At the recent CX Summit, keynote speaker Hamish Nairn, Partner at Bain & Company, delivered a compelling conversation on the future of customer experience. Drawing on decades of strategic insight, Nairn unpacked how leading brands like USAA and Disney reduce friction, why GenAI is a true inflection point—not hype—and how proactive CX will define the next decade. From change management to AI readiness, this conversation offered essential guidance for anyone shaping customer experience in today’s fast-moving landscape.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Nupur Bhade Vilas: You've worked with tons of leaders trying to steer through some seriously tricky transformations. And let's be honest, customer experience is usually right in the thick of it. So let's kick things off there. How do you make sure customer experience goals actually line up with the bigger business strategy? Because CX isn't just off doing its own thing. It's got to be plugged right into the main game plan.

Hamish Nairn: Yeah. That's absolutely right, Nupur. Good customer strategy is in service of business strategy. And I think the first failure mode that a lot of customer experience professionals get into is developing their own customer strategy and then trying to convince the business that that strategy is important.

That's the wrong way around. You should start with what is the business trying to achieve, and so what should the customer strategy be, how should it be built in service of that.

Figure out what really matters to the business. Is it growth? Is it cost? Is it, new customers? Is it retention? And then align what you're doing within the customer organization, customer success, customer experience to serve those needs.

That's where you're gonna get momentum. It is true that even today in 2025, some people still think of customer experience and customer support as a cost center rather than as a value adder. That has changed a lot in the last couple of decades, but there's still people who sort of deep down feel that way. So the way you break through that is showing how customer strategy and customer experience is an enabler and an accelerator of the business strategy rather than putting it in competition with the rest of the business.

Nupur Bhade Vilas: I was nodding the whole time. Flipping the planning process to start with the business strategy just makes way more sense. So absolutely right. You know, we talk about “customer first” and that's kind of becoming a little bit of a buzzword.

It only means something, you know, when it's baked into business. So how should leaders think about, you know, what is a customer first approach versus a truly customer centric business? What's the difference between those things? What's the distinction, and why does it matter?

Hamish: I've spent a long time in my career focused on the customer. It's sort of my life's work - encouraging businesses to be more customer centric and more customer first. The truth is I've never met a CEO who said that they weren't “customer first”. Everybody claims it. Everyone wants to believe it. And deep down, I think that a lot of CEOs, a lot of businesses really do think that they are “customer first”. But then when you look at their actions, their decisions, their priorities, it's sort of a revealed preference that maybe they're not. So, yes, “customer first” is a buzzword, and everybody is going to claim that they're customer first, but it doesn't mean that they're actually operating that way. I would say that there are some traps that organizations can fall into thinking that they’re customer first. So probably the classic one is big, bold, visible actions - something amazing for this one customer, bending over backwards to make sure they had a great experience. And that might be great for that one customer, but then there's all of these other customers who are getting left by the wayside. Yes, it's important to take visible actions with our customer, but it's even more important to take all of the invisible actions. What are all the things that are happening that we don't even know about,  that the business is just doing to serve the customer better?

I have a good friend who's a CEO, and he got a customer who was complaining about an issue. It got escalated to the CEO. You often see these events where a CEO gets an escalation and suddenly the whole business stops what they're doing to solve the customer's needs. That's not what the CEO did. The CEO said to the customer, “Hey, here's our support line. Yeah. I believe in my support line. Go use it. And I trust that if you use our regular channels, you will get a great experience.”

And I think that's what we could aspire to. It's not a situation where the only way to get attention is to yell at the company to get something done. But instead, there's a process and there's a system in place that's so good that every customer can go through the regular channel and get an outstanding delightful experience.

Nupur: I love that. Having that system in place makes so much sense. And just having the leadership team also trust that the system works and recommending, you know, customers go there first. So that really resonates.

You know, I am curious from you. You know, once a company decides that they wanna be more customer centric, the next challenge often is where do we invest? How should leaders think about investing in those right CX strategies? Where do they start?

Hamish: So, this is hard because there can be so many things you want to do all at once.

So let me make a couple of points. The first one is, yes, it's important to have customer data, and you need to have some sort of track of whatever it is for your measure for customer sentiment and for customer experience that needs to be in place.

A lot of organizations do have that. But what's more important than that is having a system to act on those customer experience outcomes.

So, you know, if you have a score, whether that's CSAT, MPS, something else, that's great. But you can't just yell at the score to get better. You have to find a way to find mechanisms within the business to improve customer outcomes so that that score is gonna improve over time. So that's point one is it's not just about the score, it's about the system that you have in place within the business to drive change and to drive improvements to that score.

The second thing that's really important, that links back to what I was saying earlier about business strategy, is have a clear link between what you're measuring in terms of the customer experience and what that means in terms of business outcomes. For example, every one negative support experience, increases, churn risk by 5x for that customer, or every one delightful customer support experience, on average leads to 10% more spend by that customer. Whatever it is, those little nuggets of information that link customer outcomes to business outcomes are really important.

Famously, Apple retail stores, they did some analysis that found that if you walked into an Apple store and had a great experience, on average, you'd spend a thousand dollars more on Apple in your lifetime than someone who had a negative experience. So every time someone walks into a store, that's a thousand dollar opportunity.Having those fun facts that link customer experience to business outcomes is what can drive attention and focus on the system that you need to drive improvement and drive change.

Nupur: That data part is key. It's not just about CX that feels good. It's happy customers refer more. Better support reduces churn or great onboarding drives product adoption. So when you connect these dots, it's just way easier for the business as a whole.


Tell me a little bit about, you know, where do you see most enterprise CX transformation start to go off track? What are those common pitfalls?

Hamish Nairn: Transformation, it's a scary word. A lot of people ban the word because they've been through too many transformations that haven't gone well. So transformation is hard. I am a big believer in change management. It's all about starting small and going from there. Crawl, walk, run. Get some wins on the board. Create a story, a narrative about how we're going to make the business most customer focused that starts with something really simple and shows the value of that and then builds from there. I think too often people try to do too much all at once, and you get organ rejection from the business. Or simply the business loses focus. There's another topic that becomes the topic of the month next month, and all the momentum gets sapped away.

So, start small, get some wins on the board, make some impact, and then grow from there. Celebrate those victories, and make something big out of something small. I think that is the key to all transformation, but particularly customer transformation. And and and recognize the other benefits to the business. When we serve our customers better, it's not just that we eliminate support, tickets and support interactions. We make our business more efficient. We make it better aligned to customer needs, and we're driving better outcomes for the business overall. So there's so many other benefits beyond just reducing the cost of support.

Nupur: Those big, beautiful CX maps are great, but without those early wins, they rarely go anywhere. I'm with you. Start small, show impact, build trust. That momentum is everything. It's such a powerful unlock.

Tell me a little bit about how you advise leaders to strike that balance? Because they want to push for innovation and digital transformation, but they also actually need to execute on the fundamentals because it feels like both are critical, but they can pull in different directions.

Hamish: That's right. Given the amount of change that's happening right now, I think everybody is feeling that now more than ever. So, yes, we need to execute on our basic responsibilities, and we need to make sure the business is healthy, and we need to meet our short term goals. We need to have links between what we're doing today and how that's driving business outcomes in the future. That is particularly true in a cost constrained environment, and I think finding little wins on the edges, being scrappy, and being, imaginative, to try to find ways to do more with less, I think, is is particularly important in this environment rather than trying to do something big and bold and expensive.

Doing little things, it goes a long way.

Nupur: I love that. I'm curious about, you know, going back to CX transformation a little bit.

Are there any examples from your practice, you know, where someone's done an overall CX model evolution instead of a one and done transformation? What does that look like in practice? Do you have any examples that come to mind?

Hamish: Let me give you a couple of prominent examples people might be familiar with. One company I really admire is USAA. Banking has historically not been a very customer-friendly industry—slow, frustrating, hard to get what you need. That’s changed a lot, and I credit USAA for leading that change. They’ve been customer-centric for a long time.

They understand they don’t have a big physical presence, and many of their customers—military families—are dispersed. So they’ve embraced digital experiences as a way to build empathy, trust, and connection. They anticipate customer needs. For example, if you’re moving, they automatically take care of the financial services that need updating. If you have a life event, they proactively reach out to help.

Internally, anyone can suggest a customer experience change or escalate an issue, and there’s a process to act on it. Everyone has accountability and can drive change. It shows in the results—they’re world leaders.

Another fun example is Disney. I grew up a Disney fan, and if you’ve visited Disneyland or Disney World in the last decade, you’ve seen the shift toward seamless, technology-driven experiences. The wristbands, the app—it’s all about reducing friction. A great park experience is one where it’s easy and fast to move through. That’s a powerful mantra: reduce friction, make things simple and fast. Identify friction points and eliminate them. Whether that’s wristbands, digital experiences, or proactive communication—it’s all about creating a smoother, more enjoyable customer experience.

Nupur: Totally agree. Great CX isn’t just good for customers—it’s good for business. Solve real customer problems, and you often solve internal ones too. The Disney example is spot-on: people just want to get on the ride. That mindset should be everywhere, not just in theme parks. Traditional businesses have pushed for digital transformation, which brings me to the next question.

How should leaders approach change management in large-scale CX efforts, especially when so many teams are involved?

Hamish: Start with a clear vision. What does success look like? Get people on board. The number one driver of failure in change efforts—whether in CX or elsewhere—is lack of leadership endorsement. Make sure your most senior leaders are fully supporting the customer-centric change.

Too often, people start initiatives without enough leadership backing, and that becomes a failure point. Build the business case, tie it to strategy, and involve leadership from the beginning.

Then focus on enablement. Internally, it’s like removing friction—do you have the systems and infrastructure in place? Or are you trying to drive change with duct tape? Be bold enough to recognize if you’re not ready. If you don’t have the systems, the infrastructure, or leadership buy-in, it may be better to pause than to push forward prematurely.

Nupur: So well said. I’ve seen ambitious CX efforts launched without leadership alignment, and it creates friction from day one. Sometimes the bravest move is not starting until the right advocates are in place. And yes to data—without it, you're just asking people to believe, not see. It’s hard work up front, but worth it. Leadership and data feel like table stakes, yet they still get overlooked.

Let’s shift gears a bit. I want to ask you about GenAI. It's showing up everywhere—from back-end ops to frontline interactions. What’s the real opportunity with GenAI in CX, both as a productivity boost and as a game changer?

Hamish: We have to talk about this. This is not hype—it’s real. GenAI is here and changing things rapidly, and that pace is only accelerating. We’re already seeing its impact across organizations. The biggest barrier isn’t the technology—it’s people, systems, and processes that slow down adoption. I firmly believe that. Interestingly, the largest organizations may struggle the most. With more bureaucracy and legacy systems, it’s harder for them to innovate. Smaller and medium-sized businesses may actually move faster—just like during the early days of cloud and digital. As for customer impact, it’s about creating experiences that are personalized, targeted, proactive, and trust-building. Internally, it’s about speed, information, and leverage—getting more done with fewer people using smarter tools.

Nupur: That’s fascinating. Tell us more about the synthetic customer research concept you mentioned.

Hamish: Sure. It’s wild, but it’s real. We now have the ability to create artificial versions of our customers—synthetic customers. Some businesses are already doing this. They feed all their customer data into a model, create digital versions of their customer base, and then use those models for research.

They ask these synthetic customers questions, run surveys, test products, services, ad copy—basically treat them like real customers. It’s a fast, inexpensive, and effective way to learn. This technology is mind-blowing and fundamentally changes how we do customer research and experience design.

Nupur: So fascinating. It all comes back to knowing your customers well enough to train those models properly. It feels like we’re entering a whole new era in how we learn, listen, and build for our customers. It’s great to hear you're pro-AI—it feels like an endorsement for our roadmap.

Hamish: Absolutely. AI needs to be on your roadmap. I strongly agree.

Nupur: Are there any standout use cases where GenAI is already making a real difference, either internally or for customers?

Hamish: Definitely. Internally, knowledge management is a big one. Many companies have data scattered across systems—AI helps unify that. Externally, it’s about personalization. That’s not new, but the level of personalization we can now achieve is. Making customers feel like they’re getting a truly individual experience is powerful. These are the two big areas we’re seeing move fastest, but AI will touch every part of the business.

Nupur: There’s a ton of potential across CX and even marketing. But let’s be honest, the number of tools out there is overwhelming. How should businesses navigate this explosion of platforms and avoid getting caught up in hype?

Hamish: Proceed with caution. There’s a lot of noise and over-promising. Be skeptical—make sure the value is real.

Don’t buy AI for AI’s sake. Buy it to solve a specific business problem. Focus on use cases—delighting customers, improving delivery, enhancing support. Start with what your business needs to do, then evaluate which tools help you do that better. And don’t overcommit to one tool too early. There might be something better coming next quarter. Proceed in a way that allows you to experiment and learn. Change is hard—too many new tools at once creates friction. Go slow, stay focused.

Nupur: Such grounded advice. It’s easy to get swept up in the hype and forget that tools are only as good as the systems and change management behind them. Looking ahead five to ten years, what do you think will define the next generation of CX? And what might become less relevant?

Hamish: Great question. First, companies with strong platforms—solid data, good systems, and organized teams—will be best positioned to succeed. Think of AI readiness as a strategic priority. In the future, CX will be more proactive. It’s about anticipating customer needs before they ask, guiding them to solutions they may not even know they need. Less about reacting to problems, more about preventing them. Customer support has long been about speed and resolution. That still matters, but the differentiator will be anticipation and personalized engagement.

Nupur:  Speed is still important, but it’s no longer enough. What really moves the needle is showing up before the customer even realizes they need help. All of this is happening during a time of tighter budgets and economic uncertainty. How should companies rethink their CX strategy to protect relationships without overspending?

Hamish: It’s tough out there, no doubt. But standing still isn’t an option. Competitors aren’t waiting, so you can’t either. Be scrappy. Find low-cost ways to make progress. History shows that companies who invest during downturns come out ahead. Think of ‘08–‘09—those who embraced digital early thrived later. If your strategy is about cost savings, look for ways to automate and eliminate unnecessary interactions. But also make sure you’re experimenting, learning, and setting up the business to innovate—even in constrained times.

Nupur: That’s such a powerful mindset. Doing nothing isn’t neutral. It’s falling behind. Final question: what CX metrics should businesses focus on to ensure their efforts drive real results—not just feel-good moments?

Hamish: It depends on the business, but you need to connect customer metrics—like CSAT or NPS—to business outcomes. Too many companies don’t fully understand how they acquired customers or why they lost them. Know why people come to you. If it’s referrals, that suggests CX is already working well. If people leave for competitors, that points to gaps. Link CX metrics to spend, attrition, referrals—whatever matters most to your business.

Nupur: That’s a great way to end. Hamish, thank you for kicking things off with so much clarity and insight. We’re walking away with a deeper understanding of what it really takes to lead in CX today and what it’ll take in the years ahead. We covered smart AI adoption, bold but grounded change management, and tying customer outcomes to real business impact. So much to take back to our teams. Thank you again.

Hamish: Thank you, Nupur. And best of luck to everyone out there. I know it’s a challenging time, but there’s also huge opportunity. Lean into the change—it’s exciting.

Closing thoughts

Hamish Nairn offered a clear roadmap for CX leaders navigating today’s evolving landscape. As customer expectations rise and AI reshapes the service model, success will belong to those who lead with strategy, clarity, and purpose.

His key takeaways for customer experience leaders:

  • Secure leadership alignment before launching any major CX initiative
  • Focus AI investments on real business use cases, not hype
  • Shift from reactive support to proactive, personalized customer experiences

Ready to take the next step with your brand’s customer experience? Explore how Kustomer can supercharge how you show up for your customers. Check out our guide on consolidating your CX tech stack or talk to sales today.