Member Spotlight: Marta Duchai
“CX is also liberation. Liberation from outdated habits, from processes and colleagues that no longer serve the goals of the business, and from the shame often caused by negative reviews. I deeply believe that there are no “bad” reviews. Every review is an opportunity to learn, improve, and optimise the business.”
From a career in tourism to becoming a CX consultant, lecturer, mentor and educator, Marta Duchai has spent more than 20 years helping businesses understand the importance of creating better experiences.
Now working as a freelance CX consultant specialising in SMEs, Marta believes that customer experience is just as meaningful for small businesses as it is for larger organisations. Through her own method, the Experience Loop, she helps business leaders simplify the principles of CX and understand how focusing on the customer can benefit their business.
Her career has taken her from destination management and rural development projects to becoming a CX Manager at one of the fastest-growing tour operators in Eastern Europe, supporting more than 300 restaurants and accommodation businesses worldwide, and co-founding the Hungarian Customer Experience Association.
In this inspiring conversation, Marta reflects on what tourism taught her about customer experience, why simplicity is at the heart of her work, and how her children, students and mentees have shaped the woman she is today.
To begin, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am currently a freelance consultant specialising in CX for SMEs. With this approach, I feel a little like a black sheep within the WiCX community, yet I deeply believe that the concept of CX is meaningful regardless of business size.
Working with SMEs has taught me to simplify the principles of CX and bring leaders as quickly as possible to the point of understanding the real benefit of focusing on CX. I teach them through online and offline courses using my own method called the Experience Loop, designed to simplify and summarise the core concept of CX.
One of the most rewarding moments for me is when a local business owner suddenly understands the essence of CX and immediately wants to work together. The second is when we analyse the results month by month, and I can see the excitement in their eyes because the work they invested has finally started to pay off.
For me, CX is also liberation. Liberation from outdated habits, from processes and colleagues that no longer serve the goals of the business, and from the shame often caused by negative reviews. I deeply believe that there are no “bad” reviews. Every review is an opportunity to learn, improve and optimise the business.
My personal motto comes from Leonardo da Vinci: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” I believe this deeply because I experience it in my work every single day. The real challenge is not creating complicated theories around a topic, but finding the simple interpretation that makes its true importance crystal clear.
I am currently based in Valencia, helping small businesses grow and shine online and in real life, too.
How did you get where you are today?
I learned and worked in tourism my entire life, and it taught me how to pay maximum attention to detail and serve the needs of our best customers.
The deepest transformation happened when I was an intern for one year at a Destination Management Company in Augsburg, Germany. I was involved in the whole process of creating the best possible experience for visitors arriving in the city and its neighbouring areas.
Twenty years have passed, and I am still using the principles that I learned during this time.
Since then, I have been involved in many exciting projects, including working as a project manager for rural development plans, becoming the CX Manager of the fastest-growing Tour Operator in Eastern Europe, and supporting more than 300 restaurants and accommodation businesses worldwide as a revenue, OTA platform optimisation and reputation specialist.
In Hungary, I was the first Partner of Tripadvisor and co-founder of the Hungarian Customer Experience Association.
Meanwhile, teaching has become one of the biggest passions of my life. I am a university lecturer, a mentor at Engame Academy, and the founder of my own academy focused on online reputation and customer experience.
I truly love teaching and translating complex concepts into clear and actionable ideas.
“I truly love teaching and translating complex concepts into clear and actionable ideas.”
What were the main challenges you faced as a woman in CX?
I started my own consultancy company when I realised that work-life balance could not be maintained with three little children while working in the tourism industry.
Then I quickly had to get used to the fact that every event which can ruin my clients’ reputation happens at the weekend or at night.
I don’t have a problem with it anymore if my clients push the panic button and call me. Fortunately, it is a very rare case.
Tell us about a moment that shaped you into the woman you are today.
My biggest teachers are my kids, my students and my mentees.
Every important lesson learned came from them in various forms. I am very grateful for having that connection with them.
What makes a woman courageous / collaborative / inclusive / authentic?
She doesn’t pay attention to negativity and naysayers.
If she listens to her heart, the best possible business results will follow.
“She doesn't pay attention to negativity and naysayers. If she listens to her heart, the best possible (business) results will follow.”
Keep the Conversation Going
Marta’s journey is a reminder that customer experience doesn’t have to be complicated to make a meaningful difference.
Her work with SMEs shows the value of making CX simple, practical and relevant to the realities of smaller businesses, while her passion for teaching reflects her belief that complex ideas can be translated into something clear and actionable.
Her story also highlights the people who have shaped her along the way, from her children to her students and mentees, and the importance of staying true to what you believe in.
If you’d like to connect with a community that champions growth, collaboration, and the power of women supporting women, you can join the WiCX Inner Circle waitlist today.
