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PODCAST · business

Crack the Customer Code

by Adam and Jeannie

Crack the Customer Code is dedicated to helping business professionals, small business owners, and customer-facing professionals learn the ins and outs of creating great customer experiences. With interviews and insights from a wide range of experts in the field, Crack the Customer Code will explore both timely and timeless topics, from how to increase customer loyalty through social media to why customers are more prone to lose control with companies nowadays. Crack the Customer Code provides a peek behind the curtain of what customer experience professionals really know about customers and how to make them happy and keep them loyal.

Publisher-supplied feed metadata · PodParley refreshed Apr 12, 2026 · Source feed

Episodes

  1. 003: Experience Action Podcast - Customer Experience Training

    "Is customer experience training a one time process or is it ongoing?" Sounds like this one will have a pretty simple answer, right? As with all things in business, ongoing training is always beneficial. For customer experience (CX) training, this sometimes isn't as straightforward as other types...

  2. 002: Experience Action Podcast - Sponsorship Initiatives

    "How do we get leadership or executive sponsorship initiatives that we want to tackle?" This is an AMAZING QUESTION! And a Jeannie favorite. The key to this answer is leadership buy-in. As a Customer Experience Leader, we know that investing in and executing customer experience is a winning...

  3. New Podcast Introduction: Experience Action with Jeannie Walters

    Welcome everyone to our very first episode of Experience Action! A customer experience podcast where we turn ideas into action. We hope that you are as excited to be here as Jeannie is! With over 20 years investigating the best and worst in customer experience, Jeannie Walters has heard A LOT of...

  4. 500: Bourbon Summit

    This episode is special in so many ways. First, it’s the 500th episode of Crack the Customer Code! That in itself is an incredible thing, but this is also the season's finale and another bourbon summit. Unfortunately, this is also the last episode of the whole show. If you're not aware, Jeannie…

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  5. 499: The Present and Future of CX

    As we sail off into the sunset of the Crack The Customer Code podcast, Adam and Jeannie reflect back to 2014 (when they started this podcast) on what they, their guests, and Forrester's predicted for customer experience trends in 2022. Adam and Jeannie delve into Forrester's 2014 article on...

  6. 498: Jay Baer, The Need for Speed

    Speed and responsiveness matter today, and even though the pandemic has changed the rules, some things are still carved in stone. Jay, Jeannie, and Adam will delve deep into this, and they'll touch upon how values are not just words but things that companies need to act upon. You'll also learn...

  7. 497: Looking Back on CX

    Nearing the end of the podcast, we are sure you can agree that it’s time to take a look at the past. That’s why this episode is dedicated to the history of Crack the Customer Code and CX in general. Customer experience has gone through a lot since the start of the podcast, especially when that…

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  8. 496: Jeff Toister, The Guaranteed Experience

    Jeff Toister’s first customer service interaction ended in a service failure. Vowing to learn from that experience, he became obsessed with customer service. Today, he guides organizations that want to build and grow a customer-focused culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

  9. 495: Common CX Mistakes

    There’s no such thing as perfection in customer experience, but there is perfect execution. And to reach that, you need to eliminate mistakes, especially the more common ones. To help you with that, Jeannie and Adam have decided to dedicate an entire episode to addressing these and how to avoid...

  10. 494: Jen Bailin, The Bright, Big Future of CX

    The future is for the optimists! There's a lot to be optimistic about in the future of CX, and that's precisely what we discuss here today with our guest, Jen Bailin. She is the Chief Revenue Officer at SAP Customer Experience (CX), one of the leading drivers of SAP growth. Jen Bailin has a lot…

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  11. 493: Special Announcement

    Crack the Customer Code has been with you for countless years, but all good things must end. After meticulous consideration, Jeannie and Adam have decided that the podcast will end with this season. It's been around for almost a decade, but it has become hard for both Jeannie and Adam to get…

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  12. 492: Zhecho Dobrev, The Value of Emotions

    What is the power of relationships? Our guest, Zhecho Dobrev really gets into how we can understand the emotions of our customers better. And not only that, but what does that do for the value of an organization? Business leaders in general are overlooking emotions, and that's been a challenge…

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  13. 491: Answer to Abusive Customers: Shut Down Support?

    Customer service isn't easy. This isn't breaking news to CX people, and it might not be breaking news to many of our listeners, but it should be discussed. Agents don't have it easy, especially when encountering problematic customers. Is there a point when they should stop dealing with a specific...

  14. 490: Deon Nicholas, Human-Centered AI

    We've mentioned our sponsor, Forethought, several times this season, but they're finally with us in person. Specifically, the CEO of Forethought, Deon Nicholas, is here to talk with Jeannie and Adam about his company's human-centered AI. Forethought is the "AI for Customer Support" company and…

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  15. 489: Customer Health Score

    Knowing how your customers are doing is the bare minimum of what companies can do with customer experience, but so many don’t succeed in that as they are focusing on bigger metrics. However, this knowledge is crucial in improving user experience, which is why the customer health score metric is…

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  16. 488: Dr. Shirley Davis, Inclusive Leadership

    Dr. Shirley Davis has a lot of fascinating insight to bring to you on how HR should work today, how cultural change can happen in a company, and much more. Most importantly, she has an interesting way of implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion into any organization. She talks about that in...

  17. 487: Season Intro

    Crack the Customer Code is back on the air! It's the start of a new season, and Jeannie and Adam are ready to help you solve your latest CX conundrums and bring a host of guests to share their valuable insights. The show has been on for so long, but the CX world never rests and never stops...

  18. 486: Bourbon Summit, Season Finale

    Jeannie and Adam are recording together for the season finale of Crack the Customer Code because it’s another bourbon summit and bourbon is best drank in company. We've had a lot of guests this season and learned a lot of fascinating lessons on the future of CX, but more importantly, on what…

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  19. 485: David Sakamoto, The Power of Transparency

    What does it mean to be authentic and transparent in customer and employee experience? More importantly, how does that work in practice? That's precisely what we are talking about with our guest David Sakamoto. Transparency is not as simple as many companies think. You need to be open about your...

  20. 484: Empathy and Leadership

    In this episode, we will talk a little bit about empathy and its importance in business. It’s all because empathy plays a crucial role in improving your organization. There are specific connections between empathy and business results, and that’s precisely what we are here to unravel. Catalyst’s...

  21. 483: Donna Cutting, Employees First!

    Keeping employees motivated and having a sense of purpose is crucial in keeping them happy. It's even more crucial today in the era of the Great Resignation. Thankfully, Donna Cutting has some interesting suggestions in her upcoming book, but she'll also share some thoughts in our talk today.…

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  22. 482: Focus on Government CX

    We don’t really think that customer experience and the government ever go together, but that doesn’t negate the fact that we, the people of the United States, deserve better experience when dealing with the government. The government sees areas of improvement, which is likely why President Biden...

  23. 481: Annette Franz, Built to Win

    Annette Franz has some exciting ideas to share about the customer-centric mindset all companies need to have. Many of them are already widely believed by organizations, but they are not adopted in the way they need to be. What's more, many companies keep delaying this to increase profits, but…

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  24. 480: Innovate or Fail

    Do you think that we at Crack the Customer Code innovate enough? Whatever the case may be, innovation is the key subject today. It's also vital in business in general as everyone wants to see it. Customers want companies to innovate, and companies themselves want to innovate. However, it's clear...

  25. 479: Fred Reichheld, Winning on Purpose

    Recommendations are essential, and so is customer loyalty. Today's guest of Crack the Customer Code, Fred Reichheld, knows that well. He is the creator of the Net Promoter System of management, founder of Bain & Company's Loyalty practice, and author of five books, including a New York Times...

  26. 478: The CX of Right to Repair

    The right to repair is a big discussion right now. Many feel that companies have gone too far in making their products hard to repair, and users now want to be able to fix the products they buy. Naturally, this doesn't always work for organizations, which is precisely why we are where we are. But...

  27. 477: Michael Bartlett, The Dark Side of CX

    Michael Bartlett has a lot of interesting and, frankly, very unique ideas on customer experience. He’ll discuss how he connects other fields to CX, all in an effort to improve it and help CX professionals become better at their jobs. You can find all of that in his new book as well, so tune in to...

  28. 476: Is CX Dead in Banking?

    Customer experience and banking – an old topic, but one that needs to be discussed. Some would say that they go together and have to go together, and they point to many trends that might be able to prove this point. Others would say quite the opposite, and you can already guess where Adam and...

  29. 475: Brad Cleveland, Leading the Customer Experience

    Some might not believe it, but there is still a debate between customer experience and customer service, even though the former includes the latter. The first guest of the new season, Brad Cleveland, has a lot to say about the role of customer service in CX. Customer service is often mistreated…

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  30. 474: Season Intro

    Welcome back to Crack the Customer Code! With so many changes in the world of customer experience, expect the upcoming season to be jam-packed with important knowledge, insights, and opinions you’ll want to hear. "We are all facing change like we never have before." Tune in for this brief...

  31. 473: Bourbon Summit, Season Finale

    This is one of the longest Bourbon Summits in the show's history, and Jeannie and Adam survived, don't worry! But more importantly, it was one of the longest as so many things had to be covered. From the changes to the world of CX to a recapitulation of what the show's guests covered, there's so...

  32. 472: Marlanges Simar, Prime Therapeutics

    It's incredibly challenging being the CX leader, especially when you're always looking for support from the rest of the organization. That's why the advice Marlanges Simar has is so powerful and energizing. More importantly, it's bound to help any CX leader out there. Marlanges collaborates with...

  33. 471: When the Frontline is the Last to Know

    Recently, there have been so many changes with the rapidly evolving technology and the pandemic, but something hasn't been included – the frontline workers. This always leads to problems as your frontline workers are the ones customers contact, and if they are not in the loop, you'll only create…

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  34. 470: Dan Gingiss, The Experience Maker

    Dan wants you to create a memorable experience for your customers, as that will turn you into an experience maker, which always leads to success. He has a lot of advice to give you on achieving this goal, how the pandemic has influenced a greater need for change, and so much more. You’ll see that...

  35. 469: Frictionless vs. Memorable CX

    Frictionless vs. memorable. Do you have to choose either, or can your business manage both? It's a tricky question to answer, especially since so few brands are successful at being both memorable and frictionless at the same time. The research shows that at a certain point, you'll have to choose...

  36. 468: Greg Lisiewski

    The way we view the payment part of the customer journey needs to change, and it needs to become another important part of what we look into in the customer experience segment. Greg Lisiewski from PayPal has a lot of useful advice he can give you on why payments matter, what PayPal is doing to...

  37. 467: How Location and Design Impact CX

    Sometimes, customers can't reach a location, or they don't find the physical store attractive enough. Unfortunately, these problems that businesses face have reached new levels during the pandemic, so companies need to rethink their physical stores to attract their customers and improve their...

  38. Bonus Episode: Noa Danon

    In this special sponsored episode, we’re talking with Noa Danon, Co-Founder and CEO at EverAfter.ai. Thank you to EverAfter for sponsoring this episode. We’ve talked a lot about Artificial Intelligence (AI) on this podcast. But often we’re talking about it in a consumer-facing context. Our...

  39. 466: David Horsager

    A term we use a lot in business and customer experience is 'confidence', but where does that confidence come from? It comes from trust. It's easy to forget how fundamental trust is to any relationship, including economic relationships. When we talk about the whole customer experience journey, we...

  40. 465: Customer Effort 2.0

    The worst of the pandemic is behind us, but a big question arises: How tolerant are customers now? Or better said, are they more or less tolerant than they were before the pandemic? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  41. 464: Theodora Lau

    The customer journey needs to be integrated into customers' lives and the notion of what they want to get from it. It's just one of the things we need to truly understand to improve the overall experience for the customer. Our guest, Theodora (Theo) Lau, is here to talk about that and how AI…

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  42. 463: Pronouns and How to Use Them

    Customer service agents are getting better at referring to people using gender-neutral pronouns, but this can always improve, and it should improve. Leaders need to take action and work on this so every customer can feel at ease when dealing with your company. Learn more about your ad choices....

  43. 462: Shep Hyken

    Shep Hyken talks about a couple of essential things from his book in greater detail. You'll get vital knowledge on why customers terminate their business with you and what you can do to increase your retention rates. And those rates are the ones every business needs to grow. So, tune in to learn…

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  44. 461: How Customer Experience Management Has Changed

    There’s a big difference between customer experience and customer experience management, which is another central point that will be elaborated on in this episode. It's a distinction that should interest every leader and anyone working in the customer experience sector. Learn more about your ad...

  45. 460: Alison Lichtenstein, Who Is the Media's Customer? CX at Dow Jones

    Alison has a lot of exciting advice to give to all types of leaders looking to improve their companies' customer experience. She particularly has a bit of advice for leaders of companies that haven't had customers in the past but suddenly need to change to a more customer-centric model. All in…

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  46. 459: Season Intro

    Your two favorite hosts are here to tell you about the new topics they’ll cover in the episodes to come. This is a quick intro to the new season, but tune in to learn what you can expect to get in the weeks and months to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  47. 458: Bourbon Summit, Season Finale

    In this episode, Adam and Jeannie recap everything they've learned from the amazing guests this season has witnessed. Moreover, they talk about all the bumper stickers of the season, including their own, the ones they've saved for this very episode. And yes, bourbon will be consumed, so pour...

  48. 457: Tom Karinshak, Navigating Change at Comcast

    2020 has been a hectic year for everyone, but some companies have managed to come out on top thanks to great strategies, care for their customers, and top-notch leadership. Tom Karinshak and Comcast, have managed to do just that in several ways, and he shares all about that and how you can lead...

  49. 456: Ovetta Sampson, Empowerment Through Design

    AI is everywhere, and it influences every life in one way or another, yet people rarely understand it. But Ovetta Sampson has a lot of interesting advice to give leaders who are not yet familiar enough with AI and data. If you want to learn more, you’ll have to listen to this data-driven episode…

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  50. 455: Riaz Raihan, Improving CX with AI

    AI is beneficial to some, but a complete mystery to most. It’s a problem that should be remedied as AI can be incredibly helpful to a lot of companies, as long as they implement it correctly. Riaz Raihan and his company Alida know that well, so he is here to talk about how to use it in customer...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Crack the Customer Code is dedicated to helping business professionals, small business owners, and customer-facing professionals learn the ins and outs of creating great customer experiences. With interviews and insights from a wide range of experts in the field, Crack the Customer Code will explore both timely and timeless topics, from how to increase customer loyalty through social media to why customers are more prone to lose control with companies nowadays. Crack the Customer Code provides a peek behind the curtain of what customer experience professionals really know about customers and how to make them happy and keep them loyal.

HOSTED BY

Adam and Jeannie

CATEGORIES

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Crack the Customer Code have?

Crack the Customer Code currently has 509 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Crack the Customer Code about?

Crack the Customer Code is dedicated to helping business professionals, small business owners, and customer-facing professionals learn the ins and outs of creating great customer experiences. With interviews and insights from a wide range of experts in the field, Crack the Customer Code will...

How often does Crack the Customer Code release new episodes?

Crack the Customer Code releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 509 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.

Where can I listen to Crack the Customer Code?

You can listen to Crack the Customer Code on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Crack the Customer Code?

Crack the Customer Code is created and hosted by Adam and Jeannie.
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