Howard Lax
Howard Lax, Ph.D.
Supporting better informed decision making with technology, research and strategy. With a focus on CX/VoC/NPS, Employee Engagement and emotion analytics, Howard's domain is the application of marketing information and SaaS platforms to solve business problems and activating CX programs to drive business objectives.
How Do You Exceed Customer Expectations? Ask Nicole.
Dateline: Flemington, NJ; October 30, 2012; second day without power, heat or running water following the onset of Super Storm Sandy We continue to receive...
Add 1 Tablespoon Experience, Blend and Serve: The Experience-Loyalty-Value Connection
The buzz in the Customer Sat world is all about Customer Experience. Great customer experiences can help solidify customer relationships — while bad experiences...
You Gotta Play Defense: Focusing on the Fundamentals of Customer Experience
The verdict from neuroscience is in: While a pound of feathers may weigh the same as a pound of nails, a "pound" of bad...
Bad is Stronger than Good: Lessons for Customer Loyalty & Experience
It seems that your mother's admonishment that "if you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all," may have been counterintuitive and...
Behavioral Economics, Marketing, Loyalty and the Customer Experience
Conversations about consumer buying decisions invariably turn to behavioral economics. Behavioral economics essentially is the study of the impact of non-economic factors on economic...
The Seven Heavenly Virtues of VOC Research
The full version of this article appeared in Quirk's Marketing Research Review; to download a PDF of the original, click here. Having written an article last...
The Customer Loyalty/Customer Experience Conundrum
Marketers and marketing consultants all too often make the mistake of equating customer loyalty with the customer experience. Whether out of laziness or sloppiness,...
The “To Do” List: The Seven Heavenly Virtues of Customer Research
Having written about how not to conduct Voice of the Customer (VoC) research programs (see http://www.gfkinsights4u.com/the_seven_deadly_sins_of_voc_research.html) I often have been asked for the flip...
Generation Gaps and Myths in Customer Loyalty: Does Generation Matter?
Marketers have long recognized the significance of generational differences in branding and the use of media and advertising. Branding and advertising aside, however, is...
The Generational Effect: Customer Loyalty Across The Generations
Downloads: The Generational Effect: Customer Loyalty Across The Generations Marketers have long recognized the significance of generational differences in branding and the use of media...
“Don’t Bother Wowing Your Customers” – Really?
The recent HBR Management Tip ("Don't Bother Wowing Your Customers," October 20, 2011) and the larger article on which it is based ("Stop trying...
Wouldn’t It Be Great To Be In The Customer Experience Business?
While I know it is chic to talk about "The Experience Economy," I think it is critical to appreciate the differences between being in...
Dear CEO: Focus on Shareholders AND Customers AND Employees AND Society/Environment
But Who Comes First? Not to get lost in a seemingly philosophical debate, but what is (or should or can be) the central purpose of...
Put Your Money Where Your CUSTOMER’S Mouth Is: Linking Executive Comp to VOC Metrics
IF you accept the following premises incentives motivate behavior customer loyalty or delight with their recent experience is good for business THEN the conclusion is…
When the Customer Experience Fails: What Might Howard Do?
Stuff happens. No matter how customer-centric a firm is, no matter how attentive, no matter how disciplined, some number of product/service/experience failures are...
Why “We Suck Less” is Not Enough for Customer-Centric Success
While perhaps not the most noble or customer-centric statement of competitive advantage, this somewhat tongue-in-cheek quote from one of my favorite all time clients,...
David vs. Goliath – Round II: Challenging Fred Reichheld on the Economics of Loyalty (Again)
The verdict is still out on my last challenge to Fred regarding the issue of whether or not there is a loyalty price premium...
David vs. Goliath I: Challenging Fred Reichheld on the Economics of Loyalty
Before I take out my slingshot, let me say that I think of Fred Reichheld as the dean of the school of customer loyalty....
The seven deadly sins of VOC research
"You can only manage what you measure." —Peter Drucker A natural corollary to this truism is that mismeasurement will lead to mismanagement. To a large...
Learning from Machiavelli: Loyalty is Rooted in Self Interest
First, let me ask for a little latitude with my metaphors. Perhaps I could have chosen a philosopher with a more benign, more altruistic...