2017-03-26 16:24
“I like coming here!” was confessed with a smile. The speaker? A highly skilled professional who is undertaking a major refurbishment project for me in my home.It hi… Read More
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Futurelab Marketing & Strategy Innovation Blog
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Marketing, strategy, innovation, focus on customer centricity and CX
2017-03-26 16:17
Brands have evolved from mere symbols of product quality and identifiers to aid customers in purchase selections. They are bundles of values and attributes that define the way compani… Read More
2017-03-26 16:04
No customer experience budget?I haven't written a CX Journey™ Musings post lately, but I found a topic that warrants a bit of reflection.Facebook Like
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2017-03-26 14:53
Each technological age has been marked by a shift in how its industrial platform enables companies to rethink their business processes and create wealth (1). As we are standing on the brink… Read More
2017-03-14 03:25
I have been mentoring leaders for decades, from the very young high potentials to far more seasoned individuals. Regardless of age or experience, there are always certain questions that are… Read More
2017-03-14 03:21
Know the definition of customer experience insanity?It was Albert Einstein who said: the definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.Sadly… Read More
2017-03-14 03:09
The story of how the venerable Ford Motor Company managed to recover from the Great Recession of 2008 may be one of the greatest corporate turnarounds in U.S. history. And it demonstr… Read More
2017-03-05 20:21
Can you deliver a good-to-great customer experience without paying attention to the employee experience? If you forget theory and look at the practice in large organisations you might… Read More
2017-03-05 20:16
How do you know if the work you're doing to transform your company's culture is effective and is making an impact?Customer experience professionals fight hard for the customer and are often… Read More
2017-03-05 20:02
Brands need to be “relevant” these days, though there’s never been a time when communications succeeded any other way.But, like ideas about authenticity and engagement, it… Read More
2017-02-26 16:25
Are you challenged at developing lasting relationships with your customers?I was recently sent a copy of KPMG Nunwood's report titled B2B Customer Experience: Winning the Moments That Matte… Read More
2017-02-21 02:38
I’ve read many times that something like 70% of CRM initiatives fail to deliver the goods? What about CX. marketing automation, and digital transformation initiatives? I don&rsq&helli…Read More
2017-02-19 08:18
Today's post is a slightly-updated version of one I originally published on Compellon's blog on January 25, 2017, which is a largely-modified version of a very-popular post I wrote on CX Jo… Read More
2017-02-19 06:43
What do the first 90 days on the job look for a brand new CXO or VP of CX?Facebook Like
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2017-02-15 11:51
What does it take to build a connection between you and your customer? Forget the talk, look at what businesses are actually doing. What are they doing? On what are the fo… Read More
2017-02-15 04:35
Whether SNL knows it or not—they have just nailed the kinds of meetings marketing executives on both the brand and agency side will be having for the months if not years to come. Whil… Read More
2017-02-15 04:23
If you are like most business leaders around the world, you probably want to improve your employee engagement — for good reason.Facebook Like
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2017-02-12 16:27
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2017-02-09 02:36
We're entering a new era of consumer activism as a result of societal divisions, a lack of distrust in once trusted institutions such as media and the mainstreaming of peer to peer informa… Read More
2017-02-07 02:59
How well does your decision-making process work for you? Are you able to go from decision to solution to action with ease?Facebook Like
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2017-02-07 02:32
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2017-02-02 04:14
I find myself in the midst of an ocean of generalities: frameworks, models, recipes, formulas, 10 steps to…. Every one promising easy/quick arrival at the promised land merely by fol… Read More
2017-02-02 04:07
Have you adopted a decision-making process that works well for you?If you have, I'd love to hear about it. If not, read on.As a leader, your next best action is based on making a decision a… Read More
2017-01-31 05:42
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2017-01-31 05:22
"If we could sniff or swallow something that would, for five or six hours each day, abolish our solitude as individuals, atone us with our fellows in a glowing exaltation of affection and m… Read More
2017-01-24 07:48
First and foremost I thank each and everyone who continues to listen the speaking that occurs on this blog. A special appreciation for those of you who make the time to add your voice… Read More
2017-01-24 07:37
Do you know what it takes to stay ahead of the competition? Is that one of your business goals?I recently did an interview with someone for an article she was writing, and one of the questi… Read More
2017-01-19 12:12
A few industrial leaders have always been at the forefront of innovation and set the trends for their respective industries, but banking and financial services are just going through their… Read More
2017-01-15 17:26
I originally wrote this post for CXpert. It appeared on their blog in August, 2016.I'm often asked about the future of customer experience: What does it look like? What will companies focus… Read More
2017-01-03 09:42
Throughout my career as an executive coach, and mentor of young people including fresh MBAs, creative designers and motivated managers, there has been one common piece of advice that I alwa… Read More
2016-12-28 08:37
I originally wrote today's post for Intradiem; it appeared on their blog on December 16, 2014. Two years later, it's still relevant!Facebook Like
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2016-12-28 08:21
The very idea of ‘management’ itself is changing and many core concepts are becoming irrelevant. According to Henri Fayol (father of modern management methods) management is to… Read More
2016-12-22 07:35
If you are among the specialists, working in the field of customer experience, you know that once the initiatives of your company have reached a certain level of maturity the next steps are… Read More
2016-12-19 18:12
Some years I find myself working on matters of strategy. Other years I find myself with ‘dirty hands’ working at the coalface – helping organisations build capabilities, a… Read More
2016-12-19 18:04
I originally wrote today's post for the CXPA blog and have modified it slightly since then.Simon Sinek said: A community is a group of people who agree to grow together. I think that descri… Read More
2016-12-18 14:48
Today I'm pleased to share a guest post by John Zilch with Dun & Bradstreet.Facebook Like
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2016-12-18 14:42
What are you doing to bring your customer communications into the 21st century and into alignment with customer expectations?Companies are making a huge effort to move their customer commun… Read More
2016-11-30 14:55
If you’ve come here looking for the latest thinking on virtual reality, drones and autonomous driving—you’ve come to the wrong place. Marketers are an interesting bunch&md&helli…Read More
2016-11-23 12:30
“Every company is a technology company,” declared Gartner’s research chief in 2013.Facebook Like
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2016-11-20 19:06
If I were to ask you to name a company that consistently excels at customer service, what company would come to mind? In you are part of a military family, you might say USAA. If you live i… Read More
2016-11-20 18:44
You know that your customer experience initiatives will die in the planning stages if you don't have executive commitment, right?I've written several times about the importance of having th… Read More
2016-11-13 08:53
I guess every generation of marketeer think they are the only ones that 'get it', whatever 'it' is.Do read this lovely report from a consultancy that sets out to show how Millennials have c… Read More
2016-11-10 07:39
Creating a working Voice of Customer program is not a simple task. You think of just starting to ask a few questions and nudging a few people in the right direction, and it seems fairly eas… Read More
2016-11-08 07:18
It’s the season to be jolly and start planning the next year’s projects and activities! We at Futurelab research would like to help you get your Voice of Customer program up and… Read More
2016-11-06 18:26
Trying to ensure the customer gets the attention she deserves within your company?Striving to make yours a customer-centric company? How does the customer become the center of attention for… Read More
2016-11-06 18:10
Sales excellence depends on more than technology, data, and even great sales skills. People — sellers and buyers — must remain at the heart of every sales strategy. Severa… Read More
2016-10-31 14:27
Corporate reputations and brands are not the same things, and it’s important to understand the difference.Reputations are the result of what people know about a business based on thei… Read More
2016-10-31 13:10
I originally wrote today's post for Clicktools. It appeared on their blog on March 31, 2016. I have modified it slightly since then.
Are you listening to your customers? What are you doing… Read More
2016-10-27 06:00
Companies today spend a huge amount of time, money, and human resources trying to learn about customer needs. They don’t do this for laughs; smart companies do it because they are loo… Read More
2016-10-26 08:03
This is Part 2 of a two-part series on my discussion with Tangerine Bank CEO, Peter Aceto.I left off on Part 1 of my conversation with Peter Aceto with questioning why so many leaders still… Read More
2016-10-23 17:46
In business, a growth curve is certainly a great ride for executives, managers, and employees. They enjoy an expanding market, healthy gross margins, and unlimited demand for their products… Read More
2016-10-23 17:39
Does your company practice Weology?Weology.What is it? If you guessed that it sounds like "the study of we," you're pretty close.The name of the concept stems from a Muhammad Ali poem, whic… Read More
2016-10-19 14:45
Now and then a question comes along that provokes my thinking. Here’s a question that I came across recently expressed in different ways:Facebook Like
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2016-10-19 14:37
The most powerful learnings come from reflecting upon your own experiences. And telling about them. Here’s a story I love to share:We were sitting in one of the largest meeting rooms… Read More
2016-10-16 18:25
Differentiation may quite possibly be the top priority in brand development. In today’s competitive business environment, simply being better than other brands no longer creates a sus… Read More
2016-09-29 18:42
Net Promoter programmes have rightfully become a staple of many businesses. But as can be seen from CustomerGauge's recent NPS benchmark report, every programme can be improved.
So, as 2017… Read More
2016-08-22 16:59
You think your customers are happy. But have you ever taken a step back to evaluate (and quantify) what they aren’t telling you?Facebook Like
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2016-08-20 11:14
It isn’t just Donald Trump that mixes tidbits of fact with much fiction to appeal to those eager to believe. This is also the case when it comes to the business world. Especially so w… Read More
2016-08-19 18:33
We've all heard it. What gives?
We've all seen the reports and the studies and the statistics that "customer experience is the next... battlefield, competitive battleground, competitive adv… Read More
2016-08-18 18:33
There are many popular stories about product companies like IBM and GE transitioning successfully to service-based sales. And while there are also stories of the occasional failure such as… Read More
2016-08-12 18:33
Doctors in the U.S. are generally well-compensated. One survey showed that family practitioners earn $227,000 per year, while some specialties can hit $400,000 – $600,000.
O… Read More
2016-07-17 19:19
A few days ago a flight attendant of a Russian low-cost airline “Pobeda” had the police take into custody a young family of 3, who had refused to follow the airline rules on boa… Read More
2016-07-14 19:03
After nearly seven years writing this blog, I’ve decided to start work on a book about innovation. While there is certainly no shortage of great innovation books on the mar… Read More
2016-07-13 10:42
Breaking up may be the hardest thing to do in relationships,* but scaling up may be the hardest thing to do in business. Something like nine out of 10 start-ups fail.
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2016-07-07 19:03
Mark Ritson defines this condition of Morbus Digitalis as: "An overstimulated, often hallucinogenic, imagination when it comes to the business potential of social media."
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2016-07-01 20:29
Which metrics have you selected to track your customer experience improvement efforts?
I've got a lot of questions about the metric(s) you've chosen to measure customer sentiment about the… Read More
2016-06-29 19:03
A brand touchpoint is any way a person in the marketplace interacts with your brand - so practically every brand has hundreds of touchpoints and each plays a role in shaping brand perceptio… Read More
2016-06-28 20:29
Making decisions, be they marketing or HR, on the basis of stereotypes of daft. No, it is idiotic.
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2016-06-27 19:03
“Managing without soul has become an epidemic in society. Many managers these days seem to specialize in killing cultures, at the expense of human engagement.” That’s what… Read More
2016-06-24 00:50
Is your company a lean company? Should it be?
The concept of lean management came up a few times in the last week or two; that kind of coincidence always inspire me to write about… Read More
2016-06-21 18:14
We worked with one of Central Europe’s biggest insurers.
We made them cry.
At their senior leadership conference.
Proper tears.
We worked with the world’s biggest c… Read More
2016-06-17 09:03
What really happens to humans when they walk into their offices or places of employment?
A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post about emotionally unavailable customers. Hat tip to James La… Read More
2016-06-15 19:03
The most common complaint among senior executives is that the short-termism of capital markets and the board, along with the need to meet or beat quarterly earnings, is limiting a company t… Read More
2016-06-04 12:00
Are you customers emotional about your brand? your products?
... or are they emotionally unavailable?
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2016-06-01 18:43
I walked into an event last week in San Francisco to a panel discussing how culture is everything when it comes to innovation. I had to interrupt, because they didn’t really know what… Read More
2016-05-31 18:43
This month’s round-up of articles I’ve read focuses on brand evolution problems. Companies usually need to evolve in order to remain relevant to changing customers and to c… Read More
2016-05-22 08:13
Winning your customers and providing extraordinary customer experience has been always a difficult task. In the digital world it has become even harder, because you need to find the right s… Read More
2016-05-13 16:45
Do you know the difference between empathy and sympathy?
And when to use one over the other? Have you been using the terms - and the feelings - correctly?
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2016-05-12 19:08
In preparing for a talk to a group of customer contact center managers, I’ve come to the conclusion that customer service ain’t what it used to be. There is a brand of new custo… Read More
2016-05-11 07:21
Am I the only one who has troubles with the process of picking up a rental car? I’m not a heavy user, but as a frequent traveller with about 6–7 rentals a year (across all the m… Read More
2016-05-07 07:50
I enjoyed reading Richard Shapiro’s first book: The Welcomer’s Edge. In this book Richard, set out a 3 step model (the greet, the assist, the leave-behind) for making a human co… Read More
2016-05-06 19:08
Well done Age UK for it efforts to promote age friendly banking.
A term they define as: "services, products and facilities that remain accessible and easy-to-use as people age, assist careg… Read More
2016-05-03 19:08
Have you gone through some journey mapping exercises, only to find that the maps don't deliver what they experts said they would?
Have your maps failed you?
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2016-04-28 19:08
In her bestselling book Mindset, psychologist Carol Dweck argues that people who see their skills as a fixed set of strengths and weaknesses tend not to achieve much. On the other… Read More
2016-04-25 09:04
What customer experience challenges are you facing this year?
Even though 2016 is already a third of the way over, I thought it would be interesting to share some findings about key custome… Read More
2016-04-23 10:13
INNOVATE THE FUTURE WITH A FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMER JOB
Your job is being threatened! And it’s not cheap labor or outsourcing that poses the greatest threat. No, the greatest threat is t… Read More
2016-04-22 06:35
Have you put the spotlight on the employee experience at your company?
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2016-04-21 19:08
The book: Hug Your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints and Keep Your Customers, a vital resource for leveraging customer service as marketing
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2016-04-16 19:08
It seems obvious: employee engagement drives customer engagement. If you treat your employees well, they’re more likely to create great customer experiences. But while… Read More
2016-04-15 13:00
As usual, some excellent insights from the Nielsen Norman Group. This time it is about young Millennials (18-25).
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2016-04-14 08:13
A few days ago a colleague forwarded me an article about survey-fatigue. One of the main points of the author was that she felt being harassed by companies asking for her feedback on some r… Read More
2016-04-07 13:53
Leading European customer experience consultancy teams up with Avaya to offer businesses enhanced and measurable customer service strategies
Guildford, UK; March 30, 2016: Avaya, a g… Read More
2016-04-01 19:08
It would be a devastating mistake of executives to believe that their organizations are well prepared for what’s coming; that the shift of their current management thinking is just an… Read More
2016-03-31 19:08
Companies like Airbnb and Uber seem to have less control over customer experience and seem to be managing multiple stakeholders whose interests are sometimes at odds. How does that impact t… Read More
2016-03-28 07:47
J.P. Morgan believed in trusts. It seemed to him that excessive competition diminished profits and undermined capital formation, which he saw as essential to building a modern economy… Read More
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