Doing Customer eXperience Right‬ In The AI Era | Stacy Sherman

Most leaders think they are delivering a great customer experience. Pierre Charchaflian of IBM says they are delivering yesterday's version. The new standard is not fixing problems when customers report them. It is knowing about the problem before the customer does, and solving it before they have to ask. That shift, from reactive to anticipatory, is what separates the brands that customers stay loyal to from those they leave without explanation. The technology to do it exists right now. Most companies are not using it. Pierre has spent 25 years at the intersection of data, technology, and customer experience, and he says this transformation is unlike anything he has seen before. The window to act is open. It will not stay that way. What You Will Learn About Anticipating Customer Needs With AI: What agentic AI actually is in plain language, why it is fundamentally different from prior AI capabilities, and what it means for your CX strategy starting now Why IBM's research found that technology stack limitations, not budget or talent, are the number one barrier preventing CMOs from delivering the customer experience they already know they need to deliver How agentic search engines are becoming a direct threat to brand digital presence, and what leaders need to do before their customers' AI agents start bypassing them entirely Why anticipating a customer's need before they express it is now a measurable competitive advantage, and what separates the companies building that capability from the ones still reacting How AI can read sentiment, detect frustration signals across structured and unstructured data, and trigger a response before a customer decides to leave Why conversion is the metric that tells the truth about whether your customer experience is actually working, and what NPS and CSAT consistently miss Download IBM's Win the Moment report now: https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/en-us/report/customer-intent?utm_id=Stacy-Sherman-AdobeSummit-LinkedIn-IBVCMOStudy-04-16-26 #IBMPartner 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.

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.

Are you struggling to turn satisfied customers into brand loyalists? Discover how to shift from merely impressing to creating customer obsession in this episode of Doing CX Right. Join host Stacy Sherman and guest Jon Picoult as they reveal how crafting standout experiences can accelerate ROI growth. They explain innovative ways to build emotional connections that turn customers into vocal advocates. Plus, learn how prioritizing your current customer base can accelerate revenue growth and enhance your competitive advantage. Don't miss out. Listen now to learn how to transform customer satisfaction into deep brand commitment. Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies. Book time with Stacy Sherman here.

Many leaders discover that an employee was on the verge of burnout only after the customer already felt it. By the time a resignation letter arrives or a negative review goes public, it has already cost you the revenue and the brand reputation you spent years building. The question is whether you can read the warning signs before that moment happens. This show is about Stacy Sherman's reflection on her conversation last week with Jennifer Lee, where they explored how to read stress indicators in real time and act on them before the damage occurs. What You Will Learn: How to identify signals that a team member is approaching the breaking point before it costs you a customer or a sale The one question to ask your managers this week that surfaces who on the team is struggling right now How a single bad interaction becomes a permanent online record that AI reads when your next prospect searches for a solution in your category What your digital empathy footprint is and one action you can take today to understand what it currently says about your company and prevent losing both customers and top talent. Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies. Book time with Stacy Sherman here.

Did you know that AI is now reading your customer reviews, your public responses, and the sentiment around your brand to help buyers decide whether to trust your business? That means you need to pay attention to what customers are saying publicly and how your company responds, because those signals are shaping reputation, buying decisions, and future revenue before a prospect ever contacts you. In this solo episode of Doing CX Right®, Stacy Sherman shares 3 actionable lessons business leaders can use to protect revenue, avoid losing profitable customers, and improve the likelihood that their brand gets recommended by AI platforms. In this episode, you'll learn: How to use customer reviews more strategically What your public responses are really communicating Why review strategy now matters far beyond reputation What creates risk when your business has too many negative reviews or none at all How customer expectations and emotions shape public feedback What leaders need to do to strengthen how their brand is perceived online and by AI tools If your goal is to protect revenue, strengthen brand reputation, and know exactly where to focus, this episode will be very valuable and enable you to make an impact immediately wherever you work. Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies. Book time with Stacy here.

How do you get skeptical buyers to choose your products and services over competitors? What does it actually take to earn trust from people who question everything before making a decision? Here is what most leaders get wrong: they assume that scientists, data-driven professionals, and analytical thinkers make decisions based purely on logic. The research says otherwise. Even in the most technical industries, something else is driving the final call. And once you understand what it is, it changes how you approach sales, marketing, and customer experience entirely. In this episode of Doing CX Right®, Stacy Sherman sits down with Andrew Bertera, a scientist-turned-marketing leader at New England Biolabs, to explore what actually moves skeptical buyers from hesitation to commitment. Stacy also shares the results of a LinkedIn poll she conducted, asking business leaders in complex buying cycles, life sciences, technology, and manufacturing, what most often prevents a purchase decision from moving forward. The answer surprised people. Listen to find out what it was and why it matters for your business, even if you are nowhere near the life sciences industry. In this conversation, you will learn: Why are the most analytical buyers not as logic-driven as you think How to turn skepticism into curiosity without overpromising What role do peer validation and credible data play in building trust How to design moments in the customer journey that reduce friction and increase confidence Why a consistent brand experience across marketing, sales, and service determines whether a skeptical buyer stays or leaves How structured and informal feedback loops keep you ahead of what customers actually need The conversation is grounded in life sciences, but the principles apply to any business working to win over careful, skeptical buyers and build loyalty that lasts. Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies. Book time with Stacy here.

Many leaders still believe high customer satisfaction scores mean the experience is working. That belief creates a costly blind spot: customers say they're satisfied and then quietly leave, taking revenue, renewals, and referrals with them. In this solo episode of Doing CX Right®, Stacy Sherman explores why Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) became the standard, from the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index to today's dashboards, and why it no longer predicts loyalty in a world where switching is easy and comparisons are instant. Stacy shares practical ways to drive real customer loyalty: Identify why "nothing went wrong" isn't enough to create memorable experiences Ask questions that reveal what customers truly value Measure behavior: repurchase, renewal, and referral rates instead of opinion scores Redesign onboarding and service touchpoints so customers feel supported, not lost CSAT isn't useless, but it measures baseline competence, not competitive advantage. Listen now to discover why satisfaction is just the starting point, and how to turn customer experience into lasting loyalty. Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies. Book time with Stacy here.

What's the best leadership advice you've ever received or given? For her 200th episode of Doing CX Right, host Stacy Sherman shares a curated collection of the most memorable and actionable leadership wisdom from the show's renowned guests. Consider this a masterclass in leading with influence, featuring insight you can apply immediately to boost both your business growth and your personal development. You'll hear powerful lessons from leaders like Seth Godin, Daniel Pink, Jeanne Bliss, Fred Reichheld, Shep Hyken, Daniel Goleman, Mark Schaefer, and many others. Their brief insights here reveal the advice that shaped their success and their approach to supporting every person on their team. Inside this special episode, you'll gain The crucial mindset shift that catalyzed their biggest career growth. The essential principles they pass on to rising talent. The game-changing perspective they wish they had adopted sooner. The practical steps they use daily to create a supportive team environment. There are countless more actionable strategies shared beyond this show! While this episode is packed with wisdom, the full stories and in-depth advice are in the past 199 shows. Listen and take notes, as you'll find incredible wisdom you can apply today. Also, subscribe on your favorite channel to get notified of NEW episodes that will give you even MORE strategies to elevate your business and personal career too! This episode is also available to watch on YouTube Featured guests in this episode: Listed in the order they appear so you can follow the voices as you listen. Seth Godin • Shep Hyken • Daniel Pink • Wally Feresten • Jay Baer • Fred Reichheld • Rob Markey • Bob Burg • Greg McKeown • Eileen Brenner • Sam Brenner • David Avrin • Mark Sanborn • Brittany Hodak • Joe Calloway • David Singer • Jeannie Walters • Colin Shaw • Kerry Bodine • Jeanne Bliss • Lisa Ford • Mark Schaefer • Joe Pine • Bill Price • Katie Webb • Brian Elliott • Scott McKain • Jackie Yeaney • Josh Bersin • Tiffani Bova • Wendy Smith • Stephen Shedletzky • Sylvie di Giusto • Bill Staikos • Neal Schaffer • Daniel Goleman • Patrick McCullough • Dennis Snow • Neil Hoyne • Simon T. Bailey • Mauro Porcini • Laurie Guest • Cindy Gallop • Zach Picon • Nir Eyal • Sean Albertson • Neal Topf • David Allen • Blake Morgan • Marcey Rader • Michael B. White • Max Ball • David Wachs • Sean Hawkins • Jacqui Brassey • Michael Brenner • Sharon Weinstein • Miya Gray • Joel Block • Mark Stern • Catherine Sugarbroad • Dave Seaton • Jon Picoult • Greg Kihlström • Eric Skeens • Ryan Estis • Ian Golding • Jeff Toister • Matt Dixon • Annette Franz • Stan Phelps • Jim Tincher • Joey Coleman • Dan Gingiss • Miika Mäkitalo • Greg Melia Resources & Next Steps Get Insider Strategies: Subscribe to Doing CX Right newsletter for proven, actionable insights you can't get anywhere else. Book a Call: Schedule personalized time with Stacy Sherman.

Many leaders still believe emotions don't belong in business. That limiting belief creates workplaces where employees stay quiet when problems appear, avoid taking ownership for customer outcomes, and follow directions even when they see flaws that will affect customers. Fear is data. It signals when people feel unprepared, unsupported, or uncertain about priorities. When leaders ignore those signals, communication erodes, decision quality declines, and customers experience preventable mistakes and service failures. In this episode of Doing CX Right®, Stacy Sherman talks with Kristen Kavanaugh, a former U.S. Marine Corps officer and Tesla culture executive, about how courageous leadership turns fear into insight and action. Kristen shares what she learned from leading Marines in high-stakes missions and from developing leaders inside Tesla's fast-moving production environment. She explains how confronting fear directly, whether in military operations or corporate transformation, builds discipline, transparency, and faster, more confident decisions that protect both employees and customers. From listening to this episode, you will learn how to: Identify behaviors that show fear is influencing team performance Use emotional data to uncover leadership and operational risks before they reach customers Practice courageous leadership that encourages honesty and customer accountability Replace avoidance with structured communication that drives faster resolution Apply proven methods from Tesla and the military to enhance results under pressure Listen now to hear why emotions are not a side effect of business; they are the business and shapes every decision, every interaction, and every outcome. As Stacy Sherman says: "Emotions are the experience, and matters FAR more than you think.™" Learn more at DoingCXRight.com. Book time with Stacy through this link.

As companies grow and rely more on technology, they often lose the close connection they once had with customers. This "scaling paradox" creates a distance between business leaders and genuine customer feedback, while frontline teams, who interact with customers daily, are often overlooked. That disconnect makes it harder for your business to stay competitive. In this episode of Doing CX Right®, Stacy Sherman talks to Michael Nguyen, who leads Customer Intelligence at Enterpret and has held key roles at Asana and Figma, about how to turn customer complaints into opportunities for loyalty and profitable growth. You'll learn how modern feedback systems and AI reveal patterns in what customers think and feel, which enables leaders to make smarter, faster business decisions. Michael shares examples from companies he works with, like Canva, that show how "closing the loop" by listening, responding, and learning from every customer drives measurable impact. Listen now to discover proven ways to transform customer pain into your most powerful driver of innovation and success. Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies. Book time with Stacy here.

Imagine having a thriving organization where your employees are as satisfied as your customers - sounds perfect, doesn't it? In this episode, Doing CX Right host Stacy Sherman and Tiffani Bova, Global Customer Growth and Innovation Evangelist at Salesforce discuss the secret formula of high-performing organizations and the employee-customer experience balance. You'll learn about the "Experience Mindset," the role of tech in customer experience, the unintended consquences of employee experience and advice to professionals who are starting to build and advancing their leadership skills. Learn more about gaining a competitive edge through an experience mindset at DoingCXRight.com/podcast Book time with Stacy here.

What if you could finally prove that emotions, not just price or product features, are the real drivers of revenue, retention, and revenue growth? Too many leaders know their teams create powerful emotional connections, yet they're told "emotion is a soft skill" by the very people who control the budgets. That disconnect leaves organizations stuck defending their work instead of proving its true impact. In this episode, Stacy Sherman changes that conversation. She explains why legacy metrics like CSAT and NPS fall short, and how companies like Hallmark Business Connections translate small emotional gestures into massive financial results. More importantly, she shares a clear framework that shows leaders exactly how to measure emotional ROI and three practical steps you can take this week. By the end, you'll see why emotion isn't a soft skill; it's the new currency of customer experience and the most strategic advantage your business has. Learn more at DoingCXRight.com. Book time with Stacy Sherman through this link. Listen to HBC full episode here

Are you struggling to prove the business value of your customer experience initiatives? What if you could demonstrate how service interactions directly impact revenue and loyalty? In this episode, Stacy Sherman and Neal Topf explain the mathematics of customer experience and reveal why 74% of customers switch to competitors after one challenging service interaction. Learn practical strategies for calculating customer lifetime value, optimizing service delivery costs, and creating the right balance between AI automation and human touch. Discover the innovative "Ease of Escalation" framework and proven approaches to increase customer retention while maximizing ROI. Learn more at DoingCXRight.com. Grow as a CX Professional with our numerous Resources. Book time with Stacy here.