Understanding The Psychology Behind Customer Experience Thinking By Si Elliott

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, discover why truly exceptional customer experiences start with human psychology, not just technology or metrics, in Si Elliott’s insightful new book Customer Experience Thinking.

Si Elliott is the author of Customer Experience Thinking (May 21, 2026), strategic marketing leader, award winning educator and customer experience expert with over 20 years of experience helping brands build deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with behavioural science.

Businesses have more tools than ever to communicate with their customers, yet many still struggle to create experiences that genuinely connect with the people they serve.

Marketing strategist Si Elliott believes the answer lies in understanding human behaviour. His new book, Customer Experience Thinking, explores how behavioural science can help organisations design better experiences by understanding how people think, feel and make decisions.

Drawing on more than two decades of experience in marketing, Elliott argues that businesses risk prioritising systems, platforms and metrics over the people they exist to serve.

We spoke with him about the psychology behind customer behaviour, the challenges facing modern organisations and what the future of customer experience might look like.

THE WHY: Why Customer Experience Matters

Q. What first sparked your interest in customer experience and the psychology behind how people interact with businesses?

“Having worked in marketing for a couple of decades, witnessing the rise in digital media and how this changed the way people communicate and interact with each other and brands, it feels like we are losing real connection.

In the rush to grow digital metrics, it started to feel like we were creating things to serve the technology and systems rather than the people. Ultimately my desire is to work with businesses and brands to help them serve people better and improve the human experience.

This is where understanding people better becomes so important, and behavioural science gives us a lens to see beneath the surface.”

Q. In simple terms, what does “Customer Experience Thinking” really mean?

“Customer experience is the perception and feelings a person has from the interactions and experiences they have with you, your product, business or brand.

The addition of the word thinking brings attention back to the underlying factors behind that experience.

For the recipient, it relates to the customer’s cognitive processing. For businesses and brands, it reflects the depth of thinking we should apply when designing the experience.

The phrase is intended to be slightly provocative. It invites people to pause, reflect and think before acting.”

Q. Why do so many organisations still struggle to put the customer truly at the centre of what they do?

“There can be many reasons, often unique to the organisation and its circumstances. One factor is short-termism. Publicly traded companies in particular can become focused on quarterly targets and performance metrics rather than taking a longer-term view.

Many of the behavioural biases discussed in the book that influence individuals will also influence organisations. After all, businesses are groups of people making decisions together.

We often assume business decision-making is logical and rational, but the reality is that organisations are just as susceptible to bias as individuals.

A good example is the current race to embrace AI. Many businesses are moving quickly without a clear strategy, driven by fear of missing out and the desire not to be left behind.”

Q. What is the biggest misconception leaders have about customer experience today?

“A famous line from V.F. Ridgway in 1956 states: “What gets measured gets managed.”

In the world of digital and social media, certain metrics are often treated as the ultimate measure of success. But in customer experience, things are rarely that simple.

Many of the greatest brands have achieved success by doing things that are not easily scalable. Zappos is a classic example, where customer service teams were encouraged to do whatever it took to meet a customer’s needs, even if that meant directing them to another retailer.

Customer experience should not sit solely within marketing or customer service. It needs representation and understanding across the entire organisation.”

THE HOW: Understanding Customers

Q. Your new book, Customer Experience Thinking, draws heavily on behavioural science. Why is psychology so important when designing customer experiences?

“We make more than 35,000 decisions every day, and much of our brain’s processing happens beneath the surface.

In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman explains the concept of System 1 and System 2 thinking. Without insights from psychology and behavioural science, we only scratch the surface of how people think.

If businesses want to serve people better, they first need to understand them better.”

Q. What are some of the most common behavioural biases businesses overlook when dealing with customers?

“It depends on the context. In many cases businesses are applying behavioural biases in their marketing and communications without consciously realising it.

The starting point is awareness. Organisations should understand the different biases influencing their customers and analyse how they might already be applying them, intentionally or otherwise.”

Q. Why is emotion often the most powerful driver of customer loyalty?

“Traditional economics assumes we make decisions logically, almost like Dr Spock from Star Trek. In reality, we are far more emotional decision-makers, closer to Homer Simpson.

Think about the decisions you make when you are stressed or angry compared with when you feel calm and relaxed. Your emotional state influences the outcome.

In a world dominated by digital metrics, businesses often assume audiences behave rationally. But humans are far more complex than that.”

Q. How can businesses better understand what customers are really feeling during their journey with a brand?

“Observation can be incredibly powerful. Customer advisory groups are useful, and ethnographic research is one of the most powerful methods available because it reveals what people actually do rather than what they say they do.

Spending time with customer service teams is also invaluable. They are on the front line of customer emotion and hear feedback every day.

Whether in a call centre, through online feedback forms or at a hotel reception desk, they often provide the clearest insight into how customers truly feel.”

THE WHAT: Designing Better Experiences

Q. You talk about the importance of “every detail” in the customer journey. Why do small moments matter so much?

“Humans are constantly scanning and processing information, much of it subconsciously. One of the most important factors for people is predictability and consistency. Our brains are already overloaded with information, so anything that makes life easier is welcomed.

When experiences are inconsistent or create unnecessary friction, they generate discomfort or stress. If something simply does not feel right, people often walk away or postpone their decision.”

Q. What are some immediate changes organisations can make to improve customer experience?

“Make it a core focus of the business and allocate resources to it.

Start by walking in the customer’s shoes and experiencing the journey from their perspective.

Setting up a customer advisory group or bringing in an external perspective can also provide valuable insights into how people outside the organisation perceive the experience.”

Q. How can companies balance efficiency and automation with genuine human connection?

“This is one of the biggest challenges today. AI and automation are pushing businesses towards always-on, hyper-efficient systems. That can easily lead to a technology-first mindset. But people are far more organic and complex. Human connection remains a fundamental need.

Businesses should identify the key moments where human interaction is most valuable. Technology should support those moments, not replace them.”

Q. What role do expectations play in shaping whether a customer feels satisfied or disappointed?

“Expectations determine satisfaction. As Neil Strauss once said, ‘Unspoken expectations are premeditated resentments.’ People measure experiences against what they expect. If expectations are unclear, individuals create their own assumptions based on past experiences, even if those experiences are unrelated.”

THE EXPERTISE: Lessons for Leaders and Businesses

Q. In your professional experience, what separates businesses that deliver superior customer experiences from those that don’t?

“Focus and commitment to serving people better.

In great organisations, customer experience is part of the company’s DNA and understood by everyone working there. When this happens, people cannot take shortcuts because the importance of serving customers is embedded throughout the business.”

Q. Why should leaders think about customer experience as a strategic rather than a service issue?

“Customers are the most important element of any business. Without them, there is no organisation.

Great customer experience does not happen by accident. It is woven into strategic planning, decision-making and operations across the business.”

Q. What mistakes do businesses most often make when trying to improve customer experience?

“Many organisations approach customer experience with short-term initiatives designed to fix a single problem. While these efforts can produce improvements, meaningful progress comes from long-term commitment and consistency. James Clear’s work in Atomic Habits and Sir Dave Brailsford’s concept of marginal gains both demonstrate the power of continual improvement.”

Q. If a business wants to start improving customer experience tomorrow, where should it begin?

“Start by getting excited about the opportunity. Improving customer experience strengthens a business and helps it serve people better. It should be approached as a positive opportunity rather than a criticism of existing work. Then take a step back and experience the business as a customer. An external perspective can help reveal insights that are difficult to see from within the organisation.”

THE FUTURE: The Future of Customer Experience

Q. How do you think customer expectations are changing in the age of AI?

“AI will undoubtedly increase expectations around speed and convenience. Businesses will face the challenge of meeting these expectations without sacrificing quality of interaction or service.

This makes the principle of setting, managing and exceeding expectations more important than ever.”

Q. In a decade, do you think technology will enhance or undermine the human side of customer experience?

“AI could become one of the greatest developments to support humanity, or it could become a serious threat to the human experience.

Technology is accelerating the pace of life, but our brains have evolved over thousands of years and cannot adapt at the same speed.

If financial metrics alone dictate customer experience strategies, digital and AI interactions may become overly prioritised.

Businesses that take a longer-term view will continue to invest in human connection.”

Q. What are the top trends business leaders should be watching over the next three years?

“First, preserving human connection in an increasingly digital and AI-driven world.

Second, taking a long-term strategic view rather than reacting to short-term disruption.

During periods of uncertainty, it is tempting for organisations to constantly change direction, but this can prevent meaningful progress.”

Q. If readers take just one idea from Customer Experience Thinking, what do you hope it will be?

“I hope people think more deeply about human connection and relationships, and how they can serve their fellow human better.”

Book Details

Customer Experience Thinking
By Si Elliott
Publishing May 21 2026
Published by Brown Dog Books

Find more from Si Elliott now:

Website: sielliott.com

Apple Books: https://apple.co/4uDo1iG

Kindle: https://amzn.to/4fExAsL

Paperback: https://amzn.to/4dwxa6z

Purchase link: https://mybook.to/CXThinking