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JANUARY 14, 2019

According to Wikipedia , the term, ‘seven year itch’ can be described as follows: The seven-year itch is a psychological term that suggests that happiness in a relationship declines after around year seven of a marriage. The phrase originated as a name for irritating and contagious skin complaints of a long duration. Examples of reference may have included STD outbreaks that are known to significantly decrease in frequency after seven years, or mites that live under the skin (scabies

Customer Experience 246

Customer Experience Airlines Customer Journeys Customer Centricity 246

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NOVEMBER 23, 2018

When it comes to the subject of Customer Experience (CX), everyone has an opinion. Differing opinions are not a bad thing – it is incredibly healthy for there to be differing perspectives on all things in this life. Whilst I will not bore you with my personal opinions on staple subjects such as politics (especially in the shadow of Brexit!!) or religion, I will always share my opinions on my favourite subject of all – my vocation – CX!

Measurement 208

Measurement Banking Gamification Financial 208

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NOVEMBER 13, 2018

In the ‘Customers 2020 Progress Report’ ( Walker ), it is predicted that Customer Experience (CX) will surpass price and product as the key differentiator by the year 2020. Right now, CX and Voice of the Customer (VoC) are considered to be the two most important areas of improvement if a business wants to remain competitive. For a B2B company, the ability to retain clients can be the difference between success and failure.

B2B 185

B2B B2C Automotive Retail 185

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OCTOBER 25, 2018

We are all customers. We buy products and services. We buy brands. When it comes to our own organizations, however, we disconnect our consumer self with our business self. “Out in the wild” we know that our customer experience is shaped by the perception we have in each interaction with a brand. In other words, we keep buying the brands that give us the positive experience we remember – one that stands out from all the others.

Customer Experience 167

Customer Experience Customer Journeys Touchpoint Multi-Channel 167

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OCTOBER 17, 2018

I have often written about the fact I feel truly blessed to be able to practice my vocation on a daily basis. I am afforded the opportunity to see and experience so many different things, in so many different places. Whilst it is exhausting, I will never take for granted the opportunity this gives me to continually develop my specialism and to use my experiences to share knowledge with others.

Customer Experience 156

Customer Experience Effort Score Customers Meeting 156

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SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

I am extremely fortunate to be afforded the opportunity to share my knowledge and passion all over the world. This year, the number of countries I have worked in over the last 6 years will hit the 40 mark. However, whilst I will never take for granted how lucky I am being able to travel around the globe, it is not quite as glamorous as you might think.

Travel 247

Travel Hotels Customer Journeys Transportation 247

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SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

Having worked with my good friend, Stefan Osthaus, for many years, it is never a surprise to constantly find him looking for new, innovative ways to help others improve their effectiveness in the field of customer experience. Like me, Stefan leverages decades of practitioner experience to support businesses and customer experience professionals in a consulting capacity, all around the world.

Roadmap 167

Roadmap Consulting Customer Experience Professionals Leadership 167

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AUGUST 30, 2018

The business world as we have always known it is changing. Many would argue that is always has been – changing that is. Since the dawn of time, human beings have been interacting with each other, exchanging money for goods and services. Only yesterday, a contact of mine shared an article with me about, what is believed to be, the world’s first ever customer complaint… 4,000 years ago!!

Retail 165

Retail Customer Experience Net Promoter Score NPS 165

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AUGUST 12, 2018

Over time, several words have been used to describe the organisational focus on customers. They include: Customer Experience. Customer Focus. Customer Centricity. Customer Service. Customer Success. Customer Outcomes. Customer Relationship Management. Customer Management. I am sure you can add more to the list! The fact that there are so many variants, at least demonstrates that the world of business does, deep down, recognise that customers are connected to the reason their organisation exists

Customer Journeys 185

Customer Journeys Customers Airlines Social Media 185

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AUGUST 6, 2018

I often write my blog posts and articles whilst travelling on either a train or an aeroplane. Although I can also be found hunched over my laptop keyboard in hotel rooms at twilight hours, the confined space of a metal tube travelling at high speeds is the perfect environment for me to commit my thoughts into words. The irony (life is full of so many of them) in me choosing to make use of travelling time to write about my favourite subject, is that the experience of travelling on either a train

Customer Experience 148

Customer Experience Travel Transportation Airlines 148

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AUGUST 3, 2018

The word ‘disruption’ is one of the most commonly used with reference to business and commerce around the world today. It des not matter which industry your organisation is a part of, every traditional business is being challenged in ways they could never have imagined when they were founded – whether it be as long as one hundred years ago, or as recently as ten years ago.

Case Study 191

Case Study Retail Study Policies 191

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JULY 24, 2018

‘Culture by design’, a white paper by Pelorus Jack and prominent academics from Cranfield School of Management , explores how to connect organisations with their customers to create a consistent, world-class customer experience that leads to sustained commercial success. They draw on years of proven operational expertise and the know-how of The Walt Disney Company, whose transferable methodology, established over 60 years ago, forms the heart of its global success.

Culture 123

Culture Customer Experience Management Employee Engagement 123

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JULY 24, 2018

Machine learning has in?ltrated our daily lives in a myriad of ways. Often, these machine learning predictions happen in the background and we rarely notice them. But what about at your place of employment? Has machine learning made you better at your job? Has it helped you better understand your customers? Has a newly installed algorithm allowed you to deliver a better product or service?

Virtual Agent 144

Virtual Agent Analytics Chatbots Customer relationships 144

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JULY 18, 2018

During the last ten years, I have attended many Customer Experience (CX) events around the globe. In the early part of that decade, I would always leave conferences with at least one ‘nugget’ of inspiration. As the decade moved on, the search for ‘gold’ has become tougher and tougher. I am therefore very excited to be able to share the news that Incite Group’s Customer Service & Experience Summit Europe (18-19 Sept) comes to London for the first time.

Self Service 123

Self Service Customer Service Customer Experience Groups 123

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JULY 11, 2018

I really am very fortunate to meet some amazing Customer Experience professionals as I travel the globe. Not only do my meetings validate that I am not completely mad (although I know some will disagree), it is inspiring to come into contact with so many people who share the same passion, desire and belief in the benefits of applying the science that can turn customer centricity into a sustainable reality.

Customer Experience 31

Customer Experience Customer Centricity Customer Experience Professionals B2C 31

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JULY 9, 2018

Where does Customer Experience (CX) ‘sit’ in an organisation? This is a question I am frequently asked. Some say the correct answer is ‘Customer Service’ Some say ‘with the CEO’ Some might say under the responsibility of a ‘Chief Customer Officer’, or a ‘Chief Experience Officer’ Others might say ‘Marketing’ The debate rages on globally – is there a right answer to the question?

Chief Customer Officer 148

Chief Customer Officer Marketing Leadership Groups 148

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JULY 5, 2018

Regular readers of my blog know that being a customer experience specialist does not protect me from encountering lacklustre, frustrating and sometimes embarrassing experiences as a customer of the organisations I interact with. I regularly blog about my suffering with various airlines, restaurants, retailers and care hire businesses in the sincere hope that those organisations are listening!

Customer Experience 160

Customer Experience Airlines Retail B2B 160

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JUNE 25, 2018

Since I published my new book at the end of April , I have intentionally held off adding to my social media content. In fact this post will be the first in June 2018! The hiatus in my writing does not mean I have run out of things to say on the subject of customer experience (CX) (boo, say some; hurrah, say others!) – far from it! In fact, so much is happening in industries around the world, I and other CX commentators have been spoilt for choice.

Customer Centricity 192

Customer Centricity Customers Industry Loyalty 192

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MAY 21, 2018

We live in a business world full of disruption. Whether you work in financial services, manufacturing, logistics or retail, no business today can ignore the rapid pace of change facing us all. Very much led by the never-ending advancement of digital technology, the business landscape and the challenges facing it, seem to change on a monthly basis. As little as twenty years ago, organisations could quite comfortably rely on having well-respected products and services.

Retail 186

Retail Leadership Case Study Financial 186

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MAY 17, 2018

The launch of my first book has finally become a reality! ‘Customer What? The honest and practical guide to customer experience’ was published at the end of April 2018. I would never have been able to achieve my ambition without the support of many people. A significant amount of support came via my crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. I feel genuinely blessed that so many people believed in what I am doing enough to pledge their support to make my dream come true.

Travel 164

Travel Hotels Customer Experience Customer Experience Professionals 164

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MAY 10, 2018

I first started writing my blog six years ago. Since that time, I have crafted hundreds of articles – producing them, almost religiously, on a weekly basis. Regularly, I am asked how I generate the ideas behind the articles – ‘do I have a plan and schedule for the year?’ No – is the simple answer. When customer experience is your passion; your vocation; and you have a desire to share thought, knowledge and opinion; then identifying suitable topics to write about is

Hotels 156

Hotels Travel Culture Customer Experience 156

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MARCH 27, 2018

As the launch of my first book get’s ever closer to becoming a reality, my level of personal excitement is almost at its peak!! However, I would never have got to the point of being on the brink of achieving my ambition without the support of many people. A significant amount of support came via my crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. I feel genuinely blessed that so many people believed in what I am doing enough to pledge their support to make my dream come true.

Customer Experience Professionals 148

Customer Experience Professionals Customer Experience Net Promoter Score Financial 148

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MARCH 20, 2018

This year, Ian Golding (that’s me), will officially become the author of a book. A lifetimes ambition, I am beyond excited!! However, I would never have got to the point of being on the brink of achieving my ambition without the support of many people. A significant amount of support came via my crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. I feel genuinely blessed that so many people believed in what I am doing enough to pledge their support to make my dream come true.

Customer Journeys 152

Customer Journeys Culture Customer Centricity Contact Center 152

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MARCH 19, 2018

Before I even start this article, I must make it clear that Emirates are not the only airline to make customers unhappy. In fact, they are far from being alone in any industry around the world at creating masterclasses in customer dissatisfaction. The airline industry does seem to excel at providing examples of shocking and inhumane treatment of people – the very people who hand over large sums of money to use their products and services.

Hotels 209

Hotels Airlines Travel How To 209

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MARCH 1, 2018

It is very likely you have read various articles over the last few years describing how the UK’s communication service providers are struggling to cope with constant market change. Additionally, global customer experience benchmarking studies confirm that communication providers are lagging well behind companies in other industries. Stratmetrix.com are conducting a study in the UK, seeking to understand which telecommunication service providers explicitly have which customer experience iss

Communication 136

Communication Survey Telecommunications Study 136

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FEBRUARY 26, 2018

I make no secret of my love for all things culinary. In fact, if I did not also have a passion for running, I would quite literally be the size of a rather large house! Like everything else we do as human beings, the ‘eating out’ experience is made up of several stages and touch points – the eating bit is just one of them. Eating in a restaurant is often an indulgent treat – not a necessity – and as such, the experience needs to match up with our expectation.

Customer Experience 167

Customer Experience Customers Course Hotels 167

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FEBRUARY 15, 2018

If you have ever met me, or indeed read anything I have written, it is extremely likely you will know that I am rather passionate about the Customer Experience (CX) Profession. In fact, anyone who comes in to contact with me via any means will almost certainly fail to avoid that fact! I make no apology for it – those of us who have chosen to dedicate our careers to enabling organisations to genuinely ‘operationalise’ CX, need and deserve to have their skills and capabilities re

Customer Experience Professionals 144

Customer Experience Professionals Training Customer Experience Meeting 144

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FEBRUARY 13, 2018

The words customer-centric and silos do not sit happily in the same sentence. Silos harm culture and damage customer experiences. And they hold businesses back. In the last month alone, 1000s of words have been published on this very subject by the likes of LinkedIn, HBR and Forbes. But whilst all this earnest commentary is being read, liked and shared, over in the jobs section of LinkedIn we’re busy resourcing up the silos.

Resources 145

Resources Customer Journeys Customer Experience Customer Centricity 145

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FEBRUARY 12, 2018

As many of my followers are aware, one of the highlights of my year is having the honour of participating as a judge at the UK Customer Experience Awards. Three years ago, when Manuela Pifani entered the judging room, I expected to be impressed, but was not expecting to be overwhelmed. Manuela is one of the most passionate, professional, capable CX Professionals I have ever had the pleasure of coming into contact with.

Strategy 132

Strategy Customer Experience Advertising Competitive Advantage 132

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FEBRUARY 9, 2018

Every day, every week, every month, every year, I learn something new. It is one of the reasons I obsess with calling myself a ‘specialist’, not an ‘expert’ Specialists never stop learning and I am regularly reminded that there nuggets of knowledge waiting around every corner. A few weeks ago, a fellow Customer Experience Specialist – an amazing lady called Jan Richards – passed on one such nugget.

Customers 140

Customers Customer Experience Customer Journeys Banking 140

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FEBRUARY 5, 2018

This year, Ian Golding (that’s me), will officially become the author of a book. A lifetimes ambition, I am beyond excited!! However, I would never have got to the point of being on the brink of achieving my ambition without the support of many people. A significant amount of support came via my crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. I feel genuinely blessed that so many people believed in what I am doing enough to pledge their support to make my dream come true.

Culture 264

Culture Measurement Customer Centricity Hotels 264

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JANUARY 28, 2018

Last week I had a fascinating conversation with a peer of mine – a fellow Customer Experience Professional. James Dodkins is as passionate about transforming organisations to become sustainably customer centric as I am. Like me, James regularly comes across organisations who talk about ‘putting the customer first’ – a statement that is hard to immediately disagree with.

Employee Engagement 196

Employee Engagement Engagement Customer Centricity Customer Experience Professionals 196

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JANUARY 22, 2018

In our modern business landscape, especially with the ever-growing presence of social media in our daily lives, providing consistent positive customer experiences has become critical to maintaining a favourable brand reputation. We’ve all seen social media posts from unhappy customers go viral- these posts can have a detrimental effect on your brands reputation and your audiences desire to do business with your company.

Customer Experience 191

Customer Experience Social Media Abandon Rate Conference 191

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JANUARY 18, 2018

2018 is the first calendar year in my career as a global customer experience specialist that I have looked forward more in hope than expectation. My last article of 2017 explained why I have a number of concerns regarding the evolution of Customer Experience around the world. So as I boarded my flight to Dubai on Monday morning, I did so with slightly lower levels of my usual optimism than normal.

Customer Experience 0

Customer Experience Government Customer Centricity Case Study 0

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JANUARY 12, 2018

If you happen to live in the UK and regularly have to rely on public transport to commute to and from work, the heralding of a brand spanking new year is unlikely to have filled you with much joy – from the commuting perspective that is. Travelling to and from work can rarely be described as an experience we look forward to – whatever part of the world you come from.

Industry 156

Industry Transportation Travel Government 156

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DECEMBER 14, 2017

As we approach the end of another calendar year, it is always appropriate for bloggers, writers, thought leaders and professionals in general, to reflect on what has passed, as well as what is to come in the future. As a prolific writer on the subject of Customer Experience, I feel as though every article I publish is a reflection of sorts. However, when we reach the end of the year, it does seem sensible to combine all of my thoughts together to see if they make some kind of sensible conclusion

Customer Experience 164

Customer Experience Customer Experience Professionals Customer Centricity Customers 164

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DECEMBER 11, 2017

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit Kyoto in Japan for a holiday. Being a customer experience specialist means never quite leaving work behind, even on holiday, and I wanted to find out whether the customer experience in Kyoto would be different to anywhere else. Kyoto is a wonderful place. Although much less densely populated than Tokyo or London, it attracts around 50 million tourists each year.

Customer Experience 166

Customer Experience Travel Transportation Training 166