Customer Service Academy

In this episode, we’re diving deep into the art of connection with Doug Brown from CEO Sales Strategies. He is an expert at driving results, uniting teams, and delivering unforgettable customer experiences. You’ll learn why today’s customers are clamoring for connection, and how your business can meet that need by aligning your teams, sharpening your message, and understanding your buyers better than ever. We’ll explore: Why great teams move in the same direction (and how to get yours there) How leaders set the tone for performance and culture by setting the example The power of understanding client objections before they derail your sale The secret to identifying your right-fit buyer and fine-tuning your messaging and marketing Why follow-up is the most overlooked part of both the sales and service cycle How to eliminate silos between sales, marketing, and customer service to create a seamless, connected experience Whether you're a business owner, CX leader, or growth-focused professional, this

Balancing AI and Humanity in CX with Frederic Durand, CEO of Diabolocom In today’s episode, we’re thrilled to welcome Frederic Durand, Founder and CEO of Diabolocom, a global leader in customer experience solutions powered by proprietary AI. With over two decades of experience transforming customer service for brands like Mitsubishi Electric, Nikon, and Brinks, Frederic brings a practical, global perspective to the evolving world of CX. What we cover in this episode: Why great customer experiences are effortless by design How AI can automate repetitive tasks, freeing your team for high-value conversations The critical need to balance AI automation with authentic human connection Why AI integration leads to more WOW moments and stronger customer loyalty How Ignoring AI today is like ignoring computers in the 1980s How AI enables 24/7 service without burnout Why solving problems quickly and easily is the foundation of trust and advocacy Subscribe, review, and share this episode to help more lead

In this high-flying episode, we sit down with Gene Conrad, President and CEO of the Aerospace Center for Excellence and Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland Florida. Sun 'n Fun is one of the largest aviation events in the country and welcomes over 200,000 visitors annually. Key Takeaways: ✈️ Safety First – Safety is the primary focus for the airshow, and should be for your business as well.

In this episode of the Customer Service Academy Podcast, we explore the evolving world of leadership development and the critical traits every modern leader needs to succeed—empathy, adaptability, continuous learning, time management, and effective employee engagement. The workplace is changing—and so are the skills leaders need to thrive.  We break down how top organizations like Microsoft, Google, and Disney are transforming their leadership training programs and why soft skills are taking center stage. You’ll also get practical, ready-to-use tips for teaching empathy, coaching adaptability, building a growth mindset, and improving how leaders manage their time and recognize their teams. You’ll Learn: Why emotional intelligence is now a core leadership competency How to create a team of leaders who are great coaches What great companies are doing to build resilient, agile leaders How to help managers manage time and prioritize like pros Simple ways to improve communication and boost recognition

In this episode of Customer Service Academy, we take a deep dive into the evolving world of theme parks, desitnations, and attractions—and how you can ensure you are delivering loyalty-building experiences for yoru guests. As customer expectations continue to change and evolve, theme parks, resorts, and destinations must innovate to remain competitive.   Whether you are running a mega theme park, local attraction, or even a community fair, you will find tips in here to help you build your sales, customer loyalty, and overall experience. We will discuss: ✔️ The five tiers of theme park experiences—Value, Everyday, Elevated, Premium, and Luxury. ✔️ The core experience principles every park must master: Safety, Hospitality, Quality, Simplicity, and Community. ✔️ Top 10 guest expectations in theme parks and how to exceed them. ✔️ How parks are using gamification, interactivity, and immersive experiences to create emotional connections. ✔️ The best special events and seasonal experiences that drive attendance

AI and hyper-personalization are revolutionizing customer experience (CX) in 2025. Customers expect more than just good service—they demand tailored, predictive, and frictionless interactions across every touchpoint. This will help you grow your business, improve your results, and retain your customers. So, how can businesses keep up? In this episode of Customer Service Academy, we will chat about:

This week we welcome Jesse Hernandez into the studio. Jesse has experience as a leader in the construction space, where he learned to meet people where they are in their journey and inspire teams through intentional communication and listening. - Customer Experience is about consistent quality. - Great leaders are great listeners. - Practicing vulnerability can deepen connections with your team. - Stop solving problems for your team and help them solve problems themselves through critical thinking. Visit https://thetonyjohnson.teachable.com/ to invest in yourself and your team. Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  Tony has spoken to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies to unlock their amazing capacity for excellence.     Check out my FREE Resources and Training Tools: W

2025 if the year of simplification, and customers want brands who are easy to work with, deliver on commitments, and personalize their experiences. Stop making it so hard for customers to do business with you - in this episode we talk about 7 ways to make things easier for customers.   - Empower your employees to solve problems - Deliver seamless omnichannel experiences - Simplify your processes and eliminate silly policies   Visit https://thetonyjohnson.teachable.com/ to invest in yourself and your team. Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  Tony has spoken to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies to unlock their amazing capacity for excellence.     Check out my FREE Resources and Training Tools: Web: https://www.igniteyourservice.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@T

As 2025 approaches, it is a great time to look back on what happened in customer experience and employee experience in 2024 - and discuss what we can learn from it. 2025 will be a year of continuuing evolution and changing marketplaces. Are you ready to take your business to the next level?   - This past year the news was dominated by stories about Crowdstrike, Return to Office Mandates, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). - Hyper personalization will continue to drive consumer and customer satisfaction. - Employees are looking for empathetic leadership and opportunities to learn and grow. - We are welcoming a new generation in Generation Beta in 2025. Visit https://thetonyjohnson.teachable.com/ to invest in yourself and your team. Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  Tony has s

In this episode we invite Chase Jordan in the studio to discuss leadership, customer experience, and employee engagement. Chase brings a wealth of knowledge as a CXO and franchise owner that he shared with us during this conversation. - Ease of use is the most important tactical action you can take to improve customer experience. - Internal communication is crucial to keeping everyone on the same page and busting silos. - Sharing and collaboration with the team builds loyalty and advocacy. - Have a plan to help employees when they need assistance with tragedies. Visit https://thetonyjohnson.teachable.com/ to invest in yourself and your team. Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  Tony has spoken to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies to unlock their amazing capacity f

Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to show gratitude - and when you can personalize by generation, you will find a resonance that drives success from your team and with your customers. In this episode we will talk about how to show gratitude to each generation when they are customers and when they are employees.   - Think about how each generation likes to be recognized. - Consider how engaging them in personalized ways can build loyalty. - Drive overall success and loyalty through gratitude and recognition. - Every generation values different things from their leaders and their brands. Visit https://thetonyjohnson.teachable.com/ to invest in yourself and your team. Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  Tony has spoken to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies to

The holiday season is here. Is your business ready? In this episode we talk about 10 tips + 1 bonus tip to deliver for your customers this holiday season. From Black Friday through New Year you have an opportunity to remove hassles for your guests and build ongoing loyalty to your brand. - Now is the time to prepare and train your team for the upcoming business increase. - Focus on speed and simplicity to deliver frictionless experiences during this stressful time of year. - Keep personalization in mind to deliver a premium approach to service this holiday season. - Prepare your team to solve problems and anticipate customer needs through training and empowerment. - Keep employee engagement, recognition, and experience in mind all season long to take great care of your team. Visit https://thetonyjohnson.teachable.com/ to invest in yourself and your team. Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regular

In this episode we are proud to welcome Chase Oliver into the studio. Mr. Oliver is the Libertarian candidate for president and on the ballot in 47 states. This interview is shared unedited and in its entirety. We did extend invitations to all major party presidential candidates and all candidates on the ballot in Polk County, Florida. As of the time of this interview recording, only Mr. Oliver agreed to an interview.  Note: Any candidate who would like to come on our show and discuss improving customer service in government is welcome.   - Improving government customer service begins with transparency and streamlining processes. - Streamlining and improving processes for Veterans Affairs (VA) is a great example of how a government program could be improved. - Removing antiquated processes and updating technology is a key way to improve service to customers accessing government services. - Creating better training systems will impove service and ensure the best employees are retained and challenged to do bett

In this episode we welcome Russ Hawkins into the studio to talk about digital customer experienes, loss prevention, and using modern data analytics to drive revenue.  Visit https://www.igniteyourservice.com/6canons to invest in yourself and your team.   - Great customer experiences inspires loyalty, advocacy, and referrals for new customers - Demoncratizing access to data and analytics within organizations can lead to decision making with a customer focus - Loyalty programs can lead to improved customer service and decreased theft in your business as you cultivate relationships - Create a culture where stealing is looked down upon and you are selecting people with integrity to joine your team (and be sure you are paying a competitive wage)   Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  To

CX Day is coming up on October 1st and Customer Service Week is October 7th - 11th. These days are so important to ensuring that you can improve your service and grow your sales.  - CX Day is all about the strategy and the ROI on your customer experience investments and programs. - Customer Service Week is more tactical and empahsizes those on the front line who are the face of the oganization. - Creating a CX strategy and customer service program that creates easy experiences for customers and eliminates hassles - Using these events as a springboard into the future to prioritize customer experience as a growth engine for the whole year. Visit https://www.igniteyourservice.com/6canons to invest in yourself and your team. Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  Tony has spoken to g

In this episode we welcome Michael Hinshaw into the studio to talk about customer centricity and  Visit https://www.igniteyourservice.com/6canons to invest in yourself and your team.   - You must be able to communicate what customer centricity means to your team so everyone is on the same page - Moving to a customer centric culture requires customer understanding and acting on what you hear from customers - Virtual learning is not enough on its own - it takes a combination of in person and virtual learning to drive success. It must also be applicable to their job and the information they need to be successful.   Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  Tony has spoken to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies to unlock their amazing capacity for excellence.   Reach out to Micha

In this episode we share 10 tips to engage and retain your team. This Labor Day is a great opportunity to put employees at the center of yoru thinking to drive customer experience and business results. Visit https://www.igniteyourservice.com/6canons to invest in yourself and your team.   - How you treat your team is how they will treat customers - The history of Labor Day has been all about appreciating and celebrating the contributions of the workforce. - There are opportunities everyday to connect with your team and make them feel welcomed and included. - Lean into communication, professional development, and recognition to drive employee engagement and retention   Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  Tony has spoken to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies to unlock the

In this episode we welcome Shanif Dhanani to discuss enabling contact centers and the power of generative AI to improve the customer experience. Visit https://www.igniteyourservice.com/6canons to invest in yourself and your team.   - The best customer experiences are easy and reliable. - Hire people for your customer success roles and contact centers who have a high degree of empathy - AI will continue to improve the chatbot experience and is a key way to use this tool in a real world way - Generative AI will help your customers solve their own problems more quickly   Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  Tony has spoken to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies to unlock their amazing capacity for excellence.   To Contact Shanif: Shanif@locusive.com or at https://www.locusi

In this episode I share 5 strategies to create a culture of employee engagement and retention. When you create a greate environment for your team, it makes them want to stay longer and give more discretionary effort. And you will grow your sales. Visit https://www.igniteyourservice.com/6canons to invest in yourself and your team.   - Employee engagement is more than just job satisfaction - Build a culture of continuous feedback and improvement - Stay competitive with compensation and pay - Create flexible work environments   Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  Tony has spoken to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies to unlock their amazing capacity for excellence.     Check out my FREE Resources and Training Tools: Web: https://www.igniteyourservice.com/ YouTube: https://

In this episode we welcome Aaron Tighe into the studio to talk about customer experience and building a best-in-world experience Visit https://www.igniteyourservice.com/6canons to invest in yourself and your team.   - Great customer experience is about connection. - Empathetic and active listening will help you uncover unmet customer needs. - Learn more about your customers by asking the right questions at the right time.   Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  Tony has spoken to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies to unlock their amazing capacity for excellence.   Aaron's Links: https://www.b2bsalesplaybook.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-tighe-7042635/   Check out my FREE Resources and Training Tools: Web: https://www.igniteyourservice.com/ YouTube: https://www.y