Podcast
Customer Service Revolution | Customer Experience & Employee Experience for Business Leaders
Hosted by John Dijulius - Customer Experience & Customer Service Expert · EN
The Customer Service Revolution Podcast is for CEOs, CXOs, COOs, CMOs, CHROs, customer experience leaders, employee experience leaders, and business owners who want to build a service culture that drives referrals, loyalty, employee engagement, and market share.
Hosted by The DiJulius Group, the show features John DiJulius, Denise Thompson, Dave Murray, and industry leaders sharing practical insights on customer experience, employee experience, customer service strategy, leadership, service culture, and operational consistency.
Each episode gives leaders actionable ideas to transform how customers and employees experience their organization, whether they operate in B2B, B2C, healthcare, hospitality, financial services, professional services, retail, or any business where experience is a competitive advantage.
Customer service and employee experience, done right, can become your company's single biggest competitive advantage. This is not just a podcast. It is a movement to overthrow conventional business mentality and help organizations create experiences customers and employees cannot live without.
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262: Who Really Owns Customer Experience? (part two)
Today00:31:55Tap to summarizeHow to Build the Teams That Make Customer Experience Stick Episode 262 of the Customer Service Revolution Podcast Launching a customer experience initiative is one thing. Building the internal structure that keeps it alive is another. In this episode of the Customer Service Revolution Podcast, John DiJulius continues his conversation with Dave Murray, Vice President of The DiJulius Group, about the stakeholders required to successfully launch and sustain a customer experience transformation. They focus on two groups that can determine whether a CX initiative becomes part of the culture or quietly disappears: the customer experience steering committee and CX ambassadors. Dave explains who should serve on a CX steering committee, how often the group should meet, what responsibilities it should own, and why representation must extend beyond customer-facing departments. John and Dave also explore how frontline employees can become influential CX ambassadors who reinforce standards, build peer-level support, and help organizations identify future leaders. Related: Building an initiative that lasts Why a Customer Experience Steering Committee Matters A CX steering committee serves as the governing body of a customer experience initiative. The group helps select workshop participants, shape implementation priorities, review ideas, approve realistic next steps, and turn workshop content into usable training materials, playbooks, standards, and tools. The strongest committees include representation from both customer-facing and support departments. Sales, customer service, operations, training, finance, accounting, logistics, and other internal service providers all influence the experience customers ultimately receive. The committee must also be able to evaluate what can be implemented immediately, what requires additional technology or funding, and what should be scheduled for a later phase. Who Should Serve on the Committee? Most steering committees include managers, directors, department leaders, training professionals, and employees who understand how work moves across the organization. Members do not need to meet constantly. During normal periods, a monthly virtual meeting may be sufficient. During rollout or content-development phases, the group may meet weekly until key deliverables are complete. The goal is not to add another meeting. It is to create accountability for the customer experience. How CX Ambassadors Build Frontline Buy-In CX ambassadors are often frontline employees who participated in the original customer experience workshops and want to remain involved. They may not hold formal leadership titles, but they have influence among their peers. They understand the initiative, believe in its value, and can explain how it will improve the experience for customers and employees. Ambassadors help communicate what is coming, reinforce new behaviors, identify obstacles, share best practices, support individual locations, and keep the initiative visible after the formal rollout. John and Dave also explain why organizations should consider including respected skeptics and informal influencers during the development process. When these employees understand the purpose behind the initiative, they can become some of its strongest advocates. Related: How to get company wide buy in CX Ambassadors Should Support, Not Police One warning from the episode is especially important: CX ambassadors cannot become the "gotcha police." When ambassadors visit teams only to identify mistakes, the program becomes associated with punishment rather than improvement. Effective ambassadors recognize what employees are doing well, provide constructive coaching, replenish resources, answer questions, and help teams succeed. Their role is to support the culture, not inspect people into compliance. Customer Experience Has No Finish Line The most successful organizations continue meeting after the initial initiative has launched. Steering committees should review customer experience metrics, recognize employees, update standards, identify emerging service defects, and ensure CX training remains embedded in onboarding and leadership development. Ambassadors should continue sharing observations, comparing results across teams or locations, and identifying practices that can be adopted throughout the organization. Customer expectations, internal processes, technology, and business models change. Customer experience standards must evolve with them. CX Programs Can Help Identify Future Leaders A strong CX ambassador program creates another valuable result: it reveals which employees are ready for greater leadership responsibility. Employees who volunteer, coach peers effectively, reinforce standards, and take ownership of the experience demonstrate many of the behaviors required of successful leaders. Organizations can also reduce the number of accidental managers by allowing aspiring leaders to experience leadership training before they are promoted. This gives employees a realistic view of the responsibilities involved and helps companies evaluate more than technical performance when selecting managers. Key Takeaways A customer experience steering committee should govern the initiative after the initial workshops and rollout. The committee should include customer-facing departments and internal support functions. Steering committees translate ideas into realistic standards, training materials, playbooks, and implementation priorities. CX ambassadors are often influential frontline employees rather than formal managers. Employees who are skeptical of change may become powerful advocates when included early. Ambassadors should coach and support employees, not operate as compliance police. Monthly meetings help steering committees and ambassadors maintain momentum. Customer experience materials should be treated as living documents and updated as the business evolves. Ambassador programs can help organizations identify and prepare future leaders. Customer experience is an ongoing operating discipline, not a temporary project. Quotes "The steering committee becomes the governing body of the project." "We want to have cross-departmental representation because that is the group that shapes the project." "The primary thing ambassadors do is take that message back to their teams." "Sometimes the people who do not like change become advocates." "We do not want ambassadors looking only for the bad stuff and ignoring the good." "When it comes to customer experience, there is no finish line." "This is who we are as an organization, and we need to keep the focus on it." "Everything they have created is treated as a living document." "A customer experience ambassador program can help identify your future leaders." "Organizations often promote people without looking at the soft skills required to lead." Chapters 00:49 — Recapping the Six Customer Experience Stakeholders 03:23 — The Role of the CX Steering Committee 05:08 — Who Should Serve on the Committee? 06:46 — Time Commitment and Meeting Structure 08:25 — Creating a CX Ambassador Program 10:51 — Why Ambassadors Are Usually Frontline Employees 11:18 — Turning Skeptics Into Advocates 12:26 — Ambassador Best Practices from Financial Services 13:55 — Avoiding the "Gotcha Police" Problem 15:22 — Building a Regional Ambassador Network 17:04 — How to Maintain Buy-In and Momentum 18:08 — Why Consistent Meetings Matter 20:54 — Developing CX Knowledge Across the Organization 22:32 — Keeping Customer Experience Standards Current 24:28 — Using CX Programs to Identify Future Leaders 25:46 — Preventing Accidental Managers 27:05 — Leadership Training Before Promotion 28:11 — Helping Employees Decide Whether Leadership Fits 30:29 — Final Thoughts Links: Storytelling blog: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/how-to-be-a-more-effective-leader-by-learning-the-best-way-of-storytelling/ ROX Dashboard: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/rox-dashboard/ The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors: tdg.click/claudia <a hre...
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261: Who Really Owns Customer Experience?
1w ago00:45:47Tap to summarizeWhy Customer Experience Fails Without the Right Internal Ownership Every company says customer experience matters. But too many organizations launch CX initiatives without clearly defining who owns the work, who champions it, who keeps it moving, and who makes sure it becomes part of the culture. In this episode of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast, John DiJulius turns the tables and interviews Dave Murray, Vice President of Consulting at The DiJulius Group and co-author of The Employee Experience Revolution. Dave shares what he has learned from more than 13 years of helping organizations build world-class customer and employee experience cultures. The Three Core Roles Every CX Initiative Needs Dave explains that successful customer experience transformation typically requires three core internal roles: The Executive Sponsor This is usually the CEO, owner, or senior executive who sees the pain points and understands that customer experience is not a department problem. It is an organization-wide culture initiative. The Project Champion This person is usually a senior leader who is closer to the day-to-day business and is responsible for making sure the initiative stays visible, supported, and connected to leadership priorities. The Project Lead The project lead is the person, or sometimes a small committee, responsible for keeping the work moving. They coordinate logistics, involve the right people, communicate updates, support rollout, and help make sure the work becomes part of daily operations. Why the Project Lead Cannot Be an Afterthought One of the biggest mistakes companies make is assigning customer experience ownership to someone who simply has available time. Dave explains that the best project leads have credibility, communication skills, leadership experience, and enough influence to hold others accountable. The role does not always need to be full-time at the start. In many organizations, it may require eight to ten hours per week during active project work. But for the initiative to last, someone must continue owning the reinforcement, accountability, and ongoing momentum after launch. The Role of the CX Steering Committee A strong customer experience steering committee gives the initiative broader representation across departments. This group often includes leaders from sales, operations, contact center, finance, IT, marketing, HR, and other key teams. The steering committee helps shape the work, create buy-in, remove barriers, and make sure customer experience does not live in one department. Why Frontline Buy-In Matters John and Dave also discuss the importance of including frontline team members in the creation process. Leaders may know what should be happening, but frontline employees know what is actually happening. When frontline employees help create the systems, standards, and training, they become ambassadors for the initiative. They bring practical insight, build credibility with their peers, and help prevent the work from becoming another top-down corporate program. Customer Experience Is an Ecosystem The most successful organizations treat customer experience as part of a larger experience ecosystem. External customer experience, employee experience, and vendor relationships all influence one another. As John explains, companies cannot deliver a world-class customer experience without also creating a strong internal employee experience. The role of experience leadership has evolved beyond customer service and now touches hiring, onboarding, training, leadership, recognition, marketing, and culture. Key Takeaway Customer experience transformation does not fail because companies lack ideas. It fails because no one truly owns the execution. If your organization wants customer experience to become a competitive advantage, you need executive sponsorship, a project champion, a project lead, a steering committee, and frontline ambassadors who help turn the strategy into daily behavior. Links: Storytelling blog: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/how-to-be-a-more-effective-leader-by-learning-the-best-way-of-storytelling/ ROX Dashboard: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/rox-dashboard/ The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors: tdg.click/claudia Ask John! Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode: tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/ Contacts: Lindsey@thedijuliusgroup.com , Claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com If you want to learn how world-class organizations build cultures customers cannot live without, explore The Experience Revolution Membership. Inside the membership you'll gain access to livestream workshops, practical frameworks, and proven strategies used by organizations around the world. Learn more at https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Learn More If your organization is working to improve customer experience but struggling to connect it to measurable business outcomes, The DiJulius Group can help. Visit: https://thedijuliusgroup.com Listen to more episodes: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/the-customer-service-revolution-podcast/ Subscribe We talk about topics like this each week; be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.
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260: Why Leaders Must Be Great Storytellers
2w ago00:36:35Tap to summarizeStorytelling is how leaders turn information into belief, alignment, and action. Leadership Storytelling Is No Longer Optional In this episode of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast, John DiJulius and Denise Thompson discuss why storytelling is one of the most important leadership skills in today's workplace. Most leaders are good at sharing information. They communicate updates, goals, metrics, and expectations. But information alone rarely changes behavior. Stories are different. They help people understand the "why," connect emotionally to the mission, and remember what matters. John explains why great leaders throughout history have also been great storytellers. Whether they are entrepreneurs, coaches, CEOs, pastors, or public figures, the best leaders know how to rally people around a vision. They do not simply tell people what to do. They help people believe in what is possible. Data Tells, Stories Sell One of the central ideas of the episode is the phrase, "Data tells, stories sell." Facts are important, but facts alone often fail to inspire action. A story gives the data meaning. It creates context, emotion, urgency, and belief. John explains how storytelling activates different parts of the brain than traditional communication, making people more likely to remember and act on the message. For leaders, this matters because employees do not want to simply trade hours for dollars. They want to be part of something bigger. Storytelling helps leaders show employees how their work connects to the company's purpose, the customer's experience, and the impact the organization is trying to make. The Leader's Role in Storytelling John explains that leaders are responsible for communicating the company's vision in a way that creates emotional commitment. That requires more than a polished message. It requires a story people can see themselves inside. A strong leadership story often includes three roles: The Villain The problem, friction, broken industry norm, poor experience, or missed opportunity the organization exists to fight against. The Victim The people affected by the problem. This could be customers, employees, the community, or an industry that needs to improve. The Hero The team members who have the ability to change the outcome. John makes an important point: the leader is not the hero of the story. The employees are. Great storytelling helps employees see that they are the ones who can solve the problem, serve the customer, and bring the company's vision to life. The Four Components of a Great Leadership Story John shares four key components every leader should consider when telling a story: Purpose Every story must have a clear reason for being told. It should motivate, teach, reinforce values, or help people understand a decision. Emotional Connection A story should make people feel something. Empathy, inspiration, humor, vulnerability, and shared experience make the message more human. Structure A strong story needs focus. Without structure, leaders can drift into rambling, unnecessary details, or disconnected anecdotes. Authenticity The best leadership stories feel real. Leaders build trust when they are willing to share their own growth, mistakes, lessons, and moments of vulnerability. Why Storytelling Improves Customer Experience Storytelling is not just a communication tool. It is a culture tool. When leaders tell better stories, employees better understand the mission, values, and behaviors expected of them. Stories create a shared language. They reinforce what matters. They help employees see how their role impacts the customer. That stronger employee connection ultimately improves the customer experience because employees are not just following rules. They understand the purpose behind the service standard. Practical Ways Leaders Can Become Better Storytellers John encourages leaders to practice storytelling like any other skill. Better storytelling comes from repetition, feedback, observation, and self-awareness. Leaders can improve by watching great speakers, studying TED Talks, practicing with peers, joining speaking groups, asking for feedback, and learning to cut unnecessary details. John also emphasizes that stories are everywhere: in your life, your work, your customers, your employees, the news, and the everyday moments that reveal what your company stands for. The key is not to copy someone else's story. It is to recognize where a similar lesson has shown up in your own experience, then make it authentic. Key Takeaways Storytelling is a leadership skill, not just a speaking skill. Leaders use stories to create belief, alignment, and emotional commitment. Facts alone rarely inspire action. Data becomes more powerful when it is connected to a story people can understand and remember. The leader should not be the hero. Employees should see themselves as the heroes who can solve problems and improve the customer experience. Every strong story needs purpose, emotional connection, structure, and authenticity. Stories help reinforce culture. They give employees a clearer understanding of the company's purpose, values, and service expectations. Better storytelling takes practice. Leaders can improve by studying great speakers, rehearsing, seeking feedback, and learning which details matter. Pull Quotes "Data tells. Stories sell." "You are never the hero of your story." "Every company should exist to have a positive impact on humanity." "A leader's role is to create such a vivid, crystal-clear vision of the company's future that people rally around it." "Less is better, said really well." "Nothing will rise you through the ranks faster than galvanizing a team or department to perform better." Chapter List 00:00 — Welcome and episode setup 01:01 — Why storytelling is a leadership skill 02:12 — Why great leaders are great storytellers 04:13 — Communication versus storytelling 06:13 — Why facts alone rarely inspire action 08:52 — Storytelling, trust, empathy, and cooperation 09:37 — Why leaders overlook storytelling 11:15 — Can storytelling be developed? 13:03 — The four components of great stories 17:13 — Villain, victim, and hero 18:00 — What leaders struggle with most 21:08 — Creating emotional connection 23:38 — Why salespeople need better stories 24:10 — How visuals support storytelling 27:27 — How to improve storytelling in 30 days 31:00 — Where to find better stories 34:18 — Biggest storytelling mistakes 36:17 — The story every CEO should tell 38:32 — How CXEA helps leaders present better 40:16 — Closing thoughts Links: Storytelling blog: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/how-to-be-a-more-effective-leader-by-learning-the-best-way-of-storytelling/ ROX Dashboard: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/rox-dashboard/ The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors: tdg.click/claudia Ask John! Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode: tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/ Contacts: Lindsey@thedijuli...
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259: Why Customer Experience Transformations Fail in the Middle
3w ago00:35:07Tap to summarizeHow middle managers make or break customer experience transformation Why Customer Experience Transformations Fail in the Middle Most customer experience initiatives do not fail because the strategy was wrong. They fail because the strategy is announced by senior leadership, introduced to frontline employees, and then loses momentum in the middle. In this episode of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast, Denise Thompson and John DiJulius discuss why middle managers are one of the most overlooked parts of any customer experience transformation. Senior leaders may set the vision, but frontline employees do not experience that vision every day. They experience their direct manager. If that manager is overwhelmed, unclear, unsupported, or simply passing along a corporate message, the customer experience initiative becomes one more thing competing for attention. Why Middle Managers Matter in Customer Experience Middle managers are the link between strategy and execution. They are the ones responsible for turning customer experience goals into daily behaviors, coaching moments, team conversations, accountability, and recognition. John explains that companies often focus on executive buy-in and frontline training, but they miss the layer that determines whether the initiative actually sticks. Managers cannot just repeat the message from leadership. They have to translate it into behavior. Why CX Initiatives Lose Momentum Many middle managers are labeled as resistant when the real problem is that they are overwhelmed. Every department is competing for their attention: operations, sales, marketing, technology, HR, and customer experience. When managers are not given enough clarity, authority, time, training, or support, they cannot effectively lead the transformation. Instead of becoming culture carriers, they become message carriers. John explains that successful project launches require more than creation and launch. Organizations must certify it, implement it, measure it, and continue reinforcing it long after launch day. How Managers Become Culture Carriers To become true culture carriers, managers need to understand the why behind the customer experience initiative. They need to know how it creates a competitive advantage, improves retention, drives referrals, reduces complaints, and helps the company avoid competing only on price. They also need the tools to coach their teams, celebrate the right behaviors, recognize wins, and hold people accountable when standards are not being met. The Role of Senior Leadership Senior leaders must stay obsessed with the vision. They need to repeat the message consistently, share results, celebrate progress, and make middle managers the heroes of the transformation. John also discusses the danger of accidental managers: high-performing employees who are promoted into leadership without enough training. When managers are not equipped to lead people, organizations risk creating accidental cultures. How to Make Customer Experience Stick Customer experience does not become real because it was announced. It becomes real when it is coached, reinforced, recognized, measured, and protected. If your CX initiative is losing momentum, the answer may not be another slogan, campaign, or frontline training module. It may be that your managers need more clarity, more tools, more authority, and more support. Because your customer experience strategy is only as strong as the leaders responsible for bringing it to life every day. Takeaways Middle managers are the make-or-break layer in customer experience transformation. Executive buy-in and frontline training are not enough if managers are not equipped to lead. Managers should translate the CX message into behavior, not simply repeat it. Many managers are overwhelmed, not resistant. Successful project launches require certification, implementation, measurement, and ongoing reinforcement. Storytelling helps managers make CX behaviors real and memorable. Weekly habits, huddles, microlearning, and coaching keep CX alive after launch. Senior leaders must provide air cover when managers hold the line on service standards. Accidental managers can create accidental cultures if they are promoted without leadership training. Leaders should say less, more often, and stop chasing shiny objects. Quotes "Customer experience does not become real because it was announced. It becomes real when it's coached, reinforced, recognized, measured, and protected." "The frontline does not experience the CEO's vision every day. They experience their manager." "Results don't lie." "Someone who just repeats is delivering a mandate from above." "Be obsessed with your vision. Repeat it at nauseam. Make it your manager's vision." "Don't chase shiny objects." "You are what your retention rates say you are. You are what your referrals say you are." Chapters List 00:00 – Opening and Welcome Denise introduces the topic of middle managers and why they are often overlooked in customer experience transformation. 00:47 – John's Cal Berkeley Hat and Family Wedding Story John shares the personal story behind his hat and his upcoming family wedding in Sweden. 05:39 – The Overlooked Layer in CX Transformation Denise explains why the middle manager layer often determines whether strategy becomes reality. 06:46 – The Six Stakeholders in a Project Launch John outlines the six key stakeholders needed for a successful launch. 08:45 – Message Carriers vs. Culture Carriers John explains the difference between repeating a CX message and translating it into behavior. 10:26 – Resistance or Overwhelm? Denise and John discuss why managers are often mislabeled as resistant. 12:38 – The Six Steps of a Successful Launch John explains create it, launch it, certify it, implement it, measure it, and everboard it. 15:23 – How to Identify Real Buy-In John shares how leaders can tell whether managers are truly bought in or just complying. 18:06 – KPIs and ROX Dashboards John discusses how to measure whether a CX initiative is working. 19:03 – How Managers Become Culture Carriers Denise asks what middle managers need in order to lead customer experience culture. 20:12 – Coaching Without Corporate Scripting John explains the role of storytelling, accountability, and manager involvement. 21:53 – Weekly Habits That Keep CX Alive John introduces everboarding, microlearning, and consistent reinforcement. 24:47 – Senior Leadership's Role John explains why senior leaders must stay obsessed with the vision. 25:16 – Providing Air Cover for Managers John discusses how leaders should support managers who hold the line on service standards. 26:16 – Warning Signs Managers Are Becoming the Bottleneck John explains how results reveal whether managers are advancing or blocking the transformation. 27:56 – Where Companies Should Start John discusses accidental managers and the need for leadership training. 32:37 – One Thing Leaders Can Do This Week John advises leaders to say less, more often, and stop chasing shiny objects. 33:44 – Closing Thoughts Denise closes the episode by reminding listeners that CX becomes real through managers. Links: ROX Dashboard: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/rox-dashboard/ The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors: tdg.click/claudia Ask John! Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode: tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books: https://thedijuliusgroup.c...
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258: When Service Innovation Makes Customer Experience Worse
4w ago00:30:20Tap to summarizeWhy AI, automation, and self-service only improve customer experience when they reduce effort without removing humanity. Summary n this episode of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast, Denise Thompson and John DiJulius challenge one of the biggest assumptions in business today: that modernizing service delivery automatically improves the customer experience. Companies are investing heavily in AI, automation, chatbots, self-service tools, and digital-first platforms. But customers are still frustrated, stuck in loops, repeating themselves, and fighting to reach a real person. The problem is not service innovation itself. The problem is bad customer service disguised as innovation. John explains how leaders should evaluate whether a new service model is actually better for the customer, not just faster or cheaper for the company. He discusses why high-stakes moments, complaint situations, financial concerns, health issues, and grudge-buy experiences still require human judgment, empathy, and service recovery skills. This conversation also explores why weak culture shows up through strong technology, why employees need transparency during AI transformation, and why companies must beta test new service tools before rolling them out broadly. The real future of customer experience will not belong to the companies that automate the most. It will belong to the companies that use innovation to make customers feel known, valued, heard, and helped. Takeaways Service innovation does not automatically create better service. A process can become faster and still feel worse to the customer. Customers are not rejecting technology. They are rejecting automation that feels like deflection, abandonment, or extra work. Efficiency and experience are not the same thing. A service model is only better if it is easier and more reassuring from the customer's point of view. High-stakes moments still require human judgment. Health, finance, complaints, service recovery, and emotionally charged situations should not be fully automated. Every company has a grudge-buy moment. Even pleasure-based businesses become grudge-buy businesses when something goes wrong. Technology exposes culture. If employees are fearful, undertrained, or disconnected, new tools will amplify those issues. AI transformation requires transparency. Employees need to know whether technology is designed to help them, replace them, or reshape their roles. Soft launches matter. Companies should crawl, walk, and run before rolling out new technology to the full customer base. The best service innovation helps both customers and employees. It removes friction, reduces repetitive work, and preserves the human option when it matters. The winner is not the fastest company. The winner is the company that gets the experience right. Quotes "Customers are not rejecting innovation. They are rejecting bad customer service disguised as innovation." "A faster service process can still create a terrible customer experience." "We can't only look at ease of business from our side." "The human option cannot go away when the issue is stressful, complicated, or emotional." "Every company has a grudge-buy component when a customer has a complaint." "The unknown is worse than the known. Employees need transparency around AI." "No employee likes to be caught off guard and become the punching bag for customer frustration." "The quickest company is not the winner. The company that gets there correctly is." Chapters List 00:00 — Introduction: Service Innovation vs. Customer Frustration 01:51 — Good News and Cleveland Summer 03:09 — Efficiency vs. Better Customer Experience 05:13 — What Customers Feel When Service Improves 06:24 — Warning Signs the Relationship Is Getting Weaker 07:55 — AI Support Failures and High-Stakes Service Moments 10:53 — Trust, AI, and Accuracy 13:10 — When Automation Is Too Risky 15:00 — Why Every Business Has a Grudge-Buy Moment 17:51 — What Must Be in Place Before New Service Technology Works 18:55 — How Weak Culture Shows Up Through Strong Technology 21:14 — AI Anxiety, Employee Fear, and Leadership Transparency 24:20 — Human Touch vs. Efficiency 26:33 — Where Leaders Should Start When Transformation Is Not Working 27:44 — The Future of Digital-First Service 28:24 — Final Advice: Crawl, Walk, Run 29:24 — CTA and Closing Links: The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors: tdg.click/claudia Ask John! Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode: tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/ Contacts: Lindsey@thedijuliusgroup.com , Claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com If you want to learn how world-class organizations build cultures customers cannot live without, explore The Experience Revolution Membership. Inside the membership you'll gain access to livestream workshops, practical frameworks, and proven strategies used by organizations around the world. Learn more at https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Learn More If your organization is working to improve customer experience but struggling to connect it to measurable business outcomes, The DiJulius Group can help. Visit: https://thedijuliusgroup.com Listen to more episodes: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/the-customer-service-revolution-podcast/ Subscribe We talk about topics like this each week; be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.
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257: Happy Employees Create Happy Customers? Not Automatically
Jun 1100:44:47Tap to summarizeThe real link between employee experience and customer experience is not happiness alone. It is readiness, training, empowerment, accountability, and leadership. Summary The phrase happy employees create happy customers is popular in customer experience, but it is incomplete. In this episode of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast, Denise Thompson and John DiJulius challenge the oversimplified belief that employee happiness alone leads to a world-class customer experience. Employee happiness matters. If employees are miserable, unsupported, burned out, or treated like a cost center, customers will feel it. But a happy employee who is poorly trained can still create a poor customer experience. A happy employee without standards can still be inconsistent. A happy employee without autonomy can still feel helpless when something goes wrong. John explains that the real connection between employee experience and customer experience comes from hiring people with the right service aptitude, then giving them the training, systems, coaching, empowerment, recognition, and accountability they need to succeed. Denise and John also discuss how toxic employees, rushed onboarding, broken policies, lack of recognition, and poor leadership can turn even naturally happy employees into frustrated or burned-out ones. The goal is not just happy employees. The goal is happy employees who feel valued, prepared, trusted, empowered, and responsible for the experience they create. Key Takeaways: 1. Happy Employees Matter, But Happiness Alone Is Not a Strategy Employee happiness is a critical part of customer experience, but it does not automatically create happy customers. Employees also need preparation, standards, tools, and leadership. 2. Employee Readiness Is Different From Employee Happiness A naturally positive employee can still fail the customer if they are rushed into the role without proper onboarding, technical training, or service aptitude training. 3. Poor Systems Can Destroy Employee Happiness When employees are forced to defend broken policies, cover for understaffing, or absorb customer frustration without support, happiness disappears quickly. 4. Technical Training Is Not Enough Companies often train employees on processes, tasks, and systems, but neglect the human skills required to deliver great service: empathy, energy, listening, curiosity, problem-solving, and service recovery. 5. Autonomy Requires Clarity Empowering employees to make decisions only works when they understand the standards, expectations, and boundaries behind the customer experience. 6. Toxic High Performers Are Still Toxic Keeping a negative employee because they bring in revenue can damage morale, increase turnover, and weaken the customer experience. 7. Recognition Cannot Only Go to Problem Employees Leaders often spend most of their time managing high-maintenance employees while overlooking the reliable employees who quietly keep the business running. 8. The Real Goal Is Prepared, Valued, Trusted Employees The connection between employee experience and customer experience is strongest when employees feel valued, prepared, trusted, empowered, and accountable. Standout Quotes "Happy employees are a critical part of the equation, but just hiring happy employees does not by itself produce happy customers." — John DiJulius "A happy employee who is poorly trained can still create a terrible customer experience." — Denise Thompson "The best time to hire a new employee is two months ago." — John DiJulius "Over 90% of the things that go wrong in a customer-facing situation are not the customer-facing employee's fault." — John DiJulius "You never trade your reputation for sales." — John DiJulius "Burnout is real, but I think it is misdiagnosed." — John DiJulius "The goal is not just happy employees. The goal is happy employees who feel valued, prepared, trusted, and responsible for the experience they create." — Denise Thompson Chapters List After 20 Years John shares that he is most proud of the community built around The DiJulius Group's customer experience philosophies. 03:00 – Why In-Person CX Communities Matter Denise and John reflect on the Customer Service Revolution Conference and why live learning creates stronger relationships, deeper community, and better transformation. 06:06 – Challenging "Happy Employees Create Happy Customers" Denise introduces the episode's central idea: the phrase is true in spirit, but too simplistic if taken literally. 07:31 – Why Happiness Alone Is Not Enough John explains that happy employees are essential, but without training, systems, standards, and leadership, they cannot consistently create happy customers. 09:19 – Employee Happiness vs. Employee Readiness Denise asks about the difference between employees who feel good at work and employees who are truly prepared to deliver a world-class customer experience. 10:13 – Why the Best Time to Hire Was Two Months Ago John explains why reactive hiring and rushed onboarding set employees and customers up for failure. 12:25 – When Broken Systems Frustrate Happy Employees Denise and John discuss how poor policies, lack of training, and customer frustration can quickly drain employee happiness. 14:24 – The Service Aptitude Skills Companies Forget to Train John explains why organizations must train human skills like empathy, energy, curiosity, listening, problem-solving, and service recovery. 16:10 – Turnover as a Warning Sign John shares how employee turnover often reveals deeper issues in hiring, leadership, compensation, or culture. 18:23 – How Long Should Leaders Try to Fix a Toxic Employee? Denise asks how much time companies should spend coaching someone who performs well in some areas but hurts the culture. 21:41 – When Happy Employees Become Unhappy Denise explains how employees can start out happy but lose energy or engagement as conditions change. 22:14 – Burnout, Boredom, and Broken Systems John and Denise discuss why burnout is often caused by lack of support, poor systems, understaffing, and inability to get results. 25:03 – Mastery, Autonomy, and Purpose John connects employee happiness to growth, empowerment, purpose, and the ability to keep building value for employees. 27:28 – Autonomy Without Standards Denise and John discuss what happens when employees are empowered but not fully trained to make the right decisions. 31:10 – Teaching Service Recovery John shares how organizations can teach employees to handle service failures with clarity, judgment, and escalation when needed. 32:13 – A Real Service Recovery Story from John Roberts Spa John tells a memorable story about a serious customer service failure and how immediate ownership and overcorrection matter. 38:01 – Why Employees Need to Feel Valued Denise and John discuss how leaders often overlook reliable employees while focusing attention on higher-maintenance team members. 39:54 – The Danger of Overloading Rock Stars Denise and John explore how high performers can unintentionally be punished with extra work and higher expectations. 43:10 – The Real Link Between EX and CX Denise summarizes the core message: the goal is not just happy employees, but employees who are valued, prepared, trusted, and accountable. 44:02 – Closing and 20th Anniversary Reflection Denise thanks John and again recognizes The DiJulius Group's 20th anniversary. Links: The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors: tdg.click/claudia Ask John! Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode: tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/ Contacts: Lindsey@thedijuliusgroup.com , Claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com <p data-start="4071" data-e...
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256: Daniel Pink on the Human Skills AI Can't Replace
Jun 400:40:22Tap to summarizeWhy taste, touch, composition, and wisdom may become the most valuable leadership skills in the age of AI. Summary In this episode of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast, John DiJulius interviews bestselling author Daniel Pink about the human skills that artificial intelligence cannot replace. Pink explains why AI may be powerful at generating options, but humans still need taste to know what is good, touch to create real connection, composition to allocate people and technology wisely, and wisdom to ask better questions, show humility, and lead with integrity. John and Daniel also discuss the danger of relying on AI to do the hard thinking for us, the future of soft skills, whether empathy and curiosity can be trained, why leaders need to stop managing time and start allocating talent, and how younger professionals can think about AI without fear. This conversation is a practical guide for leaders who want to use AI without losing the human edge that drives trust, service, creativity, and customer loyalty. Takeaways AI can generate options, but humans need taste. AI can produce ideas quickly, but leaders still need discernment to know what is good, relevant, beautiful, useful, and aligned with the audience. Taste is built by creating, not consuming. Daniel Pink argues that people build judgment by making things, testing ideas, receiving feedback, and learning what works. "Good enough" is a dangerous standard. AI can make average work easier. The competitive advantage belongs to people and companies who keep refining beyond good enough. Touch matters more in a digital world. Physical presence, empathy, listening, comfort, and connection become more valuable as technology handles more transactional tasks. Leaders must become composers. Future leaders will need to combine human talent, machine intelligence, and resources into something greater than the pieces alone. Wisdom is different from intelligence. Wisdom includes humility, integrity, compassion, curiosity, and the ability to ask better questions. Great questions create credibility. John and Daniel agree that credibility does not come only from having answers. It often comes from asking questions no one else has asked. AI should not replace the learning process. When people use AI to skip the first draft, the hard thinking disappears. That creates what Daniel calls the risk of "intellectual obesity." Service aptitude skills are still critical. Empathy, curiosity, connection, listening, problem-solving, and energy remain essential for customer-facing teams. AI will reconfigure jobs, not simply erase them overnight. Daniel pushes back on doom-and-gloom thinking and encourages leaders to help people identify what they can do with machines that neither humans nor machines can do alone. Quotes "AI is incredibly good at generating options. What it is less good at is figuring out what's good and what's not." — Daniel Pink "The best way to build taste is by creating stuff, not by consuming stuff." — Daniel Pink "The barrier isn't execution. The barrier is discernment." — Daniel Pink "Taste requires the courage to say no." — Daniel Pink "Good enough is the enemy." — John DiJulius "I fear AI could create a kind of intellectual obesity problem, where no one is exerting intellectual effort." — Daniel Pink "Wisdom is more valuable when intelligence is abundant." — Daniel Pink "Right answers still matter, but smart questions now matter a hell of a lot more." — Daniel Pink "It's not in the answers you give. It's in the questions you ask." — John DiJulius "Strong points of view, loosely held." — Daniel Pink "You shouldn't be booing AI. That's like booing electricity." — Daniel Pink "When something becomes plentiful, it becomes cheap." — Daniel Pink Chapters List 00:00 – Introduction to Daniel Pink John introduces Daniel Pink, bestselling author of Drive, To Sell Is Human, When, The Power of Regret, and more. 02:00 – The Human Skills AI Can't Replace John opens the conversation around AI, service aptitude, and the relationship skills younger generations need to develop. 03:19 – Skill #1: Taste Daniel explains why AI can generate ideas, but humans need judgment to know what is actually good. 04:40 – Why Taste Is Built by Creating Daniel shares why passive consumption does not build discernment and why creating work matters. 06:27 – Taste, Courage, and Saying No John and Daniel discuss Steve Jobs, leadership standards, and the courage to reject ideas that are not good enough. 07:35 – The Danger of "Good Enough" AI Work John reflects on how AI can make people lazy, and Daniel explains why no company wants people who settle for average. 08:30 – AI and Intellectual Obesity Daniel shares the risk of letting AI do the first draft and removing the learning process. 10:03 – Skill #2: Touch Daniel explains why physical presence, empathy, healthcare, trades, and human comfort still matter. 11:37 – Skill #3: Composition Daniel describes composition as the ability to combine people, machines, ideas, and resources into something better. 13:09 – The Allocation Economy John and Daniel discuss the shift from managing knowledge to allocating intelligence. 14:14 – Audit Your Calendar Daniel explains why leaders should review where human talent is being wasted on work AI could handle. 15:41 – Skill #4: Wisdom Daniel defines wisdom through humility, integrity, curiosity, compassion, and better questions. 18:02 – Why Questions Matter More Now John and Daniel discuss answer engines, credibility, and the leadership power of asking questions no one else asks. 19:26 – The Five Whys and Better Listening Daniel references the importance of questioning techniques and how questions work with taste, composition, and wisdom. 20:55 – Iteration, Speeches, and Creative Work John talks about how books and keynotes are never truly finished until the deadline arrives. 21:49 – Listen Like You're Wrong John and Daniel discuss humility, intellectual flexibility, and exploring ideas instead of defending them. 23:53 – John's 10 Service Aptitude Skills John shares TDG's core service aptitude skills and asks Daniel which ones are trainable. 27:06 – Can Empathy, Curiosity, and Energy Be Trained? Daniel explains that many human traits live on a spectrum between innate and learnable. 29:12 – Why Young People Are Booing AI John asks how leaders can help younger professionals approach AI with less fear. 29:51 – The Realistic Promise of AI Daniel explains why AI will disrupt work, but likely reconfigure jobs rather than eliminate them instantly. 32:35 – What Daniel Pink Is Working On Daniel shares his interest in YouTube and how new tools are turning more people into creators. 34:46 – Will AI Water Down the Value of Books? John and Daniel discuss AI-generated books, quality decline, and whether books still carry the same authority. 37:11 – Can You Be an Expert Without Writing a Book? Daniel explains how influence now comes through many formats, including podcasts, video, and online platforms. 39:14 – Closing John thanks Daniel Pink and closes the episode. Links: DanielPinkTV : https://www.youtube.com/@danielpinktv The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ <a href= "https://thediju...
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255: Is Your Customer Experience Better—or Are You Just Measuring the Wrong Things?
May 2800:25:51Tap to summarizeJohn DiJulius explains why so many leaders believe their customer experience is improving while customers feel something very different. Summary: In this episode of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast, Denise Thompson and John DiJulius unpack one of the most dangerous gaps in business today: the difference between what leaders think customers are experiencing and what customers are actually feeling. A 2026 customer experience report referenced in the episode found that 66% of CX practitioners believe customer experience improved last year, while only 17% of consumers agree. That gap is not just a measurement issue. It is a leadership issue. John explains why survey scores, dashboards, and internal reports can create false confidence. He also discusses why customer feedback often fails to become customer intelligence, how silos distort the experience, and why frontline employees are often closest to the truth but least empowered to fix recurring friction points. The episode challenges leaders to stop judging customer experience from the conference room and start getting closer to the real customer journey. Companies that want to build loyalty, reduce friction, and create a true competitive advantage must measure what matters, listen to what customers are actually saying, and follow through with systems, standards, and accountability. Takeaways There is often a major gap between what companies think they are delivering and what customers actually experience. Leaders may be investing in CX, tracking scores, and launching initiatives, but customers may still not feel meaningful improvement. Survey scores alone are no longer enough. John argues that survey fatigue has made traditional feedback less reliable. Many customers do not complain; they simply leave. Customer feedback and customer intelligence are not the same. Feedback tells you how someone feels about an interaction. Customer intelligence helps you understand who the customer is, what they need, what they value, and where friction exists. Frontline employees often know the problems before leadership does. Contact center teams, sales teams, and customer-facing employees hear recurring complaints daily. The problem is that many companies lack a system to capture and act on that intelligence. Silos create customer experience breakdowns. Departments often optimize for their own numbers, but customers experience the company as one organization. Implementation is where most CX initiatives fail. Launching the idea is easy. Measuring, training, coaching, reinforcing, and holding people accountable is the hard part. Leaders need to become their own customers. Ordering your own product, calling your own contact center, testing your own digital journey, and experiencing your own process can expose friction dashboards miss. Customer experience is not a short-term ROI play. Cost-cutting, discounting, layoffs, and acquisitions may improve short-term numbers, but they can damage the long-term experience. AI can help leaders hear the real customer voice. Customer sentiment analysis can reveal recurring issues across calls, chats, emails, and support interactions without relying only on low-response surveys. The ultimate question is not, "Are we working on CX?" It is, "Would our customers say it is actually better?" Quotes "Customer experience can't be judged from the conference room alone." "If customers are not feeling the improvement, then the work isn't finished." "Survey scores can create false confidence if they are not connected to the real customer journey." "Feedback is one thing. Customer intelligence is another." "The frontline often knows where the friction is. The question is whether leadership has a system to hear it and fix it." "EX equals CX. What employees experience, customers will experience." "Don't just ask, 'Are we working on customer experience?' Ask, 'Would our customers say it is actually better?'" "Implementation is the hard part. Launching the idea is easy." "Some customers do not complain. They just quietly leave." "Leaders need to roll up their sleeves and get closer to the customer." Chapters List 00:00 – Introduction: The Gap Between CX Perception and Reality Denise introduces a major disconnect between what CX professionals believe and what consumers report feeling. 01:58 – Why Companies Think Experience Is Improving John explains why there may be a lag between CX initiatives and customer perception, but also why leaders may be missing the real experience. 03:43 – Why CX Initiatives Fail After Launch John discusses flavor-of-the-month initiatives, poor execution, and the importance of measurement, training, coaching, and accountability. 04:52 – How Leaders Become Disconnected from Customers John explains how growth, P&L pressure, and short-term decision-making can distance leaders from the actual customer experience. 06:54 – The Role of Silos in Customer Experience Gaps Denise and John discuss how departments can unintentionally create friction when they do not understand one another's impact on the customer. 08:48 – Signs of a Customer Experience Delusion John challenges companies that rely too heavily on surveys and NPS without understanding what those metrics may be missing. 10:26 – AI, Customer Sentiment, and Real-Time Intelligence John explains how AI can help companies identify recurring customer issues through calls, emails, chats, and sentiment analysis. 11:45 – Customer Feedback vs. Customer Intelligence John defines customer intelligence and explains why different customer avatars have different needs, expectations, and pain points. 14:14 – Why Companies Collect Feedback but Fail to Act Denise and John discuss why employees and customers stop giving feedback when nothing changes. 16:51 – How Leaders Can Stay Close Without More Surveys John recommends AI sentiment analysis, contact center focus groups, and direct conversations with frontline employees. 18:41 – Becoming Your Own Customer Denise shares an example of executives testing their own product experience and finding major improvements before launch. 20:04 – How to Know CX Strategy Is Working John explains the importance of a return-on-experience dashboard, employee energy, task forces, and internal alignment. 21:54 – Consulting CTA Denise explains how The DiJulius Group helps organizations uncover friction, build systems, and create consistency at scale. 22:43 – The Danger of Relying Only on Survey Scores John explains why low response rates and incomplete survey answers can distort the truth. 23:27 – What Companies Should Do This Quarter John recommends speaking directly with VIP customers, creating a CX champion, forming a task force, and following a proven methodology. 24:44 – Closing Challenge Denise challenges leaders to ask whether customers would say the experience is actually better. Links: The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors: tdg.click/claudia Ask John! Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode: tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ <a href="https://thediju...
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254: Incentives That Drive Service Behaviors
May 2100:54:27Tap to summarizeAre Your Incentives Creating the Customer Experience You Actually Want? Summary: John DiJulius explains how the behaviors your company rewards, measures, and recognizes become the customer experience your customers actually receive. Every company has incentives. Some are obvious: bonuses, commissions, contests, scorecards, performance reviews, and promotions. Others are quieter: praise, attention, flexibility, and who gets celebrated in meetings. But here is the real question: are your incentives creating the customer experience you actually want? In this episode, Denise Thompson and John DiJulius unpack how incentives drive service behaviors, why companies often reward the wrong things, and how customers ultimately feel whatever the organization values internally. John shares examples from Starbucks, Spirit Airlines, Blockbuster, Charles Schwab, Amazon, John Roberts Spa, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, and The DiJulius Group's own methodology. You will learn why speed, efficiency, sales, and profit are not bad metrics, but they become dangerous when they are the only metrics that matter. John also explains how leaders can recognize and reward the right behaviors, including ownership, personalization, follow-through, referrals, retention, service recovery, and Above and Beyond moments. Key Takeaways Your incentives reveal what your company truly values. Leaders may say customer experience is a priority, but employees follow what gets measured, rewarded, promoted, and recognized. Customers feel your internal reward system. They may never see your incentive plan, but they feel it when employees rush, enforce policy over empathy, or focus on transactions over relationships. Efficiency metrics can create unintended consequences. Metrics like average call time, speed, and volume are not bad, but they become dangerous when they are the only things that matter. Not all profits are good profits. Hidden fees, late fees, rigid policies, and short-term revenue plays can damage trust and exhaust frontline employees. Recognition is a powerful teaching tool. Culture is shaped by what leaders notice, celebrate, repeat, and turn into stories. Great service must be behaviorally defined. "Deliver great service" is too vague. Leaders need to define and reward specific behaviors such as ownership, empathy, personalization, follow-through, teamwork, problem prevention, and service recovery. The best service incentives align with retention and referrals. Repeat business, referrals, renewals, and earned sales growth are strong indicators that the experience is working. Stories make culture scalable. Recognition systems like the Milkshake Award and Bear Claw Award help employees understand what Above and Beyond service looks like in real life. Quotes "Customers do not experience your mission statement. They experience what your company rewards." "What gets recognized gets repeated." "If you reward speed, you get speed. If you reward shortcuts, you get shortcuts." "Not all profits are good profits." "Recognition does not always have to be financial. Sometimes culture is built by what gets noticed." "Great service is too vague unless leaders define the behaviors behind it." "The customer is the benefactor of what the company rewards internally." "Your incentives should be aligned with the experience you want delivered." "Profit is the byproduct of the experience you deliver." "Employees will do what you tell them is important." Chapters List 00:00 — Introduction Denise and John open the conversation and preview the topic of incentives that drive service behaviors. 02:51 — Why Incentives Matter to Customer and Employee Experience Denise frames the episode around formal and informal incentives and asks whether companies are rewarding the experience they actually want. 04:52 — What Gets Recognized Gets Repeated John explains why incentives shape employee behavior and how policies communicate what a company values. 07:59 — Incentives Reveal What Companies Truly Believe Denise and John discuss how incentive systems expose a company's real priorities. 09:13 — Starbucks and Customer Service Targets The conversation explores what it signals when a company connects employee rewards to customer service, operations, and performance. 12:24 — The Risk of Unintended Consequences John explains how incentives can unintentionally create the wrong behaviors, using average call time and rigid policy enforcement as examples. 14:01 — Not All Profits Are Good Profits John shares examples from The Employee Experience Revolution, including Blockbuster and Charles Schwab, to show how bad profit policies damage customer trust. 18:01 — How Incentives Show Up in the Customer Experience John explains how retention, referrals, and repeat business reveal whether the experience is actually working. 20:12 — Where Companies Accidentally Reward the Wrong Behaviors John shares the example of gift cards, expiration dates, and the difference between short-term profit and lifetime customer value. 23:42 — Lessons from Low-Cost Business Models Denise and John discuss Spirit Airlines, price competition, and what happens when low cost becomes high friction. 26:31 — Warning Signs Your Incentives Are Creating Bad Behaviors John explains how complaints, employee frustrations, contact centers, and customer sentiment can reveal service breakdowns. 31:45 — What Leaders Should Recognize and Reward John discusses service behaviors, FORD, earned sales growth, referrals, retention, and recognition systems. 38:39 — Mid-Episode CTA Denise explains how The DiJulius Group helps organizations define, teach, measure, and reinforce world-class service. 39:59 — Recognition Without Big Incentive Budgets John shares the Milkshake Award from Cameron Mitchell Restaurants and explains how symbols and storytelling reinforce culture. 43:45 — How to Collect and Share Service Stories John explains how companies can build databases of Above and Beyond stories and use them in meetings, training, and onboarding. 49:40 — Avoiding Forced or Manipulated Recognition Denise and John discuss how to seek customer feedback without creating survey-chasing behavior. 53:23 — Peer-to-Peer Recognition John shares the importance of employees recognizing other employees, including the "caught you doing something right" example. 55:53 — The Simplest Truth About Incentives and Service Culture John closes with the core message: incentives and recognition should be based on the experience you want employees to deliver. 57:26 — Denise's Closing Challenge Denise challenges leaders to examine what their company rewards, praises, promotes, tolerates, and repeats. Links: The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors: tdg.click/claudia Ask John! Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode: tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/ Contacts: Lindsey@thedijuliusgroup.com , Claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com If you want to learn how world-class organizations build cultures customers cannot live without, explore The Experience Revolution Membership. Inside the membership you'll gain access to livestream workshops, practical framew...
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253: More Than a Keynote: How Great Speakers Help Companies Change
May 1401:04:30Tap to summarizeWhat Companies Should Know about a Customer Experience Keynote Speaker Summary: In this episode of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast, Denise Thompson sits down with John DiJulius for a behind-the-scenes conversation about what it really means to be a conference speaker. While many organizations think of a keynote as a high-energy moment in an agenda, John explains that the best keynotes do more than motivate. They help leaders see what needs to change, give teams a common language, and create a spark that can become real transformation if the company knows what to do next. John shares how he prepares for events, customizes messages for different industries, reads a room in real time, and balances the glamour of speaking with the grind of travel, preparation, and always being "on stage." He also explains why companies should choose speakers based not only on energy and entertainment, but on whether they can deliver actionable, take-backable content that helps the organization change long after the applause ends. The big lesson: a keynote can be a turning point, but only if leaders treat it as the beginning of the work, not the end of the event. Key Takeaways 1. A keynote should create transformation, not just applause. John explains that his goal is not simply to entertain an audience. His goal is to help people think differently, act differently, and take something back that they can still use six, twelve, or eighteen months later. 2. Motivation is not enough. The best speakers combine three things: they entertain, educate, and evoke action. A motivational message may feel good in the moment, but without a practical method, nothing changes. 3. Companies need a post-keynote action plan. A keynote wears off if leaders do not create a structure for implementation. John recommends immediate follow-up, stakeholder conversations, and clear ownership of next steps. 4. The best speakers customize deeply. John shares how he studies the company, industry, event theme, KPIs, CEO messaging, and audience mindset so the keynote lands in the client's actual world. 5. Customer experience problems are universal. Across industries, companies struggle with employee roulette, personal interpretation, inconsistent service, and the mistaken belief that customer service is common sense. 6. Leaders must tee up the message properly. If a CEO spends the morning saying the company is crushing it, the audience may resist the need for change. Great leaders create urgency by explaining why the organization must keep evolving. 7. The conference should not end when people leave the room. John and Denise discuss the value of reviewing notes immediately, creating accountability, and having attendees share what they learned with the broader team within seven to ten days. Links: The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors: tdg.click/claudia Ask John! Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode: tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/ Contacts: Lindsey@thedijuliusgroup.com , Claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com If you want to learn how world-class organizations build cultures customers cannot live without, explore The Experience Revolution Membership. Inside the membership you'll gain access to livestream workshops, practical frameworks, and proven strategies used by organizations around the world. Learn more at https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Learn More If your organization is working to improve customer experience but struggling to connect it to measurable business outcomes, The DiJulius Group can help. Visit: https://thedijuliusgroup.com Listen to more episodes: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/the-customer-service-revolution-podcast/ Subscribe We talk about topics like this each week; be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.
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