Doing Customer eXperience Right‬ In The AI Era | Stacy Sherman

Doing CX Right ℠

The Doing CX Right Podcast is a resource for businesses striving to increase revenue, reduce costs, and achieve sustainable competitive differentiation. Companies often pursue these goals ineffectively. This podcast challenges conventional thinking through innovative customer experience (CX) strategies. Each episode offers expert advice, blending human-centric approaches with the latest technology to solve business challenges. The show emphasizes that everyone has a CX role, regardless of job title or function, and provides actionable tactics for a unified effort. Beyond business strategies, you'll hear inspiring life lessons and personal triumphs, transforming organizations by capturing customer hearts and wallets. This approach results in a win-win-win: delighted customers, empowered employees, and a thriving business.

  1. 213. How To Build An Effective Customer Loyalty Program: Lessons From IKEA | Martin Villanueva

    5H AGO

    213. How To Build An Effective Customer Loyalty Program: Lessons From IKEA | Martin Villanueva

    Most loyalty programs are designed around rewards: points and discounts that give customers a reason to return. That design produces a specific problem. When the incentive expires or another brand matches it, the customer accepts the offer and does not return. The companies that retain customers year over year treat loyalty as a relationship, not a transaction. Most companies have not made that shift yet. In this episode of Doing CX Right℠, Stacy Sherman examines that problem with Martin Villanueva, Global Head of Personalization and Loyalty at IKEA. They explain why most loyalty budgets stay underfunded, what that costs in long-term revenue, and the specific steps leaders need to take first. You will learn how to: Position loyalty as a growth engine, not a cost center, when making the financial case to the C-suite Use customer journey mapping to align CX, support, personalization, and marketing teams around a single experience Design a value exchange that gives customers a clear reason to share their data Apply AI to personalization in a way that increases relevance, not just message volume Measure customer loyalty through repeat purchase rate, active member rate, CLTV, and whether customers are sharing more data over time as a signal that they believe the brand delivers value Final Thoughts Customer acquisition costs rise every year. A loyal customer base reduces dependence on that spending. The leaders who make that investment first hold an advantage that competitors cannot easily replicate. Have a question or thoughts to share? Leave a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/StacySherman Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies.

    24 min
  2. 212. How to Recover From a Customer Service Mistake the Right Way | Stacy Sherman

    MAY 5

    212. How to Recover From a Customer Service Mistake the Right Way | Stacy Sherman

    Imagine you are enjoying dinner at a high-end restaurant, almost finished with the appetizer, when you notice a long strand of hair mixed into the food. What would you expect the restaurant to do? Well, this really happened. In this solo episode of Doing CX Right, host Stacy Sherman shares that experience, plus a second restaurant mistake that led to a very different outcome. Both businesses had a chance to recover, but only one response made her feel taken care of and more willing to forgive. Stacy explains why the moments after a service issue can matter more than the issue itself, and why correcting the problem is not the same as making it right. She also connects both stories to Qualtrics XM Institute research, featured in episode 210 with Isabelle Zdatny, showing how customer emotion influences forgiveness, trust, recommendations, and loyalty. This episode helps leaders rethink service recovery as a customer retention strategy, not a simple correction. What You Will Learn Why correcting a mistake and making it right are two different actions. What Qualtrics research reveals about the business impact of emotion when an experience does not go as expected. Why the memory customers carry from a difficult moment can influence whether they return or choose a competitor. What generous recovery looks like in practice, and why one small gesture can influence the customer's next decision. How one phrase can shift the conversation from care to blame. How to assess whether employees are equipped to protect loyalty during difficult customer moments. Have a question or thoughts to share? Leave a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/StacySherman Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies.

    14 min
  3. 210. A Better Way to Predict and Boost Customer Loyalty That Most Leaders Overlook | Isabelle Zdatny

    APR 21

    210. A Better Way to Predict and Boost Customer Loyalty That Most Leaders Overlook | Isabelle Zdatny

    Most business leaders track traditional metrics such as NPS, Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), and average response time. They are, however, overlooking the single factor that reliably predicts customer return, referrals, increased spending, and the willingness to forgive a mistake: emotion. This episode focuses on proving the cost of this emotion gap and detailing the actions leaders must take now to achieve lasting success. Stacy Sherman spoke to Isabelle Zdatny at Qualtrics XM Institute about in-depth research that reveals what separates companies that earn customer loyalty from those that keep losing it without knowing why. Their conversation provides leaders with clear, actionable strategies for measuring and managing the emotional experience to drive measurable business outcomes. What you will learn: How to identify the one emotion your brand must stand for and turn it into a metric your leadership team will act on. Why customers with high emotion ratings are exponentially more likely to trust, forgive a mistake, and recommend your brand than any functional metric currently predicts. What a four-year longitudinal study of publicly traded companies reveals about the stock performance gap between emotion leaders and emotion laggards. Why AI deployed in customer service is eroding trust faster than it is creating efficiency, and what to do instead. How one company stopped measuring satisfaction entirely, created a proprietary metric tied to executive compensation, and changed how their entire organization operated. What behavioral signals inside your existing call recordings and chat transcripts are already telling you about how customers feel that post-transaction surveys will never capture. Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies. Book time with Stacy here.

    39 min
  4. 206. How Bad Customer Reviews Actually Help You Build a Better Business | Alicia Skubick

    MAR 24

    206. How Bad Customer Reviews Actually Help You Build a Better Business | Alicia Skubick

    Why do customers trust a 4.5 star rating more than a perfect 5? What is AI actually using to decide which businesses to recommend, and is your company showing up in those answers? Both questions come down to your reviews and what your business does when there is negative feedback. Most leaders ask how to delete bad customer reviews. They cannot. What they can do is respond within 24 hours, fix the root cause, and invite every customer to review, not just the happy ones. The businesses that build customer trust consistently are the ones AI recommends, and buyers consistently choose. In this episode of Doing CX Right®, Stacy Sherman speaks with Alicia Skubick, Chief Customer Officer at Trustpilot, the world's largest independent customer feedback platform. You will learn how to: Turn bad online reviews into clear actions that improve the business Respond quickly in ways that strengthen credibility and build customer trust Use customer feedback to find root causes across teams Develop trust over time through consistent actions Adjust to AI search, where reviews influence visibility and decisions Whether you lead a retail business, a financial services firm, or a service organization, this conversation will change how you think about every bad customer review you receive. Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies. Book time with Stacy here.

    24 min
5
out of 5
53 Ratings

About

The Doing CX Right Podcast is a resource for businesses striving to increase revenue, reduce costs, and achieve sustainable competitive differentiation. Companies often pursue these goals ineffectively. This podcast challenges conventional thinking through innovative customer experience (CX) strategies. Each episode offers expert advice, blending human-centric approaches with the latest technology to solve business challenges. The show emphasizes that everyone has a CX role, regardless of job title or function, and provides actionable tactics for a unified effort. Beyond business strategies, you'll hear inspiring life lessons and personal triumphs, transforming organizations by capturing customer hearts and wallets. This approach results in a win-win-win: delighted customers, empowered employees, and a thriving business.

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