Think Human book review – Olivier Duha’s guide to human‑first, tech‑powered customer experience in the digital age, with key lessons for future CX and digital consultants.
Overview of Think Human
Think Human: Putting People at the Heart of Customer Experience in the Digital Age
In today’s hyper‑digital world, brands have more channels and tools than ever to reach their customers. Yet satisfaction, trust and loyalty are not always guaranteed. In “Think Human: The Customer Experience Revolution in the Digital Age”, Olivier Duha offers a strong response to this paradox. He argues that the real customer experience revolution does not come from technology alone, but from a company’s ability to put humans back at the center, while leveraging digital in a smart way.
Olivier Duha: A Customer Experience Expert Facing the Digital Revolution
Olivier Duha is the co‑founder and CEO of Webhelp, one of the global leaders in customer relationship management and customer journeys. He works with tens of thousands of employees who support brands in many countries and industries. Drawing on this experience, he observes how digital transformation is reshaping organizations, customer service roles and consumer expectations, and he shares in this book the lessons learned from companies that have turned customer experience into a true growth lever.
“Think Human” is set in a context where customer experience has become a strategic differentiator, at a time when offers look increasingly similar and customers constantly compare brands across sectors. For a future digital consultant, this positioning is especially interesting because it connects technological transformation, company culture and business performance around a single topic: customer experience.
From Product‑Centric to Customer‑Centric: Competing on Experience
One of the book’s core ideas is the shift from a product‑centric world to a customer‑centric one, where the overall experience matters as much as, or even more than, the product itself. Companies like Amazon illustrate this paradigm shift through their obsession with removing pain points, building highly efficient logistics and offering personalised recommendations. They also deliver a smooth buying journey with 1‑click payment, easy returns and real‑time order tracking.
Netflix is another emblematic example of this customer‑centric mindset. Its simple interface, autoplay, “skip intro” feature and data‑driven recommendations work together to minimise friction and maximise relevance for each user. “Think Human” shows that these successes are built on a strong conviction: deeply understanding customers’ expectations, behaviours and emotions has become a strategic asset that digital tools now allow companies to leverage at scale.
The Omnichannel Revolution: When Every Touchpoint Matters
Duha also emphasizes the importance of omnichannel strategies. Customers now expect fluid and consistent experiences across mobile, web, phone and physical stores. Sephora exemplifies this approach through its connected ecosystem of mobile apps, e‑commerce, loyalty programs and boutiques, offering virtual try‑ons, personalized services and unified purchase histories.
Similarly, Nike has built an integrated ecosystem that connects its website, apps, community spaces and stores. This setup combines digital content, coaching and recommendations to extend the relationship well beyond the point of purchase. Such omnichannel coherence, Duha reminds us, cannot rely on technology alone; it requires a unified CX vision, clear governance and teams fully aligned with the brand promise.
The “Golden Rules” of Satisfaction: Human and High‑Performance CX
The book structures its vision around several “golden rules” designed to maximise customer satisfaction and turn customer experience into a truly strategic asset. Without reproducing them word‑for‑word, some key principles stand out: start from real customer expectations rather than internal assumptions, invest in the quality of human interactions, build a customer‑centric culture and use data to deliver more personalised experiences.
These rules echo what we see in many companies recognised for their CX excellence. They place customer listening, journey simplification and promise consistency at the heart of their strategy. For a future consultant, this framework is very valuable because it provides a common language to work with senior management, marketing teams and operations around shared goals of satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy.
Humans Augmented by Technology: The “Think Human” Vision
One of the strongest messages in the book is that technology should not replace humans, but should augment them by giving them better means to serve customers. Zappos is often cited in CX benchmarks and fits this idea perfectly: the brand built its reputation on exceptional service, with highly empowered agents encouraged to spend as much time as needed with each customer, supported by powerful IT systems and logistics.
In hospitality, groups like Hilton or Marriott use mobile apps to simplify check‑in, let guests choose their room or open the door with their smartphone, while still offering personalised human interactions at the front desk. “Think Human” defends this “human first, tech powered” approach: data, automation and AI should free up time and energy for frontline teams so they can focus on the moments of truth in the relationship and on high‑value interactions.
A Truly Human‑Centric Approach: Beyond Functional Satisfaction
The book also shows that a genuinely “human‑centric” promise goes beyond fixing problems quickly; it aims to build a deeper relationship aligned with customer values. Patagonia is a strong illustration of this: beyond product quality, the brand maintains a strong commitment to environmental responsibility, which creates an emotional bond with customers who identify with those values.
Airbnb, for its part, has built much of its brand story around belonging and authentic local experiences, putting hosts and communities at the centre just as much as the platform itself. “Think Human” encourages companies to see CX as a holistic project, where values, purpose, internal culture and the way employees experience customer relationships are just as important as operational KPIs.
My Perspective as a Future CX & Digital Consultant
As a future consultant in customer experience and digital transformation, “Think Human” provides a particularly useful framework to support companies in modernising their customer journeys. The book is a strong reminder that CX cannot be reduced to an IT rollout; it is a strategic initiative that affects vision, organisation, skills and culture, and that requires IT, marketing, operations and frontline teams to work together.
Customer‑Centric CX in Practice
The examples of Amazon, Netflix, Sephora, Nike, Zappos and major hotel groups show that a strong human focus combined with smart use of technology can create powerful experiences. These experiences often become benchmarks for customers, even across industries. What this book inspires for my future practice is the ambition to help companies clarify their CX vision, align their teams around a truly human‑centric promise and choose technologies not because they are “trendy”, but because they genuinely improve the lives of both customers and employees.