We find ourselves at an inflection point in the relationship between brands and their audiences, where customers and employees are demanding better and more valuable experiences. Companies must keep up with this demand in order to remain competitive. This includes competition for both customers as well as employees. More importantly, while many organizations have traditionally focused on external-facing initiatives first, it is the ones which start internally that have the greatest potential to provide long-term positive benefits. With honest expression and stimulating, provocative thinking, Greg comes from a place of passion and understanding of what it takes to achieve value. You'll be reading words from someone who has been there and done that. Who has a vision and a plan for the how to rather than just theory, says Diane Magers, CEO of Experience Catalysts.The book provides a blueprint for organizations to implement a center of excellence incorporating brand experience, or the combination of customer and employee experience. Each property of experience is articulated and explained in detail, including brand, governance, culture, platform, measurement, and environment. The book also provides recommendations on how an organization can begin to implement a Center of Experience of their own, and how success is measured. The Center of Experience features a foreword from Diane Magers, Former Interim CEO for the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) and Founder and CEO of Experience Catalysts, and pioneer in the discipline of experience. The Center of Experience is Kihlström's sixth book, following his Agile series, which started with 2016's The Agile Web, followed by The Agile Brand (2018) and The Agile Consumer (2019). It is his second book on customer and employee experience, following Digital Delight, which was compiled from a series of his articles and released in 2019.
About the Author: Greg is a best selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur. He is currently President and Chief Experience Officer at Cravety, and was formerly SVP of Experience at Yes& after Carousel30, a digital agency he started in 2003 which was acquired by the agency. He is an award-winning customer and employee experience expert and digital transformation strategist who has worked with top brands, including AOL, Choice Hotels, Coca-Cola, GEICO, Marriott Hotels, MTV, Starbucks, Toyota and United Nations. He serves on the University of Richmond's Customer Experience Program Advisory Board, was the founding Chair of the American Advertising Federation's National Innovation Committee, and served on the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business Marketing Industry Mentorship Board. Greg's latest book, The Agile Consumer (2019) explores the most recent shifts in the brand-consumer relationship and how companies must become more agile across their entire operation to remain successful. His previous book, The Agile Brand (2018), follows the evolution of branding from its beginnings to the authentic relationship with brands that modern consumers want, and gives practical examples of what you can do to create a more modern, agile brand while staying true to your core values. His first book, The Agile Web (2016), discusses the changing landscape of digital marketing and customer experience. His podcast, The Agile World, launched in early 2019 and discusses brand strategy, marketing, and customer experience. Greg was named a 2018 50 on Fire winner from DC Inno as one of DC's trendsetters in Marketing. He is a regular contributing writer to Forbes, and has been featured in publications such as Advertising Age, SmartCEO, Website Magazine, and The Washington Post. He's participated as a keynote speaker, panelist and moderator at industry events around the world including Internet Week New York, Internet Summit, EventTech, SMX Social Media, Social Media Week, Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit, ABA Bank Marketing Summit, and VMworld. He has guest lectured at several schools including VCU Brandcenter, Georgetown University, Duke University, American University, University of Maryland, Howard University and Virginia Tech.