This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Megan Burns—a Fortune 500 advisor and keynote speaker with over 20 years of experience—joins me to share how she’s helped companies like Microsoft, Dow, Workday, FedEx, Akamai, DHL, Verizon, and AT&T build customer-centric cultures and deliver exceptional experiences at scale.

Megan dives into the foundational role of trust in customer experience—and why it’s essential for building lasting relationships. She shares actionable strategies for simplifying complexity, breaking down silos, and fostering trust across organizations.

Megan also explains how companies can tackle the operational challenges that come with growth and align their teams to better meet customer needs.

From measuring trust through transparency and reliability to creating a culture that prioritizes connection, this conversation is packed with practical insights.

🎧 Tune in now to learn how to make trust the cornerstone of your customer experience strategy—and empower your teams to deliver it!

02:41 Customer Experience vs. Customer Trust

04:48 The Limits of Empathy

08:12 Consistently Good, Strategically Amazing

11:43 Creating a Customer-Centric Culture

14:57 What Companies Fear About Customer Feedback

17:57 Why Trust Drives Growth

19:51 Measuring Customer Trust

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Gadi Shamia—Co-founder and CEO of Replicant—shares his expertise on building a customer-centric AI strategy that delivers real results.

From starting small with AI adoption to automating impactful call flows and scaling strategically, Gadi breaks down the steps leaders can take to unlock efficiency, empower agents, and improve customer experiences. He also highlights how AI is reshaping the contact center workforce, creating a future where agents handle high-value, complex interactions while automation tackles the rest.

Whether you're navigating AI adoption or looking to future-proof your CX strategy, this episode is packed with actionable insights for smarter, faster progress.

🎧 Tune in now to discover how to embrace AI’s potential and build a CX strategy that evolves with your business!

This episode of The Modern Customer Podcast is sponsored by Replicant.

00:00 Introduction and Background

03:57 AI's Impact on Contact Centers

07:27 From Script to Spirit

09:36 A Strategic Approach to AI Adoption

11:57 Next-Gen QA with Conversation Intelligence

17:36 The Future Contact Center Workforce

25:24 Rapid Fire Questions with Gadi Shamia

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Josh Linkner—globally recognized innovation expert, bestselling author, tech entrepreneur, and professional jazz guitarist—shares his insights on how leaders can unlock creativity, overcome fear-driven barriers, and build a culture where bold ideas thrive.

From embracing AI as a co-pilot to applying frameworks like the 'To-Test List' and 'Judo Flip,' Josh shares actionable strategies for tackling challenges with creativity and adaptability. Whether leading teams or enhancing customer interactions, this conversation delivers practical insights to spark bold innovation.

🎧 Tune in now to start 2025 with a mindset of bold innovation and fearless creativity!

👉 Visit https://joshlinkner.com/ to learn more about Josh Linkner and his work.

Key Highlights for Easy Listening:

01:57 Balancing Automation with Human Compassion in Customer Service

03:28 Turning Challenges into Opportunities with Creative Problem-Solving

05:28 Using the 'To-Test List' and 'Judo Flip' to Drive Creative Problem-Solving

08:52 Driving Innovation Through Small, Manageable Steps

09:55 The Power of Empathy, Artistry, and Emotional Intelligence

11:25 Create Memorable, Human-Centered Customer Interactions

14:59 Cultivating a Creative Mindset for Problem-Solving

17:25 How Leaders Can Build a Culture of Safety, Creativity, and Bold Innovation

22:29 Rapid Fire Questions with Josh Linkner

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.

The U.S. hotel industry saw occupancy rates reach 67% in October 2024 (Statista, 2024). In such a high-demand period, success isn’t just about elegant rooms or luxurious amenities—it’s about how every guest feels during their stay.

In this episode of The Modern Customer podcast, Bashar Wali, Founder & CEO of This Assembly and Practice Hospitality, shares his expertise on crafting exceptional guest experiences through emotional intelligence, authentic connections, and a culture of care.

Drawing from decades of experience, Bashar dives into the power of hiring the right people, turning routine interactions into meaningful moments, and addressing guest feedback with transparency and empathy.

Whether it’s building team loyalty or creating memorable experiences, this conversation offers actionable insights every hospitality professional can apply right away.

Tune in now to discover how emotional intelligence and a people-first approach are redefining hospitality success.

Key Highlights for Easy Listening:

05:31 The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Building Hospitality Teams

07:53 Understanding Emotional Connections: Love Languages in Guest Experiences

12:29 Memorable vs Transactional Experiences: What Truly Matters to Guests

15:07 Service Recovery: Addressing Bad Reviews with Transparency

18:53 Creating a Culture of Care: Retaining Top Talent in Hospitality

21:27 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts on Elevating Guest Experiences

Learn more about Bashar Wali and his work at hotelier.life.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Meridith Elliott Powell—an award-winning sales keynote speaker and master certified business growth strategist—reveals how embracing uncertainty can fuel growth, resilience, and success in both life and business.

With over 600,000 learners completing her LinkedIn course, Meridith shares powerful insights on mindset shifts, the often-overlooked power of small details, and actionable strategies for entering 2025 with clarity, purpose, and momentum.

If you're ready to turn uncertainty into your greatest advantage and step confidently into the new year, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss!

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Damon Covey, General Manager of Unified Communications and Collaboration at GoTo, dives into how unified communication tools are elevating customer experience in modern contact centers.

Damon shares how GoTo enables businesses to meet customers on their preferred channels—whether it’s SMS, social media, or web chat—fostering deeper connections and creating seamless experiences. From simplifying IT operations to leveraging AI for faster agent onboarding and smarter workflows, GoTo equips businesses with the tools to deliver efficient and meaningful interactions.

If you’re looking to enhance customer experience and stay ahead in the evolving world of modern contact centers, this episode is a must-listen!

Key Highlights for Easy Listening:

04:47 Why Unified Communication Is Critical to Simplify Customer Interactions

08:41 How to Bridge the Gap in Customer Service Using Better Tools

12:49 What Challenges Arise When Setting Up Communication Channels Like SMS, Social Media, and Web Chat in Contact Centers

18:46 The Intersection of AI Implementation and Change Management

21:35 The Future of Contact Centers and the Transformative Role of Conversational AI

This episode of The Modern Customer Podcast is sponsored by GoTo.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

Ranked #1 by ACSI in multiple categories for the second year, Samsung is raising the bar in customer care. From proactive solutions with SmartThings to AI-powered multilingual support, Samsung is redefining what it means to put the customer first. Their Beyond Boundaries program takes service to even the most remote areas, while their 10,000-strong team of passionate employees ensures every interaction feels personal and meaningful.

Mark Williams, Head of Customer Care at Samsung Electronics America, leads the charge in combining innovation and empathy to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Under his leadership, Samsung’s approach integrates cutting-edge technology with a culture that empowers employees to go above and beyond for customers.

Tune in to discover why customer experience is part of Samsung’s DNA and how their approach creates loyalty for life.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Karen Dillon—New York Times bestselling author and former editor of Harvard Business Review—shares insights from her book The Microstress Effect and explores how microstress affects leaders, teams, and customers, while providing actionable strategies to address it.

Karen unpacks the impact of these small, everyday stressors and shares practical strategies to reduce their toll. From fostering a customer-centric mindset to creating balance through delegation, boundaries, and self-awareness, she offers actionable insights to empower leaders and transform customer experience.

Don’t miss this engaging conversation filled with insights to manage stress, inspire teams, and enhance your approach to customer experience. Tune in now!

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today’s Customer.