Karl Sharicz is back with his follow-up to CX-PRO, featuring advanced insights from a global lineup of 16 CX thought leaders. (Yes, I’m thrilled to be one of them!) This book highlights the power of collaboration in the CX community, bringing together practitioners, consultants, and educators. It emphasizes human-centered design, a commitment to quality, and the lasting impact of genuine human connections. The book celebrates employee-driven insights as key drivers of innovation and dives into the diverse career paths that fuel the CX ecosystem.
In this episode:
- Why this book offers CX leaders a fresh perspective on customer experience management
- How the contributing authors were selected
- A closer look at standout chapters with exclusive excerpts
- A teaser on my chapter about change leadership
This book is an essential resource for CX leaders and anyone passionate about advancing their understanding of customer experience management.
———————–
Show Notes:
Meet Karl
Karl brings over thirty years of skills and experiences gained in high-tech research and manufacturing B2B environments along with proven business acumen. Throughout his career, he has served in a broad range of roles within marketing, sales, training, and training management—developing internal and external customer relationship skills and building a decided customer-centric focus along the way. As the Founder and CEO of HorizonCX, Karl offers professional services to organizations in two general categories.
- Small to medium-sized businesses aiming to begin the Customer Experience journey
- Large enterprises on the Customer Experience journey aiming to bring it to the next higher level
In his former corporate role within Tyco SimplexGrinnell, a leading fire and life-safety provider doing business throughout North America, Karl served as Customer Experience Lead where and his team focused on driving those elements of the customer relationship and experience that increased customer satisfaction, reduced customer churn, and increased customer lifetime value.
Karl is steeped in the Customer Experience Management discipline, including developing customer-centric cultures; determining the voice of the customer and deriving insights and understanding; fostering organizational adoption and accountability; creating customer experience strategies, designing approaches that will achieve customer experience excellence, and setting up metrics and measurement systems that help drive organizational return on investment.
Books: CX-PRO – Beyond the Basics: Advanced Insights for Customer Experience Professionals Paperback – September 10, 2024
by Karl Sharicz (Editor)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcript
Mark Slatin:
Well, I can’t tell you how excited I am for my guest on the show today, Karl Sharicz. who is an old friend and one of the sort of charter members in the CX space, because he was involved in CX way before it was even cool. And he was involved in CX when the CXPA first started, our professionals association, he was on the first board. So he was involved in the creation and getting it launched. And now in probably probably 13th year or something like that, But he is a CX professional, he is a CX consultant, advisor, and podcast host himself. He is also an author, and that is the reason we have him on the show today. We’re going to talk about his new book called CX-PRO Beyond the Basics. Karl, welcome to the show.
Karl Sharicz: Well, thank you, Mark. It’s great to be here.
Mark Slatin: I can’t wait to dig into this with you. You have been around the world of CX for so long, like me. I think you’ve benefited from having guests on the show and learning from them, wouldn’t you say?
Karl Sharicz: Yes, I think everybody learns from everybody else. That’s a given here. There’s nobody who’s like the supreme expert at all this stuff. We need to learn and support from one another and make this a learning organization, a concept that came out of a book by Peter Senge years ago called The Fifth Discipline, but I won’t get into that.
Mark Slatin: Well, this, this book I’m excited about because you were gracious enough to invite me to be a part of it and contributing author to it. But if you would share with, you know, there are a number of books out there, all kinds of books on customer experience. And so what was the white space that you saw for this book?
Karl Sharicz: Well, that’s a really great question. So the white space for this book began really with the first book, I would say. The first book I wrote in its entirety myself, and that was called CX-PRO, a practical guide for the new customer experience manager. And that dealt with all the basic fundamentals of CX. And so I felt that there was a need for going beyond the basics, and hence the title of the book, Beyond the Basics, Advanced Insight for CX-PRO fessionals. But I wanted to do that. I mean, since it took me 10 years to collect everything that went in the first book, I didn’t have time on my side here for another 10 years to come out with the second book. So I made a decision. I said, I will choose people to write this book. I will find people that I think would really be subject matter experts on the various topics that I wanted to include in the book. So kind of started that way, made a list of topics and then went about choosing people to author those chapters. So that’s how that.
Mark Slatin: So to kind of paraphrase, um, The first book was really an outgrowth of what you were doing in the training program, and it covered the CX fundamentals, even though you had some topics that often aren’t thought about in fundamentals, like change management and systems thinking. But then you said, I want to go to the next level, and I think I want to pick a group of authors and just oversee the whole thing, right? Orchestrate it.
Karl Sharicz: Yeah, it gave me an opportunity to become an editor. So I want, I mean, that was another one of my objectives. Well, you know, first objective was I couldn’t have written that all myself in the short period of time because the other book, the first book came out August of last year. And this book is coming out on September 10th, this new book. So that’s almost, that’s just a year and a little bit more in between. And there’s no way I could have put all that together. and lent all that expertise because I didn’t have expertise in all of those individual areas that those others did. And it was a divide and conquer, you know, and but it was it was it was rallying the troops, I have to say, you know, there was a lot of there was a lot of communication back and forth. So I became the orchestrator and the editor and and there we are.
Mark Slatin: Yeah. Well, being on the other side of that, I can attest to that, that you were doing a good job of keeping us on focus and herding the cat, so to speak, keeping the ball moving. As you said, it was, all things considered, a relatively short time frame. And so how did you, I know you said you wrote down the topics in your head, but how did you pick the authors that were going to contribute to the book?
Karl Sharicz: Well, that’s another interesting question. So, I guess from my involvement in CXPA, largely I’ve met a lot of people and know a lot of people. So, I kind of looked at that and I wanted to also think about who hasn’t had their, who has done some really excellent work and whose voice hasn’t been heard yet. And it sort of falls off of a podcast that I’ve been doing a while ago. I haven’t done a lot of it lately called Unsung CX Heroes. I think I only did maybe four episodes before I put it aside, but I may revive that again soon here. And it was my attempt to get exposure to those who had done some pretty interesting things but they weren’t the household names in and around CX. And there’s a lot of famous people in and around CX. Here’s a quote. I’m going to use a quote because I always get insights from books about musicians. So I was reading one recently, and this is a musician who was in a band who had a famous leader, not quite Robert Plant, but a famous leader in the band who was the bass player in the band. And this is a quote from him. You don’t have to be a competent and excellent musician and have to be famous at the same time. They’re not, they don’t have to, they don’t have to come together. And so in a way that I thought, well, there are a lot of people who are known in the field of customer experience who have already had a lot to say. They’ve written books, they’re keynote speakers, they’re, They have their own podcasts, webcasts, et cetera, et cetera. But let me look around and see who has competency and skills and really deep knowledge in this area, but hasn’t become a household name yet. Let’s put it that way, yet. Hopefully, they will be because of this book.
Mark Slatin: So, okay, let’s talk about the value to the reader here. What are some things, can you share with us some examples of things that you think might be takeaways or something, lessons that potential readers of the book could benefit from?
Karl Sharicz: Yeah, sure, I can do that. Let me think here. Well, I guess if I just take the book and look at the very first chapter, and it was written by Patty Saltis. And it titled was Aligning CX with the C-Suite. Now there’s a bunch of words right there that can resonate with most folks, right? And what she says here is that customer experience should be considered a business strategy rather than just a program or an initiative. And I just wholeheartedly agree with that. I hate when I hear programs and initiatives. You know, because those are really beginning and ends in short term thinking here, but it’s fundamentally driving long term business success and competitive differentiation within the marketplace. And she says that when CX is treated as a core strategy, it influences every aspect of the business from product development and marketing to customer service and employee engagement. And that strategic approach ensures that the customer is at the center of all business decisions. which lead to consistent positive interactions that build brand loyalty, increase customer satisfaction, and ultimately drive sustainable revenue growth over the long term. In contrast, viewing CX as a mere program or initiative almost limits its scope and impact, treating it as a temporary effort rather than an ongoing integral part of the business DNA. And I would hate to say this, but when I worked in corporate, Pretty much that’s the way they looked at it. It was a program and a department and a function and It suffered because of that It could have been much more and maybe it was after I left who knows because I left it in good hands With a more senior level person kind of driving it upwards. So maybe that happened that would be my hope anyway That’s one thing Okay, another one is, you know, for years now, there’s been this mixed message about the difference between customer service and customer experience. And customer service is often viewed as what happens after the purchase, or when something goes wrong, or you need some information. Whereas customer experience really is holistic and encompasses all interactions with the brand across every lifecycle stage and touchpoint. But understanding customer experience, or customer service experience, I should say, it’s essential for differentiating it from the broader concept of customer experience. Customer service experience focuses on the specific interactions and services provided to customers, which can significantly influence their overall perception of the brand and overall customer experience. And Alex Mead is pretty known in this area. And in his chapter, he offers some really stimulating insights into the customer service experience and provides readers with a realigned view of what some may have simply accepted as given without question. So I would say that was a pretty key part of that book.
Mark Slatin: Yeah. So if I could back up, uh, Patty’s comment, um, two gems that you just shared one, this align CX with the C suite is just so critical. Um, and I’m sure she dives into a little bit about that. Why, but also the how of doing that in the book and Patty’s, uh, uh, CX pro re former researcher and now at Upwork. someone I respect and admire greatly, you’ll get some great info from that chapter. And then Alex as well talking about this. I heard once at a presentation, I loved it. There was a quote up on relative to this chapter that you’re writing about service versus customer service versus customer experience. And it said, customer service happens when the experience is broken. That’s kind of a provocative way to say it because it’s not 100% true. There is service involved sometimes. But much of it is because people don’t, you know, the truth is that people don’t wake up in the morning saying, I can’t wait to call the contact center. Most people, there are a few exceptions, but most people don’t look forward to that.
Karl Sharicz: Well, you know, I think there’s a lot of talk about brand experience. And I don’t know, in this day and age, and in this quick, fast paced world, I don’t know how many people think so much about brand, as much they think about the experience, as you say, when something goes wrong, and I need a fix for something, you know. I have an Apple iPhone, and one could say I’m loyal to the brand Apple if I were to go buy another phone and get another one here. But I don’t think about it that way. I think about it as it works for me. And when I have a problem, it’s how quickly I can get that resolved. That’s what’s really setting my experience with the brand Apple, is that part of it. Not so much that, oh, they’re a technology leader, and they have this fancy image and stuff like that. Steve Jobs and all that. But, you know, that’s how I think of it.
Mark Slatin: Yeah. So yeah, great examples.
Karl Sharicz: Yeah, I mean, I think you’re right about Patty. I mean, I’ve known her for some time now, too. And she’s another one of those. She’s a CX-PRO and the CC XP. But I got to tell you, before she earned those designations, she was already there. I mean, that’s, you know, those these are capstones to things that we’ve already done and experiences that we’ve already had, and capabilities and skills that we’ve honed over years, you know, and then, you know, you capstone it by, you know, getting a certification in this thing here, but I mean, her retail experience is enormous. I mean, it’s invaluable what she brings to the party. And then I think another one, if I get to do one more, do I have time for one more? Yeah, sure. The employee experience, it was only touched upon in the first book, but that kind of stands as a bedrock of customer loyalty and it serves as a bridge between, you know, the promises that organizations make and the promises they keep. Satisfaction, motivation, and empowerment of employees from the essential prerequisites behind the enduring allegiance. I mean, employees are the frontline ambassadors of a brand, and they hold the key to delivering on pledges made to customers. Actively listening to their ideas, validating their input, and acknowledging the role that they play, they serve, I guess, is essential toward fostering that culture of mutual respect and continuous improvement.
Mark Slatin: Great examples. And Rich is leading CX for Eastern Bank there in your neck of the woods up in Boston area, right?
Karl Sharicz: And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that you wrote a chapter, Mark. I did. You know, I knew, knowing you from the, from the banking industry, as I have, I remember those calls that we had between you, your bank, Sandy Springs Bank, Eastern Bank, when I worked with them and Bangor Savings Bank and collaborative things that we did here. But, you know, your Trusted Guide Workshop, which I went through, so I have the certificates hanging on my wall right here. Thank you very much. You know, it seemed like a natural extension to the basics of CX, you know, taking it one step further, as most of the chapters in the book do, so. And I, you know, had seen your writing, and so I trusted you, not only I trusted you for your Trust in God workshop, but trusted you to write a really excellent chapter, so I would be remiss if I didn’t say that as well, so thank you for that.
Mark Slatin: You’re welcome. And it was it was fun to explore, you know, how am I going to what what should I pick to write about? And how do I how do I consolidate it into one chapter? And I decided to, I don’t know if anyone else did this, you can you can tell me because I didn’t really have a chance. So the book isn’t available just yet. It’s very close. By the time this recording is released, it will be available. And we can talk about on on Amazon and other places, how to get how to get a copy. But I decided to tell a story. So it’s in without getting into all the details, but it’s a story really my, it’s a little a little bit autobiographical, And it starts off with a guy going up an elevator to go to a C-suite meeting, and he’s nervous, and he thinks he’s got all his ducks in a row, but he’s not sure. And this is a dilemma for a lot of CX leaders, is the anxiousness about, well, how is this going to be received? And I think I have the data I need, but oftentimes it’s a, a very intimidating space physically and emotionally to walk into and then how are you going to best have success, not just in the short run, but in the long run. I kind of walk through some of the concepts that are next level, assuming that people already have the basics from your first book or your training program that you offer or real life, whatever combination, and now they’re ready for the next. That’s a bit of a teaser, but that’s what I get into is kind of how do you break that down? And a lot of it follows how do you become trusted? How do you become the guide versus the hero?
Karl Sharicz: Yeah. And I think, you know, you weren’t the only one who approached the chapter like that. I think there’s at least another one that starts with a story in the beginning. And there’s a whole chapter on storytelling as a skill in the customer experience management toolbox. tool in the toolbox. So yeah, it’s, it’s all there. It’s really, I’m looking, I’m so looking forward to rereading it myself, actually, because I spent so much time with it, you know, I didn’t have the opportunity to kind of sit back and look at it, you know, from cover to cover. And it’s meant to not like the first book is meant to be read front to back, you know, because one chapter really builds upon the prior one. But the second one is, you know, pick a chapter, pick a topic that intrigues you and just go for it. One chapter doesn’t depend on the other. So it’s kind of nice in that way. When you read a book that you can just go to chapter 19. Actually, there’s only 16 in this one, but you go right to 16 if you want.
Mark Slatin: Yeah. What a great, I don’t know, buffet. of insights from a wide range of people that you assembled, you handpicked, and have a different lived experience in the world of CX, but knew that they were putting pen to paper, so to speak, and wanted to put their best foot forward, I’m sure. And you get to benefit if you’re the reader. So I encourage you to go out and get a copy. Let me ask this question I ask to all my guests. and love to get your thoughts on this since you have traveled down the road of life, even longer than me and got to explore a bunch of life. What advice would you give to your 20 year old self?
Karl Sharicz: Well, I have to think of what I looked like when I was 20 years old. Let me see, I just joined the United States Air Force. So thanks for your service. So, um, You know, actually, I have reflected on that a little bit over my life and stuff. And I would say to my 20 year old self, don’t wait, just go for it. It sounds like Nike, just do it, right? You know, whatever it may be. You know, I’ll give you an example. I was a closet singer, songwriter and musician during my teens. through my 20s and into my 30s. And I let too many years go by before deciding I’m going to let the rest of the world in on whatever it is that I have here and see if they like it. And my other advice would be share with the world what pleases you first. Don’t worry about what other people think or say about it. No one should be dictating to you what it is they want out of you as much as you should be following your own views and doing what you choose. And if they happen to be in alignment and they like it, then all the better. And so that’s my advice. Those two things, don’t wait and don’t care.
Mark Slatin: Great advice. Great advice. For those of you who are only listening on audio, the video, if you could see us on video, you’d notice that behind Karl is a wall full of electric guitars.
Karl Sharicz: There’s some acoustic ones in the background there too that you can’t see, but yeah, they’re all there. And that’s only a small portion of my arsenal.
Mark Slatin: How many guitars do you have?
Karl Sharicz: As of right now, 19. 19 guitars. Wow. And that doesn’t count, you know, ukuleles and mandolins and trumpets and violins and other things. Yeah. Pianos, drums.
Mark Slatin: Beautiful. Well, you made a lot of good music with your second book. or this book here is CX-PRO Beyond the Basics. Pick up a copy. If you’re a CX leader, this is a must to your, or if you’re just exploring the world of customer experience, great book to have on your bookshelf. Karl, thank you so much. If people want to get ahold of you, what would be the best way for them to reach you?
Karl Sharicz: Uh, well, I mean, I’m on LinkedIn. And like I said, I had 8100 plus connections on LinkedIn. So feel free to look me up there, Karl Chavez, but you can also email me at Karl at horizon cx.com. That’s my business name, horizon cx. Or you can just go to www horizon cx.com. And that’s my website. And there’s all kinds of contact and other information there. And the books will be connected through the website as well. So you can link them there. So I always like visitors to the website.
