DCX Links | December 22, 2024
Curiosity fuels great CX. Dive into how asking better questions, embracing creativity, and challenging the norm can transform how you connect, innovate, and deliver unforgettable experiences.
Inspiration, education, and coaching for customer-obsessed leaders.
Welcome to this week's roundup of customer experience insights!
This week’s newsletter is all about leveling up as a CX pro. Whether it’s using AI to create magical, personalized experiences, drones delivering dinner, or learning to really listen to what people need, there’s a clear theme: curiosity and creativity.
Great CX isn’t about sticking to the same old playbook. It’s about shaking things up, asking better questions, and connecting with people in ways that actually make their lives easier (and maybe even a little more delightful).
As usual, I’ve got everything from cutting-edge tech to simple but powerful skills to help you stay ahead and keep things fresh. Let’s dig in and see how we can make every customer interaction a win. You’ve got this!
Happy reading—and stay curious, DCXers!
-Mark
This week’s must-read links:
Retail Personalization Gets a Boost from AI
Cars That Dream: Land Rover’s Bold Move
Wing + DoorDash: Drones in Dallas
Your Ultimate Guide to the Top CX Events of 2025
Listen Up: Are You Really Hearing People?
The Power of Asking the Right Questions
Retail Personalization Gets a Boost from AI
According to Bain & Company, retailers are tapping into AI to make personalization feel like magic, wowing customers and boosting their bottom lines.
The Data-Driven Secret Sauce
Why it matters: People want relevance. With so many choices out there, they expect brands to get their preferences without coming off as creepy.
AI helps brands sift through tons of data to predict what customers want—sometimes even before they know it themselves.
Retailers are using machine learning to tweak recommendations in real time, making the shopping journey smoother and more enjoyable.
The payoff? Companies that use AI personalization see happier customers, stronger loyalty, and more sales.
From Guessing to Knowing
How it works: Advanced AI tools turn every interaction into a nugget of insight, building detailed profiles for each customer.
Think dynamic pricing, smarter inventory management, and tailored promotions.
Bain highlights how AI-driven targeting leaves old-school demographics in the dust, letting brands connect with customers on a much deeper level.
This tech is turning mass marketing into hyper-personalized experiences that feel one-of-a-kind.
Practical Tips for CX Pros
What you can do: You don’t need a tech team the size of Amazon’s to get started. Even small steps can make a difference.
Test the waters with a pilot program, like personalized email campaigns or product recommendations.
Focus on getting your data right—if your input is junk, your output will be too.
Experiment, learn, and refine. Use your wins to show the value of scaling up AI personalization.
The Big Picture
Why it’s exciting: This isn’t just about fancy tech. It’s about brands finding better ways to connect with people. When done right, AI-powered personalization means businesses win and customers feel genuinely understood.
Bain makes it clear that you don’t need to be a retail giant to jump in. Even smaller businesses can leverage AI tools to punch above their weight if they take a thoughtful approach.
Cars That Dream: Land Rover’s Bold Move
Land Rover’s "Who Says Cars Can’t Dream?" blends AI and live action to create a unique storytelling experience. Tool of North America took on the challenge to show how AI can deliver quality, creativity, and efficiency in brand storytelling.
Can AI Tell Stories?
Short answer: Yes, with a little help.
AI platforms like MidJourney and Runway made stunning, dreamlike visuals.
Live-action shots added human performance and realistic car motion AI can’t nail yet.
Together, they told a seamless story about a Defender dreaming of adventures.
What’s the Story?
A car dreaming? Why not!
The ad imagines the Defender escaping boring city life for wild off-road adventures.
AI created breathtaking landscapes—snowy mountains, muddy trails, and more.
Live-action scenes bookend the dreams, making it all feel grounded and real.
Blurring the Lines Between Tech and Art
Mixing AI magic with live-action smarts:
AI generated thousands of images for landscapes and car visuals.
Tools like Photoshop refined the Defender to brand-approved standards.
AI added motion to stills, creating cinematic shots.
A one-day live-action shoot handled people and tricky car scenes.
Multiple ad versions (snow, mud) were easy to make with AI.
An Adventure in Storytelling
Hybrid is the future.
AI cuts production time and costs while expanding creative options.
Live action is still key for emotion and authenticity.
Together, they’re redefining what’s possible in advertising.
The Defender’s dream isn’t just an ad—it’s a look at the future of how we tell stories.
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Unlock Leadership That Inspires Action
For CX professionals who lead, manage, or simply want to be heard—this is your playbook for building unshakable influence.
“What stood out was how action-oriented the course is. Each email comes with practical tips and challenges that I could apply immediately in my day-to-day interactions. It’s not just theory—I found myself practicing the advice on active listening, relationship building, and credibility right away. This positively impacted how I approached conversations and built connections with my colleagues and clients.” - Dr. Chris Brown, CEO MRI/MarketCulture
Wing + DoorDash: Drones in Dallas
Wing, Alphabet’s drone delivery company, is teaming up with DoorDash to test drone deliveries in Dallas-Fort Worth. It’s a small trial, but it feels like a big leap for the future of delivery. Imagine ordering your dinner and having it dropped off by a drone in under 30 minutes. Yep, that’s what they’re working on.
Drones to the Rescue
Drones have the potential to fix the tricky “last mile” problem—the part of delivery that’s usually slow and expensive. Instead of waiting for your food to get through traffic, a drone skips the mess and gets your order to you fast. It’s a sneak peek into a world where errands might just fly to your doorstep.
How the Magic Happens
Here’s how it works: you order on DoorDash like usual. If your address and items qualify, Wing takes over. Their drone flies your package to you, hovers, and gently lowers it to your doorstep. No traffic, no delays, just a tap, a buzz, and it’s there.
CX Pros, Take Note
For customer experience pros, this is huge. Faster deliveries mean happier customers who keep coming back. It’s a frictionless experience that makes the whole journey feel seamless. And let’s not forget the “wow” factor—who wouldn’t remember their first drone delivery? Plus, as more brands test these innovations, CX teams get a chance to prepare for the operational shifts coming with this tech.
Not All Smooth Sailing
But it’s not all smooth sailing. FAA rules make scaling tricky, and even though Wing’s drones are quieter than most, convincing communities to embrace them will take time. Plus, drones have limits—they’re not replacing trucks just yet.
The Future Takes Flight
This isn’t just about cool tech. It’s a look at the future of delivery. Faster service, fewer emissions, and big changes for local commerce are all on the horizon. Wing and DoorDash are making it happen, one drop-off at a time.
NEW from DCX: Get Every Department Onboard with Customer-Centricity
Want to build a true customer-first culture? The CX Leader’s Guide to Organizational Buy-In is your blueprint for getting every department—whether it’s customer service, sales, product, tech, finance, or HR—aligned with customer-centric practices.
Packed with actionable strategies, this guide shows how aligning team goals with customer needs drives real, measurable success. No fluff, no filler—just proven tips to get everyone on the same page. If you’re ready to turn theory into practice, this is the roadmap you’ve been waiting for.
Your Ultimate Guide to the Top CX Events of 2025
Jeff Sheehan Consulting has assembled a comprehensive list of CX events to keep you engaging with your colleagues and learning all year long. Wherever you are in your CX leadership career, these conferences offer the opportunity to stay ahead in a fast-changing industry.
January 2025
Customer Contact Week – The Self-Service Playbook
January 27–29, 2025 | JW Marriott Bonnet Creek, Orlando, FL
February 2025
TMC Future of CX Expo
February 11–13, 2025 | Broward County Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL
CX USA Exchange
February 25–26, 2025 | Fort Lauderdale, FL
Listen Up: Are You Really Hearing People?
Sam Stern’s year-end CX Patterns podcast is a must-listen for CX leaders. It’s all about listening—the kind that goes beyond just hearing words. Real listening can change everything: your relationships, your customer experience, and even your perspective.
What’s the Big Deal About Listening?
It’s more than just nodding and smiling.
Great listening means being present and actually trying to understand what someone’s saying. It’s about catching the tone, the pauses, and even what they’re holding back. When you listen like this, you’re showing people they matter—and that’s how trust is built.
Why CX Leaders Should Care
Your customers are talking. Are you paying attention?
In customer experience, listening is everything. It’s how you find out what’s really bugging your customers and what they’re hoping for. It’s the difference between gathering feedback and actually doing something with it. Miss this, and you’re leaving solutions and happy customers on the table.
Sam’s Quick Tips to Be a Better Listener
Here’s how to get better at it:
Take a beat: Stop thinking about what you’ll say next. Focus on what’s being said.
Ask follow-ups: Don’t just guess what they mean—ask!
Show you get it: Reflect back emotions, even if you can’t solve the problem.
Let the silence do its thing: Sometimes, the best stuff comes when you don’t rush to fill the gaps.
The Superpower You Didn’t Know You Had
Listening isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a game-changer.
Whether you’re leading a team, working with customers, or just trying to be a better human, listening well can change everything. It helps you find real answers, build stronger connections, and earn trust. Like any skill, the more you practice, the better you’ll get.
Source
The Power of Asking the Right Questions
Are you asking the right questions? This Big Think piece reminds us that great leaders and innovators don’t just look for answers—they know the secret lies in asking the right questions. It’s simple: better questions lead to better results.
Questions That Lead to Breakthroughs
It’s not just about the answers.
Asking the right question can totally change the game. It can help you see things in a new way, uncover what’s missing, and spark those “aha” moments. Whether it’s at work, in relationships, or just figuring out life, good questions are the foundation of growth.
The best questions are open-ended and get you thinking.
They’re about exploring the unknown, not confirming what you already know.
Lessons from the Greats
How the pros do it.
Steve Jobs was always asking, “What’s next?” to push Apple to innovate. Einstein famously said if he had an hour to solve a problem, he’d spend most of it figuring out the right question to ask. It’s not about rushing to answers—it’s about setting the stage for breakthroughs.
The Art of Curiosity
Questions = better customer experiences.
In CX, the right questions can uncover what customers really need. Don’t just ask, “What went wrong?” Try, “How can we make this easier for you?” or “What’s standing in your way?” Those kinds of questions lead to real solutions and happier customers.
Your Turn
Time to rethink your questions.
Are your questions helping you make better decisions or just checking a box? Here’s the key:
Challenge the usual way of thinking.
Open the door to new ideas.
Focus on what really matters.
Change the Question, Change the Game
Curiosity drives progress.
Whether you’re leading a team or just trying to figure things out, the questions you ask shape your next steps. So get curious, stay open, and keep asking better questions.
Thank you!
I hope you found value in this week’s links. See you next Sunday at 8:15 am ET!
If this edition sparked ideas, share it with a colleague or team member. Let’s grow the DCX community together!
👋 Please Reach Out
I started this newsletter to help customer-obsessed professionals deliver better customer experiences and to have more conversations with friendly and interesting people just like you! 😊 If you ever...
- have feedback for me,
- have a question or a problem regarding customer experience, strategy, team building, or more,
- want to say hello,
...then please get in touch. I'd love to hear from you!
— Mark
www.marklevy.co
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P.S.
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