Annette Franz

Head of marketing and customer experience initiatives

CX Journey Inc.

Annette Franz, a certified customer experience professional (CCXP), is founder and CEO of CX Journey Inc. She has 25 years of experience in helping companies understand their employees and customers and identifying what drives retention, satisfaction, engagement, and the overall experience—so together we can design a better experience for all constituents. She’s an author (she wrote the book on customer understanding!), a speaker, and a customer experience thought leader and influencer. She serves as vice chairwoman on the board of directors of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), is an official member of the Forbes Coaches Council, and is an advisory board member for CX@Rutgers.

Thu, 09/24/2015 - 11:39
Surveys: Don’t Believe Everything You ReadValuable insights vs. misinformation
Wed, 08/21/2019 - 12:02
Being a customer experience (CX) professional is hard enough; misinformation just makes our work more challenging. Misinformation or confusing information by a person with a ton of followers and a ton of influence makes our work even more…
Ten Ways to Socialize Customer InsightsWith whom, how, and why
Thu, 08/01/2019 - 12:02
You’re listening to customers. You’re combining their feedback with those bread crumbs of data that they leave with every transaction and interaction with your brand. You’ve developed customer personas to better understand who they are, what…
The Secret Sauce to Achieve Outcomes With Journey MappingYou can’t transform what you don’t understand
Mon, 07/15/2019 - 12:02
There’s a lot of bad press out there about journey mapping. And there’s a lot of bad journey mapping (or what people think is journey mapping). A few months ago, I shared my six-step journey mapping process. Remember, journey mapping isn’t just a…
You Aren’t Journey MappingYou may <em>think</em> you are, but most are probably not
Mon, 05/20/2019 - 12:03
I have been doing a bit of speaking lately, either about journey mapping or with journey mapping as part of the talk, and I’ve learned a lot, or rather, confirmed a lot. Namely, you might think you’re journey mapping, you call it journey mapping,…
Do Your Employees Believe in Your Company’s Core Values?Do they even know what the company’s core values are?
Tue, 04/09/2019 - 12:02
Core values are the fundamental beliefs of an organization; they guide executives and employees in identifying which behaviors and actions are right and which are wrong. Everything you do must be aligned with your core values, and core values should…
Have You Digitized Your Journey Map?Nothing changes if nothing changes
Tue, 02/26/2019 - 12:02
In the past, I’ve written about some of the myths of journey mapping. One of those myths is: Without a digital mapping platform, I can’t even begin to map. Let me explain my position. You probably know by now that I’m an advocate of digitizing your…
What’s in Your Library?Five leadership books you must read in 2019
Wed, 01/02/2019 - 12:01
I still love to hold and read physical books (as opposed to audible or Kindle). I don’t know how many books I added to my library this year, but it was a lot. I thought I’d share some good ones that I’d recommend you add to your reading list for…
Understanding the Customer Journey MapSix steps from journey maps to outcomes
Wed, 11/28/2018 - 12:03
I’ve written previously about 11 myths and mistakes about journey mapping, but I should add one more myth, which is really the umbrella myth that likely encompasses all the others: Journey mapping is just a tool. Nope, it’s not just a tool; it’s not…
Continuous Feedback Is the New Way Forward for Employee ReviewsBringing employees into the fold
Mon, 10/22/2018 - 12:02
Traditionally, managers have relied on the annual performance review to provide employees with feedback. However, surveys indicate employees don’t find the process valuable. Simply meeting once a year to discuss their progress doesn’t give employees…
Corporate Culture and the Bottom LineEvidence from the field
Thu, 08/23/2018 - 12:02
Is there a link between corporate culture and the bottom line? In a nutshell, yes. Corporate culture is linked to so many business decisions and business outcomes, you might be surprised. Today’s article is a follow-on to, “A Fish Rots From the…