In this episode of Getting to Aha!, host Darshan Mehta talks again with bestselling author and customer experience expert Joseph Michelli, this time about blending technology with genuine human connection. Drawing from his latest book All Business is Personal, Michelli shares strategies for balancing digital convenience with emotional intelligence, avoiding common mistakes in customer engagement, and creating cultures that prioritise authentic relationships. From Mercedes-Benz to One Medical, learn how leading brands enhance loyalty, boost lifetime value, and humanise business in an AI-driven world.
Joseph Michelli is an American psychologist, organizational consultant, and globally sought-after speaker renowned for his expertise in customer experience and business relationships. A New York Times #1 bestselling author of multiple titles, including The Starbucks Experience and Driven to Delight, he helps leaders design loyalty-building, human-centred experiences. With a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from USC, multiple global customer service honours, and in his latest book, All Business is Personal, he champions blending digital innovation with genuine emotional connection to drive lasting customer loyalty.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
👉 The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Business Success: Joseph shows how emotional drivers, not just data, build lasting customer relationships and business success. His Mercedes-Benz “Drive a Star Home” program boosted sales and satisfaction by fostering employee-product emotional bonds. CMOs can replicate this by ensuring teams personally experience offerings to create authentic customer connections.
👉 The 300% Lifetime Value Effect of Personal Connections: Research shows personal emotional connections boost customer lifetime value by 300% over transactional ties. Such bonds foster trust, loyalty, and resistance to price-based switching. CMOs should prioritise emotional engagement across touchpoints, as its long-term financial impact far exceeds traditional discount-driven strategies.
👉 Three Critical Mistakes in CX Design: Joseph explains how many brands misjudge technology’s role, overestimating its emotional impact or underestimating its friction-removing value. Without defining desired customer emotions, consistency falters. Success requires balancing digital efficiency with human connection, clearly articulating emotional goals, and empowering teams to deliver them through both tech and personal engagement.
👉 Future-Proofing Through Customer Understanding: Joseph reminds us that in a world racing toward new tech, success still begins with truly knowing your customers. What they say they need and what they don’t say. Instead of chasing every trend, use technology to amplify your strengths and deepen human connections. Let customer insights guide your choices, always aiming for the feelings you want them to carry away.
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And connect with the host and guests here:
Darshan Mehta on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehta
iResearch Website - https://iresearch.com
Joseph Michelli on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmichelli/
Joseph Michelli Website - https://www.josephmichelli.com/

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Previous guests include: Luca Popovac, Senior Executive, Abhilasha Sinha of Open Secret, Laura Beavin-Yates, Stephen Griffiths of Level 2, Kristin Luck or ScaleHouse, Melina Palmer of The Brainy Business, Nicolas Zeisler of We’re Doing CX Wrong and How To Get It Right, Pricilla McKinney of Little Bird Marketing, Brooke Sellas of B Squared Marketing and Joseph Michelli of The Michelli Experience.
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