Blake Michelle Morgan

Customer Experience Futurist, Author, Keynote Speaker

What Does Customer Loyalty Mean In 2021?

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It seems nearly every company today has a loyalty program, but the meaning of loyalty itself is often still a mystery.

Customer loyalty in 2021 looks different than it has in the past and even than how many companies view it.

According to Bram Hechtkopf, CEO of marketing company Kobie, loyalty is more than just how a customer behaves. A customer who regularly purchases from the same company can appear loyal, but what matters more than the transaction is their emotional loyalty, or how they feel about a brand.

Hechtkopf breaks emotional loyalty into three areas: status, habit …
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How Bank Of America Pivoted To Serve Contactless Customers

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For many people, the days of going to the bank to make a deposit or cash a check are gone forever. Like in many industries, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a major shift away from in-person banking interactions towards digital services.

The challenge now becomes how to pivot to best serve contactless customers.

According to Holly O’Neill, Chief Client Care Executive at Bank of America, the switch to digital solutions was already in play for the company. The pandemic simply moved up the timeline.

Bank of America’s strategy has always been to deliver world-class service in a …
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How To Modernize Customer Interactions For The Smartphone Era

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It’s a common situation for customers: spending time on a company’s app or website and then having to call customer service for help. Even after spending time searching online, the customer still has to wait on hold, log in or prove their identity and then re-explain the situation and wait to get connected to the right person.

In recent years, many aspects of customer experience have been modernized and streamlined, such as the growth of chatbots and AI. However, even with these advancements, most customer interactions have stayed stagnant and without context.

But that won’t be able to continue …
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Blake’s 5% Rule For New Year’s Resolutions

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It’s the time of year when everyone is making New Year’s resolutions and setting goals for the coming year.

What do you hope to achieve in 2021? How do you want to improve yourself and your career?

For many of us, it’s been a complicated year and we’re looking for some change and improvement.

But too often we fall into the trap of thinking we have to reinvent the wheel and start completely fresh. If we want to make more money, we have to start a brand new business. If we want to lose weight, we have to go …
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Shep Hyken’s Prediction For 2021

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What’s the word of the year for customer service?

According to business and CX expert Shep Hyken, it’s empathy.

Hyken has years of experience in customer service and is a popular speaker and author. Like all of us, he saw the dramatic challenges businesses faced in 2020 and the pivots they had to make. Businesses and customers are adjusting to their new way of interacting and facing constant change, especially as we head into the new year.  

Here are some of Shep Hyken’s predictions for 2021:

Customers Continue To Get Smarter

Today’s customers know what good customer …
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Blake’s Top 5 Customer Experience Predictions For 2021

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Every year, I make predictions for what’s to come in the world of customer experience. After doing this for seven years, I’ve gotten pretty good at predicting trends that really do end up influencing businesses and customers.

But in 2020, no one could have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It’s been a tough year. Between the pandemic, shutdowns and economic downturn, we’ve also faced environmental issues, a divisive election in the U.S., racial injustice and much more.

These events might not seem tied to customer experience, but we don’t live or work in a  bubble—we’re affected by what happens all …
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7 Trends Shaping CX In 2021

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After a wild 2020, many companies are looking forward to 2021 and hoping to proactively engage with customers instead of reactively building or changing programs and services. 

But just because 2021 is a new year doesn’t mean 2020 is gone and forgotten. The global pandemic and unrest of the year will stick with customers for the long term and greatly influence how they interact with companies going forward. With more virtual events and interactions than ever before, customers want human connection. 

The 2021 Deloitte Global Marketing Trends Report highlights seven trends shaping customer experience and business growth in 2021: …
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How The Pet Industry Adapted During COVID

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2020 has been a strange year. Many people coped with the loneliness and uncertainty of lockdowns and quarantines by adding a furry friend to the family. Pet ownership is way up because of the pandemic and has caused the pet industry to pivot and adapt.

As the number of customers has greatly increased, the pet industry has also had to deal with pandemic restrictions and changing health regulations. The only way to survive has been to stay close to customers, adopt digital solutions and pivot.

Brian Garish, president of Banfield Pet Hospital, said that although the way of …
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4 CX Takeaways From 2020

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What has been the biggest shift in customer experience in recent years?

It’s not the COVID-19 pandemic, though that has certainly played a large role. According to NICE inContact CEO Paul Jarman, the biggest change has been the democratization of opinion. Customers have more of a voice than ever before, which has forced companies to focus on experience. Brands learned that they have to provide an experience that individuals are excited about and will share with family and friends in order to gain customers. As Jarman says, the push towards customer experience has given more power to consumers …
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How Belvedere Vodka Shares Its Story Through CX

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How do you create an experience around an all-natural vodka that shows its history and sustainability? Learn to tell a good story.

Belvedere Vodka has long been known for its great quality and super-premium product, but only recently has the company began to focus on its historic roots and sustainable efforts. Sharing the story adds to the experience and helps customers feel more connected to the brand.

Shifting To Storytelling

Instead of simply rattling off talking points and qualities of its all-natural vodka, Belvedere turns to the power of storytelling. As customers are transported to the 110-year-old distillery where …
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