Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), data and customer insights have never been more accessible, and they can help customer experience (CX) leaders make more informed decisions and targeted strategies.
Montserrat Padierna, director, Customer Intelligence & Experience at Walmart Canada, recently joined the CX Network Advisory Board. She explains the importance of data and her drive to improve CX.
CX Network: What inspired you to join Walmart and pursue a career in customer experience?
MP: I joined Walmart because it offers the rare opportunity to create a ripple effect—where actions at scale can benefit customers, associates and communities alike. My passion lies in reconciling human needs with business priorities, and CX is the perfect space for that. CX is way bigger than a role, an area or a program. It’s a transformational force that, when done well, ensures the voice of the customer and employees is considered, measured, tracked and acted upon. That’s what excites me: enabling an organization to stay connected to its most important purpose - serving customers in ways that earn their loyalty and inspire them to share their positive experiences with others.
CX Network: What’s the most rewarding or exciting aspect of working in CX today?
MP: It’s witnessing the ripple effect in action. A single improvement - rooted in listening, understanding and decoding people - can transform how customers feel, how associates engage and how communities connect with the brand. Today, technology and AI give us unprecedented tools to amplify those effects. But for me, the real power of AI is not automation. It’s augmentation. It’s about making the world more human, empathetic and responsible by giving a stronger voice to customers and employees, ensuring they are heard, understood and valued.
CX Network: Why do you believe data is a critical driver of CX excellence?
MP: Data is the bridge between business goals and the human realities we serve. When paired with AI and advanced analytics, it helps us go beyond metrics to understand motivations, frustrations and aspirations. At Walmart, we use data to uncover root causes and design solutions that ensure the ripple effect of our decisions is intentional, positive and lasting - benefiting customers, associates and communities alike.
CX Network: Having recently relocated from Mexico to Canada, what would you like the community to know about your CX work in Mexico and your vision for your role in Canada?
MP: In Mexico, I was one of the enablers of Walmart’s transformation toward a more human-centered company at scale. Through more than 40 CX management programs across formats, supply chain and service verticals, we made CX a core business priority. Our front-line managers and associates shifted from viewing CX as a metric to reading it as a way to deeply understand customer needs and act on them consistently.
In Canada, my vision is to build on that foundation: Creating an insights-led culture where technology and AI serve humanity - helping every associate, leader and team create experiences that are good for customers, good for business and good for communities.
CX Network: What is the best career advice you’ve received - or given - that continues to guide you?
MP: “Never underestimate the power of one.” One person’s actions can cause a ripple that moves the entire ocean. Like a single drop of water, your influence may seem small at first, but its waves can travel far, touching customers, colleagues and communities in ways you may never fully see. In CX, this means every associate, every leader and every moment matters. As Ryunosuke Satoro said, “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”
CX Network: What’s your personal motto, and why does it resonate with you?
MP: “See the whole picture, but never lose sight of the human in it.”
It’s a daily reminder that behind every number is a person, and behind every innovation - whether in data, AI or process - must be a purpose rooted in empathy, responsibility and positive impact.
CX Network: Is there anything else you’d like to share with the CX Network community?
MP: CX is not a department. It’s a shared mindset and a transformational force. When guided by human values and powered by technology, it ensures the Voice of the Customer (VoC) and employees shapes decisions, drives growth, and strengthens trust. As part of this Advisory Board, I’m committed to expanding that ripple effect, adding to the community through engaging content, rich dialogue and best practices exchange among our expert community.