Reflections On Ten Years Of Watermark

Ten years already? Here’s a look back at Watermark’s first decade in business — and the brand purpose that drives us forward.


Ten years ago this month, Watermark Consulting was born.  It’s a significant milestone that prompted our founder, Jon Picoult, to step back and reflect on the company’s first decade in business:

 

When I founded Watermark in 2009, I never sought to create the biggest customer experience consultancy, but rather, the best.

A decade later, I’m quite certain we’re not the biggest player in our industry.  But, looking at the organizations that have chosen to work with us – and the impact we’ve had on them – I’ll gladly make the argument for being the best.

Over the past ten years, we’ve had the privilege to partner with some of the world’s leading brands, collectively representing over $500 billion in annual revenue, 800,000 employees and hundreds of millions of customers.

Our work has taken us to some amazing places:  Across the B2C and B2B arenas.  Into dozens of countries around the world.  Through industries ranging from insurance and financial services, to healthcare and medical technology, to travel and transportation, to aerospace and engineering, to computers and telecom… and, yes, even golf carts!

There have been hundreds of keynotes and consulting engagements.  Thousands of employee and customer research interviews.  And countless recommendations that have helped our clients focus on customer experience and turn it into a true competitive differentiator for their company.

All of our work, however, was (and continues to be) guided by the original brand purpose that I crafted for Watermark ten years ago:  “To bring humanity to business interactions that are typically devoid of it.”

We’ve spent the past decade chipping away at the frustrations, annoyances and incivilities that are all too common in the business world – be it when customers interact with companies, or when employees interact with employers.

But our work has gone beyond just removing or mitigating these sources of friction.  We’ve also helped organizations introduce entirely new interaction points that help enrich the lives of the people they serve, be they employees, job candidates, customers, distributors, or some other key constituency.

That’s what bringing greater humanity to business means to me.  It’s about creating a better, more positive experience for people, whether in the workplace or in the marketplace.

And that’s the noble work we intend to continue here at Watermark – client by client, project by project, step by step – right through our second decade.

 

Jon Picoult is the founder of customer experience advisory firm Watermark Consulting.  As a consultant and speaker, he’s worked with the CEOs and executive teams of some of the world’s leading brands.  Contact Jon or follow him on Twitter @JonPicoult.

 

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