Authors and Consultants

Over the last few years, Shaun has been a key catalyst in expanding management focus from the tactical issues of customer service to the much wider and strategic issue of customer experience. He has developed some of the latest thinking and practice around this subject, focusing in particular on how organisations can achieve brand differentiation and long-term customer loyalty through the customer experience. He has featured a number of times on the ‘Ask the Expert’ programme on CNBC and is co-author of two best-selling business books. Uncommon Practice, researched and written in partnership with Interbrand, examines those companies that create exceptional customer experiences. His second book Managing the Customer Experience, reveals how leaders can build this kind of competitive advantage for their own organisations. Shaun is also contributing author to The Economist’s recent book, Brands and Branding. He is a highly regarded speaker and presents regularly on many of the key issues challenging businesses in the 21st Century. These include topics such as brand leadership and differentiation; ‘triad power’: how marketing, customer service and HR can work together to create customer-focused change; and motivating and training employees to deliver the brand. Shaun is also author of the Organisational Alignment Survey (OAS®) and the Customer Experience Management+ survey (CEM+™) - key research tools that enable organisations worldwide to evaluate and improve their customer experience and also align their people with company values and strategy. Shaun now runs his own customer experience consultancy, shaunsmith+co, which is firmly routed in the ‘keep it simple’ ethos. He doesn’t talk paradigms, complex methodologies or seven magic bullets; instead his approach is refreshingly straightforward, always pragmatic and at times, controversial.

Focus

Managing your customer experience – turn your customers into advocates Customer service is in crisis – not because it’s bad, but because it’s undifferentiated. How do you create customer experiences that differentiate your brand? How do you create a level of customer satisfaction that is so strong that customers become your best advocates? How do you avoid becoming one of the 55% of companies that drive customers away through their CRM systems? This presentation is based on Shaun’s book ‘Managing the Customer Experience – turning customers into advocates’ published by FTPrentice Hall in 2003. Brands and branding in the 21st century – moving towards holistic marketing Many people are talking about ‘living the brand’, few know how to do it. How do you turn brand promises and values into brand behaviours? What are the ten most common ways to screw up your brand – and how do you avoid them? How do Marketing, Operations and HR need to work together to truly deliver the brand. This presentation is based on Shaun’s latest thinking in the Economist’s book ‘Brands and Branding’ published by Profile Books 2003. Organisational alignment – harnessing the power of your people Implementing strategy is about five times harder than creating it. How can you align your people with your strategy? Many organizations merge with others or consolidate their brands; some are successful in realising cost-efficiencies, very few are successful in aligning their people. What are the key ingredients in doing so? How do you electrify and energise the people in your organisation to deliver the potential value in your organization. This presentation is based on Shaun’s Organisational Alignment Survey™ conducted with over 23,000 employees from 52 companies throughout Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin and North America. Leadership – the uncommon practices of winning brands What are the uncommon practices demonstrated by leaders of great brands? What is it that they do differently from less successful companies. Learn the leadership secrets of Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Charles Dunstone and many others. This presentation is based on Shaun’s book ‘Uncommon Practice – People who deliver a great brand experience’ co-authored with Andy Milligan of Interbrand and published by FTPrentice Hall in 2003.