Doing Customer eXperience Right‬ In The AI Era | Stacy Sherman

What can you do to be an unforgettable company that customers continue to buy from and rave about to others? What are ways to lead and unite your organization that would "Make Mom Proud?" In this episode of Doing CX Right®, host Stacy Sherman talks with Jeanne Bliss about these topics, including the value of goal mapping versus journey mapping to be an unforgettable customer-centric company, workforce trends, and earning the right to customer-driven growth. What You Will Learn Build a goal map that names what the customer needs to accomplish before your team designs any internal process step. Replace department-level output metrics with one shared outcome metric, such as tracking how many days a product or service stays functional instead of counting units sold. Test any fee, policy, or contract term by asking whether you would apply that same term to your own parent, then rewrite any term that fails the test. Publish a documented list of pre-approved actions frontline employees can take on the first contact, without routing the decision to a manager for approval. Keep a live person reachable behind every automated tool, so customers who need a human for a complex or high-value request always have that option. Have a question or thoughts to share? Leave a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/StacySherman Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies.

Are you struggling to keep up with rapid tech changes in customer service while maintaining a human touch? Wondering how to integrate AI without losing your team's trust or overwhelming customers? In this episode of Doing Customer Experience Right, host Stacy Sherman and CX expert David Singer, Global VP at Verint, share answers to these questions, plus strategies for balancing advanced AI with genuine human interactions. AI and Customer Experience Topics Discussed: How technology can enhance CX beyond the traditional metrics, integrating seamlessly into daily customer interactions. The importance of overcoming the fear of change, and how gradual implementation of new tools can lead to significant improvements. Real-world examples of how AI in quality management has resulted in fairer employee evaluations and better customer experiences. Strategies to balance speed and quality in customer service, ensuring timely yet meaningful interactions. Leadership insights on inspiring teams rather than just inspecting their work, fostering an environment of empowerment. The direct impact of treating employees well on delivering exceptional customer experience. How advanced technologies like Generative AI can handle routine tasks, freeing up human agents for more complex, empathy-driven interactions. Whether you're a CX leader, a business owner, or a AI technology enthusiast, you won't want to miss the wealth of customer experience wisdom shared in this episode. It could be the game-changer your business needs in today's competitive landscape. Have a question or thoughts to share? Leave a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/StacySherman Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies.

Is "service fatigue" plaguing your teams and negatively impacting the customer experience? Do you need motivation and practical strategies to refresh and refuel your customer service approach? In this episode of Doing CX Right, host Stacy Sherman is joined by Speaker Hall of Famer Laurie Guest. Together, they unpack the concept of "service fatigue" and its damaging ripple effects across the customer journey. Discover Laurie's powerful principle of the "10 Cent Decision" and how to implement small but mighty changes that lead to significant gains. You'll hear actionable insights to reignite passion in your people, combat complacency, and create customer conversations that build loyalty and new business. What You Will Learn Review your team's after hours contact expectations this week and set explicit working hour boundaries with clients, because unclear availability windows are a direct cause of employee exhaustion in 24/7 service roles Audit one full customer process this month for unnecessary steps or paperwork fields, and remove any field that does not directly affect the outcome, following the cosmetics company example where removing intake fields improved conversion at no added cost Train frontline staff and managers to respond to service failures with direct ownership language instead of explanations, using a structured response format: acknowledge the impact, state the correction, and skip justification Add at least one recurring, low cost team ritual this quarter, such as a meeting free day or a themed day, specifically to counter the flatness that builds when daily tasks repeat without variation When AI or automated systems answer customer questions, build a clear and fast handoff to a live staff member for any question the system cannot resolve, so customers are not left waiting when automation reaches its limit Have a question or thoughts to share? Leave a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/StacySherman Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies.

Most companies are rushing to layer AI onto customer operations without fixing what sits underneath. Deb Ashton of Certinia says that's the wrong order. When sales, delivery, finance, and customer success work from separate systems with different views of the same customer, AI doesn't close those gaps; it amplifies them. Clients feel the disconnect as friction: repeating themselves across departments, getting inconsistent answers, and slowly losing trust. What You Will Learn Why adding AI to customer support fails when your sales, finance, and delivery systems do not share customer data, and what customers experience when they do not The three layers of trust that determine whether clients renew, and which one AI cannot replace Where AI actually protects revenue in your business versus where it erodes customer relationships The difference between "human in the loop" and "human on the loop," and when to use each one with AI workflows Why metrics like NPS and renewal rates hide the real problem with your AI implementation until the customer has already left How to identify which administrative work should be automated and which customer-facing decisions need human judgment before execution What to do when your customer success manager cannot answer basic questions about a contract, and why that moment determines whether you keep or lose the customer This episode is brought to you in partnership with Certinia. Certinia is a professional services platform built natively on Salesforce that connects the full services lifecycle — sales, delivery, financials, forecasting, staffing, and project management — on a single data layer, so every team works from the same view of the customer, and AI can act with certainty. Learn more at Certinia.com. Subscribe to DoingCXRight.com newsletter for more actionable strategies to boost business results the right way.

What does it take to create extraordinary experiences that make customers happier and tell others? Stacy Sherman and featured guest Mark Sanborn reveals proven principles to consistently deliver positive emotion and go beyond the ordinary. You'll learn the 4 principles from his book, "The Fred Factor" focussed on a real-life postal carrier who made a difference. You'll discover how to reinvent, build relationships, and add value without spending more. And, some of the best advice about leadership, customer experience, and succeeding in the age of AI. What You Will Learn Ask your team a version of the Sanborn question after key transactions: "Are you happier you chose us than a competitor?" Use the responses to identify specific moments where the answer is no. Direct training budget toward frontline employees, since customers interact with delivery drivers, support agents, and reception staff far more often than they interact with executives. Give employees permission to add a small, no-cost gesture at one point in the customer journey, similar to the pizza driver who asks to give a child a piece of candy at the door. Set a rule for AI use on your team: AI drafts content, but a person still asks the original question, checks the output for accuracy, and carries out the final action. Write down, in one sentence, what your team is trying to accomplish this quarter, then ask five employees the same question and compare the answers. Have a question or thoughts to share? Leave a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/StacySherman Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies.