These 15 Customer Experience Experts are Changing the Way We Do Business

Can you remember the last experience you had as a customer? What makes you remember that particular experience? Is it the steps of the purchase, the way of marketing, or the support?

No matter the reason, there is a good chance some customer experience expert designed that experience for you. And here, we are going to talk about them.

But before we go to the list, we’ll go through some basics first. Let’s try to understand what customer experience or CX, is.

Why is customer experience necessary?

A great customer experience is essential for a business’s sustainable growth and a positive revenue boost. 

You can look at companies that have been doing business for years. You will find that the secret of those companies is excellent CX.

5 reasons you should invest in customer experience improvement

Companies sometimes hesitate to invest in improving CX. But the return on investment (ROI) percentage has often been proven to be high for that investment. 

And these are the reasons.

1. Sustainable growth

Businesses can create a more customer-centric atmosphere by providing a better experience. And a customer-centric model is proven to grow with sustainability.

2. Solid customer relationship

Because of a good experience, customers also put effort into building a good relationship with you. 

3. Positive brand impression

A good experience will create a positive brand reputation. And your potential customers will always prefer a reputed brand.

4. Word-of-mouth marketing

A customer who experiences good service most likely recommends you to others. And this will ensure the sustainability of customers.

5. Increased customer retention

If customers are satisfied, they will return to your business again. This will secure consistency and sustainable revenue.

What is a customer experience specialist?

CX specialists are responsible for designing the interaction of customers at every touch point with the company. They ensure the best experience possible for a customer and make the buyer’s journey simple and enjoyable.

To ensure a top-notch experience, CX professionals do an extensive range of tasks.

The job responsibility of CX experts

• Design and execute strategies for customer journey stages. It should be in every channel, including online and face-to-face interaction.
• Observe and analyze customer satisfaction metrics to ensure constant improvement.
• Create a best practice checklist and train service staff to maintain a positive customer experience.
• Team up and train other teams that impact the customer experience and maintain the consistency of the buyer’s journey.
• Build and manage an expert support team to resolve customer issues.
• Plan and run engagement initiatives like customer loyalty programs. 
• Finally, stay up-to-date by following best practices suggested by experts and trends. 

A brief history of customer experience

Is CX a modern concept? No, it’s the opposite. CX goes back centuries. Ea-nāṣir, an ancient merchant, got a complaint tablet from Nanni in 1750 BCE. This is considered to be the oldest recorded customer interaction with a business.

But the modern customer experience doesn’t go that way. The term “customer experience expert” is not that old. Let’s walk through a brief timeline of the modern CX.

Evolution of CX

1920s – Companies started to invest in advertising.

1950s – Business started to focus on the end-to-end customer journey. 

1980s – Customer service became standard.

1990s – Companies started to make more decisions based on customer data.

2000s – Social media interaction and marketing were introduced in the market.

2010s – Companies started to mold the business and became more customer-centric.

2020 – Because of the pandemic, more and more customers moved online. And companies focused on the omnichannel customer experience.

Future – customer experience is entering a new type of market. Virtual reality and the metaverse are new concepts. But it could be the next marketing platform. As Forbes mentioned, it is the platinum age of CX.

15 Top Customer Experience Experts

There are hundreds of CX specialists in different fields. We considered the years of experience and expertise needed to make this list. As per consideration, we shortlisted 15 customer experience consultants and entrepreneurs. And we ordered it alphabetically.

So, let’s see what they are saying.

1. Anna Dolce

Anna Docle is a business strategist with expertise in the hospitality industry. She founded companies like GeDream Consulting Group and GEOTalent Modeling Agency. She has been a full-time Hospitality Business Coach, and keynote speaker since 2014.

2. Blake Morgan

Blake Morgan, a customer experience futurist, provides consulting on customer experience. She founded Artemis, a consultancy firm. Morgan was a lecturer at top universities. Also, she worked for companies like Intel Corporation and was a senior contributor at Forbes.

She has been a full-time consultant and a keynote speaker since 2015. Besides that, she is the author of The Customer of the Future.

Black Morgan’s Podcast – The Modern Customer Podcast

3. Corey Haines

Corey Haines is a tech entrepreneur. He founded Swipe Files in 2020. It trains founders, marketers, and agencies in SaaS marketing. He was also the marketing lead for companies like SavvyCal and Baremetrics.

Corey Haines’s Podcast – Everything Is Marketing

4. Donna Morris

Donna Morris is the Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at Walmart. She has excellent work experience in various industries. Her last contribution was at Adobe. She worked there for 17 years as Chief Human Resources Officer & EVP.

5. Jim Kalbach

Jim Kalback is the Chief Evangelist at Mural. He co-founded the JTBD Toolkit. It’s an online resource for learning, training, and content. He is also a co-author of Mapping Experiences, Designing Web Navigation.

6. Jim Stengel

Jim Stengel is the Chief Executive Officer of the Jim Stengel Company, a strategy firm. He is the author of Grow, a best-selling book in business. It showed the study outcome and analysis of 50,000 brand data points.

He spent 25 years of his career at P&G and was a Global Marketing officer there. Now, besides being a full-time consultant, he also hosts a podcast. He sits down with lead marketers or CMOs from leading companies in his shows.

Jim Stengel’s Podcast – The CMO Podcast

7. John Boccuzzi, Jr.

John Boccuzzi, Jr. is a partner and Chief Sales Officer at “Information Services Group (ISG).” It’s a leading global technology research and advisory firm. He also co-founded BD Provisions. It’s an excellent bulk food and coffee roasting retail franchise concept focused on low and zero waste.

8. Kristen Berman

Kristen Berman is a behavioral scientist. She studies human nature to design the best customer experience. She co-founded and is the CEO of Irrational Labs. The consulting firm used human behavioral patterns to develop the best customer experience.

Besides that, she is a keynote speaker. She is also the co-author of Hacking Human Nature for Good.

9. Lisa Ekström

Lisa Ekström has been a customer experience expert and consultant for the last 20 years, providing CX strategy. She is the owner of Kamoja AB, a Swedish consultancy firm. This firm worked with hundreds of brands and helped develop their CX.

10. Matt Dixon

Matt Dixon is the founding partner of DCM Insights, a company that works to improve the customer experience. Previously, he worked as Chief Research and Innovation Officer at a CX SaaS company called Tethr.

Besides being the keynote speaker, he co-authored the Wall Street Journal-bestselling book The Challenger Sale.

11. Melina Palmer

Melina Palmer is the founder and CEO of The Brainy Business. This firm works on customer experience development. She is also a columnist at Inc. Magazine.

Her field of study is applied behavioral economics. And she helps businesses understand why people buy. From that experience, she wrote What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You. It’s worth reading it.

Melina Palmer’s Podcast – The Brainy Business

12. Molly Pittman

Molly Pittman is a digital marketing expert. She has been working in the field since 2012. Now she is the CEO of Smart Marketer. It’s a training and consulting agency that helps grow businesses.

Molly Pittman’s Podcast – The Smart Marketer Podcast

13. Nicholas Webb

Nicholas Webb is the founder and CEO of LeaderLogic. It’s a consulting firm for business management. He has been a customer experience expert and consultant for 30 years. From a long market experience, he wrote What Customers Crave, an insightful book on understanding customers.

14. Peter Fader

Peter Fader is the Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the co-founder and director of Theta (a customer analytics firm) and Zodiac (a customer analytics platform).

Besides teaching at the university, he wrote a few books on understanding customers. Customer Centricity is one of his most notable books.

15. Sandra Thompson

Sandra Thompson is the director and the CX game facilitator of The EI Evolution. EI stands for emotional intelligence. This firm provides consulting to improve employee and customer experiences.

She is also a keynote speaker and a coach. In 2019, she gave a speech on “The Customer Experience Remotevolution” at TEDx. She shared the experience she has gained since 2010.

Let’s wrap it up

When building a business setup, you need all kinds of strategies. Most importantly, a solid customer experience strategy. And a CX consultant can give you the right path to it.

Whether you follow a trainer, writer, or industry expert, you must comprehend that they are at the top of their field. So, their guidance comes from their experience and, most importantly, their mistakes.

To be an achiever in your area. You must pay attention to the guidance of CX specialists.

This customer experience expert list will help you find the right person in your niche. And you can use the expert’s advice in your business to grow.