The Modern Customer Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

The Hershey Company is transforming faster than ever—proving how CX and AI can modernize a 130-year-old brand at scale.

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Tiffany Menyhart — Chief Customer Officer at The Hershey Company — shares how her team is reshaping customer experience across physical retail, e-commerce, and the rapidly expanding on-demand ecosystem.

Hershey's results speak for themselves:
▪️ On-demand sales up 30%+ this year (and 60% growth over recent years)
▪️ 40%+ seasonal lifts with retail partners through strategic digital optimization

If you're leading CX, digital, retail, or innovation strategy, this episode is a must-listen.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation and subscribe for more insights on AI, and the future of customer experience.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today's Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. 

AI is reshaping how companies build and scale customer relationships. In this episode of The Modern Customer podcast, learn how to use AI to strengthen customer trust, speed up execution, and prepare for voice-driven and multimodal CX. Nicholas Thorne, co-author of Me, My Customer, and AI, breaks down practical strategies for modern leaders. Nicholas is also the co-founder of Audos, and a partner at prehype, known for helping entrepreneurs build and scale new ventures.

What you'll learn:
• How to prioritize the customer segment that drives your next stage of growth
• How AI can safeguard executive focus and free you to engage directly with customers
• How to turn trust and responsiveness into long-term strategic advantage
• Why voice and multimodal CX are accelerating faster than expected — and how to prepare

Tune in to explore how AI can accelerate growth while deepening customer trust.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today's Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. 

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, John Solomon, CMO of Therabody, shares how the company rebuilt its brand around the customer.

By shifting from product-first to customer-first, Therabody expanded relevance, built trust, and strengthened loyalty. AI then pushed personalization even further—turning product use into connected experiences that grow with each customer.

Highlights from our conversation:

 ✔️ Leveraging customer feedback to guide Therabody's rebrand and audience-first strategy

 ✔️ Applying AI to deliver personalized wellness experiences at scale

 ✔️ Designing products and experiences around customer needs

 ✔️ Building cultural relevance through talent partnerships that strengthen brand connection

👉 Tune in to hear how Therabody turned customer insights into strategy—and the leadership lessons you can apply.

Learn more about Therabody: www.therabody.com

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today's Customer.

Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn

For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here. 

Retailers leverage footfall and conversion data to inform critical decisions like store location, inventory levels, and personalized marketing initiatives. But what if these metrics only tell half the story of why shoppers leave without purchasing? 

This is where customer experience (CX) emerges as the critical differentiator in retail. Martin Newman, with four decades of experience guiding consumer-facing giants like Harrods, Burberry and Ted Baker, delivers a stark reality: prioritizing cost reduction over the emotional and human aspects of the customer journey is unsustainable. 

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future.

In this week's episode of the Modern Customer Podcast, Isabella Villani, a renowned customer experience expert and author, illustrates how proactive analytics revolutionizes customer experience (CX).

Isabella begins by explaining how this innovative approach enables businesses to anticipate and effectively meet customer needs, thereby transforming the CX landscape. Using proactive analytics, companies gain insights into the customer's journey, allowing them to foresee specific inquiries or needs.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future.

For fintechs to keep customers loyal, a deep understanding of their needs and challenges is essential. Trish Wethman, Chief Customer Officer at Best Egg, stands out in this respect. She has redefined customer experience (CX) in the fintech world by centering it around financial confidence.

Wethman's approach goes beyond just offering financial products. She aims to empower customers, particularly those with limited savings, to confidently navigate their financial journeys. This shift from traditional CX strategies to a focus on long-term financial well-being is a game-changer in the industry.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future.

How can the concept of "Unreasonable Hospitality" reshape the landscape of customer experience within the contact center?

In this podcast, Will Guidara, former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park and author of "Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect," shares impactful business insights. His insights into hospitality, leadership, and customer service provide valuable lessons for businesses seeking to enhance their customer experience and build a customer-focused culture.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future.

How can businesses genuinely embrace customer-centricity? Do companies like Apple genuinely prioritize their customers, or do they place their products above all else? These pressing questions guide our conversation with Colin Shaw.

With a career spanning decades, Colin Shaw, the founder and CEO of Beyond Philosophy, brings firsthand experience to the evolving world of customer experience. With seven best-selling books under his belt and recognition as a LinkedIn Top Voice and influencer in customer experience and marketing, he's a trailblazer in his field.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future.

Building trust is a crucial aspect of any successful business, especially when it comes to the client experience. But how exactly can organizations foster trust, and what role does emotional safety play in this process?

One individual who has made significant strides in understanding the dynamics of trust is Charles Green. He has dedicated his career to understanding the dynamics of trust and how it influences various aspects of our lives. His insights, particularly through his work "The Trusted Advisor," have profoundly influenced the professional services landscape.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future.

What's the future of contact centers in shaping customer experience and brand loyalty? Companies are increasingly recognizing the critical role that contact centers play in shaping customer perceptions and driving brand loyalty.

In this podcast episode, Stephanie Shaffer De Jesus, a seasoned customer experience practitioner, shares invaluable insights into the future of contact centers and the role that Experience Level Agreements play versus the Service Level Agreements that contact centers are generally managed by. By backing into contact center metrics - starting with the customer and the desired customer experience - the contact center can transform. 

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book The Customer Of The Future.