Alain Thys - Shall we talk about transformation?

Shall we stop playing customer charades?

Building experiences that aren’t

Launching transformations that fizzle

Racing towards Artificial Irrelevance

If you're a customer-passionate leader in a complex international company

I help make your businesses worth choosing

Even when the algorithms recommend otherwise

Start the conversation

Or steal my thinking here.

TRUSTED BY

Adidas · Audi · Barclays · Bekaert · Bordeaux Wines · Bridgestone · BNP Paribas Asset Management · Brightfish · Coca-Cola East-Japan · Deloitte · Etex · Gemalto · Generali Group · Grant Thornton · ING · Kinepolis · Lantmännen Unibake · Lexus · MCE · Mercedes-Benz · Mondi · Nationale Nederlanden · Oriflame · Philips · Pontes · Reebok · Sanoma · Teijin Aramid · Toyota · Vodafone · Wabco · Weber-Stephen · Wireco

Selected cases below

Alain Thys looking out of the window

Hi, I’m Alain

I learned customer transformation the hard way.

Big programmes. Global standards. Top-decile NPS results.

With my teams, we touched 500m+ customers and 1m+ employees. From automotive to steel wires to wine. Hundreds of millions in value.

Plenty of bruises.

I’m proud of what we did.

But I felt my profession drifting.

Sprints obsessing over details. Dashboards multiplying. Consultants pretending their strategy cascades actually made a difference.

Creating mediocrity while customer expectations kept rising

So I decided to raise the stakes.

For seven years, I stepped out of my business bubble to learn from the real experts in emotion, humanity and change.

Neuroscientists. Theatre makers. Systems thinkers.

A tarot reader taught me the power of narrative.

A Nepalese monk threw rice in my face.

A dominatrix explained the power of seduction.

Yes, explained. Nothing more.

We went deeper than I ever had:

  • Turning McFunerals into meaningful farewells

  • Reimagining a global HQ as an immersive experience

  • Helping teams overcome their existential fear of AI.

It showed me that real value comes from offering customers and teams a future that enriches their lives. Then building a business that helps them get there.

This insight became The Transformation Code

A deceptively simple way to make your business worth choosing

And make transformation real

For your customers. Your teams. And yes, even yourself.

The Transformation Code by Alain Thys: How to really transform your customers, your organisation, yourself.

The Transformation Code

Δ = Story × Resonance × Flow

It took me seven years to get to the essence of transformation, and when I was done, it all became deceptively simple.

Transformation is the result of three multiplying factors:

  • Story: A new way to see who your customer and business could become

  • Resonance: Building the desire for that future among all involved

  • Flow: The freedom, tools and conditions to act

Get the book on amazon

Selected Cases

​I’ve been involved in too many projects to list, but these cases give a first flavour. I'll happily discuss limited case details and other credentials in a personal conversation (subject to NDA). 

  • ​For a crematorium group, I am leading a project to transform McFunerals into meaningful farewells.

    Deliverables:

    • Three customer resonant farewell experience scripts

    • Design guidelines for new facilities opening in 2029

    • A new resomation ritual

    • 150+ innovation opportunities

    • The start of an industry movement

  • I helped a global non-food retailer align its AI-first ambitions with what mattered to their teams

    Deliverables:

    • A clear AI narrative within the corporate strategy.

    • A motivating positioning of AI towards all employees.

    • A programme to make AI relevant to store staff.

    • A movement plan for positive AI engagement..

    • Deeper strategic questions and recommendation.

  • ​For over a decade I’ve helped design and deliver the experience that made Lexus the undisputed NPS leader in most European markets.


    Deliverables

    • An intuitive customer promise

    • Rigorous experience standards

    • Staff training & immersions

    • A total measuremen system

    • Continuous improvemet

  • Over the years I have supported ING Insurance (and later NN) on number of strategic customer projects.

    Delverables:

    • An internationally unified set of customer promises and experience standards.

    • A detailed “gap-closing” programme leading to #1 NPS position in all but one market.

    • An organic change movement with hundreds of initiatives across all offices.

    • A move towards interest-led lead generation.

  • Over the years I've assisted Grant-Thornton in multiple client relationship programmes.

    Delverables:

    • A globally aligned client journey

    • A set of client experience standards

    • An experience capability development roadmap

    • A global client experience implementation programme

    • Practical (NPS) ClientVoice programme improvements

  • For the Generali Group, I led the development of global customer experience standards​ to make insurance effortless and caring.

    Deliverables:

    • A global customer experience manifesto

    • Purchase, claims, service and renewal journeys for motor, home, life and health insurance

    • Minimum and differentiating experience standards for each journey stage

    • People, technological and organisational capability requirements to deliver on the experience ambitions,

    • 12 avenues for experience innovation

  • I helped Philips International’s marketing teams develop the capabilities to become more customer-centric.

    Deliverables:

    • one of the world’s first global, cross-functional Net Promoter implementations.

    • significant increase in customer-led marketing capabilities.

    • better alignment of marketing, sales and technology agendas.

  • Some other projects include:

    • Creating and implementing international experience standards at Oriflame, Vodafone, Bridgestone, …

    • Implementing customer-centricity programmes at Bekaert, Deloitte, Weber-Stephen, Mercedes, McLaren, …

    • Developing and introducing new value propositions at MCE, Lantmännen-Unibake, Sanoma Group, …

    • Implementing customer voice, strategy and employee programmes at Toyota.

    • Setting up a global advocacy programme for Bordeaux wines (tasty!)

    • and so on …

What others say about me

  • Alexandra de Greck

    "​With his collaborative, commercial and hands-on approach, Alain sparked a fire for customer experience across the company from the moment he started."

    Alexandra de Greck
    ​Chief Operations Officer 

    Oriflame

  • James Wallman

    From our first interactions, I thought: "Wow, this guy's sharp - super smart & also super honest. He exemplifies the concept of radical candour."

    James Wallman
    CEO

    World Experience Organisation

  • Nikolaas Tahon

    For the first time in my life, I got a more structured way of thinking about customer experience and client satisfaction.

    Nikolaas Tahon
    ​Global Board Member

    Deloitte

  • Dominik Endler

    Alain helped define and form our customer-centricity program. His skill to listen, understand and bring everything into the context of his client is amazing.

    Dominik Endler ​
    VP Customer & Commercial Excellence and CMO 

    Bekaert

  • Paul English

    Alain has worked with us on our CX agenda from the beginning. He brings clarity, relevance and a commercial mindset to engage a diverse and international audience.

    Paul English
    ​Global Leader - Markets & Clients 

    Grant Thornton International

Are you ready to make your business worth choosing?

Enrich the lives of your customers. Allow your teams to care.

Let's meet for a virtual coffee