Chip Bell

Consultant, speaker, and author

Chip Bell has helped companies dramatically enhance their bottom lines and marketplace reputation through innovative customer-centric strategies. For the sixth year in a row, Global Gurus in 2020 ranked Bell as one of the top three keynote speakers in the world on customer service. Bell has authored 24 books; seven are international best sellers. His latest book, Inside Your Customer’s Imagination: 5 Secrets for Creating Breakthrough Products, Services, and Solutions (Berrett-Koehler, 2020), shows how co-creation partnerships enable you to tap into the treasure trove of ideas, ingenuity, and genius-in-the-raw within every customer.

Wed, 02/18/2026 - 12:22

By the Customer: The Power of Customer-Created Offerings Invite your customer to co-create. Their loyalty will soar, along with your reputation and bottom line.

Wed, 10/21/2020 - 12:02

He stood on a platform in the early afternoon of a cold November day only a few feet from the edge of Soldier’s National Cemetery. He was dizzy and feverish, suffering with the beginning of smallpox. It had been four months since the end of the…

Innovating With Crazy Customers ‘When you innovate you’ve got to be prepared for everyone telling you that you’re nuts’

Wed, 09/02/2020 - 12:01

Alice—of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland fame—had a very vivid imagination. Had she been on the job market today, she would have no doubt been sought by Pixar, Google, or Amazon. If you read Lewis Carroll’s classic, you know the colorful adventures…

Are Your Customer’s Telling Stories? The difference between value-add and value-unique

Mon, 06/29/2020 - 12:02

One of my favorite movies is Stripes. Starring Saturday Night Live comedians Bill Murray and John Candy, the 1981 hit movie features a scene in which new Army recruits (including Murray and Candy) are in a “get-acquainted” circle with their basic…

The Power of Customer Access Try taking the challenges away from your customers

Tue, 04/14/2020 - 12:02

The “camp” where we board our cat is fantastic. Our cat gets “tree time”—a giant climbing structure with tunnels and carpeted “trees” to climb and scratch. She gets the best of tender loving care, complete with brush-outs and nail trims. But try and…

Success Is Living Like Your Cat Successful people live their lives with an inner emotional invincibility

Tue, 01/21/2020 - 12:02

I recently visited the Key West home of famed writer Ernest Hemingway. The descendants of Hemingway’s many six-toed cats still live on the grounds and join visitors as a part of their tour. “A cat has absolute emotional honesty,” wrote Hemingway. “…

You Are Known by Your Works Beware of expectations set by labels

Thu, 06/06/2019 - 12:02

Many years ago, I worked for the president of a bank famous for aggressive bank acquisitions and rapid growth in the financial services space. The bank ultimately became the Bank of America, and the president became its CEO. Hugh McColl was famous…

Clear the Customer Experience Parking Lot Everyone benefits when you prioritize customer satisfaction

Wed, 04/17/2019 - 12:02

Parking lot. We use it in the meeting-management world to mean agenda items that are tabled for later discussion. These are generally posted on a sheet of flip-chart paper, taped on the meeting wall, and then placed on the agenda of the next meeting…

Are You a Disrupter? Discover better ways to serve customers and trigger service transformations

Thu, 01/31/2019 - 12:02

Visioning beyond the customer is the responsibility of every person interested in a competitive advantage. What do Bill Marriott, Ray Kroc, and Al Hopkins have in common? No, they are not all people of wealth and fame. In fact, Hopkins is a small-…

Let’s Measure Effort, But... ...let’s not be seduced into thinking comfort is ‘all about effort’

Thu, 11/15/2018 - 12:02

I recently had eye surgery that required me to sleep on my back for two weeks following the operation. I have always slept on my side, ever since I was a kid. My back-sleeping attempts are so challenging, I am never able to nap on those United…

Are We Mechanizing Customer Delight? Service without emotional connection is as functional as a vending machine

Tue, 08/21/2018 - 12:02

Standing in the gate area of Delta Airlines at the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport, I was watching the monitor to learn if my name appeared on the “upgrade to first class” list. Honestly, I was feeling totally entitled since I fly a…