Mike Wittenstein founded Storyminers in 2002, serving corporate, medium-size, and start-up organizations. His first professional CX experience was to guide the CX design for McDonald’s digital drive-thru in 1999 while eVisionary at IBM.  He earned the 31st CCXP designation and has helped hundreds of companies advance their CX initiatives and increase their ability to deliver value for clients.  A serial innovator, Mike has figured out methods and techniques to embed the power of CX stories into operations and cultures. His clients have created over $2 billion in value by applying them. He has worked extensively in Europe and the Americas and speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish, and (a little) Russian.  Mike’s favorite work is using CX to figure out the future. He believes that customer experience is the perfect tool for businesses to create a meaningful connection with their customers and that brands cannot succeed unless they keep their promises. He has helped many businesses to pivot and adjust their strategies, during tough times like the COVID pandemic or geopolitical unrest, by leveraging the power of their stories and creating meaningful customer experiences. In this episode, Mike and I delve into finding the essence of a story for branding by knowing who you are and improving observation skills with mystery shops. Mike shares his experience in prototyping technology and optimizing the checkout experience.  Key Takeaways How leaders can create a safe space and build trust, and the importance of building a culture of being genuinely curious and asking emotionally intelligent questions.Making Transitions feel more real for customersRecognizing and handling common complaints among employeesMike’s thoughts on CX. Why it’s all about doing things for others, not to othersInvolving your customers in the change process. If you want to find the right approach for customer experience solutions, you need to place yourself in your client's shoes and understand his needs and pain points.  Timestamps [00:02:41] "Finding the essence of a story" [00:06:48] "Aligning Customer Needs with Honest Communication Strategies" [00:12:43] "Building Rapport & Solving Business Misalignment Challenges" [00:18:32] "Creating a Powerful Future Story for Change" [00:23:14] "Transforming Experiences: 3 Success Stories" [00:25:07] "Transitions expands to retail with a new approach" [00:27:27] "Creating a Revolutionary Brand Experience for Glasses" [00:34:25] "Revolutionizing Eyeglass Shopping Experience Through Technology" [00:36:46] "Storytelling Through Customer Experience Analysis" [00:38:41] "Meet Consultant Mike Wittenstein: The Expert Guide" Quotes On customer Experience Design: "Solutions are always about people. They are front and center, whether it's call center, retail, waiting rooms at hospitals, amusement parks, or whatever. It's all about how people respond. So if you don't show your chops in terms of understanding people, the conversation won't go too far." On Leading Change with Future Stories: "I believe that because there is so much change right now and so much ambiguity and so much opportunity and so many well-educated people... it makes sense that it's the leader's responsibility to paint that picture of the future. Now, should she or he do it themselves because they're in a position of power? Absolutely not. They should do it as a with my people, exercise, with my clients, with my partners and employees." Connect with Mike Website - https://storyminers.com/  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikewittenstein/  Email - [email protected]  Phone - 404 229 5809 Twitter - https://twitter.com/mikewittenstein?lang=en