[CX Industry Voices] Interview with Claire Boscq

What if customer experience wasn’t just a strategy, but an energy you create?

Stop thinking about tech stack or process optimization. Start creating emotional connections with people.

That’s the idea behind our Top 100 CX Influencers in Europe: highlighting leaders who are redefining what it means to create meaningful, human-centered experiences that drive real business results. We go further with the CX Industry Voices series, where we interview these influencers about their journey, their vision of customer experience and how they are transforming customer relationships. 

In this post, we're delighted to meet Claire Boscq, CX Activator and founder of the JCX Alliance. From growing up in her father's restaurant in France to working at Disney's Epcot Centre, Claire has spent over three decades blending the art of hospitality with the science of experience design. As the No.1 Woman on the Customer Experience Global Gurus list, she's pioneered the BizShui™ Method—a unique approach that harmonizes Feng Shui principles with modern CX strategy to create environments where both employees and customers thrive.

We explored Claire's journey from hospitality roots to global CX leadership, her philosophy of wellbeing-led CX, and why putting people and place at the heart of your business leads to lasting impact.

Let's start.

I like to say I was born into service. Growing up in France, I was always surrounded by hospitality. With my dad running a restaurant, it was hard not to be involved. From a young age, I saw how much care went into every detail, how people were made to feel special, and how service could truly create joy. That early experience shaped everything for me.

One of the most powerful moments in my early career was working at Disney’s Epcot Centre in Florida. That’s where I had my first real understanding of what Customer eXperience and Employee eXperience were all about. It wasn’t just about delivering service. It was about creating emotional connections with intentionality and care.

Since then, I’ve spent over three decades immersed in the powerful blend of Feng Shui, emotional intelligence, sensory environments and strategic CX. From managing luxury hotels to launching my own mystery shopping company, to training thousands of people and speaking around the world to raise awareness for CX, I’ve always believed that true transformation starts with people and place.

Now, as the founder of the JCX Alliance and No.1 Woman on the Customer Experience Global Gurus list, my mission is to help businesses increase their profitability by elevating Customer eXperience, energising their people, harmonising their places and nurturing a T.E.C. Culture built on Trust, Engagement and Care. I want leaders and teams to feel happy, valued and proud of the difference they make. The result is greater productivity, stronger staff retention, increased customer loyalty and overall more meaningful human connections… all delivered one SMILE at a time.

Customer eXperience is the energy you create, the feeling you leave behind, and the relationships you build. It’s not a department. It’s not a tick-box exercise. For me, and in everything I do, CX is a way of life. It’s how we make people feel, whether they’re customers, colleagues or community members.

That’s exactly why I created the BizShui™ Method. It helps create better flow in workplaces by blending traditional Feng Shui principles with modern business needs. It’s about more than just rearranging furniture. It’s about aligning the energy of your space with your people and your purpose.

When you create balanced, healthy and harmonious environments, you naturally enhance customer experience and loyalty, optimise employee wellbeing and productivity, and ultimately drive business growth and profitability.

In my work, CX is embedded in every layer. Through strategy, training, physical spaces and leadership mindset. Because when people feel good, they do good, and that’s when magic happens.

In a world full of automation, AI and screen fatigue, I believe the real competitive advantage lies in being human. That’s why I focus on emotional connection, sensory experiences and personalisation.

Whether I’m training frontline teams or advising leadership, I help businesses see beyond the transaction. It’s about how we connect on an emotional level. How we feel, care, listen and act with authenticity. Humanising the experience means putting people at the heart of everything we do.

Creating a culture of Trust, Engagement and Care is also a key part of how I help humanise CX. When people feel safe, heard and genuinely cared for, they create meaningful connections with each other and with customers. That energy becomes part of the experience.

Technology is here to enhance the journey, not replace the human touch. We shouldn’t be afraid of it. But we must remember that we are tribal creatures. We thrive on connection. And it’s the organisations that truly understand and balance both the digital and the human that will thrive in the future.

I see three big shifts shaping the future of customer eXperience:

Wellbeing-led CX

More businesses are recognising the direct link between employee wellbeing and customer satisfaction. Happy, engaged teams create memorable experiences. It all starts from the inside out.

Experience as community

We’re moving beyond brand loyalty into a deeper sense of belonging. CX is no longer just about transactions. It’s about connection, meaning and building communities where customers feel seen and valued.

Purpose over process

Customers today want more than just good service. They want to support brands that care, act ethically and genuinely want to make a positive impact. It’s about values, not just value.

The future of CX is heart-led, not just tech-led. It’s about creating experiences that matter, for people who matter.

Start with your people. If you want to wow your customers, you must first wow your employees.

Care deeply. Listen actively. Give your people the tools, trust and support to deliver exceptional CX. Recognise the magic in those emotional moments that create real connections.

Because Customer eXperience isn’t a project. It’s a promise. A daily commitment to make both your employees and your customers feel happy, valued and proud to be part of your brand.