Let's level up your customer experience

TODAY, AND FOR THE FUTURE

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If you face one of the following challenges, we should talk.

You:
  • differentiating your business in a saturated market?
  • getting your people focus on the customer?
  • staying ahead of customer expectations?
  • leveraging technology for all the above?

Imagine driving profit with a unique, future-proof experience that is backed by your people.

Yes, that's a tall order. And I'm not saying it comes easy. 
But if you're committed, I can show you how it's done.

Hi, my name is Alain

I learned customer-centricity the hard way.

For over 30 years, my teams have affected the experience of over 500 million customers worldwide. We’ve worked with over 30 brands and reached over a million stakeholders. Creating hundreds of millions in value. And many more smiles 🙂.

Today, I help leaders like you to build customer momentum by returning to the essence of customer-centricity.
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Testimonials

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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

VP, Head of Global Operations & Customer Experience 
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Oriflame

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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
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World Experience Organisation

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

Dominik Endler

VP Customer & Commercial Excellence and CMO
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Bekaert

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One of the most effective and brilliant sessions on customer-centricity I ever attended.

Roberta Callarà

Director of Sales & Marketing
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Hotel Savoy Rome

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

Paul English

Global Leader - Markets & Clients
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Grant Thornton International

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Alain’s unforgettable speech was a masterclass in presenting and truly one of the best talks I’ve ever attended.

Michael Lai

Dean of X Thinking Institute - SVP & Senior Partner 
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Tang Consulting

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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
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​Deloitte

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​Alain was very inspirational. People love him and his stories. (With his team he) helped us make our story an attractive one for our peers and leaders. His presentations at the leadership conference had a very big impact.here to edit

Carmen Soare

Former CMO
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NN Romania

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Alain provided a perfect keynote opening to our global Design Forward event.

James Carter

Global Brand Manager
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Experian

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What clients typically achieve with me

​Executives call me if they want a straight-talking, hands-on sparring partner to level up today's and tomorrow's customer experience. I help you bring back the conversation to the first principles of customer-centric excellence:
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👉  Differentiation: a unique customer experience that noticeably sets your business apart with customers and distribution partners;
👉  Engagement: a working environment where it's easy and enjoyable to focus on the customer;
👉  Innovation: experience formats and concepts that address tomorrow’s needs, instead of yesterday's pain points;

I won't sugarcoat it

While I can probably provide some ​shortcuts and quick fixes, the above requires commitment. 
​But if you’re ready to play for real, then we’re a match.
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Some past cases

So what do I actually 'do'?

Strategy talk always sounds a bit abstract. So here are some examples of projects my teams and I have worked on in the past. ​For a more complete list, visit my about page.
Luxury automotive
Since 2006 we have regularly helped Lexus reinvent the luxury automotive experience. The brand's programmes have raised the industry's bar in Europe, LATAM, the Middle East and Asia and drove continuous growth.

​In late 2021, we helped the company with a  Journey of Inspiration to start its next experiential design drive.
STEEL WIRE & COATING 
With a global leader in steel wires and coating we co-created and introduced an internationally aligned set of customer promises linked to their new brand identity.

In spite of a challenging economic climate, these will help the business differentiate by bringing to life its brand promise. 
INSURANCE
When the insurance giant Generali Group decided to establish new customer experience standards, they aimed for more than merely 'meeting expectations'.

So after reviewing global customer voice data and looking at key consumer trends we worked with a global, cross-functional team of experience champions to define a clear Generali difference at every stage of the customer relationship.

Thus creating a platform for short- and long-term differentiation.
BEAUTY & WELLNESS
To enter its next phase of growth and increase customer loyalty, we helped the global beauty and wellness company Oriflame create a set of customer promises that would truly differentiate it from any direct sales company on the planet.

We are currently assisting the different functions and markets to turn these promises into 'customer noticeable' activities.
EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
To increase employee engagement with a strategic change, we helped Toyota Motors Europe reconsider its work experience at every stage of the employee relationship.
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The final design balanced the employee's needs with the (behavioural) goals of the business.
WORK AS AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE
For a London based global HQ, we asked a team of architects, experience designers and neuroscientists to reimagine work as an immersive experience.

The resulting mix of spaces, stories and behaviours created an office concept that both attracts talent and encourages it to live the company values.
DEATH CARE
Triggered by a strong societal need, we dug deep into what Gen X consumer needs to reimagine the Western funeral for more meaning, sustainability and mental health.

The concept experience that ensued is currently developed into a series of micro-ventures that can transform key elements of death care. 

How we can partner

Typically organisations work with me in one of four ways.
👉 EXECUTIVE SPARRING: Where I help you figure out your smartest next move.
👉 INSPIRATION: Keynotes and masterclasses to help you explore 'what's next'.
👉 ADVISORY: Where I roll up my sleeves to work with you and your teams (or bring my experts).
👉 CO-VENTURING: Where we bring to market innovations that disrupt your industry.

Are you ready to reach for the next level?

Then let's have virtual coffee ☕️.
​Even if we don't do business, we're sure to have an interesting conversation.
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​Frequently asked questions

To help you clarify whether we should talk, I'm including a few answers on questions I get frequently.
DO YOU PERSONALLY work on all projects?
YES. I tried the traditional consultancy route, in which I show up as 'senior partner' and then disappear to let teams do the work. But it left both my clients and myself wanting. So I decided to only work with a handful of clients at any given point in time.

Ocasionally, I work alone. Where needed, I involve associates who are specialised in one or more domains of relevance. But I am ALWAYS hands-on, in every project. And I will be there when it matters. 
How long will a project take
I personally prefer sprints of ca. 100-120 days. This is long enough to avoid rushing, but short enough to fit the corporate desire for visible progress. Not to mention in a hundred days, the world can change twice over.

So, even if you're working on a multi-year transformation, I'll typically recommend focusing on getting a next tangible deliverable in the next 3-4 months. 
Which methodology do you use
A friend once called me 'method-agnostic' as I like to mix and match methodologies based on the organisational context and situation. As long as it achieves the result, I'm happy to work with anything. And if at some point we need that data science ninja or agile scaling expert, we'll get them.

how many employees have you got
Zero. While I can activate up to 100 associates in a wide variety of specialisations, I employ no one but myself.

This is a deliberate choice, as I learned the hard way that a fixed payroll gets in the way of doing what is right for the customer (i.e. do I sell you another hour to pay someone's salary, or do I do what adds most value?). 

So I activate associates at variable cost, when they add project value. And deactivate them, when they stop adding value. Or when you can do the work yourself. 
Why should we choose you over another consultancy
Well, maybe you shouldn't. It depends on your needs.

If you seek a big words consultant who uses Gantt-charts, long workshops and lot's of PowerPoint graphs, I can recommend some people who are really good. 

I'm the guy you call if you want to play for results. People tell me I'm great at listening and aligning. At simplification. At getting people excited about implementation. At being a maverick, while staying politically correct. At not accepting mediocrity. And yes, if needed, we can make those Gantt-charts and PowerPoint presentations happen.

So get in touch if you want honesty and a no-nonsense approach that returns to the essence of customer focus.  I'm convinced that we'll get along just fine. 
How much is the ROADMAPPING & inspiration SESSION?
Each case is a different, but - within Europe - I typically charge €5,000 for a roadmapping & inspiration session (excl. travel costs).

In Europe, I recommend doing this session 'in person', as this allows much more interactivity. Outside of Europe, it may be more practical to work online.

Not yet ready to have a conversation?

​Then read my mind

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter with exclusive content or check out my blog and videos.

Shall we do this?

If you've made it this far down the page, we should probably talk.
​Let's have that virtual coffee! ☕️

“The most critical success factor for customer momentum is GOESTING.”