Tania is known for so many things, but for us she’s the ultimate surprisologist since she coined the term in her book “Surprise: Embrace the unpredictable and Engineer the unexpected”.

In her company and practice, she has grown a brand and culture that have embraced and embedded surprise in everything they do, and that made them very resilient to face the unexpected pandemic.

Summary

In this conversation, Tanya Luna discusses the concept of surprise and its significance in both customer and employee experiences. She explains how surprise can enhance emotional connections, foster innovation, and create memorable interactions. The discussion emphasizes the importance of being intentional about creating positive surprises while minimizing negative ones. Tanya shares insights on building a culture of surprise within organizations and the impact it can have on employee engagement and customer relationships.

Takeaways

• Surprise is our brain's reaction to the unexpected.
• Surprise can intensify emotions and enhance learning.
• Creating positive surprises can lead to better customer experiences.
• A culture of surprise can foster resilience and adaptability.
• Hiring for empathy and attentiveness is crucial for creating surprise.
• Mapping client experiences helps identify opportunities for surprise.
• Surprise should be intentional and not overwhelming.
• Small, meaningful surprises can have a big impact.
• Surprise can enhance innovation by encouraging new perspectives.
• Being a 'surprise ologist' helps in crafting meaningful interactions.

Chapters

00:00 The Essence of Surprise

02:46 Surprise in Customer Experience

05:43 Building a Culture of Surprise

08:29 Surprise and Employee Engagement

11:46 Crafting Meaningful Surprises

14:27 The Impact of Surprise on Innovation

17:45 The Deeper Meaning of Surprise

Keywords

surprise, customer experience, employee engagement, innovation, culture, meaningful interactions, emotional connection, creativity, unexpected moments, delight