Start with the Customer In Mind Featuring Peter Cross

Collecting and Using Data Ethically to Create Customer Delight  Shep interviews Phyllis Fang, Head of Marketing at Transcend. She talks about the importance of personalization and how companies can ethically collect, unify, and use customer data to create seamless, trust-building interactions.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can companies ethically collect and use customer data without crossing privacy boundaries?  Why is transparency important when asking customers for permission to use their data?  How can brands strike the right balance between personalization and avoiding being perceived as intrusive or "creepy"?  What are the best practices for building trust with customers through data collection and usage?  How does unified customer identity across digital and real-world touchpoints improve the overall customer journey?  Top Takeaways:    Customers are willing to share information, but only if they get something valuable in return. When a company uses customer preferences to recommend something relevant at the right time, customers are more willing to engage. On the other hand, when the connection feels forced or overwhelming, it can make customers stop buying and look for other companies that will respect their trust.  Customers feel better when companies are upfront about what data they’re collecting and how it will be used. When a brand is transparent with why they need information and asks for permission, customers feel respected and safe. Giving customers options about how their data is used makes them more likely to share details.  Businesses should focus on getting only getting the information they need to start doing business with a customer. Then, gradually over time, the business can learn more.   Ethical use of data builds trust. Just because a business can use a customer's data does not mean it always should. It’s important for companies to explain how they use customer information, and to give customers choices. When customers know what’s happening and have control, they are more likely to trust a brand with their information and their business.  Some customers want weekly emails or product updates, while others just want order confirmations or receipts. Give your customers a way to choose the kind of information they receive and how often they want it, and make setting this up easy.  Better business practices lead to loyal customers. When companies focus on giving people what they want, respecting their choices, and treating data carefully, customers become fans who keep coming back.  Personalization isn’t just about online shopping. It can happen in real life too. Imagine walking into a store and the salesperson remembers what you like, what you bought before, and even your favorite colors. This shows how connecting customer history, identity, and preferences creates a great experience both digitally and face-to-face.   Plus, Shep and Phyllis discuss the importance of making sure customers understand what they are saying yes to, such as cookie banners and opt-in forms. Tune in!  Quote:   “When customers share information, they often want control over how and where it’s used. A company needs to respect those preferences and enforce them consistently.”  About:    Phyllis Fang is the Head of Marketing at Transcend, where she helps brands grow through customer trust, personalization, and digital transformation. Before working at Transcend, she drove key product marketing initiatives at Uber and has a strong background in e-commerce and digital marketing.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Closing the Gap Between Customer Expectation and Customer Experience  Shep interviews Peter Cross, customer behavior expert, keynote speaker, and author of  Start with the Customer: How to Deliver World-Class Customer Service. He talks about the importance of company culture in delivering amazing experiences and how to close the gap between customer expectations and their lived experiences.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can brands empower employees to deliver exceptional customer experiences?  What are the most common changes in customer expectations in recent years?  How does technology, such as automation and AI, impact customer service delivery?  How can organizations make customers feel valued, even when their requests can't always be fulfilled?  What role should leadership play in promoting a culture of excellent customer service?  Top Takeaways:    Technology may be advancing quickly, but customer needs have stayed the same. Customers still want trust, transparency, inspiration, expertise, and genuine human connection. While new technology like AI and digital experiences can make customer service easier, it's important not to lose sight of what customers truly expect from you.   Modern customers compare every experience they have to the best companies, not just  direct competitors. Brands need to aim for world-class service, no matter the industry, in order to thrive.  Customers are not always right. They sometimes have unrealistic expectations or behave poorly. Regardless, even though employees shouldn't have to deal with unreasonable requests, they should always make customers feel valued and listened to.  Customers come with expectations, whether they say it or not. When there is a gap between what customers hope for and what actually happens, problems can occur. The goal is to always listen to what the customers need and aim to close the gap with every interaction.   Brands don't need to go over the top to close the expectation gap. All brands need to do is what they promised their customers. When customers say, "they are always friendly, always helpful, always knowledgeable," the word "always" in front of all those expectations describes where amazement happens.  Customer service is cultural. It's a team effort. Every person in the organization, from the leadership to the newly hired employees, is responsible for delivering an amazing customer experience.   Customers are willing to pay more for service that is friendly and, more importantly, convenient. Making it easy and pleasant to do business with you should always be a top priority. Convenience and friendliness are more than just nice. They are what keeps customers coming back.  Plus, Shep and Peter discuss more insights from new research by the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) and Start with the Customer. Tune in!  Quote:   "How meeting customer needs may have changed because of technology, but the needs themselves haven't changed at all. They still want to be inspired. They want trust, transparency, and connection."  About:    Peter Cross is a customer behavior expert, consultant, speaker, and the co-author of Start with the Customer: How to Deliver World-Class Customer Service. He is Vice President at the Institute of Customer Service, an Ambassador for the Retail Trust, and a Leader in Residence at the University of Leeds.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Authentic Ratings and Reviews Drive Customer Trust  Shep interviews Allyse Slocum, Vice President of Product & Audience Marketing at Trustpilot. She talks about how customer reviews influence trust in businesses, the importance of authentic feedback, and key insights on consumer review habits and behaviors.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    Why are online reviews crucial for building trust between companies and customers?  How can businesses ensure the authenticity of customer reviews in the age of AI-generated content?  What is considered a credible rating on a 1 to 5-star review scale, and how can companies identify trustworthy feedback?  Is it realistic for businesses to achieve perfect 5-star ratings from every customer, or does this raise concerns about review authenticity?  What are the best practices for companies when responding to customer ratings and reviews, whether positive or negative?  Top Takeaways:   Trust is the foundation of every successful relationship, whether between a company and a customer, an employer and an employee, or between two businesses. Customers are loyal to brands that keep their promises and deliver what they advertise.   Building and protecting trust should be just as important as selling products or services. When a customer's trust is broken, even good customer service can't fix it.    Reviews are like the digital version of asking friends for advice. Before making a purchase, 39% of shoppers read product reviews to decide if something is worth buying. Customers often check reviews multiple times and look for feedback from others before spending money.  Not every review online is real, and many customers worry about fake reviews, both negative ones from competitors and positive ones meant to make a business look better. Technology is getting better and better at identifying and removing fake reviews. Additionally, content integrity specialists make sure that the technology is working and find patterns to detect fake reviews.  Trust can still be earned after a negative review. When a business openly responds to its reviewers, especially those who had a bad experience, it shows they care. A company that replies thoughtfully, tries to fix problems, and says thank you for kind words earns more trust from customers and future shoppers.  The number of reviews and how recent they are play a big role in building trust. Fresh reviews mean that a business is active, while old reviews might make customers wonder whether things have changed.  Customers are more likely to leave a review after a positive experience (56%) than a negative one (38%).   Automating review requests helps collect opinions from all types of customers, not just the ones with extreme feelings. Asking for reviews automatically at key points (such as after a purchase or service) makes it easier to get more feedback. The more feedback you have, the more your ratings reflect the real experience customers have.   Quote:   "Trust is an incredibly important thing that needs to happen between any two parties, whether that is business to consumer, business to business, or even employers and employees."  About:    Allyse Slocum is the Vice President of Product & Audience Marketing at Trustpilot, where she specializes in building trust between consumers and businesses through reviews. She is dedicated to using data and technology to ensure the authenticity of reviews, helping businesses improve and maintain customer trust.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Transactional Service to Relationship Building with the Help of Technology  Shep interviews Pasquale DeMaio, Vice President and General Manager of Amazon Connect. He talks about how Amazon leverages AI and technology to enhance customer service, with  a "better together" approach where automation and human agents work hand-in-hand to create efficient, empathetic, and proactive customer experiences.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    What is the "better together" approach in customer service technology and human interaction?  How can automation and AI improve efficiency in handling repetitive customer service tasks?  Why is genuine empathy important in customer service, and can technology replicate it?  How does empowering human agents with technology lead to better customer outcomes?  How can customer insights from support interactions drive continuous improvement?  Top Takeaways:   Customer service works best when technology and real people come together. While AI and automation can make things faster and easier, people still want to talk to humans for help with complex or emotional problems.   The goal should always be to use AI to support employees, not replace them. Technology should make it easier for humans to do what they do best: listen, empathize, and solve tricky issues.   It's important to treat every customer with respect and kindness, as you would a friend. Customers want to feel valued, not manipulated, so the best approach is to be sincere by helping them in a way that matches their needs and preferences.  Every interaction is an opportunity to build a relationship and encourage customers to return. Focusing on both solving the issue and making people feel good about the experience creates loyal customers.   Modern tools allow companies to analyze every conversation, not just a few. Every conversation with your customers, whether by phone or chat, is a rich source of information that can reveal trends, problems, and opportunities. This real-time insight can help fix issues faster, spot patterns, and make better decisions to improve service for everyone.  Taking action before problems start, or even before the customer notices there’s a problem, makes for an amazing customer experience. When a customer encounters a problem, contacting them with a new option before they ask for help is an example of proactive service. The best companies work to prevent problems or solve them instantly, making customers feel cared for and stress-free.  AI can make agents' jobs better, not obsolete. AI can handle the boring and repetitive parts of the job, like taking notes or finding information, so people can focus on helping customers. This makes work more enjoyable and lets agents do what they're best at, which is solving problems and building relationships.  The end goal should be more than just fixing a problem. Create a positive memory. Make every interaction with a customer one that leaves them feeling happy, satisfied, and eager to return.  Plus, Shep and Pasquale answer the question, "Can computers fake empathy?" Tune in!  Quote:   "Humans are core to the experience. The end customer is a human being, and often, the main contact they have with a company is through human customer service. Everything we do with technology should be designed to fade into the background and allow any human being to be more effective."  About:    Pasquale DeMaio is the Vice President and General Manager of Amazon Connect, the cloud-based contact center solution from Amazon Web Services. Amazon Connect leverages the same underlying technology that Amazon's own global customer service team uses to manage millions of customer interactions every day.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How are AI-powered Interactions Transforming Daily Customer Experiences  Shep interviews Tifenn Dano Kwan, Chief Marketing Officer at Amplitude. Tifenn talks about how AI and digital analytics are redefining customer experience through hyper-personalization and authentic interactions.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    What inflection points in technology have most impacted customer experience in the digital era?  What is hyper-personalization?  How has artificial intelligence transformed digital customer experiences?  What future trends in AI could most impact customer service and experience?  Should companies be transparent with customers about using AI-powered services?  Top Takeaways:    Artificial Intelligence has become one of the biggest game-changers for customer experience. It helps companies remove friction, enabling customers to get help faster and solve problems more easily.  Embracing new tech in CX is about finding ways to make life easier for your customers. Moments like the rise of the web, and the growth of AI mark big turning points that companies must adapt to. Being open to change lets businesses create better experiences for customers and stay ahead of the competition.  Customers want to be treated as individuals, not just a number. Personalization, especially when powered by AI, helps match customers with products, recommendations, or solutions that really fit them.   AI can deliver hyper-personalized experiences that keep people engaged and coming back. But, businesses need to remember that personalization that feels authentic and respectful is what really wins customers over.  Customers prefer when companies are transparent, especially about processes that impact their experiences. Modern customers can easily spot fake or insincere messages. Being authentic means communicating honestly and being open about how technology, like AI, is being used to serve them.   Your AI is only as good as your data. If the information going into the system is wrong or messy, the results might mislead both the company and the customer! Good data leads to smart decisions and better customer outcomes.  Whenever there's a major technological change, there's always concern about job losses. While AI can take over some tasks that used to require humans, it also creates new work opportunities. New jobs and skills will be in demand, especially in areas that support or expand what AI can do.   The future of work is about adapting, learning, and growing alongside technology, not competing against it.  Plus, Shep and Tifenn discuss use cases and opportunities for AI to improve the customer experience. Tune in!  Quotes:   "The goal of AI is to remove fiction and deliver delightful, seamless, and outcome-driven experiences for their customers."  "Hyper-personalization is personalization at scale. The more in touch we are with our customers, the more likely we are to drive conversions."  "AI is only as good as your data. If you have the wrong data, then you will have the wrong output. It is going to mislead you. More importantly, it will mislead your customers."  "Embrace what's next. We are going to see significant evolution in the world of AI. Don't be afraid to experiment and test."    About:    Tifenn Dano Kwan is the Chief Marketing Officer at Amplitude. Before working at Amplitude, she was CMO at Collibra, Dropbox, SAP Ariba, and SAP Fieldglass.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Handwritten Notes Build Customer Loyalty in a Digital Age  Shep interviews Rick Elmore, founder of Simply Noted. He talks about how his company uses advanced handwriting robots and AI to create personalized handwritten notes at scale, to enhance customer relationships and stand out in today's digital world.   This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can companies send personalized handwritten notes to thousands of customers efficiently?  How do handwritten notes compare to email and direct mail in terms of open rates?  What is the impact of personalized handwritten notes on customer retention rates?  How does sending handwritten notes help businesses stand out from digital competitors?  How does sending personalized handwritten notes at scale improve employee engagement and morale?  Top Takeaways:    Getting a handwritten note (or one that looks handwritten) instantly makes the recipient feel special and appreciated. When customers receive an envelope with a handwritten address and a stamp, they are more likely top open it. When it includes a personalized message in the form of something tangible, tactile, and written with a pen, they are more likely to keep it.  Personalization builds strong customer relationships. A way that businesses can do this at scale is to use technology like robots that can mimic human handwriting and powerful AI software to create thousands of truly personalized notes.   Handwritten notes have much higher open rates than regular mail. Studies show that almost every handwritten note gets opened, while most promotional letters or emails get ignored or thrown away. When someone sees a real envelope with a stamp and handwriting, it feels personal. This makes handwritten notes a powerful tool for getting attention.  Sending handwritten notes helps businesses reduce customer churn. It is not just about showing appreciation and acknowledging customers, but it can also make them want to stay and keep buying from you. Businesses have found that thank-you notes and anniversary cards help increase loyalty. Even just a simple "thank you" can have a significant impact and keep clients engaged for years.  Authenticity matters with personal messages. In the age of social media, customers can easily take a picture of a personal handwritten note and share it online. Large language models and intelligent software allow you to generate different messages for thousands of customers, each tailored to their interests or previous experiences. This way, no two notes are exactly alike, even if the general message is the same.   The best business opportunities may be in your existing customer base. Instead of constantly chasing new customers, take time to appreciate the ones you already have. Small, personalized gestures can deliver a significant return on investment by building long-term relationships and brand loyalty.  Plus, Shep Hyken and Rick Elmore show how personalization works, sharing examples of successful brands like Chewy using handwritten notes to stand out and strengthen customer relationships. Tune in!  Quote:   "We're drowning in digital noise. What's old is new again. People crave authentic experiences and want to feel valued. A personalized handwritten note is what helps businesses win loyal customers and long-term relationships."  About:    Rick Elmore is a former NFL athlete, an award-winning entrepreneur, and the founder of Simply Noted, a leading U.S.-based handwritten direct mail company. He helps organizations build meaningful human connections with their customers at scale.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Building Loyalty at Every Step of the Customer Journey   Shep interviews Melissa Puls, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Customer Success and Renewals at Ivanti. She talks about the importance of customer success, the subscription business model, and how AI is transforming customer experience.   This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:   1.  What is customer success? 2. What is the difference between customer success and customer support? 3. Why is it important to start the customer success process as soon as a deal is signed? 4. What impact does proactive customer service have on customer satisfaction and loyalty? 5. How can businesses use a subscription model to build long-term customer relationships? Top Takeaways:    ·       A business isn’t just about making money. It’s about getting and keeping customers. Profit will result when you serve your customers well.  ·       Customer success is different from customer support. Customer support helps when there’s a problem or technical issue, but customer success aims to keep problems from happening in the first place. Customer success teams work with customers from the beginning of the relationship to make sure they are fully utilizing the features of a product to serve their business. They proactively reach out before issues even become problems.  ·       The renewals don't start when a subscription ends. They begin with the very first interaction, making sure that customers are happy and using the product well from the start. When customers are happy, the decision to keep doing business with you becomes easy.  ·       The best companies try to anticipate issues and reach out before they happen. Checking in, providing helpful information, and teaching customers how to get the most from your product are what create loyal customers.  ·       Companies can use data and technology, such as AI, to spot patterns in customer behavior and predict what customers will need next. By paying attention to how customers use a product and when they might need help, businesses can step in with support before a small issue becomes a big problem. This reduces customer churn by giving them confidence that your team will be there for them when needed.  ·       Delivering a great customer experience takes teamwork across marketing, sales, support, and customer success. All parts of the company need to work together to deliver a consistent, high-quality experience.  ·     Plus, Shep and Melissa discuss how every business, regardless of industry, can successfully adopt a subscription model that keeps customers coming back. Tune in! Quotes:   "Customers buy from other customers. Create advocates in your customer base." "The most exciting thing about customer experience is to be able to correlate and collect information that your customers give you to make their experience better." "Many people confuse customer success with customer support. In reality, customer success is about proactively ensuring customers never need to call support unless there's a genuine technical glitch." "Anticipate your customer's needs before they even know they need it. Use the data and technology like AI to predict issues and churn so that you can get more productive." "The best companies out there put customers at the center of everything they do. That is how they are going to grow today and into the future."   About:  Melissa Puls is the Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Customer Success and Renewals at Ivanti, overseeing the entire customer journey from awareness to renewal. She is focused on helping companies enhance every stage of the customer experience. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Creating an Actionable Customer-Centric Company Culture  Shep interviews Sean Crichton-Browne, co-founder of Market Culture and co-author of The Human Culture Imperative. He talks about how organizations can drive business success by focusing on building a customer-centric culture of empowered employees.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    What's more important, happy customers or happy employees?  How does starting with the end goal of happy customers encourage better customer service?  What role does leadership play in creating a strong culture of customer-centricity?  How can a company's internal culture directly impact the quality of the customer experience?  How does employee engagement influence customer loyalty and retention?  Top Takeaways:    Whenever you're working to improve customer experience, it helps to begin by picturing how you want your customers to feel at the end. Imagine what you want the customer's experience to be. Work backward from your goal, which is happy and loyal customers, and figure out what is needed at every level of the organization to achieve it.  Happy employees create happy customers, but flipping this idea on its head can create great results for your organization as well. Making customers happy can actually make employees feel better about where they work.  It leads to a better work environment that motivates and engages employees.  When customers are satisfied with the product or service, employees don't have to respond to as many complaints or stressful situations, which makes their jobs more enjoyable and fulfilling. Happy customers often give positive feedback, creating a sense of pride for everyone on the team and encouraging even better service. Listen to your customers. Ask them what they want and what's important to them. When you focus on understanding and meeting those needs, you create a connection between leadership, employees, and customers.  Empowering employees, especially those who deal directly with customers, improves the customer experience. When staff can act quickly to solve issues or offer solutions, without always needing a manager's okay, problems get fixed faster, and customers feel seen, heard, and valued.  The stories told inside a company, whether big or small, have a lasting impact on culture. When employees hear about coworkers going the extra mile for customers or leaders making decisions that put customers first, they inspire similar behavior that can be operationalized for consistency.  Plus, Sean shares more "golden nuggets" from his latest book, The Human Culture Imperative. Tune in!  Quote:   "Put the customer at the center of the business and focus on their satisfaction. Because if we don't have a customer, we don't actually have a business."  About:    Sean Crichton-Browne is the co-founder of Market Culture, a company dedicated to helping organizations understand and implement customer-centric cultures. He is the co-author of The Human Culture Imperative: The Leader's Playbook for Innovation and Sustainable Growth.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Build Meaningful Customer Relationships by Investing in Employee and Customer Experience  Shep interviews Lance Gruner, CX expert, keynote speaker, and author. He talks about the intersection of AI and customer experience, the importance of leadership accountability, and key insights from his new book, 10 Things They Hate About YOU: A CX Playbook for Leaders.     This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How does artificial intelligence impact customer service interactions?  Why is it important for business leaders to personally experience their own customer journey?  Should companies be concerned about AI replacing human customer service agents?  How can businesses leverage AI to make customer service agents more effective?  Why do broken processes cause customers to leave, and how can businesses address them?  Top Takeaways:    One of the fastest ways to lose customers is to have processes that don't work as they should.   Leaders need to understand what customers go through every day. The best way to do this is to "walk the property," which means experiencing the company's products or services just like a customer would. By seeing things from the customer's point of view, leaders can spot problems and understand where things fall short.  Artificial intelligence is changing customer service. It can make agents smarter by helping them access relevant information faster and deliver more personalized responses. However, it is important to remember that AI is just a tool, not a cure-all. It is only as good as its programming and the system that it is added into.   Make using self-service easy and inviting. When introducing new technology or self-service options, don't just point customers in the right direction. Lead them there and show them how it works. If a customer needs help, solve their problem first, then take a moment to teach them how they could do it themselves next time.   Customer relationships are built on trust. When companies fail to deliver on promises, like missing deliveries or not solving problems, customers stop believing that the company will take care of them. Long-term loyalty is built on consistency, transparency, and trust.   Investing in training for team members pays off because it leads to better service and happier customers. Make sure they are well-versed with your current processes before adding new steps and technology into their workflow.  Small details send big messages about how much a company cares about its customers' experience. Companies that pay attention to every touchpoint, no matter how minor, such as a friendly gesture or easy-to-find information on a website, earn their customers' respect and trust.   Plus, Lance shares a few of the 10 things they may hate about you and  your brand. Tune in!  Quote:   "When done right, using AI can improve speed and accuracy, help with personalization, and give employees more time to focus on high-value work."    About:    Lance Gruner is a seasoned leader with over 30 years of experience in the customer service and hospitality industries. He has helped global companies such as the Ritz-Carlton and Mastercard deliver outstanding customer experiences.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transforming Ordinary Customer Moments into the 'Best Day Ever'  Shep interviews Steve Spangler, Emmy award-winning television host, STEM educator, and bestselling author. He talks about his new book, The Engagement Effect, and how leaders, teachers, and businesses can create powerful, engaging experiences that ignite emotional connections, build trust, and inspire action.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can leaders create more engaging experiences for their customers and employees?  How can emotional and intellectual connections drive stronger customer loyalty?  Why is it important for businesses to treat engagement as an experiment rather than a fixed process?  How can leaders and managers inspire employees to deliver exceptional customer service?  How can companies operationalize the "best day ever" experience for both customers and team members?  Top Takeaways:    Engagement is about creating experiences, not transactions. Create an experience that connects emotionally and intellectually with your customers by making them feel involved and valued.   Treat engagement as an experiment. Try new things, see what works, and don't be afraid to fail or make changes. When leaders create a culture where it's okay to try and sometimes fail, employees feel more comfortable contributing and taking risks.   The way you treat your employees and customers shapes their experiences and loyalty. Positive experiences lead to better engagement, while negative ones can create lasting disengagement.  It's not enough to have a great product. What elevates your brand is how you present it. What creates a loyal following is getting people excited, curious, and the desire to be involved.  Allow your customers to help craft their experience. Sometimes, your customers will create powerful moments themselves, and your job is to set the stage and then step back. Invite feedback and participation. Pay attention to what they find most meaningful and operationalize it so that it becomes a part of the typical experience.  Approach leadership with a teacher's mindset. The best leaders don't just tell people what to do. They inspire, guide, and help others discover answers for themselves.  Plus, hear how Steve's viral Mentos-and-Diet-Coke experiments, Chewy.com's famous pet owner story, and more real-world examples bring the engagement effect to life. Tune in!  Quote:   "The engagement effect is when you emotionally and intellectually connect to an experience, and it makes the customer move forward with an action."    About:    Steve Spangler is an Emmy award-winning TV host, STEM educator, and bestselling author. He is known for making science unforgettable through TV, social media, and live demonstrations. With over 4.3 billion video views and years on DIY Sci and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he has inspired millions worldwide. His latest book, The Engagement Effect: Cultivating Experiences that Ignite Connection, Build Trust, and Inspire Action, is out now.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices