Personalized Customer Strategy in the Age of AI: A Five-Part Framework for Driving Growth
Release Date: 11/05/2024
How Creative Thinking Unlocks the True Power of AI in CX
The Modern Customer Podcast
The missing piece in AI-powered CX? Creative thinking. This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, I’m joined by Zendesk CTO Adrian McDermott, live from the Zendesk Relate conference in Las Vegas. We explore why AI alone isn’t enough—and how customer experience leaders must pair technology with imagination to drive meaningful innovation. Inside the episode: ✔️ RAG: The new standard for self-service ✔️ Agent co-pilots that reduce training time ✔️ Smarter automation that actually delivers 🎧 Listen now and let me know how you’re combining creativity with AI in your own...
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The $1.3 Trillion CX Opportunity: It Starts with Creative AI Leadership
The Modern Customer Podcast
According to a new Qualtrics + McKinsey report, organizations that effectively use AI to enhance CX could unlock between $860 billion and $1.3 trillion in annual value. On the latest episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, I speak with Isabelle Zdatny, Head of Thought Leadership at Qualtrics, live from the X4 conference. We dive into what this research means for CX leaders navigating AI transformation. Key insights from the report: 77% of executives say CX is a top strategic priority 72% believe AI will fundamentally reshape CX within three years Yet only 12% have a coordinated AI...
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Agentic AI, Customer Resolution, and the Future of Zendesk’s CX Vision
The Modern Customer Podcast
In the latest episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, Tom Eggemeier, CEO of Zendesk, shares what’s next for CX—and why the future is all about outcomes, not tickets. The conversation explores Zendesk’s new Resolution Platform and the real-world impact of Agentic AI. Key takeaways include: ✅ The shift from interactions to real resolution ✅ Agentic AI that acts, adapts, and anticipates ✅ A business model that only wins if customers do ✅ The 3 biggest CX shifts redefining loyalty, automation, and the human touch If you're thinking about where customer experience is headed, this...
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What Drives Customers to Buy—And What Holds Them Back
The Modern Customer Podcast
This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, I sat down with Jeff Shore, sales strategist, author, and founder of Shore Consulting. We explored the emotional mechanics behind why customers buy—and what causes them to hesitate. Jeff shared a powerful framework that helps brands reduce friction, build trust, and create experiences that move customers forward with confidence. If you lead CX, journey design, or customer strategy, this episode offers fresh insights you can apply right away. Listen now—and discover how to turn hesitation into momentum. This episode is sponsored by Scayle—the...
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Inside Walmart’s EX Strategy: How 2.1 Million Associates Are Powering CX Innovation
The Modern Customer Podcast
This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, I sat down in person with Donna Morris, EVP and Chief People Officer at Walmart, live from the Qualtrics X4 event in Salt Lake City. We explored how Walmart is using technology, AI, and a deep focus on people to rethink employee experience at scale—and what that means for customers. If you lead CX, EX, or digital transformation, this episode is packed with insights you can use. 🎧 Don’t miss this powerful conversation with one of the world’s most influential HR leaders. Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and...
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AI and CX: The Shift Toward Smarter, Seamless Service
The Modern Customer Podcast
AI is no longer a future concept—it’s here, transforming how businesses operate and how customers engage. In this episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, , futurist, founder of , and former Head of GTM at OpenAI—joins us to explore how AI is reshaping customer experience and the industries that rely on it. Zack shares his insights on how AI is shifting CX from reactive problem-solving to seamless, proactive engagement. He explains why many businesses still treat CX as a cost center and how AI-driven automation will eliminate inefficiencies, personalize interactions, and unlock new...
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How the 80/20 Rule, AI, and Leadership Drive Business Growth
The Modern Customer Podcast
In this episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, I sit down with Bill Canady, CEO of OTC Industrial Technologies and Arrowhead Engineered Products, and author of From Panic to Profit, set to release on April 29th. With decades of experience leading billion-dollar companies, Bill shares how leaders can scale efficiently by prioritizing high-impact areas, optimizing processes, and leveraging AI to enhance—not replace—human roles. Under his leadership at OTC: 👉 Revenue grew by 43% 👉 Earnings increased over 80% 🎧 Listen now to hear Bill’s insights on scaling efficiently, prioritizing...
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Proving AI’s ROI: How SAP Concur Transformed Customer Support & Reduced Costs
The Modern Customer Podcast
Can AI actually improve customer experience while reducing costs? SAP Concur’s results say yes. This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Michelle Lewis Miller, VP of Strategy & Transformation at SAP Concur, shares how her team leveraged AI-powered search and automation to scale support, enhance self-service, and deliver measurable business impact. The results speak for themselves: ✅ 90% fewer searches per session—faster resolutions with less effort. ✅ 30% drop in case submissions—reducing strain on support teams. ✅ 9% year-over-year decrease in case volumes—proving AI’s...
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AI-Powered Marketing: How to Personalize Without Overstepping Customer Trust
The Modern Customer Podcast
87% of customers engage more with personalized emails—yet too much personalization can feel intrusive. This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Malinda Sandman, Senior Director of Global Acquisition and Partner Marketing at Intuit Mailchimp, shares how brands can use AI responsibly to build trust, increase engagement, and drive results. 📢 Key takeaways from the episode: 🔹 07:44 | How to personalize marketing without losing customer trust 🔹 11:15 | The power of AI-driven segmentation and predictive insights 🔹 14:51 | Why first-party data is the key to long-term marketing...
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How Coveo’s AI Helps Leading Organizations Personalize at Scale
The Modern Customer Podcast
This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, I’m joined by Sheila Morin, CMO of Coveo, whose career spans L’Oréal, Danone, Cirque du Soleil, and now AI-driven CX at Coveo. Across industries, her focus has remained the same: creating seamless, customer-focused experiences that drive engagement and loyalty. We explore how Coveo helps leading brands like United Airlines, SAP, and Xero thrive with AI, the latest trends in generative AI, and what CX leaders need to know before implementing AI. AI has the power to transform customer experience—but only if it’s built on trusted data and...
info_outlineThis week on The Modern Customer Podcast, David Edelman, senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and former CMO of Aetna, shares a five-part framework for using AI to drive growth based on his book, "Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI," co-authored with Mark Abrahams.
With decades of experience helping top brands enhance their CX, David shows how companies can leverage AI to drive meaningful growth and create lasting customer loyalty. He explains how AI can empower customers, enable perfectly timed interactions, and support every stage of a growth-focused CX strategy. David also addresses key challenges, such as maintaining human oversight and avoiding intrusive interactions, to ensure AI-driven CX builds trust and protects brand integrity.
Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.