--- title: "Happiness and Customer Experience: Interview with Bernd Schmitt" description: "At BRITE '12, Columbia Business School Professor Bernd Schmitt introduced \"Happy Customers Everywhere\" about happiness and the customer experience." image: https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/hs-fs/file-17382169-jpg/images/schmitt.jpg --- [![simple-marketing-now-logo.png](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/hs-fs/file-2223845170-png/Simple_Dec2014/logo/simple-marketing-now-logo.png?width=180&name=simple-marketing-now-logo.png "simple-marketing-now-logo.png")](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com) ![Simple Marketing Now is HubSpot Certified](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/hs-fs/file-2208007916-png/Simple_Dec2014/img/img-hubspot-certified-partner-badge.png?width=85&name=img-hubspot-certified-partner-badge.png "Simple Marketing Now is HubSpot Certified") - [Services](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/services) - [Services](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/services) - [>> Strategy & Direction](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/services/strategy) - [>> Systems & Tools](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/systems-tools-infrastructure) - [>> Execution, Content & Programs](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/execution-content-programs) - [Case Studies](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/case_studies) - [Case Studies](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/case_studies) - [Website Redesign](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/case_studies/website-redesign) - [Complete Redesign on HubSpot](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/case_studies/website-redesign/complete-overhaul) - [Business Blogging](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/blog) - [Blog](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/content-talks-business-blog) - [Content Talks Business](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/content-talks-business-blog) - [Flooring the Consumer](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/blog/flooring-the-consumer) - [Social Flooring Index](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/blog/social-flooring-index-blog) - [About](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/about) - [About Us](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/about) - [Meet the Simplifier](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/about_us/christine_b_whittemore) - [Testimonials](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/about_us/testimonials) - [News](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/news) - [Resource Library](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/resources) - [Customer Experience Articles](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/About_Us/Christine_B_Whittemore/customer-experience-articles) - [Contact](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/contact-us) - [Contact Us](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/contact-us) - [Subscribe to Newsletter](https://offers.simplemarketingnow.com/join-our-monthly-enewsletter-list) ![Flooring The Consumer Blog](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/hs-fs/file-2356801856-jpg/Simple_Dec2014/backgrounds/flooring-consumer-blog.jpg?width=1600&name=flooring-consumer-blog.jpg "Flooring The Consumer Blog") - [Content talks business blog](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/content-talks-business-blog) - [Flooring the consumer blog](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/blog/flooring-the-consumer) - [The social flooring index blog](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/blog/social-flooring-index-blog) # Flooring The Consumer Blog ## [Happiness and Customer Experience: Interview with Bernd Schmitt](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/blog/flooring-the-consumer/bid/124906/happiness-and-customer-experience-interview-with-bernd-schmitt) Posted by [Christine B. Whittemore](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/blog/flooring-the-consumer/author/christine-b-whittemore) on April 30, 2012 **This is a 4 minute read.** ![Bernd Schmitt, author Happy Customers Everywhere](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/hs-fs/file-17382169-jpg/images/schmitt.jpg)During [BRITE '12](http://simplemarketingnow.com/content-talks-business-blog/bid/118496/BRITE-for-Business-Innovation-at-Columbia-Business-School-3-5-6-12), Columbia Business School Professor **Bernd Schmitt **introduced "*Happy Customers Everywhere*", his latest book. He provocatively asked whether happiness is a function of simply removing pain points from the customer experience, or is there more? Intuitively, ensuring that customers are happy makes sense to me. Amazon makes me happy; I return to it for more. Zappos knows that [Happy Employees Deliver](http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/2010/06/zappos-where-happy-employees-deliver.html); their happiness is contagious. Schmitt's focus on customer happiness clicked immediately. I wanted to hear more! Thanks to [BRITE's Matt Quint](http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattquint), and in anticipation of One Happy Book Launch: An Evening with Author Prof. Bernd Schmitt on 5/2/12 (co-sponsored by the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York), I caught up with Schmitt to learn more about *Happy Customers Everywhere*.  **C.B.: Schmitt, what is the big deal with customer happiness? How does it benefit businesses?** Customer happiness is more than customer satisfaction or loyalty. It is the **emotional bond between a customer and a business**, and thus a much more powerful relationship. It greatly benefits businesses and their brands. Happy customers go out of their way to find a product. They will not compromise; they want a particular brand and only that brand. And they recommend the brand to others, via word of mouth, or nowadays actively in social media. **C.B.: If money alone isn't enough to guarantee happiness, how do you convince companies intensely focused on financial results that they would be be****tter served [and more profitable] if they focused on customer happiness?** **![Schmitt: Happy Customers Everywhere](https://www.simplemarketingnow.com/hs-fs/file-17382075-jpg/images/schmitt-customer_happiness_bookcover.jpg?width=236&height=358&name=schmitt-customer_happiness_bookcover.jpg)** In my book I feature [John Mackey](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mackey_(businessman)), chairman and CEO of [Whole Foods Market](http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/). He has made happiness the focus of his business. He says, sure, financial results matter, but shareholder value alone is not te primary focus. In a customer-centric business, the focus is customer happiness, and then profits come automatically. I fully agree and in my book I feature other visionary leaders with this orientation. **C.B.: Schmitt, you refer to 3 methods for making customers happy. What are they and how do they differ? Is one more appropriate than another for business?** They are: pleasure, meaning and engagement. They are based on the scientific literature and research on positive psychology. **Pleasure is about positive emotions** -- pleasing customers so to speak and getting them to savor the experience. the [W hotel](http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/index.html) is a good example; there is always something there to experience with the senses. **Meaning is about values** -- environmental values, family values, freedom, simplicity. I feature the Prius car, the Britta water filter, and uniqlo in that chapter. **Engagement, finally, is about doing new, creative things for customers to keep them engaged**. The [Coca Cola Open Happiness](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Happiness) campaign is a good example. All methods are equally valid but some work better for some categories and brands than others. **C.B.: How difficult was it finding examples to support the book's premise? What are some of those companies?** Easy. Lots of companies are focused on happiness now, and I gave several examples already. But what does not work is just giving a company or brand the label "HAPPY" and not delivering. I have numerous examples of that as well. **C.B.: How else can a focus on happy customers benefit businesses [and society]?** Happiness is not just a customer or marketing issue in business; happiness is also important for employees in companies and for governments who want to make citizens happy. In the chapter on employee happiness, I give advice on how to motivate employees, provide the right work environments, and get them to work well together -- so that they are happy. Citizen happiness is not just an income or "possessions-of-goods" issue. It's important to live in countries and cities that stimulate and provide experiences. Plus, as I show, having time for yourself or spending time with others is more important than money. **C.B.: Thank you, Schmitt!** **What are your thoughts about happiness and the customer experience? How do you see applying it to your business? ** From the BRITE '12 Conference, you'll enjoy this video of Schmitt discussing *Happy Customers Everywhere*. [Note: to view the video directly on YouTube, [**click** on *Happy Customers Everywhere* Trailer](http://youtu.be/EXJ2NLltqO0).] To purchase Schmitt's book, click on *[Happy Customers Everywhere: How Your Business Can Profit from the Insights of Positive Psychology](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0230116450/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=flooringtheco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0230116450)* [links directly to Amazon]. --- While working on this article, I came come across the following 'happy' references: - [The economics of emotion](http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/10/the-economics-of-emotion) from TechCrunch - Notice in this article titled [Steve Jobs' Greatest Invention: The Appple Retail Store](http://www.macnewsworld.com/story/Steve-Jobs-Greatest-Invention-The-Apple-Retail-Store-74899.html) how often "happy" comes up. - [Wegman's and its 'Secret Sauce' of happy people](http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/03/the-anti-walmart-the-secret-sauce-of-wegmans-is-people/254994/)! 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