The Value Creators Podcast Episode #64. Customer Experience Is Everything: A Conversation with Vance Morris

Listen to the episode here:

What makes a business truly stand out in the hyper-competitive challenge to create customer value? It’s not just the product—it’s the experience, and the system that generates and sustains it.

In this episode of The Value Creators Podcast, Hunter Hastings speaks with Vance Morris, former Disney leader and expert in service system design, about why a customer experience system is the most strategic asset in business. From theme parks to high tech to carpet cleaning to consulting, Vance reveals how to create experience systems that delight customers, and drive lasting loyalty.

Key insights include:

• Why systematization enables—not limits—exceptional service.
  
• How systems harness personality, emotion, and consistency to create customer connection.
  
• What it means to “plus” every interaction, and how to embed improvement into daily operations.
  

Whether you’re a small business owner or enterprise leader, this episode offers a masterclass in designing customer experiences that actually mean something—and work effectively.

Resources:

➡️ Learn What They Didn’t Teach You In Business School: The Value Creators Online Business Course

Connect with Vance Morris on LinkedIn

Learn more about Vance Morris

Connect with Hunter Hastings on LinkedIn

Subscribe to The Value Creators on Substack

Knowledge Capsule

1. Customer Experience Begins Where Product Ends

• Good service is no longer a differentiator—it’s the minimum to compete.
  
• Exceptional experiences elevate brands beyond commoditization.
  
• Experience excellence means adding personality, care, and consistency.
  

2. Systematization Creates Freedom to Delight

• Disney runs on SOPs—systems create consistency and free employees to “wow” guests.
  
• When operational tasks become muscle memory, emotional service can flourish.
  
• For entrepreneurs, strong systems create the freedom to step away.
  

3. Plussing: Continuous Improvement as a Discipline

• Disney’s term “plussing” means always making things better—even small ones.
  
• Experience design is iterative: each step can be “plussed” regularly.
  
• Improvement ideas often come from frontline staff, not executives.
  

4. Experience Design Can—and Should—Be Intentional

• Even packaging a book sale can be turned into a designed experience.
  
• Vance created a “Vance in a box” experience to beat Amazon’s default convenience.
  
• Thoughtful design creates brand moments customers remember.
  

5. Personalization Builds Loyalty

• Customers forgive errors if there’s emotional connection.
  
• Vance used stories, newsletters, and even his daughter’s ballet to connect.
  
• People buy from people they feel they know.
  

6. Alarm Systems Prevent Customer Churn

• Businesses need built-in alerts for declining engagement.
  
• CRM systems should flag changes in behavior (e.g., less frequent visits).
  
• Follow-up can recover at-risk customers before they leave.
  

7. Training Enables Consistency

• SOPs must be practiced—not just handed out.
  
• “Practice creates muscle memory, which creates freedom to serve.”
  
• Great service requires clear systems, repetition, and buy-in.
  

8. Empowered Staff Improve the Experience

• Frontline employees should be included in design and feedback loops.
  
• Vance’s Disney story: how busboys improved table turnover with a tabletop organization idea.
  
• Listening builds engagement and makes improvements real.
  

9. Let Personality Into the Process

• Allowing staff to express themselves creates differentiation.
  
• A phone greeting like “The agency that rocks” helps filter the right clients.
  
• Great experiences reflect the values and style of the brand.
  

10. Human Touch Beats AI—Especially in Service

• Live phone answering is a competitive advantage in an AI-dominated world.
  
• Chatbots are efficient, but compassion and connection still matter.
  
• The best businesses will blend tech with human warmth.
  

11. Service Recovery Must Account for Total Cost

• Fixing a mistake means accounting for all customer costs (time, money, stress).
  
• Offering a free repair isn’t enough—make it whole with extras (e.g., loaners, dinners).
  
• Recovery is an opportunity to build deeper trust.
  

12. Implementation Is the Only Way to Profit

• “You won’t profit unless you implement”—Vance’s core mantra.
  
• Pick one idea and act on it; then build momentum.
  
• Knowledge without implementation is just entertainment.