Customer Experience Patterns Podcast

The Kernel of Customer-Centric Culture Change

02 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The power of embracing your country's national identity, philosophy or religion as the foundation for your company's customer-centric culture transfor...

Stated Preferences or Revealed Preferences? Neither? Both?

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Trader Joe's honors customers' revealed preferences for interacting with humans over their stated preferences for self-checkout and delivery options. ...

The CX - EX Leadership Your Company Needs

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Poppen on LinkedInHer company, Hrizons EX, on LinkedInConnect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, a...

Your Customers Lives In The Future - Meet Them There

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Feldman Barrett's book: How Emotions Are MadeGeorge Loewenstein study: Anticipation and the Valuation of Delayed ConsumptionConnect with Sam on L...

Great CX Is Built On Great Collaboration with Sarah Andrews

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Andrews on LinkedInCupola CXConnect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from list...

Uncertainty Is The Bad Experience That's Easiest To Fix

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Uncertainty is worse than a bad experience. It's true. Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and l...

Build Your Community. Build Your Capability With Marc Fonteijn

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Marc Fonteijn on LinkedInService Design Show & Circle CommunityConnect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a...

A Customer Expereince Koan To Help You Find Your True Work

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with questions or ideas for ...

How CX Teams Must Evolve To Survive & Thrive In 2026

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Find Diane Magers on LinkedIn, and her book Experience Rules!Find James O'Connor on LinkedInAmplifyXM - a consultancy that helps with CX, rather than ...

Empathy Has a Hidden Super Power For Customer Experience

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Empathy is a powerful force for helping us see the world through the eyes of others. Within that broad set of others, there is one "other" that we emp...

Agreements That Make Great CX Delivery Possible

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Why it's so important to make agreements with your colleagues about how you'll work together.Allison Shields on LinkedInConnect with Sam on LinkedIn -...

We're All On The Same Page | We're All Doing Different Things

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Previous CX Patterns episode on creating the conditions where bright spots emergePrevious CX Patterns episode on bright spots analysisPrevious episode...

The Overlooked CX Superpower with Lauren Feehrer

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why organizational expertise is so important to the success of CX teams. Lauren Feehrer on LinkedInLoyaltyCraft CX ConsultancyConnect with Sam on Link...

Make Bright Spots More Likely To Emerge In Your Customer Experience

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Phil Hamburg's post about the restaurant chains' change to the drive through scriptPrevious CX Patterns episode on bright spots analysisPrevious episo...

Making AI Actionable For Your CX - With Nico Rieul

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to James O'Connor for connecting us.Find Nico on LinkedInConnect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a we...

5 Things I Didn't Know About The Peak-End Rule

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Peak/End rule has more layers and nuance than I thought, and I'm on a learning journey to explore it further. Join me.Connect with Sam on LinkedIn...

Integrating AI Into Customer Experiences The Right Way

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Puneet Mehta on LinkedInNetomiIntegrating AI into your current workflows the right way.Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience cont...

Take Inspiration From Experience Conventions And Obligations

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Delivering on expected moments don't make your experience trite, it makes it feel comfortable and familiar.Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share cust...

10 Seconds Or Less To Convince Someone To Be Your Customer

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Find Todd on LinkedInBuy Todd's book - The 10-Second Customer JourneyLinks to my two episodes with CX Pro of the year Gloria Gupta:The CX Leader Of Th...

Creating Great Experience Ends Starts With Knowing When The Experience Ends

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with questions or ideas for ...

Journey Mapping With AI Masterclass

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Marion's LinkedIn ProfileFolks, I can't stress how good this content is, please follow the links:Marion's epic LinkedIn post with an absolute treasure...

Make CX Day & Customer Service Week The Fresh Start Your CX Initiatives Need

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 100 of the podcast.Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners w...

Journey Mapping Masterclass With Marion Boberg

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Marion's LinkedIn ProfileFolks, I can't stress how good this content is, please follow the links:Marion's epic LinkedIn post with an absolute treasure...

What's the matter with measurement in CX?

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with questions or ideas for ...

Psychology of CX 101 Book Launch Episode with Author Mark Levy

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Levy on LinkedInPsychology of CX BookMark's DCX Newsletter Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a we...

Effortless Experiences Are Forgettable & Regrettable

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with questions or ideas for ...

Employee Experience & Customer Experience Hot Takes Leave Me Cold

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Integrating Employee Experience and Customer Experience initiatives is both more complicated and simpler than you think it is. Tamar Cohen and I will ...

Rethinking Employee Experience Myths And Reality

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The myths that lead to misguided employee experience initiatives, and how to do employee experience improvements the right way.Connect with Sam on Lin...

Why You Should Buck The Trend Of Treating Employees Poorly

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why the current backlash to all things Employee Experience is short-sighted, misguided and bad for business. Just because you can bully employees does...

The Exponential CX Team: How One CX Team Increased Its Impact By 50X

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Power Core Concept from Jeanne Bliss, the original Chief Customer Officer.Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multi...

CX Execution Secrets With Salman Sharif

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Salman Sharif on LinkedInCSMs are LinchpinsExperience Design Project Execution TipsConnect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content ...

What Proust, Mad Men And Steven Bartlett's Barber Can Teach CX Teams About Creating Memories

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The clip of the famous Carousel pitch scene (it's all about nostalgia, and it will make you nostalgic for peak tv)Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I sha...

You Will Have To Take Responsibility For Problems That Aren't Yours To Solve

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gloria Gupta On LinkedInConnect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with...

Good All The Time Beats Potentially Great - The Case For AI

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with questions or ideas for ...

How To Build Your Internal Coalition To Make CX Transformation Possible

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with questions or ideas for ...

The CX Leader Of The Year Is Here

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gloria Gupta On LinkedInConnect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with...

Be Prepared For Your Big Break - Having A Plan If Luck Breaks Your Way

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with questions or ideas for ...

CX Action Above All

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Paul Pember is back to talk more about how to actually make substantive changes to your customer experience. Paul Pember on LinkedIn - trust...

I've been Vibe Coding For A Week - AMA

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tongue firmly in cheek that you can ask me anything about vibe coding. I'm just learning, but it's fun! I think it has enormous potential in CX and so...

Stop Treating Empathy & Emotional Intelligence Like Tactics

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Connect with Michael Mattson on LinkedInAnd then Michael was so kind (and organized!) to share links to so many studies:Companies that implement EI in...

Preparing For Unexpected Disruption To Your Customer Experience

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Head to samsterncx.com/academy to enroll in Zanna Van Der Aa's Accelerate In Experience Academy. Use my link to get an exclusive offer from Zanna - a ...

Integrate AI Into CX The Right Way

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Find David on LinkedInHead to samsterncx.com/academy to enroll in Zanna Van Der Aa's Accelerate In Experience Academy. Use my link to get an exclusive...

Harness Your Paranoia About CX Commitment

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Head to samsterncx.com/academy to enroll in Zanna Van Der Aa's Accelerate In Experience Academy. Use my link to get an exclusive offer from Zanna - a ...

Great Customer Experience Requires Great Employee Experience

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Check out my new website samsterncx.com where you fill find the link to enroll in Zanna Van Der Aa's Accelerate In Experience Academy. Use my link to ...

100 Days Into 2025 - Are You On Track With Your CX Goals?

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My new website is live! samsterncx.com - the place to find all CX Patterns episodes, as well as all of my LinkedIn Learning courses.The new learning c...

Trust Comes First - Then CX Transformation - With Mark Slatin

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Slatin on LinkedInThe Trusted Advisor - book & framework. I recommend this book.My new website is live! samsterncx.com - the place to find al...

Emotional Labor Is Exhausting Your Employees And Compromising Your CX

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Emotional LaborMy new website is live! samsterncx.com - the place to find all CX Patterns episodes, as well as all of my LinkedIn Learning courses.The...

You Do Not Control Your Customers' Experience

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Pember on LinkedIn - trust me, he's a great follow. And here's the link to his newsletter - honestly, it's a must-read for me every week.My new w...

Teaching Forces You To BS Test Your Own Knowledge

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The new learning course is live: Customer Experience: 6 Essential Foundations For Lasting Loyalty. Check it out!Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share...

CX As Teenager: Back To Childhood Curiosity? Or Forward To Adulthood Maturity?

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

CX is in its teenage years. Should we push to move forward to the maturity of adulthood? Or turn back to the curiosity and wonder of childhood? Andrew...

CX Shortcomings Explained By Chesterton's Fence & Black Swans

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An explainer on Chesterton's Fence.Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from lis...

Creating The CX Standards With Erin Wallace From Bain

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

CX Standards Landing Page - you can learn more about the standards, and download them.Erin Wallace on LinkedInDancing Guy Video - showing the importan...

With Deceptive Patterns The Entropy Is Coming From Inside The Building

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Harry Brignull - The Deceptive Patterns guruDeceptive Patterns the book - buy this book. Read it & use it as a jumping off point to start auditing...

Which Parts Of Your CX Need AI?

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How to leverage design and CX skillsets and methodologies to spot the best opportunities for integrating AI and GenAI into your experiences.Andrew McI...

It's (almost) never to late to intervene with customers who have negative emotions

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is inspired by research and writing I've done on memories and negative emotions. For more on this topic, check out my LinkedIn learning c...

Integrating GAI & AI Into Your Customr & Employee Experiences

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why you shouldn't have an AI Strategy. Why you should be implementing GAI & AI everywhere you can.Why you should join up your EX and CX AI efforts...

3 Ways To Push Back Against Entropy In Your Customer Experience

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Entropy describes the process of things falling into disorder if left without care and attention, like weeds growing in a garden. A lot of companies a...

Coaching Can Help You Be The CX & Design Leader You Dream Of Being

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stephanie shared so much wisdom on the value of coaching for creative leaders. Well worth a listen.Stephanie On LinkedInStephanie's coaching business,...

4 Ideas For Getting 2025 Off To A Flying Start

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

4 ideas for getting off 2025 to a flying start with your customer experience initiatives.Connect with Sam on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleague E...

Give The Gift Of Authentic Listening During The Holiday Season

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Let's check-in with each other, and with our customers during the holiday period, and at the turn of the year. Connect with Sam on LinkedInThanks to m...

Inspecting Your Experience From The Front Lines

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you agree that observing the real customer experience is valuable, then how do you do it? Beth and Scott are back with recommendations for how to d...

Unclosed Loops Are Circles In Hell

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Unclosed loops are very, very bad customer experiences. I explain why, and how to avoid leaving unclosed loops with your customers.Connect with Sam on...

How 2 CX Leaders Found Their Way To Customer-Facing Roles

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The greatest irony is that CX teams who are responsible for customer experience don't actually deliver customer experiences themselves. Except Beth an...

Service Recovery Done Right - Fast, Proactive, Decisive & Human

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Service Recovery is even more magical than you think, but only if you do it right.Connect with Sam on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleague Emily To...

Customer Value - Different Forms, Different Facets

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Onion expertise. The Ikea Effect & The mythology of the Betty Crocker cake mix research. This episode has it all.Jeff Louden on LinkedInConnect wi...

Emotions Matter More Than You Think - Even When You Think They Matter A Lot

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Law Of Emotion: Emotion matters more than you think, even if you remember the law of emotion.Yes, inspired by Hofstatder's LawConnect with Sam on ...

The Winding Path To CX & CX Insights

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The varied career paths that lead to becoming a CX professional. The ways those expeirences help you be better at your job. The ways that focusing on ...

Emotional Is Rational

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When someone tells you you're being too emotional, and not rational, send them this episode.Connect with Sam on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleagu...

The Future Of Customer Experience With Greg Melia

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The second part of my conversation wth Greg Melia this time with a focus on the future, what are Greg and the CXPA doing to ensure the long-term healt...

Bright Spots Analysis - Step By Step

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My LinkedIn Learning lesson on Bright Spots Analysis Connect with Sam on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for the cover art. Than...

The State Of Customer Experience - As Profession & Business Discipline

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Greg and I talk about the current state of the CX profession, the balance required by companies to ensure that CX is sustainable over the long-term, a...

Analysis Paralysis Is Not The Only Decision-Making Problem CX Pros Face

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bezos 70% RuleExtinct by InstinctConnect with Sam on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for the cover art. Thanks to my friends at M...

Voice Of Customer Shows You The Path - Customer Research Helps You Walk It

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Lily Vitale and I talk about the difference between Voice Of Customer programs and trust customer research efforts, why they are comp...

Great CX Is Rare Because Its Hard.

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Obstacle is the way.The hard thing about hard thingsI can tell you the secret, but you won't want to hear it.. Connect with Sam on LinkedInThanks ...

Humanity Is At The Heart Of Great Customer Experiences

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Beth Karawan on LinkedInSome of Beth's writings:Are Boy Scouts Masters of Change Management? Brand Management: What’s Customer Experience Got t...

Your Current Company Culture Is A Design Constrain

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The only thing that is slower to change than culture is nature.Connect with Sam on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for the cover ...

Why Designing AI Into CX Requires Rethinking Human-Centered Design Practices

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Connect with Kerry Bodine on LinkedInKerry's master-class on Designing For AI in CX & EXBodine & Co.Research Paper On The Difficulty Of Design...

How To Address The Root Causes Of Frustrations From Waiting

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Waiting in line is a bad experience. Except that's not always true. Learn what makes some waits unbearable, while others are tolerable at worst, and a...

The Right Way To Deliver Digital-First Customer Experiences

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Carothers on LinkedInConnect with Sam on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for the cover art. Thanks to my friends at Moon I...

4 Ways To Build Trust With Your Customer Experience

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Connect with Sam on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for the cover art. Thanks to my friends at Moon Island for the music. Hosted ...

Customer-Care Is Not A Cost To Be Minimized With Stacy Sherman

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Stacy's LinkedIn Learning Course On Agent ExperienceStacy Sherman on LinkedINDoing CX RightFind me on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleague Emily To...

Define the negative space around your CX

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The concept of negative spaceFrontier Airlines drops customer-serviceWhy Chick-Fil-A Closes on SundaysFind me on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleag...

Why Your CX Team Should Craft A Mission Statement & Create A CX Toolkit

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nicole Ornelas on LinkedIn.Find me on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for the cover art. Thanks to my friends at Moon Island for ...

Customer Experience Scores Reach A New Low

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CX Scores have reached a new low, according to Forrester's latest CX Index Rankings. I am not suprised, and I'll explain why they will go even lower. ...

What To Do When It's Hard To Do CX - Partnership & Perserverance

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nicole Ornelas on LinkedIn. Find me on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for the cover art. Thanks to my friends at Moon Island for...

Good Friction Is Good For Customer Experience

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Friction, for lack of a better term, is good. In this solo episode, I riff on Gordon Gekko's famous "Greed Is Good" speech to explain why there is goo...

CX Must Partner To Go Further - With Ben Geheb From VML

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Geheb on LinkedInVML on LinkedInWarren Buffett talking tides and skinny dippingFind me on LinkedInThanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for...

Customer Experience Success Is As Hard As It's Ever Been With Megan Burns

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It is not easier than ever to create great customer experiences. The debate continues! Megan Burns shares a compelling reason why it's not easier than...

How CX Teams Can Help Their Customers Step Off The Hedonic Treadmill

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the last episode, Megan Burns and I talk about the Hedonic Treadmill . It is a problem that looms ove customer experience improvement efforts. What...

CX Scores vs. The Hedonic Treadmill With Megan Burns

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Maybe the drop in customer experience scores is simply down to customers expecting more. In this episode of the CX Patterns podcast, Megan Burns rejoi...

The Power Of Memory In CX: Memory Is A Time Machine

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Memory is a time machine. It brings forward past experiences to the future where those memories guide loyalty behaviors. Today on the CX Patterns Podc...

Will Generative AI Bury Or Revive Customer Experience?

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ryan Hart and I talk about the promise and the peril of using Generative AI to delivery customer experiences. Does it replace CX team...

CX Improvements lead to cost cuts, but cost cuts don't lead to CX improvements

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Ryan Hart and I talk about the imperative we see for companies to cut costs, and the danger of doing so without starting from the cus...

Defining Customer Experience With Tom Quish

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Quish from Rightpoint is back for another, shorter episode talking about the importance of having a definition of Customer Experience for your com...

Crafting Your CX Strategy - Step By Step

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Quish from Rightpoint joins in this episode to talk CX Strategies. Listen to hear Tom explain why executive alignment is a can't-skip step, how to...

It's Easier Than Ever To Create A Great Customer Experience

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Not easy, but easier. We're in a moment of pessisim for CX, but I argue that it has never been a better time for someone who wants to create great cus...

Great Moments Make Great Experiences - Letting go of CX Perfection

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Customer experiences remembered as great are not great in every moment. In fact, just the opposite. Most of the experience is completely forgettable a...

Set Accurate Expectations & Help Your Customers Make Accurate Predictions

19 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A surprising fact about the brain that explains why accurate expectations are so much better than low expectations. Find me on LinkedInThanks to my ta...

Prediction: Not Just For the Start Of The Year

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nerd alert on this one, as I'm excited to share a new word I've learned, Allostasis, and what it means for customer experience.Find me on LinkedInThan...

Ep. 16 CX Needs A Process Renaissance With Rick Denton

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Small world story, and full-circle story. Rick & I met when he was my client at Forrester, and now we were introduced again as people who should b...