Customer Experience

IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Ltd) CRISIS WASN’T IN THE SKIES. IT WAS IN THE LEADERSHIP CABIN. Three things stood out. One: Employees were left alone to face furious customers. No leader should ever let that happen. If you don’t stand by your people in a storm, don’t expect them to stand by your customers in the sun. Customer experience collapses the moment employees feel abandoned. Two: In any crisis, honesty is the only strategy that works. This time, the communication wasn’t transparent. When leaders hide the full picture, years of goodwill can disappear overnight. A crisis can earn trust, but only if you tell the truth. Three: The belief that “we are too big to be ignored” has ended more companies than competition ever has. Customers always have a choice. And if they don’t, they will create one. We shouldn’t watch the Indigo crisis like spectators. This is a reminder for every leader to build their own crisis blueprint. Because crises will come, when they do, your response becomes your reputation. There is more to business than profits. There are people, trust, and how you show up when it matters most.

🗺️ AirBnB Customer Journey Blueprint, a wonderful practical example of how to visualize the entire customer experience for 2 personas, across 8 touch points, with user policies, UI screens and all interactions with the customer service — all on one single page. AirBnB Customer Journey (Google Drive): https://lnkd.in/eKsTjrp4 Spotify Customer Journey (High-res): https://lnkd.in/eX3NBWbJ Now, unlike AirBnB, your product might not need a mapping against user policies. However, it might need other lanes that would be more relevant for your team. E.g. include relevant findings and recommendations from UX research. List key actions needed for next stage. Add relevant UX metrics and unsuccessful touchpoints. That last bit is often missing. Yet customer journeys are often non-linear, with unpredictable entry points, and integrations way beyond the final stage of a customer journey map. It’s in those moments when things leave a perfect path that a product’s UX is actually stress tested. So consider mapping unsuccessful touchpoints as well — failures, error messages, conflicts, incompatibilities, warnings, connectivity issues, eventual lock-outs and frequent log-outs, authentication issues, outages and urgent support inquiries. Even further than that: each team could be able to zoom into specific touch points and attach links to quotes, photos, videos, prototypes, design system docs and Figma files. Perhaps even highlight the desired future state. Technical challenges and pain points. Those unsuccessful states. Now, that would be a remarkable reference to use in the beginning of every design sprint. Such mappings are often overlooked, but they can be very impactful. Not only is it a very tangible way to visualize UX, but it’s also easy to understand, remember and relate to daily — potentially for all teams in the entire organization. And that's something only few artefacts can do. Useful resources: Free Template: Customer Journey Mapping, by Taras Bakusevych https://lnkd.in/e-emkh5A Free Template: End-To-End User Experience Map (Figma), by Justin Tan https://lnkd.in/eir9jg7J Customer Journey Map Template (Figma), by Ed Biden https://lnkd.in/evaUP4kz Free Figma/Miro User Journey Maps Templates https://lnkd.in/etSB7VqB User Journey Maps vs. Service Blueprints (+ Templates) https://lnkd.in/e-JSYtwW UX Mapping Methods (+ Miro/Figma Templates) https://lnkd.in/en3Vje4t #ux #design

“We hired you 3 months ago? Why has our churn not dropped yet?” That’s a real quote that a CCO I know recently heard from their CEO. Too often, I witness the following 4 act play: Act 1: “We have a big churn problem” Act 2: “Let’s hire a Chief Customer Officer” Act 3: “Why is churn still high?” Act 4: “We didn’t really need a Chief Customer Officer anyways” Putting aside the title, the issue is that Chief Customer Officers OWN operations and INFLUENCE the rest of the company. If I had to list the levers in reducing churn across companies that I’ve experienced, they’d go in descending order: * Product-market fit * Balance of desire for growth with aligning to the Ideal Customer Profile * Product stickiness * Competitive dynamics * Pricing * Product functionality and quality * Post-sales operations “Wait - did Nick say that post-sales operations don’t matter?” Of course not. All I’m saying is that rethinking onboarding, hiring #CustomerSuccess Managers, streamlining support, etc. can only get you so far. Putting numbers on it… - If your Gross Retention is < 80%, I’ve found that strong Chief Customer Officers can reduce churn by 3-5 points, since there is a lot of low hanging fruit. - If your GRR is between 80 and 90%, it’s probably closer to a 1-2 point reduction potential. - If your GRR is above 90%, a 1 point churn drop is massive. What about the rest? The biggest churn drops come from things like the below, which CCOs can identify and then partner with colleagues to implement: * “Customers that use feature [X] have 10 points less churn” => Product: Make feature X easier to deploy * “Clients that buy from us that use [integrated system Y] churn at a high rate” => Marketing: Avoid outbound efforts to [Y] audience * “Our pricing model is causing churn because it becomes unaffordable at high volumes” => Product Marketing: Rethink the high end of the pricing curve The CCO role isn’t just about being a detective and solving churn on your own. It’s also about being a search light - shining visibility onto how the rest of the company can reduce churn.

In today's digital age, leveraging celebrity brand ambassadors has become a popular strategy for businesses, including startups. As someone who's been a brand ambassador for various companies over the years and dabbled in startups myself, I've seen firsthand the ups & downs of this approach. People often ask if it's always beneficial to have a celebrity endorse your products or services. I’ll break it down to the most important things to consider. Visibility - Celebrities bring a massive following, offering increased visibility & reach to a wider audience that may have been difficult to engage otherwise. This exposure could enhance brand recognition & create positive associations in consumers' minds. Credibility -  The right kind of celebrity could inject a dose of credibility into your brand. Consumers may in turn perceive your product as reliable, particularly important for startups aiming to build a solid reputation & carve out a slice of the market. Engagement - Some celebrities are able to forge personal connections with their community. By aligning your startup with a celebrity, you may be tapping into that emotional connection & that community may be more likely to show interest in your brand. Costs - Engaging a celebrity ambassador comes at a price. Even if you opt for an equity-based deal, you still need to allocate valuable resources to amplify the association, potentially diverting funds from other key areas of requirement. Authenticity - The alignment between the celebrity & your product must seem genuine. If the partnership feels like a misfit or forced, the results can be counter productive. Today's consumers are evolved & can sense inauthenticity from a distance. Sustenance - While celebrities can generate a buzz in the short term, building interest & loyalty requires consistent effort & a solid value offering that goes beyond the celebrity association. Your product still needs to deliver exceptional value beyond the initial buzz.. Relevance - Ensure the celebrity aligns with the startup's target audience, values & offerings. The endorsement should make sense within the startup's brand identity & goals. Budget - Assess whether the startup can afford the associated costs, especially including the ongoing marketing efforts. Do not assume that bringing a celebrity on board itself is going to win you the war. It’s just a head start. Long-Term Strategy - A well-crafted partnership should naturally integrate into your overall marketing & branding strategy & solidify your position & bring sustained growth. Timing - Most importantly, remember, spending so much in early stages, or early dilution in equity can have long-term consequences, so ask yourself if you’re really ready at this stage. Ultimately, the decision to engage a celebrity brand ambassador should be based on your unique circumstances & goals. Hopefully this will help some make an informed decision. #BrandAmbassadors #CelebrityEndorsements #InfluencerMarketing

Only 10% of our revenue is online. The other 90%? Physical stores where customers can touch products and trust us. The reason will surprise most D2C founders. Every D2C founder obsesses over storytelling. Brand narratives. Instagram aesthetics. They're solving the wrong problem for India. We have 200k+ reviews. Great engagement. Beautiful content. But here's what actually drives sales: 170 experience centers where people can touch our mattresses. In India, trust matters more. A customer in Indore doesn't care about your founder's journey. She cares if her neighbor bought from you. If she can touch the product. If there's a physical address to complain. We learned this the hard way. Initially, we pushed digital-first. Perfect websites. Compelling stories. Conversion rates stayed flat in Tier-2/3 cities. Then we opened physical stores. Same cities, 5x conversion overnight. The formula for India:  → Regional language sales staff over English-trained executives → Physical store addresses over perfect brand stories → Multi-channel presence over digital-only strategy → Festival-driven sales planning over year-round campaigns → Experience centers for product trials over online-only catalogs Our Surat store outsells many metro locations. Why? The sales associate speaks Gujarati, knows the customer's families, and lets them bring their entire joint family for demos. That's trust mechanics. Not VC-friendly. But it works. Today only 10% revenue is online. But those online sales happen because customers tried products offline first, or their cousin did. Stop building for the India in pitch decks. Build for the India that exists. India doesn't need better storytelling. It needs reasons to trust you. What assumption about your market proved completely wrong?

Stuck in an endless loop of client changes? Lost track of what revision this constitutes? Yeah. Been there. Done that. The secret? It's not about saying no. It's about saying yes to the right things upfront. Every project that goes sideways starts the same way: Vague agreements. Fuzzy boundaries. Good intentions. Six weeks later you're bleeding money and everyone's frustrated. Here's my framework after 30 years of running two 8-figure businesses: The SOW is your salvation. Not some boilerplate template. A real document that covers: • Exact deliverables (not "design work" but "3 homepage concepts, 2 rounds of revisions") • Hours of operation ("We respond M-F, 9-5 PST. Weekend requests get Monday responses") • Revision rounds spelled out ("Round 1 includes up to 5 changes. Round 2 includes 3.") • Feedback cycles defined ("48-hour turnaround for client feedback or the project may be delayed or additional fees may be incurred") But here's what most people miss— Don't work on client notes immediately. Client sends 37 pieces of feedback at 11pm Friday? Producer sends conflicting notes from the CEO? Marketing wants one thing, sales wants another? Stop. Collect everything first. Resolve the conflicts. Get on the phone and discuss it with your client to get alignment. Separate the "have to haves" from the "nice to haves". Then present unified changes. "Based on all feedback received, here are the 8 changes we'll implement. This constitutes revision round 2 of 3." Watch how fast the random requests stop. No extra work that goes unappreciated. No more feelings of being taken advantage of. Communicate before the crisis, prevents the crisis from happening. "Just so you know, we're entering round 2. You have one more included. After that, it's $X per additional round." No surprises. No awkward money conversations. No resentment. Scope creep isn't a them problem. It's a you problem. And that's good news, because that means you are in control. They're not trying to take advantage. They just don't know where the boundaries are because you never drew them. Draw the lines early. Communicate them clearly. Everyone wins. What's your most painful scope creep story? What boundary would've prevented it? Small Business Builders #projectmanagement #clientmanagement #businessgrowth

RAG stands for Retrieval-Augmented Generation. It’s a technique that combines the power of LLMs with real-time access to external information sources. Instead of relying solely on what an AI model learned during training (which can quickly become outdated), RAG enables the model to retrieve relevant data from external databases, documents, or APIs—and then use that information to generate more accurate, context-aware responses. How does RAG work? 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲: The system searches for the most relevant documents or data based on your query, using advanced search methods like semantic or vector search. 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Instead of just using the original question, RAG 𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 (enriches) the prompt by adding the retrieved information directly into the input for the AI model. This means the model doesn’t just rely on what it “remembers” from training—it now sees your question 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘴 the latest, domain-specific context 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲: The LLM takes the retrieved information and crafts a well-informed, natural language response. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗔𝗚 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿? Improves accuracy: By referencing up-to-date or proprietary data, RAG reduces outdated or incorrect answers. Context-aware: Responses are tailored using the latest information, not just what the model “remembers.” Reduces hallucinations: RAG helps prevent AI from making up facts by grounding answers in real sources. Example: Imagine asking an AI assistant, “What are the latest trends in renewable energy?” A traditional LLM might give you a general answer based on old data. With RAG, the model first searches for the most recent articles and reports, then synthesizes a response grounded in that up-to-date information. Illustration by Deepak Bhardwaj

All retention strategies are not created equal. Or are they? In 2025, companies compete on belonging, not benefits. In the old days, pizza parties and ping pong tables worked. Now you need systematic approaches to keeping talent. Here's 4 levels of employee retention you must understand: LEVEL 1: REACTIVE - PEOPLE QUIT → WE ASK WHY AFTER This is retention theater. Exit interviews where people lie about "new opportunities." Desperate counteroffers that never work. Managers shocked when their best performer gives notice. What it looks like: - Exit interviews only - Last-minute counteroffers - High regret turnover Your HR team is a coroner doing autopsies, not a doctor preventing disease. The fix: Start with stay interviews. Ask people why they stay, what would make them leave, what energizes them. Do this quarterly. Act on what you learn before they're halfway out the door. LEVEL 2: PROGRAMMATIC - ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL PERKS Pizza Fridays. Wellness days. Ping pong tables. The same tired benefits whether you're 22 or 52, single or supporting a family, engineer or accountant. What it looks like: - Wellness days, swag, offsites - "Engagement" via pizza - Culture defined by events You're throwing spaghetti at the wall hoping something sticks. Spoiler: it doesn't. The fix: Tailor benefits to real needs. Survey by team AND tenure. New parents need different things than empty nesters. Engineers value different perks than salespeople. Stop guessing, start asking. LEVEL 3: STRATEGIC - RETENTION DESIGNED INTO SYSTEMS Now we're getting somewhere. Career paths are clear. Promotions happen on schedule. High-potentials know they're valued. Every process reinforces that growth happens here. What it looks like: - Growth tracks by function - Skills-based promotions - Embedded feedback loops You're not reacting to turnover. You're preventing it through structure. The fix: Align L&D with succession planning. Track mobility rates quarterly. Make internal moves easier than external ones. If someone has to leave to level up, you've already failed. LEVEL 4: CULTURAL - PEOPLE STAY BECAUSE THEY BELONG The holy grail. People stay because leaving would mean losing something irreplaceable. Not perks or pay - belonging. Purpose. The feeling that their work matters and they matter. What it looks like: - Psychological safety - Purpose-driven work - Peer recognition culture Your culture is so strong that recruiters can't poach your people with 30% raises. They've tried. The fix: Train every manager on trust-building. Not a workshop - ongoing coaching. Reward inclusive leadership as much as hitting numbers. Make belonging a metric, not a buzzword. TAKEAWAY: The companies winning the talent war understand that people don't leave companies. They leave cultures that don't value them. They leave managers who don't develop them. They leave futures they can't see. Fix those three things, and retention takes care of itself.

Fixing an issue in production costs 100x more than addressing it during the design phase. Here's why it matters: — Let me tell you a quick story. Last year, I advised a fintech startup that learned this the hard way. A small payment glitch affected just 0.1% of transactions. No big deal, right? But those users? They went straight to social media. Negative reviews piled up, and their reputation took a hit. The result? A 15% drop in new user signups within a month. — 𝗢𝗡𝗘 - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 Fixing a bug becomes exponentially more expensive the later you catch it: → Design Phase: Spend $200 now to prevent issues later. → Development Phase: Miss it here, and costs jump to $1,000. → QA Phase: By this stage, you’re looking at $2,000. → Production Phase: Emergency fixes, customer support, and reputation damage can hit $20,000+ (or worse). Every missed step in the earlier stages is compounding interest you’ll pay later. — 𝗧𝗪𝗢 - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁: 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 The real damage isn’t just financial. It’s how quickly one issue snowballs: → Day 0: 1% of users face a glitch, and support tickets flood in. → Day 1: Social media catches wind, and customer satisfaction drops by 5%. → Day 7: Engagement falls by 15%, and negative reviews surface. → Day 30: Acquisition drops 20%, and CAC rises by 25%. — Metrics across the board take a hit: → -15% user retention. → -20% customer satisfaction. → -25% slower development velocity. → -30% team productivity. — This is all to say... Most problems can’t be fixed by just fighting fires faster. They’re solved by building smarter systems that prevent them from happening in the first place. Take the time in the design and development phases to address potential issues before they snowball.

I was listening to a panel of Customer Success (CS) leaders recently, and wow—this function is in the middle of a massive transformation! The world has shifted from growth at all costs to real focus on usage: In the last couple of years, every B2B company has struggled with customer retention even more than customer acquisition. You want to drive churn down? Usage. You want to drive downgrades down? Usage. You want to drive upgrades up? Usage. Customer Success needs to drive usage but also make sure that the entire company is focused on usage. CS leaders need to be more like marketers: They can’t just react to problems; they need to actively engage customers, much like marketers do. Proactive, engaging experiences build loyalty, not just putting out fires. The goal? Make CS as compelling and essential as your best marketing campaign. CS leaders need to go from operating in silos to orchestrating the entire customer journeys: Disconnected teams create disconnected experiences. CS leaders are stepping into a new role: journey orchestrators. They’re aligning sales, marketing, and support to deliver a seamless, cohesive customer journey. It’s no longer enough to excel at your piece of the puzzle—CS must ensure the whole puzzle comes together. CS leaders cant just deliver results on heroics, they need excellence in CS systems. Relying on heroic individual efforts isn’t sustainable. CS needs the right systems, tools, and data to operate at scale. Real-time product insights aren’t a nice-to-have—they’re a must. Excellence in systems, not just effort, is what will drive success in the age of usage. CS leaders have a tough job. So help them help you. Whether it’s investing in tools, aligning teams, or driving a culture of customer-centricity, the better your CS function, the stronger your business.