“During the first 20 years of my career, I worked in marketing and branding to help clients differentiate themselves in a competitive marketplace,” says David Avrin, President of The Customer Experience Advantage. “I helped them better craft the words that they used to differentiate and describe what they did. I was fortunate to work with someone in the speaking industry and realized you can make a living teaching others what you know.”
That’s exactly what Avrin set out to do two decades ago.
A 24-Year Ride
One of the most in-demand customer experience speakers and consultants in the world today, Avrin has shared informative, inspiring, and actionable presentations with audiences throughout the world (26 countries, to be exact).
Avrin helps organizations understand and connect with their customers and clients, ultimately future-proofing their businesses.
Avrin is also the author of five books, including: It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You!, Why Customers Leave (and How to Win Them Back), The Morning Huddle – Powerful Customer Experience Conversations to Wake You Up, Shake You Up, and Win More Business.
A Shift in the Game
“Seven years ago, I started to realize that customers were changing,” Avrin shares. “Their criteria for choosing which vendors, suppliers, and retailers to work with was shifting. How we feel about companies and the feedback from those who have done business with those companies now drives our purchasing decisions.”
In response, Avrin started creating engaging content focused on crafting the optimal customer experience. He says a memorable customer experience is a company’s greatest marketing tool.
“I differentiate very strongly between customer service and customer experience,” Avrin says. “We’ve been talking about customer service for 50 years—I think we know how to be nice to people.”
Avrin defines customer service as a single interaction between a business and its customer and client. The experience involves overall communication strategies, purchasing processes, and the follow-up process.
“Was the process frustrating, preferable, or complicated?” Avrin says. “We have an opportunity as business owners to walk our customers’ journey and look for ways to speed up and simplify the overall experience.”
Avrin adds, “My message and content evolves based on what’s happening in the world and the global markets. The shift toward speed as a primary driver started a decade ago. But that’s only accelerated following the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a remarkable time to be a consumer, but a challenging time to be in business. We have to innovate.”
Sharing the Message
Avrin is determined to share his insight with as many industries as possible, including the window film, paint protection film (PPF), ceramic coatings, and vinyl wrap segments. In Spring 2023, he delivered the keynote address at the Autobahn and Huper Optik Dealer Conference in Denver, Colo.
Following the event, Autobahn and Huper Optik introduced a new resource created by Avrin titled “The Customer Experience Advantage: Morning Huddle.”
“This program is designed to help you improve your customer experience and is completely free of charge to our dealers,” announced David Kratz, CEO of Autobahn and Huper Optik.
Avrin emphasizes that the resource is designed to empower dealers in sustaining continuous momentum and fostering year-round growth.
“Each video serves as a six to seven-minute conversation starter,” shares Avrin, who has also worked with Eastman and its dealers in years prior. “I’ve gotten emails from individual dealers who thanked me for giving them content to discuss with their teams.”
Setting Expectations Through Education
In 2024, service providers prioritize efficiency and speed. Though window film, PPF, ceramic coating, and vinyl wrap installations take time, Avrin says there are opportunities for dealers to distinguish themselves from competitors.
“Customers recognize processes that take time, as long as they’re educated,” Avrin says. “The frustration comes when they think their delay is unnecessary.”
2024 Dealer Conference
Avrin will deliver the keynote address at the upcoming Autobahn, Huper Optik, and Edge Dealer Conference in Tacoma, Washington, from March 4th to 6th this year. Click here to register for the event.