Reinventing Customer Experience

Send us Fan MailArun Shastri and Gopi Vikranth welcome Marcos Acosta, general manager of digital transformation at Yamaha Motor Company. Acosta shares how he led the building of a customer data platform and aligned the organization around a customer-centric mindset. Listen for insights on leadership in digital innovation and customer experience strategy.Highlights include:How Yamaha is moving beyond personalization to real-time individualization, using AI and customer data to anticipate customer needs and deliver more relevant and timely experiencesWhy simplicity and an empathetic, customer-centric approach are key to delivering great customer experiencesWhat the future holds as AI agents increasingly orchestrate the customer journey 

Send us Fan MailNordstrom is a U.S. luxury department store chain known for its high-end clothing, shoes, accessories and exceptional customer service. Arun Shastri and Gopi Vikranth discuss customer engagement, omnichannel, AI, personalization and digital acquisitions with Jason Morris, the retailer’s chief technology and information officer. Topics include how Nordstrom:Adapts to customer experience trends and maintains its reputation for superior service in the digital ageImplements omnichannel strategies to create a seamless customer experience across touch pointsLeverages AI to enhance in-store experiences and optimize back-end processesDelivers personalized experiences and protects customers’ privacy and data security

Send us Fan MailSchneider is best known as a leading provider of truckload, intermodal and logistics services. Arun Shastri and Gopi Vikranth meet with Shaleen Devgun, the company’s executive vice president and chief innovation and technology officer. They discuss how Schneider delivers the goods with logistics, technology, gen AI and personalization while also highlighting the critical role of the supply chain and the importance of balancing human and AI capabilities. Highlights include: How every company, regardless of its sector, needs to operate as a technology companySchneider’s launch of its innovation center is a first-of-its kind endeavor in the transportation and logistics industryHow Schneider will use gen AI to transform customer engagementConcerns about potential job displacement by next-generation AI and the ways organizations maintain balance with human resources roles

Send us Fan MailLumen Technologies is a global telecommunications company that provides communications, network services, security, cloud solutions and managed services through its extensive fiber optic and copper networks. Arun Shastri and Gopi Vikranth explore how Lumen uses AI to enhance customer interactions, streamline operations and empower employees with Ryan Asdourian, the company’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer. They discuss the importance of maintaining a human-centered approach in AI, the role of data in driving innovation and how AI is transforming accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Ryan also emphasizes the significance of leadership principles such as failing gracefully and putting customers first in the digital age. Before joining Lumen, Ryan spent 20 years at Microsoft, where he held various product and marketing leadership positions of increasing responsibility. Long-time Seattle Seahawks fans may recognize him as the team’s mascot Blitz, a position he took on to help raise awareness of multiple sclerosis. Topics include: How AI is enabling personalized and scalable customer experiences at LumenThe role of leadership in fostering innovation and embracing failurePredictions for the future of AI in optimizing the customer experience

Send us Fan MailArun Shastri and Gopi Vikranth get a glimpse of the future as presented by Professor Robert Wolcott, author of “Proximity: How Coming Breakthroughs in Just-in-Time Transform Business, Society, and Daily Life.” For Wolcott, the ability to deliver on customer expectations and enhance production drives the need for proximity and will shape the future. Hear how he expects technology will change business, society and the experience of being human.  Highlights include:Industries already leveraging technology and data to create personalized experiences and improve efficiencyHow proximity will create new opportunities in various industriesWhy customer data will be critical and how businesses can gain an advantage using AI

Send us Fan MailFurniture retailer Wayfair is known for creating market-leading experiences. Arun Shastri and Gopi Vikranth talk with Chief Technology Officer Fiona Tan about how Wayfair is integrating AI to personalize the shopping experience from online to in person. Find out what she’s learned during Wayfair’s AI and machine learning journey.  Highlights include:Why the supply chain is a critical factor in successfully powering online shoppingThe importance of knowing where to keep the “human in the loop” and where to take risksHow AI might power tech transformation in the future and the big problems it could help solve 

Send us Fan MailOn this episode of the “Reinventing Customer Experience” podcast, Arun Shastri and Gopi Vikranth discuss digital-first customer experience with Joe Wheeler, CEO of Bluemvmt. A published author on modern business strategies, Joe dives into how analytics and machine learning will drive customer loyalty in competitive markets while sharing analysis of the customer experience practices of some of the world’s best-known brands.

Send us Fan MailRaghu has been a professor of marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania for more than 17 years. His teaching interests fall into two domains primarily; pricing and social influence. Raghu has worked on multi-part pricing techniques on customer response wherein he has developed consumer demand models capturing multi-part pricing tariffs. Raghu's work also focuses on studying how the influences of social media might work. *Please note at the time of the podcast recording, Raghu served as a faculty director at Wharton Customer Analytics, his title has singed changed to Wharton AI & Analytics for Business (AIAB) faculty co-director.

Send us Fan MailWe are thrilled to have Jenny Wolski, SVP, Omnichannel Experience at Petco, join us in this episode. At Petco, Jenny leads enterprisewide programs targeted at evolving retail strategy and operations, strengthening omnichannel services, and enhancing employee and customer experiences and loyalty. Jenny also serves as an advisory board member for the Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative and is the founding sponsor for LGBTQ+ at Petco.

Send us Fan MailOn this episode of our “Reinventing Customer Experience” podcast, ZS principals Arun Shastri and Gopi Vikranth chat with guest speaker Lucy Werner, SVP, Commercial at Rosewood Hotel Group. Lucy shares how Rosewood is transforming its operations using digital and data, delivering unique experiences in luxury hospitality, and navigating customer expectations across different regions. 

Send us Fan MailOn this episode of our “Reinventing Customer Experience” podcast, ZS principals Arun Shastri and Gopi Vikranth chat with guest speaker Veetika Joshi Deoras, VP of Brands, Marketing and Data at Indian Hotels Company (IHCL). Veetika shares how AI can drive the most impact in hospitality, especially in redefining customer experience, and how IHCL is meeting the needs of consumers’ changing preferences.  

Send us Fan MailOn this episode of our “Reinventing Customer Experience” podcast, ZS principals Arun Shastri and Gopi Vikranth chat with Brandon Purcell a VP, principal analyst at Forrester, about the evolution of the customer experience over the past six and a half years. Listen as they discuss what it takes for companies to avoid AI bias and remain innovative as they better understand their customers and create personalized customer journeys.

Send us Fan MailOn this episode of our “Reinventing Customer Experience” podcast, ZS principals Arun Shastri and Gopi Vikranth chat with Harit Talwar, former chairman of consumer business (Marcus) and partner at Goldman Sachs. Learn how Goldman Sachs is disrupting the financial services industry by taking traditional ways of banking and fusing it with engineering data and design to deliver great customer experiences. 

Send us Fan MailOn this episode of our “Reinventing Customer Experience” podcast, ZS principals Arun Shastri and Gopi Vikranth chat with Meenakshi Nagarajan, SVP, recurring revenue and loyalty at Panera.Listen as they discuss the role of personalization, creating a true omnichannel experience and prioritizing leading-edge initiatives. Meenakshi also shares more around the launch of its loyalty program and how Panera keeps its consumers not only engaged but empowered through digital and in-person interactions. Some results or numbers have increased since the recording of this podcast.

Send us Fan MailOn the inaugural episode from our “Reinventing Customer Experience” podcast, ZS Principal Arun Shastri and Associate Principal Gopi Vikranth chat with Suresh Kumar, global chief technology officer and chief development officer at Walmart, about how the retailer has enhanced its customer experience strategies during the pandemic, predictions for the next generation of retail omnichannel, and much more. 

Send us Fan MailOn this episode of our “Reinventing Customer Experience” podcast, ZS Principal Arun Shastri and Associate Principal Gopi Vikranth chat with Michelle Brown, vice president of digital products and analytics for United Airlines, about how digital and tech have evolved prior to and during the pandemic. They are also joined by ZS Principal Kajal Narasimha, who worked for United for nearly two decades.

Send us Fan MailOn this episode of our “Reinventing Customer Experience” podcast, ZS Principal Arun Shastri and Associate Principal Gopi Vikranth chat with Sarah Searls, chief customer officer for Choice Hotels International, about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted customer experience in the hospitality industry and Choice’s customer-engagement efforts.

Send us Fan MailOn this episode from our “Reinventing Customer Experience” podcast, ZS Principal Arun Shastri and Associate Principal Gopi Vikranth chat with Murli Buluswar, head of analytics, U.S. consumer bank, for Citi, about how the financial giant uses digital to boost its customer experience and keep customers connected across channels.

Send us Fan MailOn this episode from our “Reinventing Customer Experience” podcast, ZS Principal Arun Shastri and Associate Principal Gopi Vikranth chat with Daniel Shlossman, senior vice president of digital and growth for Sweetgreen, about the restaurant chain’s customer experience journey, how the company has nurtured customer trust during the COVID-19 pandemic, and much more.

Send us Fan MailOn this episode from our “Reinventing Customer Experience” podcast, ZS Principal Arun Shastri and Associate Principal Gopi Vikranth chat with Pradeep Chintagunta, Joseph T. and Bernice S. Lewis distinguished service professor of marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, about how businesses can maximize their customer relationships and drive impact in emerging economies.