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

I get mad when people waste my time. It's probably why I have such a beef with cable companies and organizations' call centers that have long hold times. Wasting someone's time is also a waste of an opportunity to deliver an excellent customer experience. The source of my ire is likely tied to time being our most precious resource by some estimations. Therefore, when you waste it, you are careless with something with a finite supply. Some of us have more than others available—or left as the case may be. So, when an organization wastes customers' time, it can be one of the worst things they could do to increase customer loyalty and customer-driven growth. Would you want to be anxious to return to an experience that wasted yours? Not bloody likely, I say. By contrast, saving time is among the most essential things you could do for a customer. People will pay a premium for it, too. Regarding time and customers, one of the most essential things you can do is to make it worthwhile. In other words, any time customers give you should return to them as a memory of time well spent. The ideas expressed thus far here are not ours. Time progression is a critical area that key opinion leaders in the experience economy are exploring these days. In this episode, we host Strategic Horizons' Joe Pine, author of The Experience Economy and co-founder of the concept of Time Progression, to discuss what that means and how it can influence how customers respond to your experience. Here are some other critical moments in the discussion: 03:22 Colin asks Pine to explain the concept of Time Progression to the listeners who have yet to become familiar with it. 09:49 We discuss organizations doing interesting things with time analysis that companies would be wise to emulate and those that have decided to take up more customer time that companies should not. 19:25 Pine explains why healthcare is a transformational experience, so it should do better with patients' time progression. 26:02 We discuss where we think SMART products should go, as Pine wrote in HBR in his article, "Are Your Digital Platforms Wasting Your Customer's Time?" 28:53 Pine shares his practical tips for how to improve your performance regarding time progression with customers. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

We have all been there. We think we did something great, and we look forward to getting the feedback that tells us so. Unfortunately, when we do get the feedback, we discover that we weren't quite so great as we thought we were. It's a matter of perception and understanding this concept can help avoid this mismatch in the future. One of our listeners, Damien, found himself in this pickle recently. His organization has delivery stats that paint a glorious picture of achievement. However, the customer surveys do not paint delivery with that brush at all. So, Damien asks, why the discrepancy? The problem could be a challenge with perception. The internal organization has one perception of performance, the customers have another. If perception is reality, which one matters? (Hint: say the customers. Okay, not a hint so much as a gimme, but we do our best here.) From a psychological perspective, perception isn't the correct term. In fact, psychologists would only have perception as one part of what is going on here. To summarize, psychologists would submit that perception applies only to receiving the information through our senses. How we interpret and compare the perceived experiences to our expectations is the reason for the discrepancy. In this episode, we take a deeper dive on what is happening here to Damien's organization, and what they—and you— can do about it. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 02:05 We hear about Damien's pickle and why he needed our help. (Do you have a business pickle, too? Tell us about it here.) 05:00 Before we move further into solving Damien's pickle, we define our terms in the style of psychology. 10:24 Ryan ignores Colin's request to get practical by exploring a very heady and philosophical example, Plato's Allegory of the Cave. 17:10 Colin explains how you can learn more about perception, interpretation, and evaluation of an experience and how it relates to memory by shopping for a TV in a showroom. 21:51 Colin shares a story about how he thought the Princess Lunch at Disneyland Paris was expensive; for the record, he didn't go alone but brought along his grandchildren. 27:20 We share our practical advice for how to understand how there was such a discrepancy in perception between Damien's organization and customers, and what to do about it. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

18 months. That was the timeline Colin gave himself to move from a sales job to a general manager post. It was a long time ago now, the kind of thing one remembers when they look back over a decades-long career. However, it also worked. Colin did make that transition, moving throughout departments and learning new skills, and always with the goal of moving to general manager. Ryan, being from academia, teaches an introductory marketing course to his MBA students. It's a class they take first semester when their enthusiasm and exuberance are high. This abundance of energy also drives them to his office during office hours, hoping for some career advice. As an academic, Ryan has some for them, but recognizes that there is always room for more. In this episode, we explore the key insights we have gained over the spans of our careers and share them with you. From taking advice from Colin's father to learning how to navigate the political quagmires that many organizations foster, we give you some areas to focus on to get where you want to go. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 04:06 We kick it off by explaining that over the years we have seen jobs come and go and job come from out of nowhere that can change the course of a career for good or ill. 08:39 Colin shares some advice he learned from his dad, which on its face seems simple, but in truth is the one thing everybody looks for and appreciates. 12:30 We talk about the importance of looking down the road in a career rather than on the part right in front of you; you don't want to be 50 or 60 and realize that you were headed the wrong way. 17:19 We share a strategy that seems counterintuitive, that sometimes the way forward is taking a step back or sideways. 20:17 Colin discusses how there is always something to learn, even in a bad job, so don't forget to notice what you shouldn't do in your career. 25:00 We talk politics (no, not those politics), and how you can use them to your advantage when you understand them in your organization. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

At first glance, authenticity appears straightforward. To be authentic, one simply needs to be genuine in their thoughts and actions. However, as is often the case with our discussions in the podcast, the subject becomes complex under scrutiny. Our motivation to discuss authenticity stems from a podcast listener's request. They find themselves grappling with authenticity in their experience and want to know how to improve and leverage it to generate growth with their customers. Consider the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London. It has meticulously recreated Holmes's apartment. As part of the London School's team, Professor Kent Grayson, MA, PhD, a scholar fascinated by authenticity, would engage museum visitors by posing a seemingly absurd question: Is the apartment portrayed in the museum authentic? However, it's a silly question. It cannot be authentic since Sherlock Holmes himself lacks authenticity. Nevertheless, individuals earnestly responded to Professor Grayson's query. Some offered genuine critiques, pointing out anachronistic furniture pieces and other details. It was ironic that the attendees thought that the fictional place inhabited by an imaginary detective was inauthentic because the end table was from the wrong period…but there it is. In this podcast, we discuss authenticity and how it matters in Customer Experiences. What we discover is elementary, our dear Watsons. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 02:05 Ryan explains about the London Business School Professors research about the authenticity of the Sherlock Holmes Museum. 07:02 We discuss how a thing doesn't have to be real to be authentic; it just has to feel real. 13:22 Colin explains that every experience is authentic; however, what it reflects about an organization might not be what customer want or value. 20:38 We cover the idea that the customer perception is key, so making customers feel an experience is authentic is essential. 30:03 We discuss the key takeaways that we have from this discussion and how it can help your experience. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

Have you ever noticed how many vitamin options there are at a drug store? If not, you should know there are hundreds. It is bloody overwhelming. All these vitamins got us thinking about differentiation. If your product isn't that different from another, like a B-12 vitamin, how do you differentiate yourself from the competition? Vitamin companies are not alone here. One of our listeners wrote in with a business pickle about differentiation on how to have it in an ever-competitive market. The answer lies in the experience. But how? What does differentiation even mean? And what does B-12 do for you anyway? (It does lots of stuff, by the way; you should probably take it if you don't get enough.) When you are too close to something, you might have a hard time seeing what your differentiation could be. Your usually helpful depth of offering knowledge can be a hinderance. The nuances of competitive improvement might be authentic but too deep in the minutiae to distinguish you. In other words, your competitive advantage might be real, but really boring to your customers. So, instead of coming up with something that is a competitive differentiator, you come up with this minor detail, emphasizing something the customer doesn't care about or doesn't recognize they should. Therefore, it takes an outside perspective sometimes to see what is possible regarding differentiation. And sometimes, this differentiation from the outside is disruptive and turns everything in your industry on its ear. In this episode, we explore the ways our listener and you can differentiate yourself from the competition. As a bonus, we package it into five rules that you can use to drive your actions. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 06:44 We kick off the discussion with the first rule, which tells us that different means different and not just a little different. (They do get better, we promise.) 10:07 We get into the discussion about how disruption is often the key to differentiation that matters; otherwise, everyone ends up chasing the same goals and having little variance from one another. 17:50 We introduce the third rule, which is define the Who and the How Much, two key areas for besting the competition. 22:49 Rule number four says what are you going to differentiate on, meaning what area of your offering will be your competitive advantage. 25:35 We introduce the last rule, which is shamelessly bias, that experience is the hardest thing for your competitor to copy. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

Many organizations are making a common mistake when it comes to AI. They fail to capitalize on the potential to enhance Customer Experiences through this powerful technology by building it incorrectly. By changing their strategic approach, they could gain a significant competitive advantage. Take, for instance, a telecom company that developed an AI system to detect customer churn. While it successfully identified customers likely to churn, it fell short in explaining why they were leaving. Here's the issue: AI models excel at predicting customer behavior but lack the ability to establish meaningful connections and provide context for the data. It's akin to Deep Thought from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy revealing that the answer to life, the universe, and everything is 42. It may be a correct answer, but we're left without understanding the underlying context. The mistake lies in how organizations set up their AI systems. The outcome resembles the ambiguous answer of 42. What we truly need is the context that explains the reasons behind it. In this episode, we explore the mistake many organizations are making with AI and what might happen if the Flat Earthers get a hold of it. Chances are their answer will be about as useful as 42. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 01:42 Colin kicks it off by asking how to link together The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Flat Earthers, and Artificial Intelligence, and how that relates to the opportunity inherent in AI systems. 09:11 We describe the difference between machine learning and deep learning under the larger umbrella of AI work, and why machine learning might have biases written into its code. 14:44 Colin explains what Flat Earthers have to do with all this, and explains what they believe, suggesting that listeners watch this clip from the ABC News YouTube channel. 20:08 Colin share the big danger of all this, particularly when you consider the parts of Customer Science that are coming as a new wave of change. 29:16 We share our big takeaways from the discussion and how organizations would be wise to improve their AI strategy. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

_________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

You wouldn't think to look at it that The Magic Castle hotel in Los Angeles has been ranked in the top ten hotels on TripAdvisor, but it has. A converted apartment building has turned its unassuming appearance into an excellent experience for its guests, and how they do it isn't that big of a thing, quite the opposite. It's the little things make a big difference in their customer satisfaction. In this case, it's things like a popsicle hotline that makes this small hotel a surprisingly successful one. People who use the hotline—aka a red phone with a sign over it that reads, "Popsicle Hotline"—poolside receive a popsicle from the staff. Now, people remember this small thing when they talk about their experience. However, there are countless little things that happen in an experience that they don't remember. These little things often create value to customers. However, since they don't always remember them later when asked, they keep them a secret. In other words, they can't tell you because they didn't remember that moment specifically. In this episode, we explore the little things in an experience that create value for customers and what you can do to leverage these types of moments in yours. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 04:48 We both share many small things that can occur in an experience and how they create value. 09:34 We get into the idea of nudges and how they can affect our judgment of quality for an experience. 13:51 Colin shares an example of how small things can also change an experience and customer behavior at the same time, which just might save the world. 20:11 We talk about how you can apply this idea of convincing people to change in your experience with a little nudge and how to leverage that for experience improvement. 24:02 Colin explains how the Emotional Signature can help in your efforts to determine what are some of these "secret" things that matter to customers. 28:21 We share our practical advice for applying this concept of improving small things for people in your experience. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

You probably don't say no to people enough, especially if it's to your boss. Like most of us, you are conditioned to cooperate with others, which means we usually say yes to most requests to avoid conflict. However, learning to say no in the right way, might also avoid conflict while simultaneously giving you back control over your life. We host author Vanessa Patrick, Associate Dean for Research, Professor of Marketing, and researcher in the Consumer Behavior Marketing field, to talk about this right way to say no based on her book, "The Power of Saying No: The New Science of How to Say No to take Charge of Your Life." Patrick addresses this critical skill in her book, as well as its relationship to saying no to ourselves through self-regulation or self-control. Patrick's past research often depicts self-control as an upbeat version of self-discipline. Self-control serves as a reflection of your values, rather than self-imposed constraints. Patrick believes defining and defending these boundaries to others enables you to make decisions that create more fun and happiness in your life, particularly regarding the things you already said yes to. In this episode, we explore the idea of personal policies, or the rules we set that should guide our decisions. Calling it compassionate self-control, Patrick says this approach facilitates having your needs driving your decisions. It also means that instead of looking out for cues from other about how to respond to these requests, we look within ourselves. Here are some other key moments in the discussion: 01:29 Ryan introduces our guest and who then talks about her past research and explains how that led to the premise behind her new book. 06:16 Patrick explains the three competencies she identified that are essential to the "Art of Empowered Refusal." 16:01. We discuss the significance of personal policies to guide your decisions and the two forms they can take to aid in that effort. 25:06 Patrick explains the importance of using empowering language, especially when talking to ourselves. 32:05 We discuss the practical applications of this concept in your life and how you can leverage Empowered Refusal in your life and work. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.

Your customers are having a relationship with your brand right under your nose. Do you know if it's a strong, healthy one? Our connection with brands is much like any other relationship in our lives, with some being healthy while others are not. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for people to form codependent or dysfunctional relationships with brands. Therefore, it's essential to build strong brand relationships with your customers. Despite being legalistic trademarks, brands have become an entity, almost human-like, with which people form a personal connection. The corporate structure with its trademarks, colors, taglines, and messaging guidelines are irrelevant to customers. What matters is the brand's presence in customers' minds, memories, thoughts, and emotions. Creating an attachment is crucial. Stephen Covey, the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, introduced the concept of the Emotional Bank Account years ago, which can apply to these relationships customers have with your brand. Emotional Bank Accounts have positive and negative deposits in them all the time, only the assets held within are how we feel about the brand. Just like we have these accounts with people in our lives, brands also make deposits and withdrawals in these accounts. In this episode, we explore the ideas behind these five rules and how they help you form a strong emotional bond with your customers with a robust deposit history in their emotional bank accounts, ensuring their loyalty to your brand. Here are a few key moments in the discussion: 01:29 The podcast begins with the idea of brands and what they are. 08:04 We kick off the five rules, with the first one, "Focus on emotional benefits and value to your customers, not just on product features." 19:13 We talk about the importance of storytelling and why it matters in branding. 20:25 Ryan explains that trust is foundational to the relationship but not the place to stop and why. 23:48 We share the final rule and explain why people need practical ways to make emotional connections, not wispy, ethereal concepts that don't mean anything in the real world. _________________________________________________________________ Did you know we have a YouTube Channel too? Check it out here. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn HERE. Follow Colin on Twitter HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. To learn more about Beyond Philosophy's Suite of Services Click here.