Commerce Untold 185. What Customers Really Want with Rick DeLisi
Host Eitan Koter opens this episode with Rick DeLisi, author and longtime customer loyalty researcher at GLIA, an interaction platform for banks and credit unions. Rick has spent years studying how everyday conversations with customers shape whether they stay or leave.
He starts simple. People want what they want, their way, right now. That idea runs through the whole talk. Rick explains how to meet that bar by pairing quick, automated help for routine questions with a warm handoff to a person when things get complex.
They get clear on measurement. Many teams launch AI without proving it works. Rick shares how to track real outcomes, not just fewer calls. Think cost to serve, loyalty signals, and what contact center patterns can tell the rest of the business, including marketing and product.
Expect a plain take on trust. Rick suggests it is less about creating big trust moments and more about avoiding the small missteps that chip away at it. He shows how a smooth online to human transition, where the agent already knows who the customer is and why they reached out, can change the whole tone of an interaction.
Listeners also hear the one question that best predicts future loyalty after a service moment, how much effort did that take. It is direct, easy to ask, and tells leaders where friction actually lives.
Finally, Rick separates customer facing AI from internal AI. He covers how frontline teams can use AI to summarize, surface themes, and answer leadership questions in minutes, using the data from every conversation.
If you lead service, marketing, or product, this chat gives you a simple path. Reduce effort, route the right way, measure what matters, and use what customers already told you to guide the next move.
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Guest: Rick DeLisi, Author and Lead Research Analyst at Glia
Watch the full Youtube video here:
https://youtu.be/bciZm1mzNZk
Takeaways:
- Loyalty, interactions, and psychology are crucial for business success.
- AI is being utilized in various forms across organizations.
- Many companies struggle to measure the ROI of AI in customer service.
- Understanding customer psychology is key to improving interactions.
- Creating trust is essential in customer service interactions.
- Customer loyalty is about preventing disloyalty, not just boosting loyalty.
- Effortless experiences lead to higher customer loyalty.
- Digital interactions should be seamless and integrated with human support.
- AI can provide valuable insights for improving customer experiences.
- Focusing on positive customer experiences can drive better outcomes.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Customer Loyalty and Psychology
01:57 The Role of AI in Customer Interactions
04:28 Measuring ROI in Customer Service
06:44 The Psychology of Customer Expectations
09:47 Creating Trust in Customer Interactions
12:05 Understanding Customer Loyalty vs. Customer Service
20:36 The Effortless Experience and Customer Loyalty
23:49 Transforming Digital Customer Experiences
26:38 Leveraging AI for Internal Insights
29:24 Focusing on Positive Customer Experiences