Joseph Michelli

Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D., C.S.P., is an internationally sought-after speaker, author, and organizational consultant who transfers his knowledge of exceptional business practices in ways that develop joyful and productive workplaces with a focus on the total customer experience. His insights encourage leaders and frontline workers to grow and invest passionately in all aspects of their lives.

Dr. Michelli is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Nielson Bookscan and New York Times #1 bestselling author. His latest book is Driven to Delight: Delivering World-Class Customer Experience the Mercedes-Benz Way. Joseph’s other titles include Leading The Starbucks Way: 5 Principles for Connecting with Your Customer, Your Products, and Your People, The Zappos Experience: 5 Principles to Inspire Engage and WOW, Prescription for Excellence: Leadership Lessons for Creating a World-Class Customer Experience from UCLA Health System, The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary, The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, and When Fish Fly: Lessons for Creating a Vital and Energized Workplace which was co-authored with the owner of the “World Famous” Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle.

Joseph holds the Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers Association (NSA) and is a member of the Authors Guild. He received his Masters and Doctorate from the University of Southern California. Joseph has won the Asian Brand Excellence Award, is an editorial board member for the Beryl Institute’s Patient Experience Journal (PXJ), and is on the founders council of CustomerExperienceOne. He was named as one of the Top 10 thought leaders in Customer Service by Global Gurus.

Having journeyed with a close family member through a six-year battle with breast cancer, Dr. Michelli is committed to social causes associated with curing cancer as well as abating world hunger.

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Now More Than Ever: The Importance of Customer Experience in a Tight Economy

Let’s face it – consumer behavior has fundamentally changed since the third quarter of 2008. While some business leaders have decided to drop prices to the lowest possible level, others have sought ways to add value to their existing goods and services. In this presentation, Dr. Michelli presents research on current customer trends which demonstrate the wisdom of adopting a cost-effective commitment to elevating service and customer experience. Banking off data showing that even in these difficult times 50% of consumers are paying more for a better experience and 50% of customers are still leaving businesses because of bad experiences, Dr. Michelli delineates how to strategically design a relevant experience targeted to customer retention and acquisition of your competitors’ disgruntled customers. In this keynote, Dr. Michelli shows how to make cost-conscious decisions that drive customer loyalty and increase customer spend.

Sustainable Business - The Art Focusing on Your Existing Customer

Conservative estimates suggest it costs 6 times more to attract a new customer than to retain an existing one. When consumers cut back on their spending patterns, it is all the more important to focus on customer retention. Opportunities also exist to identify the “as yet unmet needs of your current customers” so you can offer solutions to meet those needs and increase your customers’ desire to spend more money at your business. In this keynote, Dr. Michelli helps audience members understand and calculate annual customer purchase value, and annual customer referral value. He discusses ways to innovate solutions that will enhance the life of the customer, such that existing customers spend more and increase their referrals to your business. By identifying the drivers of loyalty, Dr. Michelli helps audience members understand how to allocate limited financial and staff resources for maximum customer experience return.

Own it and They Will Come

Who delivers compelling experiences that draw customers? The short answer is everyone in the business! Dr. Michelli’s keynote challenges each audience member to take an ownership stake in their business to assure its long-term viability. By making distinctions involving varying levels of employee engagement (owners, renters, and squatters), Dr. Michelli helps redefine the role of every employee to being that of an “equity generator.” He demonstrates that every employee affects the engagement level of colleagues and contributes to positive or negative customer experiences. Dr. Michelli shows how a single employee can change a culture, lift morale, innovate breakthrough products, create customer evangelists, and even save a business. This inspirational presentation is an impassioned yet optimistic call for strong action in these turbulent times.

The New Gold Standard: Leadership Principles for Creating Legendary Customer Experiences

In this presentation, Dr. Michelli examines how to deliver legendary customer experiences such as those offered by The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. The New Gold Standard presents cutting edge leadership strategies for selection, training, and retention of the “right” staff. It demonstrates how leaders can drive staff engagement and ownership behavior which ultimately produces transformational customer experiences. Additionally, The New Gold Standard examines strategies for keeping your business relevant to changing customer needs and shifting economic times.

The Starbucks Way: Creating the Total Customer Experience

By strategically focusing and executing on the details of the internal and external customer experience, Starbucks has become an employer and coffee provider of choice. In essence, Starbucks has become a name synonymous with coffee itself. While most people see Starbucks as a coffee company that serves people, its success is based on the inverse. It is a people company serving coffee. In this keynote or workshop, Dr. Michelli shows frontline workers and business leaders how to “stage” and perform on their brand’s promise. He analyzes the importance of identifying a desired emotional connection with the customer. Further, Dr. Michelli helps participants see the important distinction between “good” and “bad” profit. Lights, camera, action – the experience awaits.

Your excellent presentation on Humor in the Workplace was absolutely wonderful. Your presentation was very informative and interesting, as well as very humorous. Amidst all the downsizing, re-engineering, and normal stress that we all encounter daily on the job the concept of humor and laughter in the workplace tends to be much forgotten. — National Association of Purchasing Management

Thank you for the uplifting presentation on the utilization of humor in medicine. You provided the students ( and faculty) with a new and very refreshing perspective on life. I believe that the affects of your seminar will be far reaching. Many of us are considering keeping joy journals or absurdity albums to keep us smiling. I also believe that the students were made aware of the power of humor in a clinical setting, something that often becomes lost in the efforts to develop professionalism. I will be calling you again. — University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

You were Awesome!!! You added the perfect touch to the meeting - the difference between mediocre and successful. Thanks again! — Pikes Peak Association of Realtors