Joseph Michelli
Joseph Michelli, Ph.D.
Joseph Michelli, Ph.D., an organizational consultant and the chief experience officer of The Michelli Experience, authored The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and the best-selling The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary.
Customer Experience Predictions for 2025: Insights from the Field
As we begin 2025, customer experience (CX) continues to evolve, driven by technological advancements, shifting consumer expectations, and an ever-deepening focus on emotional engagement....
Thriving Through the Holiday Rush: Seven Key Behaviors for Exceptional Experiences
The holiday season is upon us, and it’s a time when business leaders face some of their most significant opportunities and challenges. Accordingly, it’s...
Transforming Service into Experience: The Power of Personal Connection
Customer service is often defined by transactions that fulfill a stated need. However, customer experience goes far beyond need fulfillment. Loyalty-building experiences are created when…
Your Customers Are Changing Fast, Are You?
In my years as a consultant for Starbucks and author of two books about them, The Starbucks Experience and Leading the Starbucks Way, I’ve...
Birds of Different Feathers SHOULD Flock Together: The Power of Strategic Partnerships for Sustainable Growth
The recently announced partnership between Starbucks and Mercedes-Benz definitely grabbed my attention. I’ve consulted for and written about both brands but had yet to conceptualize...
Where is Your Customer Experience Going?: Enhancing Customer Engagement through Journey Mapping
Sometimes, we are too close to something – a process, an idea, a product, or a service – to see it with accurate, objective...
Navigating Challenges: Lessons from Starbucks’ Recent Performance Miss
Starbucks Author and Consultant As someone who worked with Starbucks leadership when Howard Schultz was at the helm and since I’ve authored two books about...
Silo Busting Your Way to Customer Loyalty and Referrals
“We’d have happier customers if the sales team didn’t overpromise.” “Our customers would be more loyal if our service team was more responsive.” “Our systems…
Customer Experience Excellence Hinges on Knowing Your Competencies
In my youth, I wanted to be “all things to all people” or at least “most things to most people.” Slowly and sometimes painfully, my…
Thankful Leadership – Why & How to Develop a Grateful Culture
Five years ago, I posted the following: My parents told me, I told my children, and I suspect they will tell their children two magic...
Integrating AI & Human Service Across the Customer Journey – How to Win Repeat Business
This is the second in a series of posts on the role technology and human service play in creating repeat business and customer referrals....
Balancing Human-Powered & Technology-aided Tools to Create Customer Loyalty & Referrals
This is the first in a series of posts on the role technology and human service play in creating repeat business and customer referrals....
Unlocking the Power of Customer Shadowing: A Must-Have Tool for Business Leaders
Most business leaders garner consumer insights by talking to and formally surveying their customers. Less frequently, leaders will seek to understand customers by watching their...
How to Wow – Simple Acts That Make A Difference
When it comes to customer experiences, there’s a vast difference between “good” and “wow.” While “good” experiences meet customer expectations, “wow” experiences exceed them. “Wow”…
Emotional Economics: Crafting Deeper Connections with Those You Serve
Economics isn’t just about numbers. It’s about humans, behaviors, decisions, and emotions. While writing my book Leading the Starbucks Way, I took a deep dive…
Your Customer Is Satisfied – Are They a Coupon Away from Leaving?
You’ve likely heard someone say, “Customer satisfaction is not enough.” While that might initially sound counterintuitive, considerable research supports the statement. The Fallacy of Satisfaction Invariably,…
Branded Customer Experience: How to Stretch Your Business Without Losing Consumer Trust
Let’s assume you are trying to expand your product line or improve your service delivery model. How much change should you attempt? As context for…
VUCA and YOU – How to Lead in Ambiguous Times
Final Installment in the Series This ends my four-part series on managing the challenges of living in and leading through VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and…
VUCA and YOU – How to Thrive in Complex Times
Third in a Series This four-part series addresses strategies for managing the challenges of living in and leading through VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity).…
VUCA and YOU – How to Lead in Uncertain Times
Second in a Series This four-part series addresses strategies for managing the challenges of living in and leading through VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity).…