by Annette Franz | Jan 7, 2026 | culture, culture change, customer experience, customer understanding, employee experience, employee understanding, leadership, truly human leadership, Uncategorized
… and the truths that actually drive culture, employee experience, and customer experience As we kick off 2026, leaders are still tripping over the same problem: They keep saying things that sound right about culture, employee experience (EX), and customer...
by Annette Franz | Sep 2, 2025 | brand, culture, customer experience, customer understanding, data, employee experience, employee understanding, Uncategorized
(Enjoy reading my 1,000th blog post!) A brand refresh is not about swapping out logos, updating colors, or chasing design trends. At its core, a refresh must honor the strategic heartbeat of your business: culture, experience, and authenticity. Those truths haven’t...
by Annette Franz | Jul 23, 2025 | action, closed-loop process, customer experience, customer understanding, customer-centric, customer-centric culture, data, feedback, insights, journey mapping, operationalize, personas, Uncategorized
I still see people using the term “customer-centric” incorrectly. What does it truly mean to be customer-centric? It looks like this: There are no discussions, no decisions, no designs without bringing in the customer and her voice, without asking how it...
by Annette Franz | Apr 30, 2025 | customer experience, customer experience design, customer understanding, employee experience, employee understanding, personas, Uncategorized
Personas are fictional characters that are created to represent ideal prospects or actual customers based on needs, pain points, problems to be solved, jobs to be done, preferences, expectations, goals, and more. Personas are research based, created by starting with...
by Annette Franz | Apr 16, 2025 | culture, culture change, customer understanding, customer-centric culture, employee understanding, Uncategorized
How decades of experience – and three books – reshaped my view of what really drives business success. People often ask how my thinking – and my writing – have evolved over time. It’s a fair question. And one that reflects the natural...
by Annette Franz | Dec 4, 2024 | coaching, culture, customer understanding, customer-centric culture, employee experience, leadership, training, Uncategorized
I originally wrote today’s post for Sprinklr. It appeared on their site on March 28, 2024. The employee experience is a critical success factor for any business today. On its own, it’s important that leaders take care of their people. Combined with the connection...
