The CX Leader Podcast | A resource for customer experience leaders
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
All Good Things...
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's a great time to be a CX leader and we here at Walker have had a fun time producing this podcast. But after over 330 episodes speaking with fantas...
A Soaring Transformation
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Change is hard. And that's not the first time we've said those words on this podcast. When it involves breaking through entrenched practices within a ...
A Space for Customers
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While it might not seem significant at first, securing a place to park your car is an important event. Sure, it's not life or death, but during large ...
Take the Transaction Out Of the Interaction
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today's marketing playbooks put social media at the top of many strategies, but regardless of its prevalence, your website is still your business hub ...
Consistency Is the Key
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Think of some of the best experiences you have had as a customer. What made it great? Did you feel like the experience matched the company's identity?...
The CX Conundrum of Changing Minds
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's not easy changing people's minds. But we're approaching a season in which customer experience professionals are working hard to convince executiv...
The Harmonious Experience
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Listening to your customers is the "window" to knowing how well your organization is performing in its customer experience efforts. Whether it's an on...
Encore: Eagles, Parrots, Doves, and Owls
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's note: this episode originally dropped on October 11, 2022. While some details may have changed since it's original publication, we think Da...
AI: Is It Hype Or Helpful?
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As consumers we've all interacted in different ways with companies. Sometimes an automated system, online chat, an app on our phones, or even a live h...
Talk Less, Listen More
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's the first thing you think of when asked, "how well do you listen?" Many CX professionals might think of their listening systems: surveys, close...
The Results Are In: Findings From the First CX Leader Pulse Study
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's human nature to compare what we do professionally – and even personally – with others and CX leaders are no different. So Walker, along with ...
The Black Hole of CX
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CX leaders have become increasingly effective at taking action on customer feedback. Today many organizations have effective closed-loop programs that...
Your Brand and CX: They're Connected!
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's consumer world, we are inundated with advertising from countless online and offline mediums, and too often companies think that's what real...
It's Moving Really Fast
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you go back in time 10 or 15 years you'll find it was common for a market research function within a company to send out a single survey each year ...
Encore: The Inclusive Experience
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: This podcast was originally released on April 4, 2023. As always with our encore episodes, please note that some details might be dif...
Can AI Save Customer Support?
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We'll bet you've heard this one: you call customer support and encounter an automated system. Despite your best efforts to speak clearly, the voice on...
Bonus: We Asked CX Leaders at X4 About Their Top XM Challenges
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode, Pat Gibbons describes his experiences at the Qualtrics X4 event in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 1-3. With thousands of experien...
Rounds and Rounds We Go
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's common today that, as consumers, we receive a survey after all kinds of experiences – shopping, travel, home repair – you name it. You fill o...
Give the Audience What They Want
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Maybe it's a concert headlining Beyonce, U2, or Taylor Swift? Or perhaps your favorite NFL team is playing their rivals this weekend? Perhaps you pref...
Equity in Healthcare
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusiveness have been happening in many companies in the U.S., and healthcare is no exception, especiall...
Work Friction: Less is More
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've all experienced it: that nagging, frustrating, and sometimes maddening feeling we get when something collides with our productivity. And while i...
Bonus Content: The Empathetic Frontline
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bonus content are audio clips of interviews that we couldn't include in an episode but still contains great advice for our listeners, and this content...
Encore: Your CX Career
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: This episode originally released on March 7, 2023. Natalie Onions discussed how she became a customer experience professional and off...
The Death Care Experience
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's an often-misunderstood industry that exists between healthcare and hospitality and includes all the complexities of strict regulation and event m...
Redesigning from Start to Finish
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Just like any other business process, customer experience programs can sometimes get a little stale or outdated. As CX leaders, it's our responsibilit...
The CX Conundrum of Benchmarking
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What are some of the more common challenges you encounter with your CX program? Have you noticed a particular common problem among CX programs when yo...
Don't Forget Your Invoice
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are many companies today that have embraced customer experience as a key strategic practice, working hard to put the customer first. But there's...
The Empathetic Frontline
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Great customer experiences comes from great employee experiences. It's something we've discussed in several past episodes of this podcast and you can ...
Encore: Your Opinion Counts
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: March 8th, 2024 is International Women's Day. This global event celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievemen...
The Data that Drives Change
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you're a CX professional then you've read your fair share of customer feedback comments. While most CX leaders love to read great comments from cus...
Products for Your Customers
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It goes without saying that designing any kind of product is no easy task. And in the case of software, balancing the engineering needs versus custome...
AI: The CX Power Tool
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ever see the old classic Alfred Hitchcock movie, "The Birds"? There's a famous scene when a flock of crows attack a group of fleeing school children, ...
Bonus Content: Becoming Customer Obsessed
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bonus Content! We interview many great customer experience professionals and they have a ton of great advice to share. But sometimes we have leave som...
Becoming Customer Obsessed
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chances are, if you're a regular listener to this show, you at the very least have a healthy respect for customer experience and the value it brings t...
Encore: Service Design
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: This episode originally dropped on February 14, 2023. Steve Walker interviewed Justin Zalewski on how CX professionals can take an or...
Welcome to 2024
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
That's right - 300 episodes! Walker has been producing this podcast since January of 2018 and collected over 150 hours of content, discussed trends an...
Open the Box
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The famous quantum theory thought experiment called "Schrodinger's Cat" imagines a cat is placed in a box with a vial of poison. Schrodinger suggests ...
Everyone Has a Customer
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's face it: not every person is well-suited to be, quote, "customer-facing." Whether it's their personality, their specific job requirements, or ju...
Quick Tips Minicast: How many survey types are there?
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most customer experience pros know about transactional and relational surveys, but did you know there's a third kind of survey you may need to use? Ad...
Celebrating the Heart of Your Audience
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Think about a time when you visited someplace that's meaningful to you: a special museum, the distillery of your favorite beverage, a presidential lib...
Experiment and Explore
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While there is some historical debate on this, Aristotle is widely recognized as one of the early inventors of the scientific method – the way in wh...
Yes, It's Worth The Effort!
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's a subject on which we've dedicated several episodes: employee experience. And we've even covered how to effectively combine CX and EX, a subject ...
Quick Tips Minicast: What is the Walker Loyalty Matrix?
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Companies often struggle with knowing their customer's needs and why they actually stay customers. Are they happy? Are they looking elsewhere for thei...
Every One is Part of the Whole
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, the majority of workers in the U.S. say that focusing on DEI in the workplace is "a good thing." Wit...
The Value in the Machine
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There's so much talk about artificial intelligence these days. With stories of how it is changing the world on so many fronts, customer experience pro...
Data and Design Make Great Experiences
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There's an adage that implies designers and data scientists sometimes don't always see eye to eye. Designers look for esthetics and the functionality ...
CX Horror Stories VI
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We must warn you: the podcast episode you're about to listen to is filled with frightful tales of deliveries gone wrong, misdirected concert tickets, ...
Put Me In, Coach!
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1989, Evered and Selman put forward the idea that looking at managers as "coaches" creates a better culture for employees. They say, "coaching focu...
Quick Tips Minicast: How many questions should I have in my survey?
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You're ready to get going on gathering customer feedback, but there's always that looming question: what will we ask them and how much is too much sur...
Created with Customers in Mind
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Managing your money is already a stressful task, and it's sometimes difficult to intentionally think ahead about what happens when we retire. Luckily,...
Give Them That "A-ha!" Moment
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a situation you might have heard about, or even experienced: you're ready to get going on this CX "thing" – you're going to revolutionize you...
Let's Celebrate!
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every first Tuesday of October, CX pros take a moment to celebrate their profession and bring awareness to the benefits of a great customer experience...
Quick Tips Minicast: How can I improve my response rates?
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You've planned a great program for gaining customer feedback, but there's just one problem: a low response rate. On this edition of The CX Leader Quic...
Consistently Good, Strategically Amazing
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When did customer experience come into existence? If you've listened to this show for a while, you'll know there was no definitive "big bang" event fo...
Award-Winning CX
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You've heard us promote the US Customer Experience Awards several times on this program. If you're not familiar with them, we recommend you check them...
Quick Tips Minicast: Is my sample size statistically significant?
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Respondents to your surveys are like notes in a symphony of data: if the right notes are played, you have a musical masterpiece. But if some are playi...
Everybody is a Consumer
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Data is flying everywhere and CX pros are always striving to gobble-up whatever insights they can get about their customers. It's easy to look at an a...
Encore: Convenience Trumps Price
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: During the summer months we've been re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode originall...
Encore: Stop, Start, or Change
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode was origina...
Encore: Starting from Scratch
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode was origina...
Go Where There's Traction
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Almost immediately after the first horseless carriages appeared on America's roads, motorists began organizing automobile clubs. AAA formed in 1902 wi...
Encore: Designing for People
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode was origina...
Encore: The Common Purpose
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode was origina...
Encore: Once Upon a Time
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode was origina...
Your CX Communication Ecosystem
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For some people, getting excited about a new project means diving right into the "fun stuff." Working to fix up that cool classic car you just bought,...
Encore: The Survey People
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode was origina...
Encore: CX for the People
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode originally ...
Encore: Wear Comfortable Shoes
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: During the summer months we'll be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes for our "Summer Encore Series." This episode originally ...
Building CX Expertise
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the grand scheme of things, customer experience is still a newer practice. While it's growing as companies and organizations realize its potential,...
Setting Your Priorities
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Starting a CX program in any organization can be difficult. And one of the more challenging aspects of spinning up a new program is getting your compa...
The CX Leaders Advance Conference
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've mentioned the Customer Experience Professionals Association more than once on this podcast. The CXPA offers excellent resources and networking o...
Encore: Thank You for Your Service
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Producer's Note: this is an encore presentation of Episode 219, originally released on May 31, 2022. One of the best institutions to learn leadership...
The CX Plus EX Recipe
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Combining your customer experience and employee experiences can have a tremendous impact on your overall experience efforts. But what does that look l...
Easing the Burden
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's safe to say that most people are feeling the effects of today's economy. Dealing with financial issues can create a great deal of stress. Familie...
CX Center of Excellence
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As our profession continues to mature and more organizations adopt customer-centric cultures, CX pros often need a way to maintain alignment between t...
The Journeys Within the Journey
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Journey mapping: that tried-and-true exercise of discovering your strengths as a company and the places in your customer's journey where things could ...
The Digital Patient Experience
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've been talking more about the patient experience on this show and how CX practices can be applied in the healthcare industry. In fact, Walker just...
From the "Whats" to the "Hows"
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are so many times on this show that our guests have described their customer experience efforts as living within their marketing department, and...
The CX Iceberg
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Creating seamless experiences is one of many goals of CX pros. But what should be perceived by the customer as a smooth experience can sometimes creat...
The Inclusive Experience
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
People in general want to do good things for others. But it's easy to assume that everyone sees the world with similar eyes. We live in a diverse worl...
Experiencing X4
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In early March of 2023, thousands of experience management professionals from across the globe gathered in Salt Lake City to take part in the 2023 Qua...
Patient vs. Customer Experience
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to your health or the health of a loved-one, it gets personal. That's why it's so important for healthcare providers to pay attention to...
Concerts, Conventions, and CX
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Attending concerts, sporting events, conferences, and other gatherings is a big part of our culture and could easily be considered the pinnacle of exp...
Your CX Career
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There have been many guests on this show, each with unique stories and backgrounds about their path to becoming a customer experience professional. Bu...
Putting the Humanity Back Into Patient Experience
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Healthcare in the United States is a complex, and often a divisive subject. With some healthcare companies focused on the bottom line, family practiti...
Setting Employees Up for Success
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Customer experience is a wonderful blend of listening and understanding our customers, while creating the right actions to deliver amazing experiences...
Service Design
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Most CX pros are familiar with customer journey mapping – the process that identifies the path customers take when interacting with your company. We...
Creating Superfans
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Customer experience pros know that one of the many indicators of a successful CX program includes how many promoters you have among your customers –...
Life in the Fast Lane
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A common business adage states: "fast, cheap, or good – pick any two." But in today's world of same-day shipping and self-service technologies, cust...
Anticipate and Elevate
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's no secret that most companies have different groups of customers with differing needs. And we, as CX leaders, naturally need to able to adapt our...
Sense and Respond
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the 250th episode of The CX Leader Podcast, we'll continue the series "CX Now - Eight Essential Themes Driving CX Evolution" by discussing adaptabi...
Emotions Matter
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are lots of different ways to measure what a customer thinks about your company. But customer emotions can be pretty tricky. How a customer feel...
The Data Endgame
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some organizations collect very little data and some collect a ton of data. But like many other aspects of customer experience, CX pros should be thin...
It's Gotta Be Seamless
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many have experienced the dreaded "handoff" - that experience where someone calls into support and get transferred multiple times, to the point where ...
Creating Structure out of Unstructured Data
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Data is everywhere! And CX pros have structured ways to keep it all organized. But what about all the UNstructured data your customers provide? While ...
Enable Your Employees
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Providing the tools and resources for employee success seems like a "no-brainer," but companies often overlook the systems and processes that can crea...
Predicting the Future
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The data companies collect can be valuable in providing insights into the past and current behaviors of customers. But that data can also be useful in...
Let's Play!
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One toy that was, and continues to be a popular choice for both parents and kids is LEGO®. So named after the Danish phrase to "play well", LEGO® br...
The Right "Now"
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Speed has always been an important factor in delivering a great experience to customers. And many times "fastest" is best. But there are some situatio...
The Three Levels of Personalization
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Designing ways to personalize the customer experience is essential. But there are different levels in which personalization can be executed: reactive,...