Joe Ruiz

About Joe Ruiz

Joseph Ruiz is an expert in Customer Experience Marketing. Joseph is President of Strategic Marketing Solutions, a full-service marketing and consulting firm specializing in web-based integrated Relationship Marketing. Joseph thrives on the ever-changing nature of marketing in the digital age, embracing interactive opportunities, while applying three decades of hands-on expertise in online and traditional marketing. When he’s not helping business-makers navigate through complex marketing challenges, Joseph enjoys reading, working out and traveling just about anywhere…anywhere you can get a digital signal, that is.

5 Ways Panera Bread Creates an Engaging Customer Experience – A Case Study

Panera Bread wants to be a comfortable place for their customers to gather. Their stores have been designed to invite and welcome customers to enjoy relaxing, conversation, reading; all in a casual atmosphere and creating an engaging customer experience. Panera has built a successful business based on providing an experience that was aligned with their…

6 Internal Gaps that Disrupt the Customer Experience

Gaps contribute to poor customer experiences. I have written about these in the past. I have also written about customer experience tools that can help brands close or eliminate these gaps. The stakes are high! A customer is 4 times more likely to buy from a competitor if the problem is service related vs. price or product…

Do You know Your Customer’s Expectations? – 25 Important Stats to Consider

Customer expectations are high, and growing! To provide a differentiating customer experience, you must exceed, or at least meet expectations. Survey data indicates many brands are now focusing on the customer experience. Reaching mobile consumers requires a whole new mindset; brands are increasingly relying on customer-centric strategies and tactics. They are creating personas and journey maps to…

5 Amazingly Simple Customer Experience Dashboard Hacks

You don’t have to look too far to find customer relationship management software systems; most are designed to track customer purchase behaviors. Some of the more sophisticated products are capable of tracking pre and post-purchase behaviors as part of a customer experience dashboard. It’s no secret that the customer experience is key to attracting and…

3 Critical Characteristics of Values-Based Marketing

Values-based leadership is an effective model for creating a climate where individual and corporate values are aligned. The single greatest predictor of relational longevity is aligned values. It’s true in marriage and it’s true in business. I believe values-based marketing can be equally important. I define the concept here. In this post, I am not…

10 Key Customer Experience Design Factors to Consider

Customer experience design is more important than you might think. We live in a world where change is the new normal. Just about anyone in business these days has to be able to deal with change on an increasingly frequent basis. Customers now have a growing number of options, from new start-ups to consumer packaged…

3 Dimensions that Drive a Differentiating Customer Experience

If you want to create a positive customer experience, you need to first begin by thinking about the concept of trust and how it relates to your company. We like to do business with people we _______. When I ask this as a question the answer is almost always a single word – trust. Edelman…

5 Ways to Engage Employees To Build A Better Customer Experience

People say they will pay more for a better customer experience. More importantly, they will leave to go to a competitor after a bad experience. 86% of people will pay more for a better customer experience, and 89% will go to a competitor after a bad one. Source State of Marketing Report 2015 In that…

6 Essential Customer Experience Questions You Must Answer

Are you prepared to answer some serious customer experience questions that your customers might be dealing with? Think about a recent mediocre customer experience, if you are struggling with this, think about a bad one. What made it less than ideal? Now think about a product or service you love, love enough to recommend. Why…

How Lowe’s is Sustaining Customer Relationships

I recently downloaded the Lowe’s app and signed up for the MyLowes program in order to share the experience with you and to highlight some customer experience marketing best practices in terms of sustaining customer relationships. I gave Lowe’s high marks for the way they created an engaging customer experience. But, creating an engaging customer…