Customer Service Revolution | Customer Experience & Employee Experience for Business Leaders

The job was finished. The customer was still waiting. When a utility team walked through its process, one question exposed the gap. Who contacts the customer to tell them the work is done? In Episode 279 of The Customer Service Revolution, Denise Thompson and Dave Murray, Vice President of Consulting at The DiJulius Group, break down how to fix inconsistent customer service across locations and departments. Dave shares how KeyBank used local advocates, daily huddles, and manager coaching to make service standards part of the workday. You'll learn how to spot a handoff nobody owns, involve frontline employees in writing standards they can deliver, and use complaint patterns to see where service is improving. Dave closes with what to do in your first seven days and what you can put in place by the end of the first month. Show notes Listen to The Customer Service Revolution Podcast Read the KeyBank customer experience case study Meet Dave Murray Register for It Shouldn't Be This Hard, the free November 17 webinar with John DiJulius and Dave Murray

Before dismissing an employee's request, experience the obstacles they face serving your customers. An employee asks for a new computer. You see an expense. They see another day of apologizing to customers for a system that keeps failing. In this excerpt from Episode 278 of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast, John DiJulius challenges leaders to experience the work before judging the request. When employees repeatedly face frustrated customers without the tools to help them, the problem reaches beyond technology. It affects their ability to deliver the experience you expect—and their willingness to keep doing the job. John's advice: sit beside them. Better yet, do the job yourself. Key takeaways: An employee's request may reveal a service obstacle leaders haven't experienced. Recurring technology problems create frustration for employees and customers. Understanding frontline work helps leaders evaluate what employees need to succeed. Empathy becomes actionable when leaders experience the work firsthand. Show notes and resources: The DiJulius Group: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/ Explore The Customer Service Revolution Podcast: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/the-customer-service-revolution-podcast/

Can someone feel heard even when the answer is no? In Episode 277 of the Customer Service Revolution Podcast, John R. DiJulius III welcomes Lisa Duran, author of Strong Enough to Listen: Bridging the Communication Gap Between Our Choices and Our Responses. They explore how listening skills for leaders shape employee and customer experience, why choosing person over problem builds connection, and how Lisa's CLR model helps leaders respond with care. Learn what "yes, and" means when you disagree, why John keeps a WAIT reminder on his screen, and how writing down your thoughts can help you interrupt less. The conversation also covers curiosity, customer feedback, AI, and the listening habits that carry from work into home life. Discover practical ways to help people feel heard while maintaining clear boundaries. Show-Notes Links Customer Service Revolution Podcast The DiJulius Group Connect with Lisa Duran on LinkedIn Find Strong Enough to Listen on Amazon — Amazon search link Strong Enough to Listen — Books-A-Million

Your board asks, "What's the return on customer experience?" Do you have an answer beyond happier customers? In Episode 276, Denise Thompson puts John DiJulius in the boardroom to explain how leaders can defend customer experience investment with a stronger financial case. They discuss earned sales growth, customer retention, referrals, service recovery costs, and the difference between measuring customer sentiment and customer behavior. John also explains how a Return on eXperience—or ROX—dashboard helps leaders identify the metrics that matter for their business. In this episode: • Connect customer experience improvements to potential revenue. • Understand earned sales growth from repeat business and referrals. • Examine the hidden costs of poor service. • Evaluate automation beyond immediate cost savings. • Identify when a CX investment does not deserve approval. • Prepare a stronger case for your next budget meeting. Download the ROX Dashboard Template: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/rox-dashboard/ Schedule a conversation with The DiJulius Group: https://tdg.click/call Find The Customer Service Revolution Podcast wherever you listen: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/the-customer-service-revolution-podcast/

What gives a customer a reason to return—and bring someone else with them? John DiJulius welcomes Tai Anderson, a founding member of Grammy-winning band Third Day and author of Market Like a Rockstar, for a conversation about customer loyalty, brand trust, and earning referrals. Tai shares his ROCKSTAR framework and explains why the experience after the sale deserves as much attention as the effort to win a new customer. Together, they explore how to ask for referrals at the right time, stay connected with existing customers, and make appreciation personal for customers and employees. In this episode: Why fandom goes deeper than brand preference How customer experience becomes part of your marketing Why referrals depend on trust and timing The eight stages of the ROCKSTAR framework How a short video can make a thank-you more meaningful The connection between employee loyalty and customer experience Connect with Tai: https://taianderson.live/ Explore the book: https://taianderson.live/book Find The Customer Service Revolution Podcast wherever you listen. https://thedijuliusgroup.com/the-customer-service-revolution-podcast/

Jess Pischel, founder of Human First AI Consulting and former customer experience leader, explores where AI belongs in customer and employee experiences. They discuss clearing busywork, fixing messy workflows, improving chatbot handoffs, and involving employees in adoption. Jess also examines high-stakes moments that require empathy, accountability, and judgment, plus how entrepreneurs can start small and learn faster with AI.

What happens to your customer experience when your best employee calls off? In Episode 273 of the Customer Service Revolution Podcast, Denise Thompson and John DiJulius explore how to eliminate employee roulette and create a consistent customer experience across people, locations, and channels. John breaks down the Customer Experience Cycle: service defects to avoid, nonnegotiable standards to deliver, and opportunities to go above and beyond. Learn why being brilliant at the basics builds trust, how to turn your best employees' habits into teachable standards, and why everboarding and leadership accountability keep training alive. The conversation also explores service aptitude, the risks of rapid growth, and the Zero Risk approach to preparing for predictable problems. Discover how to make your brand promise repeatable while preserving the personal connection customers value. Explore customer experience consulting and the Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/ Schedule a conversation: https://tdg.click/call As mentioned in the episode: Cal DiJulius's wedding tuxedo story in Vogue

Your employees don't experience your organization through its mission statement. They experience it through their leaders. In Episode 272 of the Customer Service Revolution, Denise Thompson talks with Dave Murray, Vice President of Consulting at The DiJulius Group, about the connection between employee experience, leadership and customer experience. Dave shares lessons from his work with PSECU, including why managers must reinforce CX standards after training, how better one-on-ones can change employee relationships, why organizations should examine turnover by department and how recognition from frontline leaders influences engagement. The bigger message: customer experience and employee experience cannot operate independently. The employee experience your company creates eventually becomes the customer experience your customers receive.

When does innovation become a liability? This discussion examines Nike’s direct-to-consumer misstep, Starbucks’ return to its community roots, and how brands like Gap, Peloton, and Harley-Davidson lost connection with loyal customers. It also explores Apple’s patient product strategy, ecosystem loyalty, polarizing brand positions, and how leaders can pursue growth without sacrificing the people who built the brand.

EY’s $100 million investment in human skills sparks a conversation about work after AI. Explore why empathy, judgment, curiosity, and service recovery matter more as routine tasks become automated. The discussion covers service aptitude, misaligned incentives, measuring human behaviors, customer empathy exercises, and a practical 30-day plan for aligning hiring, training, rewards, and customer loyalty.