The CX Cast

Hosted by Forrester

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Research-based guidance on how to manage customer experience (CX) at any organization — an imperative that Forrester has been researching for over 20 years. Each week, Forrester analysts discuss key findings from their latest research on CX; analyze relevant topics in the news; or chat with CX professionals about how they’ve overcome prevalent challenges managing CX in their organizations.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

September 3, 202627 min

463: Distrust In The Age Of AI

In this episode, Martin Gill and Angelina Gennis welcome Enza Iannopollo — VP, principal analyst — to discuss new research on trust, responsible AI, and what businesses must do to earn customer confidence. Drawing on fresh European consumer data, they explore why distrust has become the default response to AI and how organizations can build experiences that customers are willing to trust. The conversation introduces four distinct consumer groups, from AI distrusters to embracers, and explains how different customers evaluate AI-enabled experiences. The discussion also examines the foundations of responsible AI, including transparency, accountability, fairness, privacy, security, reliability, and human oversight.

August 27, 202621 min

462: Use Cases For AI In Experience Research

AI moderators promise to make qualitative research faster and more scalable, but where do they fit in the research process? Senem Biyikli joins Martin Gill and Angelina Gennis to explain how AI-moderated interviews work, when they deliver value, and why human researchers remain essential. The discussion covers practical use cases, implementation guidance, participant trust, and the future of AI-powered customer research.

August 20, 202622 min

461: Practitioner Stories: How Michelle Samuel Built Momentum in Her First Year at Nationwide

Many organizations collect customer feedback. Far fewer consistently turn it into action and measurable business results. Angelina Gennis speaks with Michelle Samuel, Chief Customer Officer at Nationwide, about building a customer-driven operating model inside a 100-year-old mutual company. Michelle shares how her first 90 days focused on listening, alignment, and capability assessment, and how those insights led to a simple but scalable CX framework: Listen. Act. Monitor. They cover: How to move from customer-focused activity to customer-driven impact How to prioritize journeys that create the greatest customer and business value The role of associate empowerment in delivering exceptional customer experience (CX) Lessons from scaling CX across both B2C and partner-led business models How to connect CX measurement to loyalty, retention, and growth outcomes

August 13, 202647 min

460: CX Cast Replay – How Fujitsu Europe Scaled CX Transformation

This week on the CX Cast we dig into our archives to bring you an episode that's stood the test of time. Fujitsu is a global B2B technology and services company, and Europe is its largest region outside of Japan. To double down on customer centricity, Fujitsu Europe focused on four success factors: Blending CX expertise with business inputs and creating clear CX accountability across countries Proving the value of CX to leaders and account teams Using a standardized but customizable approach to scale CX across account teams in various countries Focusing on value by cocreating improvements with customers Ben Phillips was the Head of Customer Experience Performance Centre when we recorded this episode. He joined us to share the path Fujitsu Europe took on its CX transformation.

August 7, 202628 min

459: Why Inclusive Design Improves Customer Experience For Everyone

Most organizations still design for an "average" customer. The problem? There is no average customer. In this episode, producer Hannah Jachim, who in her day-job is a Forrester Researcher, joins Angelina Gennis and Martin Gill to explore the report she recently published exploring inclusive design in the automotive industry. Our discussion reveals how designing for people with different abilities, needs, and circumstances unlocks better experiences for everyone. From the origins of cruise control to the challenges of autonomous vehicles, Hannah explains why accessibility should be treated as a driver of innovation rather than a compliance exercise. The conversation also explores how assumptions about drivers, passengers, age, ability, and technology continue to shape customer experiences across industries. We cover: Why inclusive design often produces better products for all customers. What is the "curb cut effect" and what business leaders can learn from it. How automotive design highlights broader customer experience (CX) challenges. How organizations can embed inclusion early instead of retrofitting accessibility later. Why the entire customer journey matters, not just the product itself. Whether you're focused on customer experience, service design, accessibility, journey mapping, or product strategy, the lessons extend far beyond automotive.

July 31, 202625 min

458: How Employee Experience Powers Total Experience Growth

Customer growth comes from two sources: strengthening relationships with existing customers and attracting new ones. Forrester's Total Experience (TX) framework was designed to measure both. Now it takes the next step. Host Angelina Gennis welcomes James McQuivey, VP, Research Director at Forrester, to discuss the next generation of Total Experience and the introduction of EX impact, a new measure that reveals how employee experience influences customer experience (CX) and brand experience (BX). James explains why employee experience is not simply another score to add to the model. Instead, it acts as a force that can accelerate or hinder growth ambitions. Using examples from retail brands such as Costco, Trader Joe's, and Aldi, Angelina and James explore how employee empowerment, enablement, and inspiration shape customer outcomes and long-term business performance. They discuss: Why Total Experience focuses on customers and non-customers as the two sources of growth How employee experience can amplify or constrain CX and brand performance What Forrester's new EX impact measure reveals about organizational momentum Why some companies achieve strong CX despite weaker employee experience, and the risks that creates How leaders can use connected customer, brand, and employee data to make smarter investment decisions

July 23, 202629 min

Hands On: Building Interactive Experiences

Most CX leaders know stakeholder alignment is hard. Strategy workshops stall. Teams focus on blockers. Momentum fades before transformation begins. In this episode, Angelina Gennis and Martin Gill share lessons from a season of CX forums and immersive experiences. From stakeholder management workshops to AI-powered game shows and full-scale transformation simulations, they explore how interactive learning helps people build skills, collaborate across functions, and experience change before it happens. We cover: Why simple, hands-on activities create stronger engagement and learning How gamification helps teams move past organizational barriers Ways to use AI and audience participation to make CX education more effective What immersive simulations teach leaders about CX strategy, governance, and stakeholder management How CX teams can create their own CX Week or CX Day using game-based learning Angelina shares examples from Forrester CX Forums, including a stakeholder management workshop, a live "hype or happening" AI game show, and a transformation simulation that challenged participants to build growth-focused CX strategies under pressure. The discussion also explores interactive learning, CX transformation, stakeholder management, AI in CX, and organizational culture change.

July 15, 202629 min

456: Why You Need A Journey Decision System

Most organizations have journey maps, dashboards, and customer insight. Many struggle to turn them into meaningful decisions. In this CX Cast episode, learn how to bridge the gap.

July 9, 202629 min

455: Closing the Digital Experience Gap: From Channels to Customer Moments

Great CX starts outside-in. If customers aren’t using what you built, the problem isn’t them. Host Martin Gill speaks with Tom Mouhsian, Principal Analyst at Forrester, about why, even after years of investment, digital experiences still fail. The issue isn’t channels or technology. It’s a persistent gap between how customers want to get things done and how organizations force them to do it. Tom introduces the Digital Moments Map and Digital Connections Tracker—two frameworks that reframe CX around customer goals, interaction modes, and real-world behavior. We discuss: Why thinking in channels is outdated and what to replace it with The four “moment types” that define all digital behaviour (control, consumption, communication, commerce) How interaction modes (voice, chat, GUI, XR) shape effort and adoption How to identify the gap between current usage and customer preference What device, channel, and platform complexity means for CX design Tom shares real-world examples to show how even “successful” digital transformation can increase cost and friction when misaligned with customer needs.

July 2, 202626 min

454: Make CX Strategy Stick With Interactive Learning

Most CX strategies fail to land. Not because the ideas are wrong, but because teams don't internalize the decisions behind them. Host Martin Gill speaks with Joana de Quintanilha, VP and Principal Analyst, about how immersive, gamified experiences turn CX strategy into action. Drawing on real examples like escape‑room style simulations to auction‑driven prioritization, Joana explains how leading organizations drive alignment, confidence, and better decisions at scale. We discuss: Why immersive experiences outperform traditional workshops for CX strategy rollout The five design principles: experiential, purposeful, participatory, repeatable, measurable How to use gamification to improve decision quality—not just engagement How to design for impact, including memory, behavior change, and stakeholder alignment Practical formats: journey labs, customer carousels, simulations, and executive decision rooms Joana shares lessons from real deployments, including how to stage experiences, measure outcomes, and avoid common pitfalls. If CX leaders want strategy to stick, teams need to learn by doing, not just listening.

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