Key Principles for Exceptional Customer Experience

☕ Lessons in Customer Experience from a Coffee Shop in Singapore Wait, why are we talking about a coffee shop in Singapore instead of Seattle or San Francisco? Because this experience isn’t *yet* available in the US—and it’s one the world should take note of. At Bacha Coffee, luxury, culture, and customer care come together to create an unforgettable experience. It’s not just about coffee—it’s about a masterclass in customer experience (CX). Here are my reflections on their extraordinary approach and the lessons any business can learn from them: 1. Storytelling and building connection From the first greeting to a personalized introduction to their 200+ single-origin coffees, the team at Bacha Coffee makes every guest feel special. They don’t just serve coffee—they tell its story.  Lesson: Build an emotional connection with your customers through storytelling and authenticity. 2. Personalization at Scale Staff members anticipate needs, provide tailored recommendations, and treat every guest like a VIP. It’s personalization done right.  Lesson: Know your customers deeply to deliver meaningful, tailored experiences. 📸 3. Shareable Moments From golden coffee pots to stunning packaging, everything at Bacha Coffee is Instagram-worthy. They’ve turned their experience into something customers love to showcase.  Lesson: Build shareable moments into your customer journey—it’s free marketing with high impact. Great CX isn’t about big gestures—it’s about creating intentional, thoughtful moments at every touchpoint. Whether you’re in tech, retail, or consulting, the principles of immersion, personalization, and storytelling apply universally. ✨ Your Turn: What’s one unforgettable customer experience that’s inspired you? #CustomerExperience #CX #Luxury #Storytelling #BusinessLessons #BachaCoffee #CustomerJourney

What has the greatest impact on your ability to improve the customer experience, or better yet, achieve excellence? If I had to pick the top five factors they’d be: 1. Culture Culture eats everything for breakfast — including your CX program — and changes slowly. If you don’t have a customer-focused culture or a plan to try and create one, don’t think a few journey maps are gonna have much impact. 2. Leadership  Whether the CEO and the rest of the senior leadership team really and truly make this a priority is decisive. You can’t make water run uphill, and without their support you’re done. 3. Incentives What behaviours do we incentivize? What customer hostile behaviours do we tolerate? Show me what gets you a bonus or promotion and I’ll tell you the company’s values. Small businesses with skin in the game often create an amazing customer experience because if they don't they'll perish. 4. Psychological proximity Do people really understand the customer? Are they curious about them? Do they spend quality time with them? Do they use the product themselves, just as a customer would? If yes, it will be obvious what to do. If not, it’s HIPPO time — you’ll go with the highest paid person’s opinion. 5. Focus Are we focused on what will create the greatest value for customers, or are we constantly distracted by sideshows, boondoggles, bleeding edge technology, pet projects, and other forms of extraneous bullshit? If you can’t focus you can’t really improve. I’d argue that if these things are working in your favor the rest will (almost take care of itself) but if they’re not there’s little you can do. I’d also argue that in the real world 3,4 and 5 get little to no attention. I’d also, also argue that the things that get the most attention in large organizations are not even remotely close to being in the top five. I’d also, also, also like to hear what your top five would be, what I’ve missed, and where I’m wrong. Over to you. #customerexperience #cx

The biggest gap that separates good agencies from great agencies is the amount time and energy they invest into training their team. Today we had Raymond Johnston host a 1 hour training with our Sr. Account Managers. Ray walked our team through the principles and processes Right Hook Digital follows to generate a consistent level of service for all clients across their massive portfolio. Here are the 5 most important principles for successful account management: 1. Trust is the Foundation of Everything Trust keeps clients even when performance is down, team conflicts arise, or mistakes happen. Build trust BEFORE performance and maintain it at all costs. Formula: "Relationship over GMV" - clients will stick with you regardless of performance if they trust you, your process, and your vision 2. The Client Relationship Formula Communication × Setting Expectations × Performance ÷ Minimize Issues = Amazing Client Relationship When performance drops, increase communication and reset expectations. When rapport is bad, deliver results to compensate. When issues occur, own them, communicate proactively, and create action plans. Everything is interconnected - weak areas can be strengthened by improving other components. 3. "See Something, Say Something" - Control the Narrative The first person to identify and communicate problems controls how the client receives the information. Proactively set expectations about potential challenges. Always come with solutions, not just problems. 4. Structure and Standards Are Non-Negotiable Create consistent meeting agendas for every client (sent 24 hours in advance) Use the same template structure: previous action items, performance review, what's working, learnings, next steps. One home base for all communication and project management. Standardize processes so every client gets the same high-quality experience regardless of team member. 5. "One Throat to Choke" - Clear Accountability Every task, process, and outcome must have one clearly designated owner. Create specific KPIs for each role and measure them every 2 months. Building a successful client services business is all about trust and these 5 principles help accomplish that. One of the most impactful things we've done over the past 2 years is build relationships with successful agency owners that have poured into us with advice and guidance. In business, having as many reference points to evaluate how your standards and performance stack up against bigger and better operators/companies is priceless. Excited to improve on and implement these principles. Thank you again Raymond Johnston.

Today is my last day at Cigna/Evernorth, where I have had the privilege of leading the Enterprise Insights & Experience function for the last 7 years. More to come soon on what’s next, but as I look ahead with excitement, I also find myself drawing on some important lessons from the past. Just before I started my current role in 2017, I wrote a piece on this platform titled ‘5 Things that Customer Experience Professionals Must Do to Thrive’. It acknowledged the progress that the function had made over the preceding decade and made five recommendations to accelerate progress over the next 10 years. I could write a whole article about what I got wrong in hindsight (a lot) or how the customer experience reality of today matches the future-state that most leaders envisioned in 2017 (imperfect) but changing the current-state always requires a forward-leaning perspective. So, in preparation for this next career step, I thought I'd revisit the 5 things from 2017 with a fresh perspective that will guide me as I step into a new role. 2017: Better define why we exist. 2024: Prove the ROI of your function and the work. Why?: As companies increasingly look for levers to optimize top and bottom-line performance, those who can’t justify their existence by demonstrating significant and quantifiable value above investment will be at risk. 2017: Articulate a more specific set of skills that effective customer experience practitioners must possess. 2024: Develop proficiency in emerging capabilities and expertise at applying them for value. Why?: Defining skills is necessary but not sufficient. Applying skills to simultaneously solve the customer and business problems where maximum value can be unlocked is essential.   2017: Stop with the jargon. 2024: Speak the language of the business. Why?: NPS, journeys, design principles, etc. are all important, but only insofar as they help drive outcomes the business cares about. Start there and work backwards to how improved experience can best support the P&L. 2017: Figure out what we own. 2024: Get crystal clear on responsibility and accountability. Why?: Ownership is a misnomer in corporate America, but responsibility and accountability are not. Be clear on what the organization should hold you to and do the same with your team & colleagues in turn. 2017: Help solve the organizational structure challenges. 2024: Redefine the operating model such that organizational structure is invisible in the end-user experience. Why?: Organizational structure alone cannot solve for the need to deliver seamless end-user experiences. Instead, focus on how the structure can be operationalized & optimized for maximum effectiveness and efficiency.     A heartfelt thank you to my Cigna & Evernorth colleagues, and especially to my team, for a truly memorable 7 years. There is a lot more work to do, but I am proud of what we accomplished. Here's to new beginnings...