Biography

Brad Cleveland is a globally recognized leader in customer experience and customer service. He has worked across 45 U.S. states and more than 60 countries, with clients that have included Apple, USAA, Samsung, the University of California, and the federal governments of Australia, Canada, and the United States. In his work as a speaker and advisor, Brad has worked with over 70% of the organizations that have the top net promoter score in their industries.

He is the author of Leading the Customer Experience, a recipient of an NYC Big Book Award, and Contact Center Management on Fast Forward, the industry’s top-selling management book. As the instructor for LinkedIn Learning’s leadership courses on customer experience, customer service, and AI, Brad has reached more than 1 million learners worldwide.

A founding partner of the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) and its former CEO, Brad is today a sought-after keynote speaker and consultant. His extensive background in all aspects of customer engagement drives his focus on what really matters—simplifying services to deliver experiences that delight customers, energize employees, and grow profitability.

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Videos

Brad Cleveland: Speaker, Consultant, Author

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Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

AI in Customer Experience: A Playbook for Getting It Right

AI is everywhere. Promises of automation, efficiency, and transformation dominate headlines. Yet when foundations are weak, AI can amplify confusion, inconsistency, and poor service. It’s like putting an inexperienced pilot in the cockpit of a high-performance jet.

In this timely keynote, Brad Cleveland helps you separate signal from noise. He explores where AI delivers real value—and where human judgment, empathy, and leadership remain essential. You’ll gain a grounded understanding of how AI and people work best together and how AI becomes a powerful ally when aligned with clear strategy, strong processes, and meaningful metrics.

The result is a better roadmap—and better outcomes for customers, employees, and the business.

Audiences come away with:

- Clarity on how to align AI initiatives with customer experience strategy
- Insight into the AI-human partnership—and how to make it work
- Confidence to move forward without overpromising or underdelivering

Customer Experience is a Team Sport—How the Best Teams Win

Most organizations say customer experience (CX) matters. Then daily realities take over—competing priorities, operational pressures, disconnected systems, and customers who expect more than ever. In too many cases, customer experience becomes an aspiration that’s talked about, but delivered inconsistently.

This inspiring keynote puts great customer experience within reach for every person in every department. Based on his 10 Pillars of Customer Experience, Brad shows, with humor and practical insight, how customer experience works. It’s not a department or a program, but the result of thousands of daily decisions made at every level. When everyone understands CX and knows their part, incredible results happen. Customers receive better experiences. Employees gain clarity and confidence. And organizations see measurable results in loyalty, repeat business, and financial performance.

Audiences come away with:

-The inspiration and shared perspective to focus on customer experience across all roles and departments
-A powerful approach to decisions and priorities that keeps customers in focus
-An understanding of the strong correlation between customer experience, employee engagement, and business results

Customer Service Excellence on Fast Forward

Customer service is where your brand promise meets reality. A phone call, a chat, a face-to-face interaction—these everyday moments shape how customers see you and can build or erode trust in seconds. And in the real world, systems fail, customers get frustrated, AI can get it wrong, and employees are expected to deliver excellence anyway.

Through real-world examples, humor, and practical insight, Brad Cleveland reveals how even well-intentioned organizations can make service harder than it needs to be. The great news: whatever the size or complexity of your organization, service that consistently hits the mark is virtually assured when you establish the right approach, simplify processes, and support employees. Whether you deliver service directly, support service teams, or lead strategy, this keynote offers clear insights and practical takeaways to deliver service that customers remember—for all the right reasons.

Audiences come away with:

- Fresh insight on the levers that drive consistent service
- An understanding of the impact of service to the organization’s performance
- The direction and tools to transform their team and department

From Interactions to Real Impact

Your contact center is good—what would it take for it to be GREAT? As self-service and digital channels handle simpler needs, contact centers have become the hub for your organization’s most important customer conversations. These are the high-value, emotionally charged, and time-sensitive interactions where trust is tested, loyalty is earned, and relationships are shaped.

In this clear-eyed keynote, Brad Cleveland cuts through the hype to focus on the realities faced by those who support, manage, and lead contact center operations. You’ll gain new insight into AI-driven change, workload and service dynamics, quality, and the leadership decisions that shape both customer outcomes and employee engagement. The result is a grounded, actionable perspective that helps you succeed today while you prepare your contact center for tomorrow.

Audiences come away with:

- The clarity and confidence to navigate changes in customer expectations, AI, and the strategic role of contact centers
- An understanding of the levers that create consistently great results—even as workloads evolve
- A proven approach to engaging employees, winning the loyalty of customers, and earning the support of senior leadership

Leadership in an Always-On World

You and your organization face constant pressure—more change, more technology, higher expectations, and less margin for error. In the midst of the noise, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly matters: the moments when customers need you, employees look for direction, and leadership decisions make a real difference.

In this engaging keynote, Brad Cleveland draws on his decades of experience working with many of the world’s leading organizations to give you the tools, insight, and confidence you need to lead effectively. With humor, real-world examples, and clear-eyed insight, Brad helps you cut through distraction and focus on what drives trust, engagement, and results.

Audiences come away with:

- Memorable approaches to leadership that make a difference
- Examples of success from leaders across industries
- Fresh insight on the challenges leaders face and how to navigate them with confidence

Testimonials

“Brad brings such a huge breadth of experience and offers a degree of insight that helps people to see things differently. Members take something new away that they can do something about in their own roles to make a difference to their customers and their business.”
– Paul Smedley, Founder & Chair, Professional Planning Forum, British Airways (UK)
“You’ll be happy to know that this was one of the top-rated events for this conference in its history.”
– Mike Trotter, Executive Director, Center for Customer Driven Quality, Purdue University
“The time you spent with us exceeded my already high expectations. This level of understanding will help focus our efforts to improve service to our employees and customers.”
– Mont Wright, Ford Motor Company
“Brad has been a strategic partner to us, in raising the profile of strategic customer service. Whenever we’ve had the chance to bring him in front of folks in our organization, it’s a recharge for them. It inspires them!”
– Larry Eiser, Duke Energy

Booksby Brad Cleveland

Leading the Customer Experience

Contact Center Management on Fast Forward

Blog Posts

Seven Archetypes of Success Every High Achiever Must Know

Learn the seven archetypes of success from triple Emmy-winning speaker Gaby Natale and how her Virtuous Circle framework can help you get there.

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Fear Is Your GPS, and Michelle Poler Shows You How to Follow It

Keynote speaker Michelle Poler shares how to navigate fear, take brave action, and build authentic brands in this episode of The Keynote Curators Podcast

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Women’s History Month Keynote Speakers Who Change What Happens Next in 2026

Women's History Month demands more than applause; discover keynote speakers who create recognition that drives real change.

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Keynote Speakers Who Tell Great Stories Get Booked More in 2026

Keynote speakers need more than craft to get booked. Learn the mindset shift that builds sustainable speaking careers.

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Happiness at Work Is the Performance Strategy You Need, with Jessica Weiss

Happiness at work is a performance strategy, not a perk. Learn how Jessica Weiss helps teams build real, sustainable happiness.

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Emotional Intelligence Skills That Hold Up Under Pressure

Emotional intelligence is more than a buzzword. Here's what real EQ looks like under pressure, and the keynote speaking voices building it on stages in 2026.

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