In my recent deep dive into Airbnb's customer experience (CX) philosophy, I've been particularly inspired by the innovative approach of its co-founder and CEO, Brian Chesky. Here are three critical lessons from Airbnb's CX strategy that exemplify why Brian is revered as a formidable leader in customer-centric innovation, a true "Customer Leader" as described by experts Rudy Moenaert and Henry Robben. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Hopefully you have found new inspiration to improve your customer experience and customer service. If you want to learn more about me, check out www.stevenvanbelleghem.com I’m a keynote speaker, author and entrepreneur in the field of customer experience

Welcome to CX Update #18! I am taking you to Disneyland Paris for an interesting story on the importance of mental flexibility. And do you want to know which much-heard reaction I’m allergic to? And what I think is so interesting about Victoria’s Secret CX? Listen to the podcast.

It’s a wrap for 2023, but what’s in store for CX in 2024? In this episode, you’ll discover why CEO’s should all be friction hunters, how conversational AI can help you when you have vegan guests coming over for dinner … and why a personal visit from a customer service specialist might be in the cards. Explore 10 game-changing trends that will impact customer experience in the year(s) to come – and don’t forget to order my book ‘Diamond in the Rough’ if you’d like to go more in-depth. Customer Experience Trends 2024: Trend #1 The era of search Trend #2 Personalization at scale Trend #3 High-value customer agents Trend #4 Effective empathy Trend #5 AR breakthrough Trend #6 When HR meets CX Trend #7 CX for life Trend #8 CX for the world Trend #9 Preloved is hot Trend #10 Friction Hunter CEOs

Neuhaus chocolates turned the idea of customer loyalty upside down, cleaning company CSU introduced a special phone case to motivate employees and improve customer culture, while AG Insurance did a great job collecting valuable direct customer feedback. Enjoy the new update, everyone!

Welcome to a new CX Update! In this episode: why do we use the scary word ‘frontline’ for such a happy place? Personal AI assistants could be the next big thing in CX, and Patagonia took the promise of lifetime guarantee to an amazing new level. Also, on a more personal note: my new book ‘Diamond in the Rough’, a how-to guide for customer culture, is coming out next week!

Thanks for tuning in to a new CX Update! I’ve got a great story about the CEO of Airbnb who took matters into his own hands to discover the CX of his company. And have you heard about Disney’s inspiring non-negotiable rules? Watch the video and find out!

Welcome to CX Update #13 everyone! In this episode I’m sharing my views on how AI will change the way customers take buying decisions. The filter of AI will have a huge impact on the brands we choose! I'm also explaining why you shouldn't always take feedback literally, and Whitney Houston is helping me to make another important point about CX. Enjoy the update!

Welcome to CX Update #13 everyone! In this episode I’m sharing my views on how AI will change the way customers take buying decisions. The filter of AI will have a huge impact on the brands we choose! I'm also explaining why you shouldn't always take feedback literally, and Whitney Houston is helping me to make another important point about CX. Enjoy the update!

Welcome to CX Update #12! I’m sharing some great examples of community creation I saw on my latest trip to LA and of course I’m talking about the #1 tech topic at the moment: ChatGPT and the role of humans in an AI-based world. Because, believe me: humans will always have a big value in CX. Enjoy!

Welcome to my CX Update #11! I’m talking about the new phase of personalization we’re in — and guess what: AI has a lot to do with it. And speaking of AI: here are my 5 ways to use ChatGPT to improve your customer experience. Enjoy!

I’m talking about a fantastic CX philosophy at the Louvre, the new friction hunt at Disney parks, BMW impressing me at #CES23 with a groundbreaking interface on their new concept car and the most popular shopping app in the world right now: Temu. Enjoy!

In episode #9 of CX Update I introduce the never normal customer, shaped by 4 important changes in our society. I also explain how a strong customer culture can boost innovation and I talk about the power of micro-decisions. Enjoy!

Let’s take a trip to the future, with my 10 most important CX trends for 2023: from the Top Guneffect to a new loyalty philosophy and from TikTok-ising your interface to ambient intelligence.Which ones do you think will have the biggest impact?

It’s time for another CX Update! In episode #8 I’m talking about what I call the ‘90% tech experience’ (and why tech is no longer the Holy Grail), I explain how you can have a positive impact on the world through your customers and I discus the value of the experience vs. the product. Enjoy the show!

Welcome to CX Update #7! In this new CX Update I talk about how you can be more efficient as a company without having to save on customer experience. I also illustrate the amazing effect of the Open Door Button philosophy and explain how overpromising and a lack of communication can ruin your customer's experience. Enjoy!

Welcome to CX Update #6! In this episode you'll find out what I mean by the ‘Top Gun effect’ in customer experience. I also explain how companies can create a strong customer culture and why I believe it’s time to introduce the TikTokization of our interfaces. Time for a summer break now, see you in September!

I had a great talk with Alexis Lebedoff, the Country Director of Meta Belgium. Ten years after opening the Facebook offices in Belgium, it’s been a quite a ride with lots of exciting changes and challenges along the way. In this podcast episode Alexis tells me what he learned in that time and he talks about the huge impact of the Facebook-to-Meta transition and the company’s fascinating vision of the Metaverse.

In episode 5 of my CX Update I’m dealing with a question that many people ask me: what should we do about our CX in times of inflation and budget cuts? In this video, I’m sharing my short-run and long-run solutions. I’m also talking about new ways of customer loyalty, with a great example by Lululemon, and I illustrate the difference between being a tech company and a company that uses tech to become more customer-centric. Enjoy!

Welcome to episode 4 of my CX Update! This month I’m talking about Waitographers, which I believe is a fantastic CX example by the Hilton hotels. I’m also taking a critical look at Web3 and the Metaverse today and I’d like to share a great book on CX with you all: the Power of Moments. Hope you enjoy!

Thanks for tuning in to episode 3 of my CX Update video! I’m taking you all to Dubai this month, to illustrate the power of CX in between touchpoints, and how you can really make a difference there. I’m also discussing some of the endless opportunities of Web3 and I’m taking a closer look at companies that speak up about what’s going on in the world and try to make that a part of their customer journey.

New podcast! I had a great talk with Tom Roelens, the General Manager and Senior Vice President of Operations Atlantis Dubai. With more than 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles in the international hospitality industry, Tom is an expert when it comes to creating ground-breaking customer experiences., Since 2020, Tom is at the head of Dubai’s most bold and innovative resorts, Atlantis Dubai. Listen to the full podcast episode.

Welcome to the second episode of CX Update, my new monthly overview of interesting, inspiring and extraordinary CX stories. In this month’s show I talk about how companies like Enjoy are exploring a new frontier in retail: the consumer’s home. I also share some great examples of organisations that use their CX to create a positive change in the world, and I take a look at some of the cool things that major brands are doing in the Metaverse. Enjoy!

What a pleasure to talk to Ron Johnson, Enjoy's CEO and co-founder whom I greatly admire. I've mentioned his extremely interesting retail concept - a mobile retail story - already in many of my keynotes. In this podcast, Ron and I discuss the ‘Commerce at Home’ trend and what makes the CX of Enjoy so unique. Instead of wanting you to visit their stores, brands bring the store to your doorstep. As Ron says, our home will become the center of shopping: “A decade from now, every premium brand will have some type of ‘Commerce at Home’ experience.”

Welcome to the first episode of my new monthly video: CX Update! In this new format, I’ll be sharing CX stories that strike or inspire me. I'm starting off with how removing barriers is essential to offer real innovation, why a mix of convenience and entertainment is the future of CX, the impact of employee shortages on the delivery model and the crucial difference between customer empathy and customer compassion. Hope you like it!

In this episode of Steven’s Week: Nike’s virtual adventure continues with the acquisition of digital fashion startup RTKFT, US consumers like the idea of super-apps and Google is showing its strong AR ambitions. Thanks for watching!

Welcome to Steven’s Week #223! What caught my eye this week? Beer giant AB InBev is experimenting with direct-to-consumer e-commerce, big brands are taking data collection in their own hands again and McKinsey urges banks to re-invent themselves.

Hey guys! In this week’s episode: Uber partners up with healthcare startups for fast medication delivery while Didi, the Chinese answer to Uber, is pressed by the government because of data security concerns. And DBS bank wants to make banking invisible in our daily lives. Enjoy!

Which customer experience trends will shape 2022? What will CX look like in 2022? If you ask me, these 10 customer experience trends are going to be huge next year. From artificial serendipity to re-inventing customer loyalty, and from loving your frustrated customers to defining ethical boundaries, this is just a small taste of what we can expect in this video.

Welcome to Steven’s Week #221! In this show: Apple is speeding up the development of its much-anticipating electric car, Amazon plans to open 260 cashierless grocery stores in the UK and Twitter is experimenting with livestream shopping. Enjoy & see you next week!

Hey guys, in this week’s show I talk about how recent iOS privacy changes are having a big impact on the ad business (and Apple is taking full advantage), youngsters are massively turning their back on Facebook and Paypal’s Pinterest takeover is off the table.

What does Chinese fashion retailer SHEIN have that Zalando, its European competitor, doesn't? And will that be enough for SHEIN to dominate the European fashion market? Today, China-expert Pascal Coppens and I dive into the topic of real-time fashion.

Welcome to my 218th weekly! In this edition: billion-dollar players are battling to win the last-mile delivery war, Walmart re-introduces conversational commerce, Amazon manipulates its algorithm to show own products first, and Waze wants you to have a stress-free commute. See you next week!

Disney versus Tencent is one of the most exciting battles in the world of entertainment. Tencent is at an advantage because they are focusing on gaming, something that is currently hugely popular with Generation Z. But what else can we expect from these two giants? China-expert Pascal Coppens and I take a look at this epic rivalry.

Facebook versus ByteDance is one of the most exciting battles in the world of technology today. What can we expect from these two giants? China-expert Pascal Coppens and I take a look at this epic rivalry.

Tesla versus BYD is one of the most fascinating battles in the electric vehicle market right now. It may look as if Tesla is outcompeting its Chinese rival, but don’t be fooled. BYD looks more than ready to take the throne in the coming years.

Welcome! This week I talk about Facebook's outage and the dependency questions it raised, TikTok owner ByteDance is building an e-commerce platform and Netflix looks ready to enter the gaming world. Enjoy, and see you next week!

China expert Pascal Coppens and I discuss the battle of the travel apps. When we look at Ctrip, the biggest Chinese tourism app, we see that Booking.com, which is the number 1 in the world, has a lot to learn from its Chinese competitor.

Welcome to a new Steven’s Week! In this episode I talk about Time Magazine launching a very cool NFT project, Apple is developing a depression detector for iPhone and consumer brand loyalty is at a new low. Enjoy the show!

How Xiaomi beat Apple: the Chinese company became the biggest smartphone manufacturer in the world, using a completely different strategy.

Welcome to the very first episode where Pascal Coppens and I compare 8 international Chinese and Western technology giants. The main question in this series we want to answer is who had the best offer that we can't refuse? In this first episode, we're going to take a closer look at the two giants Amazon and Alibaba. In which Pascal and I will each share our own vision on the subject.

Hey everyone! Topics of this week’s show: PayPal is aiming at in-store payments, pharma and wellness retailer Walgreens is starting its own bank services, Amazon’s tele-healthcare line is getting personal, and Facebook and Ray-Ban launch the Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses together. Enjoy, and see you next week!

Welcome back everyone, ready for season 7 of my weekly? In episode #211, I talk about big brands experimenting with NFT’s to generate brand engagement, Elon Musk entering the AI robotics market with Tesla Bot and Amazon is now bigger than Walmart. Let’s go!

Is there such a thing as over-focusing on internal processes? In the 3rd and final part of my webinar on customer-centricity with Leslie Cottenjé, we take a look at the importance and the possible dangers of your company’s processes.

Part 2 of my webinar series on customer-centricity dives into the aspect of product innovation. Innovation is no guarantee for success, so the big question is: how can we create products and services that are relevant to our customers?

How can you make your company more customer-centric? In 3 webinars, Leslie Cottenjé (Hello Customer) and I dive into the world of customer-centricity. First up: how your customer service can make the difference.

Welcome to the last weekly before my summer break! In this episode: Lego is working on bricks made out of recycled plastic bottles, TikTok follows WeChat by opening its doors to third-party integration, and Belfius bank and Proximus launch a digital bank together, which makes users think about the CO2 impact of their purchases. Have a great summer and see you in September!

Welcome to episode #209, everyone! This week I talk about smart data-collecting clothes and navigational shoes for blind people, and about Amazon opening its first full-size cashierless grocery store. Meanwhile, they are licencing their revolutionary Just Walk Out technology to other companies, which is a very cool perspective. See you next week!

In episode #208: Pinterest is looking to become a shopping platform, Starlink wants to enter the high-quality wifi market, research shows that people spend (a lot!) more when they buy via voice assistant. Enjoy, and see you next week!

In this week’s update: Whatsapp is (finally!) making it easier for companies to talk to their customers, Amazon’s ambitious wifi-sharing network Sidewalk has a major image problem even before the launch, and traditional banks managed to boost their customers’ trust during the pandemic. Enjoy the show!

Hey everyone! In this week’s show I talk about Netflix’ move to gaming, how the magic of serendipity is making a comeback, and a new Google AI tool will help us identify our skin condition. Enjoy!

Welcome to episode #205: Facebook Live Shopping is coming up, Chinese shopping app Shein most is the downloaded app in the US and Amazon wants to acquire MGM Studios. Enjoy the show, and don’t forget to subscribe!

Hey everyone! In this week’s update: iOS 14.5 users are massively disabling app tracking, Facebook pushes you to read before you share, and Gary Vaynerchuk ads a fascinating new level of engagement to NFTs.

Hey everyone, two big topics this week! Elon Musk created an amazing customer experience strategy for his Starlink satellites. And a fantastic Signal campaign (almost) brilliantly exposed the impact of Facebook’s data collection, which raises an important privacy question for the coming years. Enjoy!

Welcome to a new show! Let’s have a look at Zoom’s Immersive View background, which makes online meetings feel (a bit) like the real thing. I also take about Amazon’s in-garage delivery, Shopify’s growth that show e-commerce is here to stay, and the backfiring Robot Dog experiment in New York. Take care!

Welcome back, guys! In this show we zoom in on the EU’s plans for a GDPR for artificial intelligence, Amazon wants to set up hair salons to experiment with AR shopping, Facebook is considering an Instagram for kids, the Clubhouse hype keeps going up and down and Walmart invests in self-driving delivery vehicles. Enjoy the show!

Welcome to a special episode: #200 of Steven’s Week! For this special occasion, let’s look into the future and see what episode 400 could be like, shall we? What will I be talking about in the next 200 shows? Watch the XL video to find out!

Welcome to Steven's Week #199! In this week's show: Amazon takes the online advertising market by storm, new Zappos CEO talks about the entertainment factor of e-commerce, Zoom reveals how it wants to keep growing after the pandemic and Amazon Fresh grocery stores are multiplying under the radar. Enjoy the show!

Welcome to a new show! This week: China changes the rules for e-commerce to protect the small players, TikTok takes personalized ads to the next level, wearables became part of our pandemic lifestyle and Facebook reaches out in its Australian media dispute. Enjoy!

Want to restore the informal relationships you had with your customers, before Zoom, Teams and Google Meet became the standard? You should! There are plenty of easy ways to give informal customer relations a boost in today's remote world. Check out my 4 tips!

Hi guys! In this episode I'm interviewing Jonathan Berte, CEO and founder of Robovision, specialized in AI and robotics. Enjoy!

People have asked me thousands of questions about customer experience over the years. And I thought this would be a nice time to put the most popular ones together. So here you go: the 10 most frequently asked customer experience questions!

What should every company keep in mind, when trying to build the ultimate customer experience? Here are my 12 golden guidelines for creating a fantastic customer experience.

In conversation with Duncan Wardle, former head of innovation at the Walt Disney Company. 

Which customer experience trends will shape 2021? If you ask me, these 8 trends are going to be huge next year. From customers’ mental wellbeing to the scaling of local businesses, and from zero thinking to the added value of entertainment, this is a small taste of what we can expect. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Driven by technological innovations, customers’ expectations have completely transformed over the last decade. In my new book The Offer You Can’t Refuse, I try to illustrate how companies in all sectors – from HR to the healthcare industry and even governments – can take their customer service one step further and play an active role in their customers’ life journeys.

Hey everyone, welcome to the last show before my summer break! In this week’s update: Google introduces a fact-check label for images, some big brands are launching a Facebook ad boycott and Google’s ad revenues drop for the first time in its entire history. See you in September!

In this episode Steven talks to Jon Bird. Jon Bird is CEO of leading marketing communications agency VMLY&R in Australia and New Zealand, and is also a global advisor to VMLY&R's retail and commerce practice.

Domino's pizza outperformed companies like apple, facebook and google on the Stock market. It is crazy. Because domino's pizza did NOT change the world. They have been making pizza for decades and probably will remain making pizza for the decades to come. So, what happened.  Well, they transformed their strategy. A number of very simple consumer insights and a very clear ambition changed the company.  Listen to this video and see what happens if you make it TOO easy to order pizza! 

There is a lot of talk about empowerment. Well, the truth is, most companies don't go far enough. It's about trust. Trusting your people to do the right thing for the customer. I believe that you cannot go far enough in giving authority to your client facing people. In this short clip from one of my keynote, I give several examples of companies that are succeeding in this.

How we could reinvent B2B customer experience? By reverse engineering the customer’s needs back to today and creating specialized AI technologies to meet them.

Amazon’s dominance has created a devil’s dilemma for their competitors: should they attack the giant, work together or focus on their own customer relations? Watch the full video from one of my keynotes to find out more.  Steven Van Belleghem is a global keynote speaker, talking about the future of customer experience.

In this episode Steven talks to Phillippe Rogge. CEO Microsoft East and Central Europe

In this episode Steven talks to Tom Debruyne Founder SUE Behavioural Design & Behavioural Design

Tech companies have always been focussed on world domination. Now, they are facing a new challenge: becoming a trusted gatekeeper.   Watch the full video from this keynote to find out more!  This is a short insight from Steven Van Belleghem. Steven Van Belleghem is an international keynote speaker and author.

The past 10 years were really exciting, many cool new interfaces changed the daily life of all of us. But when I look ahead, I feel the next  10 years bring more complex challenges than the past 10 years.  In this short keynote, I give examples from the world of mobility, healthcare and other industries. Giving concrete examples of Starbucks and Amazon to illustrate my point.  This is a short part of a keynote presentation by Steven Van Belleghem. Steven Van Belleghem gives keynotes about the future of customer experience.  Check out www.stevenvanbelleghem.com for more information.

I had the pleasure of interviewing the management team of Dutch insurance company Centraal Beheer. They are an excellent example of an organisation that is completely reinventing its customer experience. They are evolving from selling products to becoming a services company. I love their approach of becoming a partner in their customers’ lives. Their objective is to become a partner in life and they have some excellent consumer cases that illustrate the efficiency of their strategy.

In this episode Steven talks to professor Filip Caeldries. Professor of Strategy and Organization. TIAS School for Business and Society – Tilburg University (NL)

In this episode he talks to Tony Chocolonely

In this episode he talks to Herman Toch

In this episode Steven talks to TIen Tzuo, CEO of Zuora.

I did a podcast with Thinkers50. They were so kind to let me share it with you. Thanks for having me. 

A bonus-episode.

In the past weeks Steven called with 6 people with a great interest in technology, data, ... In this last episode he talked with Rudy Moenaert, professor of strategic marketing.

In the coming weeks Steven will be calling with 6 people with a great interest in technology, data, ... In this episode he talks to Thierry Geerts, CEO of Google Belgium.

In the coming weeks Steven will be calling with 6 people with a great interest in technology, data, ... In this episode I talk to Pascal Coppens, China expert at Nexxworks.

In the coming weeks Steven will be calling with 6 people with a great interest in technology, data, ... In this episode I talk to keynote speaker Ken Hughes.

In the coming weeks Steven will be calling with 6 people with a great interest in technology, data, ... This is the second episode with Tom De Ruyck, managing partner of Insites Consulting.

In the coming weeks Steven will be calling with 6 people with a great interest in technology, data, ... This is the first episode with Leslie Cottenjé, CEO of Hello Customer.