Maxie Schmidt
VP, Principal Analyst
Author Insights
Blog
Are You Prioritizing The Right Customer Journey Improvements?
Actually, many CX leaders risk investing where it doesn’t earn loyalty because traditional prioritization of journey drivers ignores that customers don’t stay loyal because you’re doing well; rather, they stay loyal when you are doing better than competitors in the things that matter. This blog is part of a series on how customer journeys drive […]
Blog
Is Journey Completion Enough To Drive Loyalty?
You might assume that customers completing a journey equals success. But our data shows that’s not true. When customers complete their journey but are uncertain whether what they did worked, it undermines loyalty. This blog is part of a series on how customer journeys drive loyalty (scroll to the end for all resources). Customers’ Uncertainty […]
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Does The Peak-End Rule Apply To Customer Journeys?
Yes. Customers whose journeys end on a high and customers whose journeys include a positive surprise are more loyal. This blog is part of a series on how customer journeys drive loyalty (scroll to the end for all resources). Our Data Confirms The Peak-End Rule For Customer Journeys The peak-end rule states that people judge […]
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Do You Improve What Matters To Loyalty In Customer Journeys?
Probably not. Loyalty is shaped by a handful of journey dynamics that most CX teams neither measure nor actively manage. This blog is part of a series on how customer journeys drive loyalty (scroll to the end for all resources). Five Journey Practices That Strengthen Customer Loyalty To identify what drives loyalty, we examined 29 […]
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For A Compelling CX Business Case, Stop Refining The Model And Start Framing The Decision
Building a CX business case can feel like an endless cycle. You’ve spent weeks gathering data, you’ve debated assumptions, you’ve refined the model three times — then the business case comes back with a familiar request: “Can you do a little more analysis?” At that moment, the problem usually isn’t the analysis at all. CX […]
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What Drives Journey Emotions? Introducing Forrester’s Journey Benchmarking Series
Customers can achieve the goal of their journey and still feel uncertain, frustrated, or less loyal afterward. Forrester launched an annual journey benchmarking study to understand what makes journeys so valuable to customers that they reward the brand with their positive emotions and loyalty. The study examines what drives customer perceptions of value across different […]
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Your Journey Surveys Overestimate NPS
Net Promoter Score℠ (NPS) results from post-journey surveys most likely overstate customer loyalty, because most surveys include only customers who complete their journey and surveys are sent before customers know whether what they did worked. NPS Differs Vastly Depending On Goal Achievement And Confidence In Forrester’s annual journey benchmarking study, we found that goal achievement made a big difference in […]
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Stop Value Erosion With Value‑Aligned Metrics
Value-aligned metrics are like a jazz band agreeing on the harmony. What happens if they don’t? Imagine you’re in a late-night jazz club. A trio settles into a smooth groove. Then the sax takes off in one direction while the bassist heads in another. The drummer adjusts, trying to pull it together. The room feels […]
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Why You Can’t Deliver Value: The Customer Is “Neo,” Not You
You can’t “deliver” value to customers. Customers cocreate value within their value network. Learn how to separate the myths from the truths when it comes to value creation.
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Prognosen 2026: CX-Teams möchten den Kreislauf der Dysfunktion durchbrechen
Viele CX-Teams bewegen sich gefährlich nahe an der Ereignishorizontlinie der Metrikbesessenheit – einer Anziehungskraft in Richtung Dashboards und KPIs, die Zweck und Wirkung zu verschlingen droht. Das Jahr 2026 wird einen kritischen Entscheidungspunkt markieren.
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Predictions 2026: CX Teams Look To Escape The Orbit Of Dysfunction
Many CX teams are drifting dangerously close to the event horizon of metric obsession — a gravitational pull toward dashboards and KPIs that threatens to consume purpose and impact. 2026 will mark a critical decision point.
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Six Gaps Hold Feedback Management And CX Measurement Programs Back
Most CX teams still fall short in getting stakeholders to act on insights, Forrester’s 2025 global survey shows. Learn about the problem areas and how to move past them.
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Measuring What Matters: Answering Key Customer Experience Metrics Questions From Our Webinar
We received many questions during our recent webinar on CX metrics. Here, we provide answers while recapping some of the key themes.
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Learn How To Make Every Journey Count And Unlock A Value Flywheel At CX Summit EMEA
Every customer journey can create or destroy value — both for your customers and your firm. At CX Summit EMEA, learn how to measure customer journeys and optimize their value.
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Customer Journeys Connect Brand And Experience
Let’s start with some good news. According to Forrester’s Priorities Survey, 2024, business and technology leaders tell us that the number-one priority for their firm is to “improve the experience of our ultimate customers.” The top three priorities for this year are: 1. Improve the experience of our ultimate customers. 2. Meet measurable commercial growth […]
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How Do Your VoC And CX Measurement Practices Stack Up? Take Our 2025 Survey!
Let’s clean out old insights and create new ones. That’s why we just opened our annual Feedback Management And CX Measurement Practices Survey to you.
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Improving CX Can Drive More Than One Billion Dollars In Revenue
Each year, we calculate how much business growth improving Forrester’s Customer Experience Index (CX Index™) by one point drives. For 2024, we published the results in the report, How Customer Experience Drives Business Growth, 2024. The report includes the dollar upside of improving CX Index by one point for 12 industries: airlines, luxury auto manufacturers, […]
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Energize Your Journey Portfolio: Optimize Journey Value For Customers And The Business
Do You Know What Your Energy Takers And Energy Givers Are? Knowing what your energy takers and energy givers are is an important step in managing your personal energy and productivity. Energy takers are too much screen time, overthinking, clutter and mess, dehydration, sitting for too long, and setting unrealistic goals. Energy givers are sunlight, […]
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NPS: Most Industries Should Focus On Eliminating Detractors To Boost Growth
Are you a customer experience (CX) leader at a company using Net Promoter Score℠ (NPS)? Then you must be the most knowledgeable person on exactly how a change in NPS affects your organization’s key business metrics. Only then can you answer these critical questions: Where should you focus? Will you focus on CX improvements that […]
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CX Isn’t A “Project”: Lessons from Forrester’s 2024 Customer Obsession Awards EMEA
Projects end, but placing customers at the center of your business' strategy, operations, and leadership requires continuous commitment. The winners of this year's Customer Obsession Awards for EMEA provide some valuable takeaways.
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