#100: Watermark’s CX ROI Study: Proving Its Value to Executives and Skeptics

Jon Picoult, bestselling author and CX thought leader was my first guest in 2022 when The Delighted Customers Podcast launched. He was gracious enough to come back for episode 100 to talk about his His landmark study on the ROI of customer experience is one of the most widely cited pieces of research in the industry. Jon sheds light on the groundbreaking CX ROI study he initiated, which highlights the tangible and economic benefits of a great customer experience. We'll explore the challenges CX leaders face, particularly in getting executive buy-in, and how Jon's research demonstrates the outperformance of top-rated CX companies versus their lagging counterparts, even amid the pandemic's impact. If you’re a CX practitioner, you should have this study in your toolkit and understand the trends over the 16 years of research. Spoiler alert - CX leaders outperformed laggards by 5.4x over 16 years! In this episode: What’s the purpose and methodology of the CX ROI study? What makes it different from other studies? How can CX leaders use it to make the business case for CX? What are the DO’s and DON’T of applying the findings? How should business leaders approach the use of AI when it comes to CX strategies ----------------------- Show Notes: Meet Jon Jon’s insights have been featured by dozens of media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fortune and Forbes. His landmark study on the ROI of customer experience is one of the most widely cited pieces of research in the industry, referenced by firms such as McKinsey, Deloitte, Accenture, Forrester, SAP, and Oracle. Jon is also the author of the Amazon bestseller, “From Impressed to Obsessed: 12 Principles for Turning Customers and Employees into Lifelong Fans,” which was featured in The Wall Street Journal as a top reading pick, and has also earned praise from business luminaries such as Horst Schulze (co-founder of Ritz-Carlton Hotels), Hubert Joly (former CEO of Best Buy), and Marshall Goldsmith (world-renowned executive coach). Prior to establishing Watermark, Jon held senior executive roles at Fortune 100 firms – leading service, operations, distribution, technology, sales and marketing. Early in his career, at the age of 29, Jon earned the distinction of becoming the youngest executive officer in the over 150-year history of a leading global financial services company. Jon received his bachelor’s degree in cognitive science from Princeton University and his M.B.A. in general management from Duke University. Watermark’s Customer Experience ROI Study:  www.watermarkconsult.net/cx-roi Watermark’s Website:  www.watermarkconsult.net Jon Picoult’s Speaker Website:  www.jonpicoult.com Books: https://www.amazon.com/Impressed-Obsessed-Principles-Customers-Employees/dp/126425878X