out, we are smarter than we were last year, and we hope after this episode you will be, too.    Here are some other key moments in the discussion:   03:36   Ryan kicks off the lessons learned by explaining how hard work and luck led to his new book deal—for the second book he pitched this year.  06:14  Colin shares his first lesson about how he sees organizations about to make the same mistakes they did 25 years ago with the Web, but this time with AI. 09:20  Ryan talks about how even he, an introvert that doesn’t like people, needs other people in his community to have his back. 12:47  Colin tells the story about how he remembered that most people are trying to do the right thing, even if sometimes it feels like the opposite is true.  14:57 Ryan shares that by stepping up and taking on a new challenge he took a step back to realize how much he enjoys this part of his job. 17:20  Colin talks about how his wife’s recovery from surgery taught him that small changes can make big change happen, if you are patient and keep doing the work.    Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. About Colin Shaw LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has over 294,000 followers and 78,000 subscribers to his LinkedIn newsletter ‘Why Customers Buy’. The Financial Times selected Beyond Philosophy as one of the best management consultancies for four years.    Colin is a renown keynote speaker and undertakes consultancy work and educational workshops to help organizations improve their Customer Experience.    Click here to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University.  How can we help? Click here to learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services.   Please tell us how we are doing! Complete this short survey. 

This year has undeniably been dominated by the rise of AI, bringing both positive and negative outcomes. We host Alex Mead, Global Customer Service Experience Director of Alvarez & Marsal (alexmead@sky.com), to discuss this crucial topic and its implications for experiences.    Mead envisions that AI will significantly reduce customer effort in their experiences. He anticipates a future where customers can simply ask, "Where's my order from two days ago?" and that's all it takes for AI to swiftly provide the desired information.   In this scenario, Mead highlights two crucial aspects. First, AI will grasp natural language interfaces, a concept that has been evolving for at least the past three years. This means we can communicate with AI as if we're conversing with a human, whether through speech or text. Second, AI will promptly authenticate the speaker and retrieve the requested information, cross-referencing it against various data points and platforms in under a second.   Some of you might be thinking, "Don't we already do this with devices like Alexa?" You certainly do, and it works seamlessly.    However, Mead emphasizes that the significance lies in the widespread adoption of this capability. While organizations like Amazon have already implemented it, the prediction is that many more organizations will follow suit in the coming years.   Furthermore, Mead envisions AI going beyond information retrieval. AI will also discern or intuit whether the provided information places the customer on a path of contentment or dissatisfaction.    In this episode, we hear what Mead thinks about AI and the pathways for its utility in experiences in the short and long term. We also talk about what all this functionality of the AI of tomorrow means to you in managing your experiences today.   Here are some other key moments in the discussion:   04:11 Mead kicks off the discussion about AI with his predictions for the short term, meaning the next one to five years, and it might surprise you to hear how easy it will be for customers. 11:51 We discuss examples of how future AI-enabled CXs will have more proactivity than they do today. 16:38  We learn about the Customer Service Experience and why it is essential to understand what it is and when it occurs for today’s organizations. 21:44  Mead explains how to implement an AI strategy for the organization that is cohesive and drives the goals of your entire company rather than one siloed department.   31:57  We all share the key takeaways we have from the discussion and how organizations should use this information today.    Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. About Colin Shaw LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has over 294,000 followers and 78,000 subscribers to his LinkedIn newsletter ‘Why Customers Buy’. The Financial Times selected Beyond Philosophy as one of the best management consultancies for four years.    Colin is a renown keynote speaker and undertakes consultancy work and educational workshops to help organizations improve their Customer Experience.    Click here to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University.  How can we help? Click here to learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services. Please tell us how we are doing! Complete this short survey.

The Future of Customer Research Teams: Innovating for Success in 2024 and Beyond   AI's enthralling me these days, and it seems the world's caught in the same spell. One realm set for a profound AI makeover is customer market research—a topic worth diving into since it's likely on many of your radars too. Exciting or nerve-wracking—depends on which way you look at it.   Qualtrics recent article, "AI Will Revolutionize the Market Research Industry" suggested a couple of thought-provoking stats I thought I would share:   Threat or Boon? 83% of researchers view AI as an opportunity, with only 7% seeing it as a threat.  Job impacts? 26% believe AI will birth more market research roles, 35% anticipate a reduction, while 39% reckon it won't budge the job landscape.   Clearly, the consensus leans toward AI significantly boosting the market research scene, yet there's no majority stance on its implications for customer insight or market research job stability.   Historically, technologies swept through industries like a forceful wave, sometimes obliterating old norms while birthing new frontiers. Should the AI tide wash over market research, it might erode traditional roles while seeding a fresh bloom in the industry. The upshot? Jobs will morph—both in nature and in the entities they serve.   So, where's the compass pointing for customer insights? Alyona Medelyan, CEO of Thematic  (alyona@getthematic.com) in Auckland, New Zealand submitted a video for our None of Us Are as Clever as All of Us program, shares her thoughts.   In this episode, we discuss Medelyan’s video and how the AI winds are steering us into uncharted waters, with the market research ship set for a profound voyage.    Here are some other key moments in the discussion:   02:50 Colin shares the stats from Qualtrics regarding the future of AI and customer insights and market research.    07:53 We roll the video from Medelyan, and talk about our first reactions.  13:37  Colin gets into one of the problems he sees with customer insight teams in the larger organization and what that does to the information shared.   16:57 Ryan explains the how AI is excellent in creating categories, and demonstrates his SAT-level mastery of fancy-sounding academic words.  19:24  We get into the opportunities this affords us regarding preparing for the transformation AI promises to the area and making the most of it for your organization.   Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. About Colin Shaw LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has over 294,000 followers and 78,000 subscribers to his LinkedIn newsletter ‘Why Customers Buy’. The Financial Times selected Beyond Philosophy as one of the best management consultancies for four years.    Colin is a renown keynote speaker and undertakes consultancy work and educational workshops to help organizations improve their Customer Experience.    Click here to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University.  How can we help? Click here to learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services.   Please tell us how we are doing! Complete this short survey.   

During a recent discussion with a valued client, I uncovered an interesting revelation. While they were delighted with their repeat business, which they attributed to customer loyalty, a closer look at the repeat business statistics painted a different picture. What I observed wasn't a steadfast commitment from their customers; rather, it appeared to be inertia.    This prompted my realization that these customers might easily switch to a competitor if a tempting offer came along.   Now, you might be wondering, aren't loyal customers the ones who keep coming back for more? They certainly are, but not all repeat business is a result of loyalty. In some cases, it's due to inertia, and distinguishing between the two is what we'll delve into today.   First, let's establish clear definitions for customer loyalty and inertia. Loyal customers intentionally choose your product or service because they have a genuine emotional connection with your brand. They can articulate why they prefer your offering. In contrast, inertia is about automatic and habitual purchasing. It's a decision made almost unconsciously, and individuals might struggle to explain why they chose your product.   Reflect for a moment on the people in your life to whom you feel truly loyal. Typically, you'd think of family and close friends. These are relationships rooted in deep emotional connections. Surprisingly, it's these very emotions that underlie brand loyalty.   For many organizations, measuring loyalty can be challenging, but they often track repeat business. The issue arises when they treat other types of repeat buying – the inertial and the habitual – the same way they view loyalty, failing to distinguish between them. In this episode, we talk about how to make this distinction. This approach separates loyal customers from those who buy out of habit or inertia. We also talk about how to develop strategies that nurture genuine customer loyalty.   Here are some other key moments in the discussion:   02:03  We discover how Colin decided to cover this topic from his recent client meeting.  05:29  Ryan shares his mini framework that he teaches his grad students, the three groups of repeat business motivations. 10:19  Colin shares how he discovered that he wasn’t really as loyal to Delta Airlines as he thought he was.       18:28  We share our list of telltale signs that you have customer loyalty.  23:24  We discuss how extrinsic and intrinsic motivation is different and it affects customer behavior.  26:51 We share our final thoughts about this topic and what you should take away from the conversation.   Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. About Colin Shaw LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has over 294,000 followers and 78,000 subscribers to his LinkedIn newsletter ‘Why Customers Buy’. The Financial Times selected Beyond Philosophy as one of the best management consultancies for four years.    Colin is a renown keynote speaker and undertakes consultancy work and educational workshops to help organizations improve their Customer Experience.    Click here to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University.  How can we help? Click here to learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services. Please tell us how we are doing! Complete this short survey.

Unleashing the Power of AI vs. Human Touch: Which Delivers a Superior Customer Experience?   I often say, "None of us are as clever as all of us." However, sayings are more useful when they can spur action. So, we have a proposition for you: If you have something you want to say about experiences or technology, statistics, or reports, feel free to share them via video. To learn more, click here.   To that end, Tom Martin, CEO at Glance, has submitted one about AI.    Tom makes an excellent point. As we develop AI into our systems, we will need to determine what AI will replace, what it will augment, and what it will add.   AI presents opportunities to shift some routine tasks from human employees to virtual ones. However, shifting of tasks should mean reducing head count. Instead, AI should be a way to help employees pay more attention to the needs of customers.    Moreover, we should be realistic about the power of AI. It isn’t magic; it can’t solve all our problems. What it can do is be a powerful tool that we can leverage and develop over time.    We have been here before, too. I had a system that was going to be the best thing that ever happened to my organization 20 years ago. That was the fantasy. The reality was quite different.   And let’s not forget the internet. It took years for it to be what it is today. AI will likely follow a similar path.    In this episode we explore the points made by Tom in his video along with our take on AI and Customer Experiences. Perhaps most importantly, we implore organizations to remember that AI doesn’t replace your employees; it enhances what they can do for customers.    Here are some other key moments in the discussion:   04:28  We listen to Tom’s video and why he thinks leading with humans creates a better AI strategy.  09:48  Both Ryan and Colin share their thoughts about AI and the next frontier of business, including Colin’s frustrations with the phrase, “high call volumes at the moment.” 18:10  Colin shares a story about a new system implementation program that didn’t live up to his hopes and dreams for it 20 years ago, and how that applies to organization implementation with AI.       20:23  Ryan explains the Hype Cycle and how it applies to the implementation and adoption of AI.  26:50  We both share out thoughts about the future of AI in organization and what you should take away from the discussion.   Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. About Colin Shaw LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has over 294,000 followers and 78,000 subscribers to his LinkedIn newsletter ‘Why Customers Buy’. The Financial Times selected Beyond Philosophy as one of the best management consultancies for four years.    Colin is a renown keynote speaker and undertakes consultancy work and educational workshops to help organizations improve their Customer Experience.    Click here to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University.  How can we help? Click here to learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services. Please tell us how we are doing! Complete this short survey.