In 1859 Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities, where citizens rise up in revolution. As a teenager studying for A-levels, I spent many hours tearing my hair out trying to decipher it! This is not a tale of two cities, but rather of two cafes, and a quiet revolution where small businesses cannot [...]
Over the last 22 years, I have worked in and with businesses of all shapes and sizes, across multiple industries, all around the world. I secured my very first full-time job in the financial services industry in 1995. Among others, I was interviewed by the company chairman and the managing director. At the time, as [...]
"Focus on the whole journey, not just the transaction". In the world of Customer Experience (CX) you will hear this phrase frequently. But what does it mean? It’s the difference between a task and a purpose. The difference between a user story like the one above, and meeting a customer's overall goal. It is important to [...]
I absolutely love it when people share things with me that I have never come across before. It is why I am so adamant about calling myself a 'specialist' - not an expert - as I spend my life continually learning. Every day; every week; every month; every year; I enjoy continually evolving my specialism [...]
Over the last five years, a small number of organisations have featured multiple times in my writing. In the vast majority of cases, I have used these businesses as a way of bringing to life global best practice in the field of Customer Experience Management. It is inspiring to be able to share insight and [...]
Picture a room full of strangers at a party you’ve just arrived at, as you walk in there’s one voice you can hear above the rest, bragging about how they have the biggest house, the fastest car, the best job. Are you going to want to talk to that person? No – who wants to [...]
When I first conceived the idea for the article I wrote in my exclusive CustomerThink column in October 2016, I did not think I would be able to continue writing about the subject matter, seven months later! My seven ‘tips’ that will enable any organisation to become genuinely customer centric, have allowed me to share [...]
Resignation. Sufferance. Tolerance. Three words from the English dictionary. Three words that you would not typically want to associate with the subject of Customer Experience. Yet these three words are the ones that regularly go through my mind when I interact with organisations that if I had the choice, I would much rather NOT interact [...]
Over the last few months, I have been exploring in detail my perspective on seven ‘tips’ that will enable any organisation to become genuinely customer centric. Each article has taken me on a personal journey, delving into my own experiences of putting into practice (with varying degrees of success), the things I continue to [...]
I have just returned from a wonderful four-day city break to Paris. Family time, glorious weather (in the main) and one of the world's most beautiful cities, made for a quite fabulous combination. I have been to the French capital many times, but this trip topped them all. From our lovely boutique hotel; to the [...]
