The CX Cast®

Customer service agents and frontline workers embody a brand and its values to customers. However, there's an inherent risk, given the growing complexity of service interactions and the supporting technology, that bias creeps into frontline interactions and negatively impacts both customers and brands. Principal Analyst Max Ball discusses the idea of empathy and other attributes […] The post 289: Empathy in Customer Service appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Consumers, and European consumers in particular, increasingly expect brands to protect the environment. In fact, there's no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to green consumers. This podcast with VP, Principal Analyst Thomas Husson helps teams understand the different attitudes and behaviors of green consumers around the globe in order to better engage […] The post 288: The Green Consumer Paradox appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Consider the perfect customer experience without the unfriendly limitations of the physical environment. The metaverse could offer this. VP, Principal Analyst David Truog returns to explain the state of the metaverse and what it means for the future of CX. Forrester clients can learn more from the new report, The State Of The Metaverse   The post 287: The Metaverse Means Next Gen CX appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Forrester researcher Nick Monroe discusses what it means to be an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices, whether as a senior leader, or an individual contributor. He draws on his academic research and experience leading company-wide DEI events and discussions. CX Cast producer Wes Patterson joins us. The post 286: How To Advocate Internally For DEI appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

VP, Principal Analyst Joana de Quintanilha joins to explain why too little friction in the customer journey can be bad for business – and even the customer. Learn more in her Forrester blog post. The post 285: Harness Friction In Customer Journeys To Drive Emotional Engagement appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Forrester principal analysts Maxie Schmidt and Joana de Quintanilha join Angelina to discuss Winning On Purpose: The Unbeatable Strategy of Loving Customers by Fred Reichheld. The post 284: Book Review Of Reichheld's Winning On Purpose appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Luis Angel-Lalanne, VP of Customer Voice at American Express, shares his organization's journey from survey fundamentals to a robust feedback program that continuously engages stakeholders in CX understanding and drives action. The post 283: Amex takes VoC to the next level appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Angelina describes the frameworks of two different Forrester reports – The Four Characteristics Of Organizational Culture and Make Culture An Agent Of Change. She gives examples of purpose, behavioral norms, rituals, and artifacts so CX and EX leaders can observe their cultures, as well as harness cultural strengths during organizational change. The post 282: Characteristics Of Culture appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Meet Colleen Fazio, Senior Analyst, who leads Forrester research on voice of the customer (VoC). In this episode, Colleen highlights today's biggest topics in VoC management, including how the convergence between the contact center and CX is an opportunity to leverage data, engage employees, and improve the customer experience. Learn more about Colleen and her […] The post 281: Top Research In VoC Management ft. Colleen Fazio appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Do your diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts extend to the customer? Forrester Principal Analyst Gina Bhawalkar and UX Researcher Senem Guler Biyikli point out that most organizations lack a formal, rigorous practice for building inclusion into the design process. They offer examples of language that we may not realize is problematic, and dive into […] The post 280: Inclusive Experiences Start With Inclusive Language appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Introducing our new co-host, Principal Analyst Andrew Hogan, who brings design expertise, as well as curiosity for general CX management. Andrew talks about how he applies design thinking to everything he interacts with, and how this always-on perspective helps in solving business problems. He introduces the breadth of his research coverage. Love the preview? Let […] The post Co-Host Andrew Hogan On All Things Design appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Forrester VP and Research Director Martin Gill explains how customer preferences in Europe are different than in the US, how European organizations may have different objectives, but CX management best practices remain consistent, globally. To learn more, check out Martin's blog: European Organizations Are Underinvesting In Customer Experience (public)   The post 278: Is CX In Europe Different? appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

VP, Principal Analyst David Truog returns to offer more basic knowledge on designing chatbots, including conversational design best practices. Most chatbots disappoint, often because organizations focus too heavily on the technology and not enough on the design work. But this miniseries can help you direct efforts to build the right chatbot (or improve an existing […] The post 277: Designing Chatbots Part 2 appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

In 2022, brands will look to their customer experience (CX) teams to help them navigate their way through the pandemic by adjusting to a new normal and managing customer expectations and emotions around impending and ongoing product shortages. This doesn't mean that CX teams' responsibility will grow across the board. Instead, companies and their CX […] The post 276: 2022 CX Predictions appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Improving employee performance is a critical goal for execs, yet many still rely on traditional HR-led practices of performance management that are rarely fit for purpose for today's workforce. While leaders realize they can't “command and control” their employees into better performance, they seldom change the process central to the problem: the way they manage […] The post 275: The Right Performance Management Matters For EX And CX! appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Customer experience (CX) is a CMO imperative because CMOs who champion CX can ensure that brand is infused throughout the customer lifecycle. But championing CX requires understanding the relationship between CX and brand, as well as an understanding of CX management to play an effective role in improving the customer experience. In this episode, we're […] The post 274: Customer Experience For CMOs – Championing CX appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Hearing and enacting customer needs can be challenging in a federal IT environment with specific cybersecurity and privacy regulations, and with a customer base spanning 60,000 employees plus external partners.  In this episode, we're joined by NASA Customer Experience Lead Luis Bares to discuss the role of the CIO organization at NASA, his journey to […] The post 273: Customer Experience At NASA appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

In this episode, we're joined by Principal Analyst Pete Jacques to discuss his background, experience on Forrester's Customer Experience Index (CX Index™) team, and his coverage area on the Customer Experience Research team. His research spans from building stronger customer loyalty and trust through higher-quality customer experiences to CX measurement and KPIs. Click the titles […] The post 272: Forrester's CX Index™ And Improving Customer Experience Quality appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Companies are adopting agile frameworks and adding designers to their delivery teams to improve digital experience development efforts. But these two constituencies don't rely on the same workflow, artifacts, or ceremonies — and often struggle to find common ground as a result. In this episode, we're joined by Senior Analyst Karine Cardona-Smits to discuss how […] The post 253: Agile and Design Teams – Better Together (R) appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Customer experience's (CX) goal of “humanizing” experiences might seem far removed from automation's focus on removing humans from business processes. But the pandemic-induced push to serve customers online has brought these two forces together, and firms have learned transformational lessons from each. In this episode we're joined by Principal Analyst Leslie Joseph to discuss how automation […] The post 271: CX Participation Is Vital To Automation Success appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Great customer service helps customers get the most out of your product and services. This requires complex and varied work across internal teams, customer journey touchpoints, and regularly reassessing strategies. In this episode we're joined by Trifacta's Chief Customer Officer, Paul Staelin, to discuss how to enable employees and optimize customer interactions to improve their […] The post 270: Trifacta – Improving Customer ROI appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Great customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) go hand in hand.  To deliver high-quality CX, companies must enable their employees, amid COVID-19 and shifting needs.  In this episode, we are joined by Verizon's Vice President of Sales and Service Operations, Ken Lain, to discuss his team's work supporting 17,000+ customer service employees as many […] The post 246: Enabling Employees In A Work From Home Model (R) appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

The use of chatbots continues to proliferate as companies double down on digital, but many deliver poor user experiences. In this episode, we're joined by VP, Principal Analyst David Truog to discuss his research on conversational AI (voice and text chatbots) and how designing successful experiences based on such technologies requires deep attention to human-centric […] The post 269: Designing Chatbots With The User In Mind appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

From CEOs to entry-level employees, people rely on digital tools at work — tools that are mostly inadequate or even terrible in terms of user experience (UX).  These enterprise UX problems cause their companies to waste time, undermine vital transformations, underserve customers, and risk dangerous mistakes. In this episode, we're joined by Principal Analyst Andrew Hogan […] The post 251: Design For Work — Boost Productivity And Satisfaction By Transforming Enterprise UX (R) appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Modern business was tough enough, and then the pandemic ushered us into the future of work today, quickly reforming how, why, and where work happens. This forced employees to be more collaborative, more innovative, and more adaptive than ever before — testing their individual resources. Employee well-being — the total health and wellness of your […] The post 268: Take Employee Wellness Beyond Benefits appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Forrester's customer experience (CX) research team, and it's user experience (UX subteam), covers a variety of topics. In this episode we're joined by VP, Research Director Ian Jacobs to discuss his expertise in customer service and chatbots, and his UX subteam's existing and upcoming coverage of a variety of topics, from design for work to […] The post 267: Forrester's User Experience (UX) Research Team – From Design For Work To Inclusive Design appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Customer experience (CX) leaders who would like to become insights driven need to familiarize themselves with the different techniques that analysts and data scientists apply to data. In this episode we're joined by VP, Principal Analyst Brandon Purcell to discuss Forrester's periodic table of insights, which highlights 20 of the most common analytical approaches for […] The post 266: Forrester's Periodic Table Of Insights appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Choosing how to organize and operate a customer experience (CX) team depends on many factors, including the business's maturity, goals, structure, and culture. In this episode we're joined by Deborah Cornwell, Senior Vice President of Customer Experience at Assurant, to discuss how they've structured their CX team in a large, decentralized organization. Click the titles […] The post 265: Assurant – How To Structure CX In A Decentralized Organization appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

The precise definition and composition of a customer experience (CX) strategy has proven elusive for many business leaders. Getting it right is essential, though, as the CX strategy plots how a business will execute on its CX vision, helping it achieve its business goals. In this episode we're joined by Principal Analyst TJ Keitt to […] The post 264: CX Strategy Essentials appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Companies that put the customer at the center of their leadership, strategy, and operations enjoy stronger revenue growth, more satisfied customers, and more engaged employees than their competitors. And customer-obsessed firms can better pivot in response to market shocks like the pandemic. In this episode we're joined by VP, Principal Analyst Shar VonBoskirk to discuss […] The post 263: Customer Obsession Explained appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

High-functioning customer experience (CX) teams don't treat CX as a standalone function, rather they determine what they can do themselves and what requires internal and external partnerships. In this episode we're joined by Executive Partner and Senior Analyst Su Doyle to discuss collaboration and growth strategies for customer experience leaders, from who to work with […] The post 262: Collaboration And Growth Strategies To Power CX Transformation appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Building empathy with your customers is vital, particularly when your audience is part of the ‘silver tsunami' of a rapidly growing ageing population. In this episode we're joined by Archie Dey, Director of Consumer Experience and Insights at SCAN Health Plan to discuss how they listen to and empathize with their customers, from trainings to […] The post 261: SCAN Health Plan – Building Customer Empathy appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

To know what good customer journeys look like — and to benchmark them — customer experience (CX) pros need to understand how to design for emotion. This requires gaining a more granular understanding of how emotions impact CX and discrete customer journeys, going beyond simply delight. In this episode we're joined by VP, Principal Analyst […] The post 250: Benchmark Customer Journeys To Drive Emotional Engagement (R) appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

As issues of gender equality, racial justice, and discrimination across the diversity spectrum hit the headlines, organizations are struggling to respond to customers, employees, and other stakeholders. In this episode, we discuss with Principal Analyst, Katy Tynan, about how having a diverse workforce is both a competitive advantage and table stakes for values-based consumers and […] The post 238: How Equity For Your Employees Drives Equity For Your Brand (R) appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

C-level leaders know they are on the hook for an anywhere-work strategy beyond the pandemic. A striking 75% of CEOs surveyed expect their office spaces to shrink. But many aren't sure what benefits they can expect from such a bold move nor do they know how to succeed.  In this episode we're joined by VP, Principal […] The post 260: Don't Miss Your Anywhere Work Opportunity appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Data ethics and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are increasingly critical issues for organizations. In research conducted for our Forrester Wave™ evaluation of customer database and engagement agencies, we uncovered an important mandate for CMOs: The convergence of these two practices is central to a brand's customer engagement strategy.  In this episode we're joined by […] The post 259: Everyone Benefits When Data Ethics And Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion (DEI) Converge appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Once a company is bought-in on design, how do design leads scale the design organization to continue to meet the company's evolving needs?  In this episode we're joined by Lance Thornswood, Senior Vice President, Head of Design at US Bank, to discuss the scaling of their design practice, which has doubled in size each year […] The post 258: US Bank – Scaling The Design Organization appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

All firms can access the same tools for business success — capital, business process, and tech — making it hard to generate a sustainable market advantage. The pandemic reveals that adaptive companies update their use of these tools more effectively than others. But adaptivity depends on an underutilized fourth tool: a workforce motivated to apply […] The post 257: Creativity Feeds The Future Of Work appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Evolving an organization's culture towards greater customer centricity is complex work, requiring careful prioritization. In this episode we're joined by Chief Experience Officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC), Gratia Carver, to discuss her team's approach to evolving culture and the important role measurement plays. Click the titles below for more […] The post 248: The ROI Of Culture Change (R) appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

With vaccine rollout occurring around the world, hopes run high of returning to a life free from COVID-19. Vaccine passports promise to quickly turn this hope into a reality, including bringing employees back to the physical workplace. Despite the high expectations, employers must be cautious as they plan and execute their pandemic management plans. In […] The post 256: The Opportunity, The Unknowns, And The Risks Of Vaccine Passports In The Workplace appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Marketers and CX professionals are out of touch with today's business realities. While companies pursue business models that scramble traditional customer lifecycles, marketing and CX functions remain siloed in outdated roles that become ineffective and wasteful. There is a better way forward: CX and marketing can master the new normal by reinventing their relationship with […] The post 255: Five Ways To Ensure Deep Collaboration Between Marketing And Customer Experience appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

In this episode, we're joined by VP, Research Director Harley Manning to discuss a recent internal research effort to better understand the needs of Forrester clients.  Iterative interviews with about 40 senior CX leaders helped to uncover what they're working on, what data and insights they're missing, and more. Click the titles below for more […] The post 254: Uncovering Insights From CX Leaders appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

After a merger and acquisition, CX teams must face the realities of combining forces.  From VoC measurement to the overall approach for improving experiences, they must evaluate ways of working across both organizations.  In this episode, we are joined by Yvan Goupil, Head of Customer and Marketing Insight at Virgin Money UK, who experienced and […] The post 243: Merging CX Teams After An Acquisition (R) appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Measuring the impact of design is critical so that design teams can prove their value internally, scale up, and elevate their strategic influence. In this episode, Principal Analyst, Gina Bhawalkar, joins us to answer the question: What steps can companies take to measure the business impact of experience design? The complexity of this topic and […] The post 220: Five Best Practices For Measuring Business Impact Of Design (R) appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Companies are adopting agile frameworks and adding designers to their delivery teams to improve digital experience development efforts. But these two constituencies don't rely on the same workflow, artifacts, or ceremonies — and often struggle to find common ground as a result. In this episode, we're joined by Senior Analyst Karine Cardona-Smits to discuss how […] The post 253: Agile And Design Teams — Better Together appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Organizations don't typically know how customers derive value and which value drivers matter most. Instead, they measure value using flawed proxies. They also collect data about value in different parts of the organization, at different cadences, and using different tools, making it hard to assemble a complete picture of the value that customers derive. In […] The post 252: How To Measure Value For Customer appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

From CEOs to entry-level employees, people rely on digital tools at work — tools that are mostly inadequate or even terrible in terms of user experience (UX).  These enterprise UX problems cause their companies to waste time, undermine vital transformations, underserve customers, and risk dangerous mistakes. In this episode, we're joined by Principal Analyst Andrew Hogan […] The post 251: Design For Work — Boost Productivity And Satisfaction By Transforming Enterprise UX appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

To know what good customer journeys look like — and to benchmark them — customer experience (CX) pros need to understand how to design for emotion. This requires gaining a more granular understanding of how emotions impact CX and discrete customer journeys, going beyond simply delight. In this episode we're joined by VP, Principal Analyst […] The post 250: Benchmark Customer Journeys To Drive Emotional Engagement appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Many organizations struggle to define their customer experience (CX) vision, from where to begin and what to include, to how to act on it. In this episode, co-host and analyst Angelina Gennis discusses her latest research on how to create a unique CX vision to guide transformation. Aim framework: authentic, inspiring, mobilizing Click the titles […] The post 249: Creating A Customer Experience Vision appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

Evolving an organization's culture towards greater customer centricity is complex work, requiring careful prioritization. In this episode we're joined by Chief Experience Officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC), Gratia Carver, to discuss her team's approach to evolving culture and the important role measurement plays. Click the titles below for more […] The post 248: The ROI Of Culture Change appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.

As companies strive towards more diversity, equity, and inclusion, they may turn to their measurement and VoC programs to assess the inclusivity of their current experiences. However, the data from those programs is often itself incredibly biased. In this episode we're joined by VP, Principal Analyst Maxie Schmidt to discuss how to measure and analyze […] The post 247: Using Measurement To Identify Biases appeared first on The CX Cast ® by Forrester.