Success Strategies – November 2026

A customer score tells you something happened. It doesn’t tell you why, and it doesn’t fix anything. That idea kept coming up at our CX Conference 2026 last week, as CX professionals compared notes on what actually works.

Here’s what stood out.

From My Desk

The conference brought CX professionals together to share ideas, learn, and carry improvements back into their own organizations. This was our fourteenth conference. For the first time, I was more of an observer than a participant, and I want to share a few observations.

Group Creativity. We had an exercise where teams outlined a new business idea starting with the customer at the center. I was struck by how creative and potentially practical these ideas were—produced in one and a half hours. Really something.

Two-Way Feedback. Our keynote speaker Cale Edgerly, President and CEO of Sonny Merryman, spoke about the importance of reading customer feedback and then responding with visible changes. This is one of the most common failure points in CX programs: customers tell you what needs to change, and change rarely happens.

A Score and What’s Behind It. There was a lot of discussion about scores—and even more discussion about getting to the why behind a score. A number tells you little without understanding the reasons behind it.

Importance of Telling Stories. Part of building a strong CX program is creating opportunities to tell stories. One attendee described putting a large red bow on a new product at delivery. The customer loved it. In another recent case, a customer thanked our client for resolving a complicated issue. These moments create stories you can tell again and again, and they reinforce how customers respond when providers respond.

We have held a conference in most years, with COVID as the main exception. We have hosted a wide variety of speakers, including Fred Reichheld, who developed NPS. One thing is consistent: I learn something at every single one.

Watch the 2026 highlight reel

Latest Blog

Your Customers Want Both: Digital Convenience and Human Reassurance in B2B

Understanding what customers need also means recognizing when they want to handle things themselves and when they want a person to help.

Digital tools make it easier for customers to research products, explore options, and check order status. But when they’re ready to place an order, something goes wrong, or there’s a delivery worth celebrating, human involvement matters.

The challenge is knowing when to offer which. Are you making self-service easy while keeping a knowledgeable person within reach?

Read the Blog

All the best as you wrap up a successful year. I hope you have a very successful 2027.

Lynn Daniel Founder and CEO 704.749.5018 Click here to schedule a meeting