About the Episode

There is a lot of talk about how important customer experience is in today’s competitive landscape, but getting leaders, employees, and stakeholders all aligned to make it happen is still not a simple task.

Today we’re going to talk about what it takes to create great customer experience. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Jon Picoult, Founder of Watermark Consulting and Author of the book Impressed to Obsessed.

About Jon Picoult

Jon Picoult is the founder of Watermark Consulting and a leading expert in customer and employee experience.

Jon has been featured by dozens of media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, NBC News, and Forbes.

He has advised C-Suite leaders at some of the world’s foremost brands, helping companies capitalize on the power of loyalty – both in the marketplace and in the workplace.

Jon earned his bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science at Princeton and holds an M.B.A. from Duke.

Resources

Jon Picoult’s website: www.jonpicoult.com

From Impressed To Obsessed book website: www.impressed2obsessed.com

Watermark Consulting Customer Experience ROI Study: www.watermarkconsult.net/cx-roi

The Agile Brand podcast website: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com/theagilebrandpodcast

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For consulting on marketing technology, customer experience, and more visit GK5A: https://www.gk5a.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems.Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Synopsis

In this episode, the Jon Picoult, author of From Impressed to Obsessed and founder of Watermark Consulting explores the correlation between creating an exceptional customer experience and fostering a positive employee experience. They emphasize that the same principles used to create a satisfying experience for customers can also be applied to engage and build loyalty with employees.

Leaders are encouraged to focus on engaging and building loyalty with both customers and employees by employing the same strategies. This entails clear and transparent communication, responsiveness to their needs, and genuine advocacy for their interests. By doing so, leaders can create a positive experience for both customers and employees.

The speaker also underscores the significance of involving frontline employees in the process of improving the customer experience. By making employees feel like strategic partners in the business rather than mere cogs in the wheel, leaders enhance both the employee experience and the quality of the customer experience.

Overall, the episode suggests that the principles for creating a great customer experience can be directly applied to creating a great employee experience. By prioritizing the engagement and satisfaction of both customers and employees, leaders can establish a virtuous cycle where happy and engaged employees contribute to creating happy and loyal customers, who in turn contribute to creating more happy and engaged employees. This cycle ultimately leads to a competitive advantage and success for the business.

The host of the podcast episode, John Pico, shares his experience of finally finding the time to write a book during the COVID lockdowns. He had carried the idea for the book in his head for a decade but struggled to dedicate the necessary time while running his business. However, the pandemic-induced lockdowns provided him with the opportunity to focus on writing, and he dedicated nine months straight to the task. This highlights how the lockdowns created the ideal conditions for him to prioritize and complete his book-writing process.

During the writing of his latest book, "Impressed to Obsessed," the guest, Jon Picoult, discovered that he had much to learn about his own principles. Despite being an expert on the 12 principles outlined in his book, Pico was surprised and invigorated by the wealth of new information he uncovered during his research. He found numerous examples in the marketplace of organizations unknowingly applying these principles. This realization was eye-opening for Picoult and deepened his understanding of the principles he had been teaching for years. It emphasized the importance of continuous learning and staying informed about industry trends and practices. Picoult acknowledges the challenge of finding dedicated writing time in the future, even without the circumstances of a global pandemic-induced lockdown. However, he remains determined to carve out time for writing, as he had carried the idea for the book in his head for a decade.