Cx Leader Podcast With Steve Walker

Here's a situation you might have heard about, or even experienced: you’re ready to get going on this CX “thing” – you’re going to revolutionize your company. But you don’t quite have executive buy-in, or you’ve got the buy-in but you just can’t get people to do what needs to be done. It’s a common problem with companies new to customer experience. Host Steve Walker welcomes back Megan Burns, CX pioneer, keynoter, and advisor, for a discussion on how to active customer experience in your organization. Download Megan's Project Pyramid Worksheet: http://megan-burns.com/cxprojectpyramid  Learn more about Megan at https://megan-burns.com/ Listen to more episodes at https://cxleaderpodcast.com/ Learn more about Walker at https://walkerinfo.com/ 

Every first Tuesday of October, CX pros take a moment to celebrate their profession and bring awareness to the benefits of a great customer experience, and we hope you’re celebrating with us as well! Since 2011, the Customer Experience Professionals Association, or CXPA, has been dedicated to the advancement of the CX profession and continues to provide support for customer experience professionals throughout their career. Guest host Pat Gibbons welcomes Greg Melia, CEO of the CXPA, for a discussion on why we should take time to celebrate all things CX. Learn more about the CXPA at https://www.cxpaglobal.org/ Listen to more episodes at https://cxleaderpodcast.com/ Learn more about Walker at https://walkerinfo.com/

You've planned a great program for gaining customer feedback, but there's just one problem: a low response rate. On this edition of The CX Leader Quick Tips Minicast, Walker expert Drew Hall has some advice on how to manage your lists to encourage a healthier response rate, therefore gathering a better quality of customer feedback. Listen to more Quick Tips at https://cxleaderpodcast.com/quicktips/ Learn more about Walker at https://walkerinfo.com/   

When did customer experience come into existence? If you’ve listened to this show for a while, you’ll know there was no definitive “big bang” event for CX. It evolved from various other disciplines into the “ethos” of customer centricity that it is today. And there’s no stopping it – customer experience is here to stay, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future. Host Steve Walker welcomes back Megan Burns, a world-renowned author, keynoter, and CX expert, for a discussion on the past, present, and future of customer experience.  Learn more about Megan at https://megan-burns.com/  Listen to more episodes at https://cxleaderpodcast.com/ Learn more about Walker at https://walkerinfo.com/ 

You’ve heard us promote the US Customer Experience Awards several times on this program. If you’re not familiar with them, we recommend you check them out at usacxa.com. In this episode, host Steve Walker had the privilege of welcoming a CX leader that helped earn their company the Overall Winner of the 2023 Customer Experience Awards, in addition to winning gold and silver awards in several other categories. Steve welcomes Riccardo Porta, the Global Director for CX at Dow, the materials and science company, for a discussion on their program and a look into the Advanced Manufacturing CX Consortium (AMCX). Learn more about Dow at https://www.dow.com/ Learn more about the Advanced Manufacturing CX Consortium at https://corporate.dow.com/en-us/seek-together/cx-benchmarking-for-b2b.html  Listen to more episodes at https://cxleaderpodcast.com/ Learn more about Walker at https://walkerinfo.com/ 

Respondents to your surveys are like notes in a symphony of data: if the right notes are played, you have a musical masterpiece. But if some are playing wrong notes, a dissonant chaos of sound can confuse the listeners. In the inaugural edition of The CX Leader Quick Tips Minicast, Walker expert Tanner Smith discusses how CX experts can make certain they're playing the right notes so they have clear insights into their customers.  Listen to more Quick Tips at https://cxleaderpodcast.com/quicktips/ Learn more about Walker at https://walkerinfo.com/ 

Data is flying everywhere and CX pros are always striving to gobble-up whatever insights they can get about their customers. It’s easy to look at an average support call time, or NPS scores to get an idea of how things are going. But what about the things that are more difficult to quantify? How do find a hard number for something like customer service? Host Steve Walker welcomes Nathan Bobay, director for Consumer Service at Delta Faucets, for a discussion on quantifying the value of service. Learn more about Delta Faucets at https://www.deltafaucet.com/ Listen to more episodes at https://cxleaderpodcast.com/ Learn more about Walker at https://walkerinfo.com/ 

Producer's Note: During the summer months we've been re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode originally dropped on November 6, 2018. Shep Hyken is an award-winning keynote speaker and renowned expert in customer experience. Shep discussed how he started in CX and how customers are no longer comparing you with competitors, but with “the best service they ever had, from anyone.”  Please note that some details and situations described in the episode may not neccessarily be the same as when it originally was released. Continuing the “CX Luminary” series highlighting the “rock stars” of customer experience, Steve welcomes Shep Hyken to the podcast to discuss how he got his start in CX and how making convenience can bring your company a competitive edge. Learn more about Shep at https://hyken.com/ Listen to more episodes at https://cxleaderpodcast.com/ Learn more about Walker at https://walkerinfo.com/  

Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode was originally on July 19, 2019. Guest Jay Baer has always been a fun guest to welcome onto the show. He is compelling, funny, and an engaging speaker. He’s also a world-renown expert in customer experience. We love this particular episode as he directly addressed the needs for companies to adapt to changing customer needs (e.g., a global pandemic!) Please note that some details and situations described in the episode may not neccessarily be the same as when it originally was released. It’s been said a countless number of times on this show: customer experience has never been more important for companies today. The pandemic has changed not only how businesses operate, but how consumers are make purchasing decisions. This has provided CX programs an opportunity to make a huge impact on how companies navigate their way through new territory as we start to see the world emerg

Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode was originally on July 19, 2019. Guest Roberta O'Keith did a great job describing how to start a CX program from scratch – it’s a great “CX 101” episode for anyone looking for ways to get a program off the ground. Please note that some details and situations described in the episode may not neccessarily be the same as when it originally was released. It might sound like more work but sometimes building a CX program from the ground up has its advantages. Steve welcomes guest Roberta O’Keith of Murphy-Hoffman Company, a full-service truck dealership, to discuss how she started customer experience programs in companies that had no such efforts in place. To listen to more episodes, go to https://cxleaderpodcast.com/ To learn more about Walker, go to https://walkerinfo.com/   

Almost immediately after the first horseless carriages appeared on America's roads, motorists began organizing automobile clubs. AAA formed in 1902 with 1500 members. AAA continues to save the day after a breakdown and making dream vacations a reality for more than 63 million members. The logistics of that aren’t easy, but this episode's guest will provide a glimpse of how the AAA National Office coordinates a complex customer experience program. Host Steve Walker welcomes Bryan Sander, managing director of member experience at AAA and a member of the CXPA board of directors, for a discussion on getting CX work done in a complex environment. Learn more about AAA at https://www.aaa.com/ Listen to more podcasts at https://cxleaderpodcast.com/ Learn more about Walker at https://walkerinfo.com/ 

Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode was originally on November 10, 2020. Guest Seth Fritz, manager of the design futures team at the Delta Faucets Company, gave us just a glimpse into the practice of human-centered design, utilizing techniques that allow designers to discover how people will interact with objects, and how the CX program at Delta helps the creative team better design products. Please note that some details and situations described in the episode may not neccessarily be the same as when it originally was released. Customer experience is about people: your customers or clients, your employees and colleagues, your business partners – people make the experience. So, it goes without saying that designing any experience should include the perspective of those involved, and human-centered design can help inform that process. Host Steve Walker welcomes Seth Fritz, the manager of the Design Futures te

Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode was originally on October 19, 2021. Guests Jennifer Pursifull and Sharon Bislich did some wonderful work with the company Medxcel in tying customer and employee data together, which helped empower their employees to create better experiences. That’s why we loved this episode – it beautifully demonstrates the powerful advantage of putting your CX and EX data together.  Please note that some details and situations described in the episode may not neccessarily be the same as when it originally was released. The advantage of experience management (or "XM") is the holistic view of experience across the company. By leveraging customer and employee data together, companies can take their experience programs to the next level. But what companies are applying this practice and how’s it working out for them? Host Steve Walker welcomes Jennefer Pursifull, VP of marketing and sales, a

Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode was originally on August 24, 2021. We loved how our guest is passionate about connecting employees with the customers and brand through the use of storytelling. He and Steve discussed ways this can build empathy and understanding, which is vital to the overall culture of being a customer-centric organization.  Please note that some details and situations described in the episode may not neccessarily be the same as when it originally was released. When we talk about “experiences” it’s often from a holistic point of view – through the lens of “experience management”, or “XM.” But how do you connect the customer with the employees, or the employees with the brand? One way is through the use of storytelling, which can be particularly effective in building empathy and understanding. Host Steve Walker welcomes Bruce Temkin, head of the Qualtrics XM Institute, for a discussion on

For some people, getting excited about a new project means diving right into the “fun stuff.” Working to fix up that cool classic car you just bought, or painting a landscape that inspired you. The temptation is to pick up the wrench or paint brush and dive in. But even artists and mechanics need a plan, and so do CX experts. And a critical area of planning for customer experience is communications. It’s important to know your audience and why you’re collecting data in the first place and planning your communications should be one of the first things you do. Host Steve Walker welcomes Molly Work, associate vice president in client services at Walker, for a discussion on the importance of communication - internally and externally - to improve customer experience. Read more about this from a blog article co-authored by Molly, "Effective communication can elevate your CX program" at: https://walkerinfo.com/effective-communication-can-elevate-your-cx-program/ Listen to more episodes at https://cxleaderpodcast.co

Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode was originally on December 8, 2020. We loved how our guest highlighted the importance of creating a “change mindset” throughout the company to move the customer experience team beyond the label of the ”survey people.” Please note that some details and situations described in the episode may not neccessarily be the same as when it originally was released. The practice of customer experience must permeate the entire company. But that can be difficult, and CX pros are sometimes not take as seriously as they should. So how do you, as a CX pro, change that mindset - how do they move beyond the label of "the survey people?" Host Steve Walker welcomes guest Roxie Strohmenger, vice president of customer experience strategy at UKG, for a discussion on how customer experience professional should market themselves within their organization. Listen to more episodes at https://cxleader

Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode originally dropped on April 20, 2021. We really liked this episode because our guests highlighted how well some local, state, and federal government have embraced CX principles as a way to connect to communities and commercial businesses. Please note that some details and situations described in the episode may not neccessarily be the same as when it originally was released. In the United States, people typically don’t think of themselves as “customers” to the government. However, governing bodies from the local, state, and federal levels have been embracing customer experience as a way to connect to the community, and commercial businesses can learn from their efforts. Host Steve Walker welcomes Qualtrics experts Chelsie Bright, global head of government, and Sydney Heimbrock, chief industry advisor for government, for a discussion on understanding how CX works in governm

Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode originally dropped on November 12, 2019, and we loved the creative way in which IU Health immersed themselves in the patient's journey. Please note that some details and situations described in the episode may not neccessarily be the same as when it originally was released. Immersive experiences can be a powerful tool to demonstrate the customer experience, but for patients at a hospital, it can be impactful – and emotional – for the leadership of an organization. Guest host Pat Gibbons welcomes guest Karen Cernock from Indiana University Health to discuss how an immersive experience for their board developed into a program throughout the organization. Read the original episode's show notes page here: https://cxleaderpodcast.com/wear-comfortable-shoes/ Listen to more podcasts at https://cxleaderpodcast.com/ Learn more about Walker at https://walkerinfo.com/ 

In the grand scheme of things, customer experience is still a newer practice. While it’s growing as companies and organizations realize its potential, there are still few options for formal education and training in CX. And that can make things difficult for CX pros trying to engage the entire company in customer experience efforts. So how do you raise the level of expertise across your organization? Host Steve Walker welcomes back Drew Hall, vice president and team lead for  advisory and managed services at Walker, for a discussion on expertise building. Read the blog article by Drew Hall and Elliot Moran at: https://walkerinfo.com/explore-the-value-of-cx-expertise-building/ Listen to more podcasts at https://cxleaderpodcast.com/ Learn more about Walker at https://walkerinfo.com/   

Starting a CX program in any organization can be difficult. And one of the more challenging aspects of spinning up a new program is getting your company – especially leadership – to make it a priority. And to make things even more complicated: what areas of customer experience do you prioritize? Do you start with surveys? Closed loop feedback? Journey mapping? Host Steve Walker welcomes Adam Shapourian, associate vice president of experience at United Educators, for a discussion on how to determine your customer experience priorities.  Learn more about United Educators at https://www.ue.org/ Listen to more podcasts and subscribe at https://cxleaderpodcast.com/  Learn more about Walker at https://walkerinfo.com/