Empathy, Revenue, and Why CX Leaders Need a Seat at the Table with Aniesha Jones

Some people talk about customer experience. Aniesha Jones builds businesses around it.

This week on Above the Fold, I sat down with Aniesha Jones, longtime CX leader, and former professional opera singer. Yes, opera. And somehow that background makes her one of the sharpest operators I know in this space. This conversation is about empathy, revenue, loyalty, and why CX should never be treated as a support function. If you care about retention, brand trust, or building a business that actually lasts, this episode is one you should spend time with.

What I loved most about this conversation is how grounded Aniesha is. No buzzwords. No fluffy CX platitudes. Just real talk about how experience drives revenue, where brands get it wrong, and why the emotional side of business is often the most measurable part.

Why CX Isn’t a Cost Center

Aniesha doesn’t hesitate when I ask how she thinks about CX inside an organization. In her ideal world, CX is the heartbeat of the business. Not a ticket queue. Not a clean-up crew. A strategic engine.

She breaks down how CX should influence product, marketing, loyalty, and operations long before issues ever hit the customer. When CX is embedded upstream, friction disappears earlier, churn drops faster, and teams stop guessing what customers want.

The biggest miss she sees? Companies saying they “care about CX” but only paying attention when revenue dips. At that point, you’re already behind.

Empathy Is a Revenue Driver (Yes, Really)

One thing Aniesha is crystal clear about: empathy has an ROI.

Lower churn. Higher retention. More repeat purchases. Stronger advocacy. Fewer escalations. Longer lifetime value. This isn’t theoretical. It shows up in the numbers.

People buy from brands where they feel understood. When CX teams practice empathy well, customers trust the brand more. And trust converts.

She also makes a strong case for retention being the most efficient acquisition strategy available. You don’t need louder ads. You need better experiences.

Data Tells You What’s Happening. Empathy Tells You Why.

One of my favorite moments from the conversation was when Aniesha talked about a returns problem that looked like a quality issue on paper. The data said customers were unhappy. But the conversations told a different story.

Customers loved the product. They just weren’t confident they picked the right option.

The fix wasn’t changing the product. It was simplifying choices, improving education, clarifying PDPs, and guiding customers post-purchase. Returns dropped dramatically once confidence went up.

This is where CX leadership matters. Dashboards don’t always tell the full story. Listening does.

Loyalty Programs Aren’t About Discounts

We spent a lot of time talking about loyalty, and Aniesha nailed something brands constantly miss.

Customers may join loyalty programs for perks. They stay for belonging.

Recognition, consistency, trust, and access matter more than another 10% off. She talked about how brands should treat their most loyal customers less like coupon collectors and more like insiders. Invite them into conversations. Use them for feedback. Build community.

Advocacy is built through repeated moments of “I trust them,” not one flashy campaign.

What DEI Actually Looks Like in CX

Aniesha holds a DEI certification from Cornell, and her perspective here is refreshingly practical. For her, DEI isn’t an initiative. It’s a lens.

She audits journeys for bias, friction, and accessibility. She looks at tone, clarity, and who might be excluded by default. She also emphasizes that internal experience shapes external experience. When teams feel psychologically safe, customers feel it too.

You cannot design for customers you don’t understand. Representation isn’t optional. It’s foundational to accuracy and empathy.

AI Won’t Replace CX, But It Will Change It

We also got into AI, because of course we did.

Aniesha isn’t anti-AI. She’s anti-misuse. AI is great for handling repetitive work and reducing noise. It frees CX teams up to focus on meaning, trust, and retention conversations that actually require a human.

The future of CX isn’t automation replacing people. It’s automation supporting people so they can do better work.

Why Creative Backgrounds Are a CX Advantage

Aniesha’s path into CX wasn’t traditional, and that’s part of what makes her so good at it. Opera taught her discipline, presence, emotional intelligence, and how to read a room. All skills that translate directly into leadership.

Her advice for anyone coming from a creative or non-linear background: stop trying to erase it. Learn the data. Speak the language. But don’t flatten yourself to fit a mold that was never built for this kind of work anyway.

Creativity is not a liability in CX. It’s often the differentiator.

The Shift Already Happening in CX Leadership

Aniesha believes the role of CX is already changing. From reactive to predictive. From siloed to orchestrated. From cost center to revenue driver.

Technology will handle the how. Empathy will always define the why.

And honestly? That’s exactly where CX belongs.

If you’re building customer experience, loyalty, or retention right now, this conversation will challenge how you think about your role and your impact. It’s honest, grounded, and deeply relevant to where business is headed next.

You can find Aniesha on LinkedIn, and you can listen to the full episode of Above the Fold wherever you get your podcasts.