A conversation with Mark Levy, Author and Head of Consumer Product and Customer Experience at Frontier Communications
Frost & Sullivan recently caught up with Mark Levy, Head of Consumer Product and Customer Experience at Frontier Communications, to talk about his new book, The Psychology of CX 101: Master the Hidden Drivers of Customer Behavior.
A regular contributor to the Customer Engagement Newsletter, Levy is also a seasoned executive, coach, author, and publisher. His new work takes a deep dive into the psychology behind customer behavior and unpacks why so many customer service assumptions and strategies fall short.
Patricia Jacoby (Frost & Sullivan): Mark, if you talk to any CX leader today, they’ll probably tell you the same thing: they’re drowning in dashboards, KPIs, and feedback reports. The industry has never had more data on hand. And yet, many leaders admit they feel like something is missing, that the customer experience still isn’t improving as quickly as it should. From where you sit, what’s driving that disconnect?
Mark Levy: The short answer is that dashboards only explain what is happening, not why. They’ll show you that customers abandoned their carts, but they won’t tell you what hesitation caused it. They’ll flag a dip in loyalty scores but not reveal the subtle signals that left customers feeling let down.
And here’s the reality: customers rarely behave in ways that are purely logical. They’re emotional, influenced by bias, and often swayed by signals they don’t even consciously notice. So, companies end up spending millions measuring the symptoms while ignoring the psychology underneath.
Patricia: So, when leaders are focused on the wrong thing, what’s the real cost?
Mark: It’s huge. Every single day, companies lose millions. And not because the product is broken, but because they fail to account for how customers actually think and feel.
Take subscription services. Many customers cancel, not because of price or content, but because the cancellation feels easier than staying in. Or in call centers—an agent can follow the script perfectly, but if the tone feels stiff or robotic, the customer leaves feeling uncared for.
One of the biggest gaps I see is between what customers say and what they do. Surveys say people value speed, but they’ll happily wait longer if the interaction feels personal. They say they want more choice, but too many options overwhelm them. Unless you factor in those contradictions, you’re designing blind.
Patricia: That must be tough for leaders who feel like they’ve already done all the right things.
Mark: Exactly. They optimize journeys, polish apps, invest in training, and still churn doesn’t move. Why? Because they’re not addressing the invisible layer. Customers’ brains are making snap decisions in milliseconds, long before they consciously “decide.” That gap between intention and reality is where companies stumble.
Patricia: Which brings us to your book. How does The Psychology of CX 101 help leaders close that gap?
Mark: I wanted this to be more than theory. So, I wrote it as a field manual. Each of the 101 principles follows the same structure: a real-world story, the psychological science behind it, three practical ways to apply it immediately, and the metrics to track.
It’s designed to be hands-on. Not something that gathers dust on a shelf, but a book you can open and use the same day, whether you’re redesigning a journey, shaping an AI interaction, or refining frontline scripts.
Patricia: Give me a taste. What are a few of those principles?
Mark: Sure. A couple stand out: like the Zeigarnik effect, which deals with unfinished task completion. When customers see a progress bar, completion rates can jump by 40%. Duolingo, the addictive language learning app, leans on this constantly. Another one: Framing how you present information affects decisions. For instance, simply labeling an option “most popular” can drive a 35% lift in upgrades. AirBnB and Amazon both do it.
There’s also one in the AI section that addresses “error psychology.” People are much more forgiving of mistakes made by humans than by machines. That’s why a slightly confused call center agent feels tolerable, but a clunky chatbot feels maddening. And wording matters too. Changing the tone of an error message can cut support tickets in half, because customers feel guided rather than scolded.
These are small adjustments, but they can translate into real business impact.
Patricia: CX has been around for decades. Why do you think psychology is especially critical today?
Mark: Because customer expectations are shifting faster than ever. Digital platforms, subscription models, and now AI are raising the bar. And customers don’t just compare you to your competitors anymore, they compare you to the best experience they’ve had anywhere.
Spotify, Disney, and Amazon; they’ve set the standard for what “effortless” feels like. All of these experiences are grounded in psychology. Spotify recommendations feel magical because they’re built on cognitive fluency and personalization bias. Disney moments stick because they activate memory and joy. If leaders don’t understand the psychology underneath, they’ll always be chasing.
Patricia: AI is on everyone’s mind right now. Where does it fit into your framework?
Mark: One of the last sections of the book looks specifically at AI and digital psychology. There are three main issues:
- Automation anxiety. Customers fear losing control when interacting with machines. If you don’t design for reassurance, trust erodes fast.
- The personality paradox. Too much AI personality feels creepy; too little feels cold. Leaders have to find the right balance.
- The handoff gap. When bots escalate to humans, the transition often fails. Customers hate repeating themselves, so seamless handoffs matter a lot.
My main message is that AI doesn’t replace psychology. It amplifies it. If you don’t account for customer psychology, AI magnifies frustration. But if you design with psychology in mind, AI interactions can feel surprisingly human.
Patricia: If there’s one message you want CX leaders to leave with, what is it?
Mark: That psychology isn’t optional. It’s the invisible layer behind every decision a customer makes. Design for it, and you build trust, loyalty, results. Ignore it, and no dashboard or technology can save you.
Once you see that psychological layer, you can’t unsee it. And that’s when real transformation starts.
Mark Levy is an executive, coach, author, and publisher. The Psychology of CX 101 is his latest book. He is the author of The Accountability Team Handbook and 365 Days of Accountability. He publishes two newsletters—Decoding Customer Experience and DCX AI Today—read by CX leaders worldwide. Find him on LinkedIn.
📘 Learn more at www.psychologyofcx101.com
📖 Order your copy on Amazon
