Jeanne Bliss, author of two groundbreaking books, Chief Customer Officer : Getting Past Lip Service to Passionate Action and “I Love You More Than My Dog”: Five Decisions That Drive Extreme Customer Loyalty in Good Times and Bad, took a few moments to speak with me about beloved companies — what are they, why are they so effective, how you become one.

Jeanne has been the Customer Leadership Executive for 5 large U.S. market leaders including Coldwell Banker, Microsoft, and Mazda.  She developed her passion for the customer at Lands’ End, Inc. where she reported to the  company’s founder, serving as leader for the brand’s customer experience — and we connected through our blogs.  Please take a listen:

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I also encourage you to check Jeanne’s website, www.customerbliss.com, which is filled with all types of tools gratus for readers and their teams, including an electronic audit on your customer culture – how you make the five decisions of beloved and prosperous companies.

Check out my interviews with other luminaries:

• Scott Goodson on cultural movements
• Ben McConnell on employees as evangelists
• Andy Beal on the social web and brand-building