Paula Courtney is the CEO of The Verde Group, a leading customer experience consultancy.  Her focus is on customer retention and how to quantify the financial risk associated with poor customer experience.  Paula’s work involves linking customer experiences with the behaviors that make organizations money, such as buying more and recommending the business to friends and family. She has developed tools and techniques to identify the specific experiences that degrade loyalty the most and cost businesses the most money. On today’s episode, I sit down with Paula to dive into the science of customer experience and the importance of identifying and addressing pain points to boost revenue.  We also discuss the growing need for human connection in business settings and the challenges companies face in bringing employees back to the office.  Paula shares her expertise in customer experience, improvement, and retention, highlighting the three key things every business should focus on; identifying and eliminating customer friction, having a solid problem-resolution system in place, and encouraging and measuring customer engagement outside of the purchase cycle.  We also touch on the importance of involving frontline staff in the design of customer experience programs and how to avoid the common problem of projects having a slow death after the initial excitement.  Overall, today’s episode provides valuable insights on how to improve customer experiences and drive revenue growth. Key Takeaways The importance of identifying and addressing pain points in boosting revenueFocusing on the negative experiences, and why such experiences are more predictive of market actionThe impact of digital transformation on the customer’s perspectives and expectationsChallenges in returning to the office: Companies are facing challenges in bringing employees back to the office, with more and more employees having a preference for hybrid work arrangementsThe need for better metrics: There is a growing need for better metrics for understanding where to invest and grow a businessEngaging customers outside of the purchase cycle, and why it’s important for companies to constantly seek new ways to engage with customers outside of the purchase cycle Timestamps [00:04:25] "Boosting Business Revenue Through Customer Retention" [00:10:30] "Traditional Surveys Are Losing Favor Among Customers" [00:18:31] "Involving Frontline in Customer Experience Programs" [00:22:33] "AI not yet a threat to Frontline jobs" [00:28:12] 2023 Predictions: More Digital, Value & Adaptability [00:34:07] "Fundamental Business Growth Strategy: Moving Beyond Technology" [00:39:24] "CX Stash: Your One-Stop Shop for CX Tech" Quotes "Customer Experience: It's dissatisfied customers. It's those negative problem experiences that actually predict negative market action." "The Importance of Leadership in Building a Successful Customer Experience Program: 'It's really a long game and it's definitely a marathon.' " On involving the Frontline in Customer Experience Change Management: "If you just keep it in the boardroom and then expect these soldiers to carry out these orders, you're going to have a mutiny on your hands without question." Connect with Paula Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-courtney-3b23861/  Website - https://verdegroup.com/