Building a Customer Movement: How Companies Create Experiences That Work | Alain Thys, Revisited episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 17, 2026 · 1H 15M

Building a Customer Movement: How Companies Create Experiences That Work | Alain Thys, Revisited

from Work For Humans · host Dart Lindsley / Alain Thys

Many companies treat experience as the final layer of the business: a nicer interface, a friendlier script, a smoother customer interaction. But the real experience of a company comes from something deeper. It grows out of the systems, incentives, and environments that shape how people behave. If those foundations are wrong, no amount of design can fix it. Experience architect, Alain Thys, has spent years helping organizations rethink those foundations so the experience customers and employees feel is actually built into the way the company works. In this episode, Dart and Alain discuss how organizations turn vision into lived experience, how leaders create environments where people naturally do the right thing, and why choosing the right customers and employees may be the most important design decision a company makes.In this episode, Dart and Alain discuss:- Why experience must be architected- Turning vision into lived experience- Why you cannot design a smile- Creating environments where people do the right thing- Listening to employees like customers- Emotional and rational space in leadership- Choosing the right customers for your business- Hiring for fit before skills- Why some customers drain the organization- Designing for future customer expectations- And other topics…Alain Thys is the founder of Alain Thys & Co., where he helps organizations design and implement customer and employee experiences that drive business performance. He previously served as Managing Partner of Futurelab and has worked with global brands including Adidas, Audi, Mercedes, Reebok, Toyota, and ING. His work focuses on experience architecture, customer transformation, and aligning organizations around meaningful experiences. He is the author of So You Want To Be Customer-Centric?Resources Mentioned:Alain’s Book, So You Want To Be Customer-Centric?: 8 Steps To Profitable Customer Relations: https://www.amazon.com/You-Want-Customer-Centric-Profitable-Relations/dp/1463785143Connect with Alain:Website: https://www.alainthys.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alainthys/Work with Dart:Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 17, 2026

Embed this episode

Many companies treat experience as the final layer of the business: a nicer interface, a friendlier script, a smoother customer interaction. But the real experience of a company comes from something deeper. It grows out of the systems, incentives, and environments that shape how people behave. If those foundations are wrong, no amount of design can fix it. Experience architect, Alain Thys, has spent years helping organizations rethink those foundations so the experience customers and e...

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.

NOW PLAYING

Building a Customer Movement: How Companies Create Experiences That Work | Alain Thys, Revisited

0:00 1:15:38

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Work For Humans?

This episode is 1 hour and 15 minutes long.

When was this Work For Humans episode published?

This episode was published on March 17, 2026.

Can I download this Work For Humans episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!