Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Rethinking CX, hosted by Simon Fraser & Simon Hedaux, where customer experience meets productivity at the intersection of emerging technology, operational strategy, and consumer behavior. In this episode, the hosts unpack the key macro forces shaping the modern business landscape—exploring how AI agents are transforming retail, why climate change is becoming an operational imperative, and how brands can avoid the trap of experience homogenization.

Key Topics Covered:

Moving Beyond Pure CX Metrics: Why organizations need to look past rigid NPS and employee experience (EX) scores to focus on genuine brand identity, employee behavior, and understanding the root "why" behind customer actions.

From SEO to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): Understanding the consumer shift toward generative AI tools (Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot) for recommendations, and why brands must provide deep product data and crawlable site infrastructure to enable frictionless, agentic AI transactions.

The Operational Impact of Climate & Weather: How rising temperatures and prolonged heatwaves affect labor productivity, supply chains, transport infrastructure, and store-level operations—and why resilient infrastructure investment is becoming essential for business continuity.

The Threat of Brand "Same-ness": Analyzing the risk of experience homogenization caused by over-reliance on algorithms, shared playbooks, and trend-chasing—drawing parallels from sports analytics, consumer goods, and entertainment.

Adam Mastroianni. The Decline of Deviance links:

https://www.experimental-history.com/p/the-decline-of-deviance

https://www.experimental-history.com/p/the-decline-of-deviance-2

#theproductivityexperts
Download a copy of the ReThink Productivity Retail Report
Connect to Simon on LinkedIn
Follow ReThink on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Hedaux, Hogg & Machines, the Ed & Simon dive into seven chaotic weeks of AI developments and what they mean for the retail and hospitality sectors. From debunking extreme AI safety headlines to examining how autonomous agents are making purchases on behalf of consumers, this discussion breaks down the practical realities behind the hype.

Key Topics Covered:

Who Owns the Customer? The complex privacy, security, and margin-sharing challenges when orders pass through an AI agent, delivery platform, and retailer.

AI Safety vs. Practical Reality: Cutting through the noise of AI doom statistics to understand model guardrails, sandbox testing, and why current models are already more than powerful enough for retail needs.

The Rise of Autonomous Shopping Agents: How personal AI assistants with virtual "agentic cards" are booking cinema tickets, purchasing tech, and changing consumer buying habits.

Advertising to Algorithms: Why marketing is shifting away from traditional human-facing ads toward conversational and agentic advertising strategies.

Winning the "Agent Shelf": How brands and retailers must adapt their product listings, photographic evidence, and fulfillment speed to ensure AI agents pick their products.

Black Friday & Q4 AI Surge: Preparing for a massive increase in agent-assisted shopping and evaluating the impact on click-and-collect logistics.

#theproductivityexperts
Download a copy of the ReThink Productivity Retail Report
Connect to Simon on LinkedIn
Follow ReThink on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

In this special recap episode of The Productivity Pulse, James, Sue, and Simon reflect on the key takeaways, sessions, and strategy insights from the recent Productivity Forum at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham.

Joined by over 160 clients, industry leaders, and partners, the team breaks down the core themes of the event—from rethinking efficiency to pragmatic technology deployment and peak capacity management.

Key Topics Covered:

• Retail & Footfall Insights: Hannah from MRI sets the stage with data on high street, retail park, and shopping center trends leading into peak trading periods.
• Rethinking Operational Efficiency: Why cost-saving is pivoting toward reinvestment, featuring Heart of England Co-op’s success in speeding up operations through stock simplification.
• Pragmatic Tech & AI Integration: Insights from Center Parcs, SSP, Simms & Associates, and Our Coop on why technology should amplify human capability—keeping humans in the loop rather than overcomplicating processes.
• Data Quality & Decision Making: The critical role of reliable data input and actionable analytics in driving operational changes.
• Managing Peak Capacity: Lessons from Greene King and hospitality leaders on handling demand surges, agile testing, and fast-failure learning mindsets.
• Fireside Chat with Sarah Willingham: Highlights from Sue’s stage interview with the investor and former Dragons' Den panelist.

Resources & Next Steps:

Save the Date: Register now for the next Productivity Forum on September 8th, 2027, at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham!

Download the Report: Access the full Productivity Benchmarking Report

#theproductivityexperts
Download a copy of the ReThink Productivity Retail Report
Connect to Simon on LinkedIn
Follow ReThink on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

Why do operational bottlenecks persist even when you have access to performance data? In this episode of The Productivity Pulse, James, Sue, and Simon discuss how qualitative research bridges the gap between knowing what your workforce is doing and understanding why they do it.

The team shares real-world case studies from recent client projects—ranging from store managers stuck resolving minor issues to HR teams battling mismatched software systems.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• What vs. Why: The distinction between observational role studies and deep-dive qualitative interviews.
• The "Sock Drawer" Effect: Why disorganized systems waste energy and how employees describe their operational friction.
• Managerial Coaching Dynamics: How identifying "learned dependence" in underperforming stores creates clear pathways for sales growth.
• The Power of Anonymity: How structured, active-listening interviews give staff the confidence to share authentic, actionable insights.

Resources: To learn more about our qualitative research services, visit our website ReSearch or connect with the team on LinkedIn.

#theproductivityexperts
Download a copy of the ReThink Productivity Retail Report
Connect to Simon on LinkedIn
Follow ReThink on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of the Productivity Podcast, we speak with Kayleigh Fazan, founder of the International Retail Academy, to discuss why transforming the customer experience has to start behind the scenes. Kayleigh shares her insights from over 20 years in retail, explaining why true productivity is all about empowering leaders, building team confidence, and getting the basics right.

Here are the key takeaways from our conversation:

Behavior Over Metrics: Retail leaders often fixate on lagging indicators like conversion and ATV that only show what happened yesterday. To genuinely improve productivity, managers must focus on the daily behaviors that create those results.

The Power of Service: Delivering an exceptional, consistent customer experience is one of the most commercially productive activities a retail business can perform.

Targeted Training: Overwhelming part-time staff with massive libraries of learning materials is highly ineffective. Businesses should instead empower their leaders to separate critical, "must-do" training from optional "nice-to-have" learning.

Sustainable Growth: Retailers cannot simply cut costs to achieve growth. Adopting a bottom-up approach to customer service naturally boosts commercial numbers, which in turn allows for future budget growth.

📅 Save the Date! Join us live at the Productivity Forum on 10th September in Birmingham.

🎟️ Secure your spot: ReThink Forum 2026

Download a copy of our first ReThink Productivity Retail Report

#theproductivityexperts
Download a copy of the ReThink Productivity Retail Report
Connect to Simon on LinkedIn
Follow ReThink on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Sue and Simon explore essential resources for enhancing productivity and validating business cases. If you're seeking insights to inform your next project, this conversation is packed with valuable information.

Case Studies: Learning from the Best

Sue highlights the importance of case studies for anyone looking to build a solid business case. These real-world examples provide a deep dive into specific projects, showcasing what clients aimed to achieve and the results they accomplished. This firsthand knowledge can guide you in tailoring your own strategies.

Whitepapers: Broadening Your Understanding

In addition to case studies, Sue discusses the wealth of knowledge available in white papers. These documents offer a broader introduction to topics like improving productivity and workload modeling, featuring multiple case studies to illustrate different approaches. Ideal for those still narrowing down their options, whitepapers can provide the general learning needed to kickstart your projects.

Further Learning: Books and Courses

Simon and Sue also touch on the book Every Second Counts, which compiles frequently asked questions and offers practical insights along with various case studies. This resource is particularly beneficial for those looking for quick wins in their productivity efforts.

From foundational training courses at the ReThink Academy to specialised workshops on workload modeling and methods study, there are numerous opportunities for deeper learning. As Sue notes, these courses can equip you with crucial knowledge and skills whether you're new to productivity or seeking a fresh perspective.

Upcoming Events and Resources

Don't forget to sign up for the ReThink Forum 2026 happening on September 10th in Birmingham. With over 200 episodes of the Productivity Podcast available, there's a wealth of information at your fingertips. Additionally, Simon and Sue announce a pause on the Basket and Barometer series, making way for new conversations, including the intriguing Hedaux Hogg and the Machines, focusing on AI's role in retail and hospitality.

#theproductivityexperts
Download a copy of the ReThink Productivity Retail Report
Connect to Simon on LinkedIn
Follow ReThink on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

This month on the productivity podcast Ben Collier, co-founder at Ocasta discusses how streamlining store communications is helping drive actionable tasks, frontline micro-learning, and better sales conversions, and looks ahead to when AI will automatically guide managers through effective team coaching.

Key takeaways:

• From Consumer Apps to Frontline Operations: How a serendipitous project shifted Ocasta from building consumer apps for major brands into creating user-friendly, bespoke operations platforms for retail enterprises.
• Removing Operational Guesswork: Why turning disguised head-office communications into clear, actionable tasks with real-time visibility eliminates confusion on the shop floor.
• Micro-Learning in the Flow of Work: How extending traditional knowledge bases into bite-sized, AI-generated training allows store teams to access and complete critical standard operating procedures in just minutes.
• The AI-Powered Coach: A look ahead at Ocasta's upcoming AI coaching assistant, designed to analyse real in-store observation data and provide managers with tailored action plans and prompts—removing the guesswork from human judgment.

Ocasta Webinar: Watch the Webinar Ben mentions in the Pod

Event Alert: Catch up with Ben and the Ocasta team to get an early look at their new AI coaching assistant at the upcoming Productivity Forum.

📅 Save the Date! Join us live at the Productivity Forum on 10th September in Birmingham.

🎟️ Secure your spot: ReThink Forum 2026

Download a copy of our first ReThink Productivity Retail Report

#theproductivityexperts
Download a copy of the ReThink Productivity Retail Report
Connect to Simon on LinkedIn
Follow ReThink on LinkedIn

Send us Fan Mail

In this debut episode of "Hedaux, Hogg & the Machines", host Simon is joined by guest co-host Ed Hogg, CEO of SolvedBy.ai. Together, they explore the fast-moving state of AI technology and its practical applications across retail, hospitality, and customer-facing environments.

Key takeaways:

🔹 Data Security: Why enterprise security settings matter when using LLMs and the hidden risks of unvetted open-source models.

🔹 Head Office Efficiency: How area managers are using AI agents to automate weekly store action plans in minutes.

🔹 Shop Floor AI: How retail giants like Walmart, Tesco, Lowe's, and M&S are rolling out AI tools to frontline teams.

🔹 What’s Next: What to expect from upcoming models, enterprise forecasting tools, and the realistic timeline for store robotics.

📅 Save the Date! Join us live at the Productivity Forum on 10th September in Birmingham.

🎟️ Secure your spot: ReThink Forum 2026

Download a copy of our first ReThink Productivity Retail Report

#theproductivityexperts
Download a copy of the ReThink Productivity Retail Report
Connect to Simon on LinkedIn
Follow ReThink on LinkedIn