The CX Iconoclast
If you’re exhausted by traditional approaches to CX, impatient with the stunning lack of progress in the field, and done re-hashing the “best practices” that don’t change anything, you’ve found your podcast. Here’s what we know: Companies gain competitive advantage through exceptional customer experience, and customer insights are the best decision-making tool there is. But traditional CX approaches have run their course and it’s time for the next revolution in CX. Tune in every two weeks as Richard Owen, co-founder of OCX Cognition, hosts conversations and interviews with business leaders, academics, and thinkers whose ideas can guide the CX profession to think in new ways about what success looks like. Most of them aren’t CX professionals, but all of them have something to teach us about CX. We’ll take a clear-eyed look at the problems that have hampered the discipline and explore the compelling ideas behind a re-engineering CX for a modern world. Come disgruntled, leave inspired. Find us at www.ocxcognition.com
The CX Iconoclast
Designing Better Endings: Joe MacLeod on the Overlooked Side of Customer Experience
In this episode of The CX Iconoclast, Richard Owen sits down with Joe MacLeod – author, speaker, and self-proclaimed “Head of Endineering” – to explore one of the most overlooked parts of customer experience: the ending. Drawing on insights from his books and decades of experience, Joe explains why most companies obsess over creating desire and delivering products, yet neglect the final stage of the customer journey. From cable companies using aggressive tactics to retain customers to gyms making it difficult to cancel, he reveals how poorly designed endings damage brands, waste resources, and miss opportunities to strengthen relationships. Joe argues that by designing graceful, dignified exits, companies can encourage customers to return, generate positive word of mouth, and even unlock new business.
Joe makes a great business case for good endings, across industries, from B2C subscriptions to B2B relationships. Perhaps surprisingly, he also suggests how an easy, transparent exit process can actually increase customer acquisition, citing examples from streaming services, retail returns, and corporate off-boarding. They cover the role of fear, ignorance, and poor vocabulary in preventing companies from addressing this stage, and share practical ways to reframe and redesign it. Whether you’re a business leader, CX professional, or simply a consumer tired of “bad breakups” with brands, this episode offers fresh, actionable ideas on how to make the last impression a lasting one.
Joe MacLeod is a design leader and author best known for pioneering the concept of Endineering; the design of customer endings and off-boarding experiences. A former Head of Design at the award-winning studio Ustwo, he led global teams delivering innovative digital products for major brands. His research into how consumer relationships end led to two influential books, Ends and Endineering, the latter described by The Do Lectures as one of the best business books of 2022. Through his company andEnd, Joe helps organizations understand and improve how they conclude customer relationships—reducing waste, protecting privacy, and strengthening brand trust. A sought-after keynote speaker and consultant, he advises leading global firms on sustainable, human-centered approaches to the full customer lifecycle, from beginning to end.
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