The Delighted Customers Podcast with Mark Slatin The Agile Brand

Ritz Carlton is not just a brand.  
It’s a brand that sets the bar for customer experience.
It was an incredible honor to host one of the icons in customer experience, Horst Schulze, the co-founder and former president of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company.
We talk about his new book, Excellence Wins, and he shares insights that transcend the hospitality industry.
👉  What lessons did Horst learn from his early experiences in the hotel industry that he applies to his business practices today?
👉  The concept of “We are, ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen” is central to Horst's philosophy. How has this idea shaped the service standards in the hotel industry and beyond?
👉  What role does leadership play in creating an environment where employees are motivated to meet and exceed customer expectations, according to Horst?
👉  How does employee orientation contribute to the overall vision and success of an organization?
How Horst overcame a terminal cancer diagnosis that led him to a newfound faith and deeper appreciation for life and relationships.
From the legendary 24 principles, to “my pleasure” (Chick-fil-A got it from Horst), to a $2000 customer happiness fund for every employee, Ritz is the gold standard for CX excellence. 
A must listen for anyone who wants to learn from a true master.
🔊 Listen now and subscribe for more insights: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
 
 
A legend and leader in the hotel world, Horst Schulze's teachings and vision have reshaped the concepts of service and hospitality across industries. 
Mr. Schulze's professional life began more than 65 years ago as a server's assistant in a German resort town. Throughout the years he worked for both Hilton Hotels and Hyatt Hotels Corporation before becoming one of the founding members of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in 1983. There Mr. Schulze created the operating and service standards that have become world famous. 
During his tenure at The Ritz-Carlton, Mr. Schulze served as President and COO, responsible for the $2 billion operations worldwide. It was under his leadership that The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company became the first service-based company to be awarded the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award — twice. 
In 1991, Mr. Schulze was recognized as "corporate hotelier of the world" by HOTELS magazine. In 1995, he was awarded the Ishikawa Medal for his personal contributions to the quality movement. In 1999, Johnson & Wales University gave him an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in Hospitality Management. Most recently, Mr. Schulze was honored with the “Legacy of Innovation and Inspiration Award” by Historic Hotels of America. 
After leaving The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Mr. Schulze went on to found The Capella Hotel Group. This luxury hotel company managed some of the most elite properties worldwide and gave Mr. Schulze the opportunity to further define the luxury hotel industry, receiving countless awards and recognitions. 
Today, Mr. Schulze serves as Expert in Residence at Arch + Tower, a boutique, organizational strategy consulting firm. He serves on numerous boards and is a sought-after keynote speaker. He also recently completed his first book, titled “Excellence Wins.” In 2022, Auburn University announced its school of hospitality would forevermore be named The Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management.
Resources

The Delighted Customers podcast website:https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast

Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter

Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/

Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft

Salesforce.com is THE leader among their peers (11 straight years) in Customer Relationship Management solutions.  
Phil Nanus leads Salesforce’s Customer Success organization, a team of over 2000 employees.  He shared invaluable insights into how Salesforce is revolutionizing customer success through innovation, trust, and technology. 
Here are my 3 key takeaways from our conversation:
- **Embrace Technology for Customer Success:** Salesforce is leveraging AI to enhance customer experiences and improve sales; their collaboration with Gucci is a great example. The rise of AI and generative AI paves the way for more personalized and efficient customer interactions.
- **Core Values Drive Success:** Salesforce's commitment to values such as trust, innovation, equality, and sustainability is foundational. Their one-one-one philanthropic model (donating 1% of time, products, and profits) and V2MOM document, ensure alignment and a clear vision across the organization.
- **Passion and Lifelong Learning:** Phil’s advice to university students is gold – find your passion and be a lifelong learner. Passion fuels opportunity, and embracing failure is crucial for growth and learning.
Phil shared a number of practical applications on how you get to be “Technology Led and Customer Obsessed” on this episode of The Delighted Customers Podcast.
Phil Nanus is the Executive Vice President of Account Success within Salesforce's Customer Success organization. His team helps orchestrate the Salesforce customer experience and partners closely with Sales to create growth and value realization through strategic customer care.
Since joining Salesforce in 2021, Phil has focused on customer health by working to optimize adoption, customer expertise, and technical health, at every stage of the customer lifecycle. He is passionate about helping customers build trust and maximize value from Salesforce products while enabling career growth and development for members of the Account Success team. Prior to Salesforce, Phil spent over 20 years in SaaS, Enterprise Software and management consulting (Accenture, Symantec, Infor, TSIA).
Phil holds dual bachelor’s degrees from the University of Central Florida. He currently lives in Florida with his wife and three children.
Resources

The Delighted Customers podcast website:https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast

Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter

Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/

Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

How Bilt Uses 3-D Instructions to Enrich Lives
“...Bilt's greatest usage by just sheer volume, happens literally on Christmas Eve and early, early in the wee hours of Christmas morning. And, you know, parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles there, you know, put the kids to bed and -okay, now let's go and assemble this in a bike and a play set and whatever, and expect it to be a very frustrating experience.”
Nate Henderson, CEO of Bilt, turned a problem into an opportunity.
With millions of users and partnerships with top brands like Apple, Weber, and the United States Air Force, Nate’s team is redefining traditional instructions through interactive 3D guidance. Here are three key takeaways from our discussion:
- **Empowering Users and Enhancing Brand Perception:**
Nate emphasized the importance of creating enriching experiences that not only empower users but also improve their perception of the brands they engage with. 
- **Addressing Talent Shortages in Manufacturing:**
One significant challenge in the manufacturing industry today is the talent shortage. Nate's company tackles this head-on by offering a unique, hands-on learning experience tailored for Generation Y and Generation Z. 
- **Future of Immersive Training with Apple Vision Pro:**
Looking ahead, Nate shared his excitement about the potential of Apple Vision Pro in creating fully immersive environments for training and entertainment. He believes this cutting-edge technology will soon become the preeminent tool for training and enablement, eventually leading to extended reality through smaller, more accessible headsets or glasses.
Nate Henderson is chairman and CEO of BILT Incorporated, a SaaS company he co-founded in 2015. Under his leadership, BILT has grown from an idea to improve assembly instructions into a user experience revolution fundamentally changing the way professional technicians and consumers interact with the brands and products they buy. 
BILT’s 3D Intelligent Instructions® transform paper manuals and videos into fully manipulable immersive guides. Hundreds of brands and manufacturers deliver next-generation training on BILT for the assembly, installation, and maintenance of thousands of products. 
BILT is proven to reduce errors, rework, and calls to support while improving efficiency, productivity, and user sentiment. The award-winning BILT app is available worldwide in 12 languages on iOS, Android, Microsoft, and now visionOS for Apple Vision Pro.
Prior to BILT, Nate spent 17 years at SAP where he filled various roles in product management, consulting, sales, and innovation programs. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a BS in manufacturing engineering technology and the Thunderbird School of Global Management with an MBA in international business. 
Resources

The Delighted Customers podcast website:https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast

Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter

Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/

Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

CX leaders are faced with one of the most difficult challenges in their organization.  They have small teams and limited positional authority and therefore need the support of others to make progress.
Patty Soltis, CCXP,  shares her wisdom from decades of experience leading change in great brands like Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, The Moffitt Cancer Center, and now in her role as a Senior CX Manager at Upwork.
In this episode:
Leading with Empathy
The Role of Emotions in Decision-Making
The importance of Detailed and Granular Information
Servant Leadership
Navigating Organizational Success
Learn how to treat your employees like your customers to improve the experience for your customers.
This episode is filled with practical tips and wisdom from a CX thought leader who has been there and done that and is still making a difference!
Resources
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class Special Podcast Offer Valid through June 5, 2024 here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/delighted
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Do we make buying decisions as individuals or individuals who are part of a group?
 The answer may surprise you.
Gary David, PhD is a Professor of Sociology and Experience Design at Bentley University.  Dr. David has been researching sociology and its intersection with the business world for several decades.
His findings challenge the status quo when it comes to drivers of consumer behavior and how CX leaders should think about engaging customers.
We discuss how consumers perceptions of their social identities impact their brand loyalty, and ultimately, bottom line results.
In this episode we explore: 
👉 How social identity impacts buying decisions
👉 How to design experiences that connect with consumers social identity
👉 Where most companies get it wrong
👉 Strategies on how to understand social identity and design experiences that earn customer loyalty
Resources
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class Special Podcast Offer Valid through June 5, 2024 here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/delighted
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

The Science of Brand Love
What makes brands like Apple and Nike not just recognized, but truly loved.
Dr. Ahuvia’s book, The Things We Love, explains the psychology behind brand love, and it has been named by Amazon as a “best business book.” He conducted the first scientific studies of brand love some 30 years ago and continues to lead research on this topic.  His research on dating sites led to an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show.  
On this episode of 🎙🎙🎙The Delighted Customers Podcast we explore the science behind “brand love” and strategies companies can use to drive customer advocacy.
Highlights of this episode include:
👉  Understanding Brand Love**: Learn how 'brand love' evolves from mere satisfaction to deep emotional connections, much like human relationships. It's not just about the quality of products but how brands make consumers *feel* that determines loyalty and advocacy.
👉 Strategies to Cultivate Brand Love**: Discover actionable strategies such as anthropomorphism (think Siri or Alexa), connecting brands to relatable personalities, and aligning with universal values to foster a closer bond with your audience.
👉 Impact on Financial Performance**: Grasp the clear correlation between brand love and profitability. Brands that achieve emotional resonance with their consumers typically see enhanced financial outcomes.
👉 Warnings of reaching too far** - when deploying brand love strategies
Resources
The Delighted Customers podcast website: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast
Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter
Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/
Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/
The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company