During this 218th episode of “Marketing Today,” I interview Tim Greulich, managing director at Deloitte and the operational customer experience practice leader.

On the show today, we talk about the latest report from Deloitte Digital called “Creating Human Connection at Enterprise Scale.” We discuss why creating a human connection is essential in today’s service economy, how companies should be thinking about it, and why it’s so hard.

In our discussion of “Creating Human Connection at Enterprise Scale,” Greulich begins by discussing the big questions that inspired the report. He provides advice for companies that want to be more human. Greulich says, “I think it’s a recognition that people are complex.” We can design for this complexity and embrace it. The report found that when companies create strong relationships with their customers, they become more forgiving and price-insensitive over time. Relating to your customer can make you more competitive, and may even provide you with more data. Greulich says, “If used the right way, relating opens up a whole new set of information for your company.” We also discuss how this approach impacts your business results and the challenges of building relationships with customers.

Highlights from this week’s “Marketing Today”:

  • Tim’s path to Deloitte. 01:11
  • The impetus behind Deloitte’s latest report. 04:11
  • How companies can be more human. 05:39
  • The emotional component to Deloitte’s findings. 07:56
  • Designing flaws to create “wow” moments. 11:09
  • Is designing a great product or service enough? 11:32
  • How relationships affect business results. 13:53
  • Challenges in building relationships with customers. 15:10
  • Turning digital breadcrumb trails into something that comes off as more human. 17:57
  • Tim shares a defining experience. 22:00
  • Tim reflects on advice he would give to his younger self. 23:02
  • Tim shares about an impactful purchase he made in the last 6-12 months. 24:17
  • Are there any brands, companies, or causes that Tim follows that he thinks
  • other people should take notice of? 25:47
  • Tim’s take on the top opportunity and threat facing marketers today. 27:54

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Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of “Marketing Today with Alan Hart,” a weekly podcast where he interviews leading global marketing professionals and business leaders. Alan advises leading executives and marketing teams on opportunities around brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine startups.