Altimeter Principal Analyst Brian Solis Releases New Book on Customer Experience, X: Where Business Meets Design

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - October 21, 2015) - Bestselling author and principal analyst at Altimeter, a Prophet company, Brian Solis has unveiled his highly anticipated new book, X: Where Business Meets Design (WILEY; October 2015; $30; ISBN: 978-1-118-45654-5.) In the book, Solis explains why customer experience, more than any other business priority, defines a company's brand and determines its outlook for the future.

In X, Solis contends that great products, creative marketing and delightful customer service are no longer enough to succeed. The prevalence of mobile and digital technology has reshaped customer preferences and decision-making routines. However, for most businesses, the processes for product development, sales, marketing and customer service are still rooted in the past. This is generating an experience divide that will lead to brand irrelevance in the near future.

"Of course, the idea that businesses should focus on customer experience isn't new," says Solis. "But we've entered a new era of consumer influence, and businesses that don't learn to craft holistic, more satisfying experiences for their customers have a great deal to lose."

In order to create and cultivate meaningful experiences, Solis writes that companies need to infuse empathy into their engagement with consumers - a practice Prophet calls customer obsession. When a company is customer-obsessed, it truly listens and understands what its' customers want or need and designs itself accordingly.

Solis calls empathy "the secret ingredient" to creating meaningful customer experiences. "Seeing the world through the eyes of others gives you a competitive advantage because so few businesses have a disciplined method for doing so," he says. Moreover, Solis asserts, "Experiences are too important to leave to chance. They should be thoughtfully designed and reinforced in every touch point throughout the customer lifecycle."

In addition to learning about the importance of empathy and how it can unlock creativity and innovation, readers of X will discover:

• How to design a desired, meaningful and uniform experience in every "moment of truth" in the customer journey
• The importance of User Experience (UX) in real life and in executive thinking
• The benefits of infusing human-centered design in all you do
• The art of Hollywood storytelling from marketing to product design to packaging
• The value of various journey and experience mapping approaches

Xeven re-imagines the idea of a book for today's digital meets analog world. Beautifully designed by creative agency Mekanism as an "analog app" to showcase the philosophy of what Solis refers to as "experience architecture," X is meant to evoke emotion and create a unique experience of its own.

X: Where Business Meets Design is available today at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million and 800-CEO-READ.

About the Author

Brian Solis is globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders in business innovation. As a digital analyst, anthropologist, and futurist, he studies disruptive technology and its impact on business and society. More so, he humanizes technology's causal effect to help people see people differently and understand what to do about it. Brian has authored several bestselling books including What's the Future of Business (WTF), Engage!, and The End of Business as Usual. His blog, BrianSolis.com, is ranked as a leading resource for insights into the future of business, new technology and marketing.

About Altimeter

Altimeter, a Prophet company, is a research and strategy consulting firm that helps companies understand and act on disruption. In July 2015, Prophet acquired Altimeter Group, to bring together forward-thinking digital research and consultancy under one umbrella to help clients unlock digital transformations. Altimeter was founded in 2008 by best selling author Charlene Li, focusing research in digital transformation, social business and governance, customer experience, big data, and the Internet of Things. Altimeter is based in San Francisco, CA. For more information visit http://www.altimetergroup.com.

About Prophet

Prophet is a global brand and marketing consultancy that fuses insights, strategy, creativity and imagination to help clients grow better brands and businesses. We uncover deeper customer insights, build stronger brand relevance and deliver engaging customer experiences for some of the world's most successful companies such as Electrolux, T-Mobile, GE, Keurig Green Mountain, UBS, Gatorade, Cisco, Target, and ThyssenKrupp AG. Our 300+ experts in marketing, innovation, digital and design help companies bridge the gap between strategy and execution to drive real market impact. www.prophet.com

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