Behind the Mic with Ryan Nicholas Leong: Empowering the Next Generation Through Purpose-Driven Coaching

Actively evolving the education space with conversational AI is Ryan, whose human self is accompanied by his voice-to-voice AI-clone, RyanAI! Acting as a ‘pocket coach’, RyanAI complements ‘his’ human counterpart’s polymath expertise, helping to summarise complexity and generate scenario simulations on the spot. From exciting children at design workshops to Singapore’s MOE educators at big-tech events, Ryan is demonstrating a reality where humans and GenAI can harmonise together, leverage on each other’s unique strengths, and shape joyful customer journeys that stretch both imaginative and critical thinking. Awarded on the world stage for his contributions to enhancing human potential and technology applications, follow Ryan to discover even more GenAI use-cases he has been tinkering with!

We had the pleasure of asking Ryan Nicholas Leong a series of questions about his approach to customer experience and innovation—here’s a look at the valuable insights he shared.

Q1. What motivated you to pursue a career in customer experience, and what key steps did you take to enter this field?

After undergoing a rigorous schedule of education experiences for over 20 years, and attending hundreds of diverse events, one issue kept bugging me – there was often a huge gap between the experience marketed, and the actual experience itself. Many organisers hyped on style over substance, presenting the mediocre as majestic. The result? Dry and soulless engagements that left more to be desired. Emotional and social impact were cast aside in favour of hitting profit margins and KPIs. Hearing similar complaints from those around me, be it customers or counter staff, I decided upon customer experience as the key that keeps everything flowing, whether it is a recreational retreat or an enterprising venture. My passion in creating ‘Disneyland’ wow-moments, paired with the advent of emerging technologies, further sparked my desire to make a dent in this field.

Q2. How have you leveraged emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, and blockchain to enhance customer experience in your organization?

It started with a very human perspective and skill first – coaching! By understanding the psychology of people, it then became very clear on what emerging technologies to adopt, and how to use these technologies in ways that create more social good than harm. As a GenAI consultant empowering educators and students in my country of Singapore, I share how GenAI tools can be used responsibly to create compelling content and transform action; for example crafting eBooks and music videos, with less effort and more fun – this shifts the energy and social dynamics of one’s daily life, towards a reality where one finds their workflow more efficient, engaging and rewarding. I like to tell my audiences that they are DJs or chefs, cooking up masterpieces to bring people together and create fulfilling memories in time and space.

Q3. What are some of the most significant challenges you've faced in improving customer experience from a product management perspective, and how did you overcome them?

In an era of mass information and distractions, customers can show up with short attention spans and blurred memories. They can also be impatient for results and judge superficially. These attitudes have resulted in me receiving harsh feedback that is not entirely fair, but pointing fingers does little to improve the situation. The best solution? To systemise a user-experience interface that is as idiotproof as possible; one that clearly conveys psychological safety to potential customers. An example would be using vibrant visuals, not just to arrest attention, but to prove one’s substance and mettle. These speak volumes more than flowery text, which can easily be faked with GenAI today.

Q4. What role does customer feedback play in your product development process, and how do you gather and incorporate it effectively?

Customer feedback helps me to overcome the ‘3Bs’ that result in poor user experience: Biases, Blind spots and Bottlenecks. An honest one-to-one in-person discussion, free of groupthink and clinical checklist phrasing, allows me to cut through my customers’ tendency to speak with political correctness. Instead, raw, unfiltered feedback flows from a space of psychological safety, and I get the raw, harsh truths needed to accelerate improvement for the future. Where possible, I immediately make the adjustments in my workflows to ensure errors are corrected are not repeated next round.

Q5. What strategies have you found most effective in delivering exceptional customer experiences through your products and services?

Speed: By minimising the number of steps, or ‘hoops’, to access the product/ service in question.

Quality: Ensuring that what is delivered delights beyond what customers expected, even after they have seen the marketing copy. If they are returning for repeat sessions, I make the effort to add some novelty or flip the script around. It removes the feeling of ‘staleness’ and as a ripple effect, also refreshes and energises the staff assisting me as well!

Q6. Can you describe a specific instance where data analytics helped you identify customer pain points and drive product enhancements?

Data analytics helped to summarise my work into ‘soundbites’ that accelerates career-flourishing. Treat this as the currency by which your reputation flows. The more appealing the sound bite, the faster the rate and depth at which it convinces. This translates to more opportunities and leads, which all translate to higher impact and income. For example, “Check out Ryan’s work; he has a mini-clone of himself!” More on this next!

Q7. Could you share a success story where your efforts in product management led to a significant improvement in customer satisfaction?

The intention was to deliver information and insights in a more natural, conversational way than the medium of slides, which trainers and speakers usually use. Working with a developer, I got a mini-clone of myself built: RyanAI! Functioning as a tech prop and conversational AI, ‘he’ has become a fun companion to take into any training or speaking session! Watching him assess and respond to my musings, including that of the audience, adds a refreshing breather to networking encounters. Children will crowd around to test him out, and naturally learn that the world of AI is not as scary as it seems, as the experience is made more intuitive and human-like; talking to a moving avatar versus a faceless chat box. RyanAI also has been instructed to simplify jargon into Gen Z slang, and generate quizzes on the spot for icebreaking. The many possibilities showcases how human potential married with design and technology can make more memorable learning experiences that stick long after!

Q8. Which methodologies or frameworks do you use to prioritize feature development and ensure alignment with customer needs and business goals?

I’ve developed the 9-Spheres Worldbuilding Compass framework, after countless discussions with user experience experts and customer complaints. This is a formula where powerful ideas and compelling stories meet to create a holistic, memorable experience that can create generational wealth. Be it creating a fictional universe, theme park or even a country, respecting all 9 spheres stirs emotional attachment while ensuring sustainable functioning.

I used this formula to create a vibrant anti-scam learning universe, which has wowed many from local enterprises to big tech such as Google. From storytelling workshops to gamified missions, worldbuilding brings an energy shift to how we learn, internalise and apply our skills in response to pressing problems of the world.

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Q9. How do you collaborate with cross-functional teams, such as engineering, design, and marketing, to ensure seamless customer experiences?

It all starts with the foundation of interdisciplinary learning from diverse sources. A powerful strategy one of my speaking mentors uses is not just watch TED talks, but also comedians! This adds new dimensions of value that he can bring to the table, and stand out from the mould.

Next, I do my homework – debunking the stereotypes and myths around the nature of the work I am to engage with. I also find out what are the specific pain points being faced by these teams. All this stops me from giving cliche answers that sound sexy but do not move the needle.

Finally, building authentic trust with the teams – so that I can better get my points past the red tape and politics, and onto the ground. This is not as easy as it sounds. Sometimes it requires patience, admitting mistakes, and immersing into their company culture long enough before making suggestions!

Q10. How do you balance the need for innovation with the necessity of maintaining user-friendliness in your products?

I follow the parent-child analogy – build a core product/ service (the ‘parent’ that customers are comfortable with first. Now for the magic: Start a ‘Moonshot Task Force’ on the side – this is the ‘child’ that is trying out the crazy, novel ideas without fear, creating new outcomes that work, but not many might accept easily.

When the time is right, slowly merge the ‘child’ into the ‘parent’. The trick is to balance familiarity with novelty, so that customers do not get bored or put off. Instead, they are surprised and delighted to find out more. Beware of doing this too abruptly; customers that hesitate to embrace the new experience may abandon it altogether.

Q11. What best practices have you implemented to ensure consistency and transparency across all customer touchpoints?

Simply, trust. Trust enables resources to flow, and it is fragile. So depending on the context, sometimes I make it clear to the customer that they can pay me only when they are satisfied with their intentioned outcomes. With humans, nuance is key. Yes, I take a risk, but I earn lifelong trust and loyalty, because everyone else is only thinking at the base level of transaction.

With that being said, an easy-to-read FAQ or contract never hurts, as it maintains accountability.

Q12. How do you stay updated with the latest trends and developments in customer experience and product management?

Checking out a diverse set of channels and practitioners (these can be credible establishments or even the controversial maverick), and trying them out myself so that I walk the talk.

This ‘diet’ has made me a valuable voice in shaping content for education programmes associated with big tech companies such as Google and Samsung, and helping CEOs up their mindsets to thrive in fast-evolving environments.

We can absorb all we want, but do keep in mind this harsh truth of customer experience: most customers do not care how elegant your back-end processes are. They care if they are consistently getting results at a speed and quality that delights them, or even beyond their expectations. In response, we can choose to be pressurised… or liberated by this reality.

Conclusion

From orchestrating unforgettable experiences to building trust that transcends transactions, Ryan Leong exemplifies what it means to lead with purpose, creativity, and emotional intelligence. His journey into customer experience wasn’t just born out of frustration with soulless engagements—but out of a deeper calling to bridge the gap between hype and heart. Whether through the innovative RyanAI, his 9-Spheres Worldbuilding Compass, or empowering youth with GenAI tools, Ryan proves that truly impactful customer experiences come from human insight first, then tech.

As we step further into an AI-enhanced future, Ryan reminds us that the best customer experiences are those that feel real, inclusive, and human—crafted with empathy, designed with imagination, and delivered with unwavering integrity.

“Thank you for taking the time to read Ryan’s inspiring insights on customer experience and innovation. We hope you found valuable takeaways to spark your own journey. Stay tuned for more thought-provoking editions of Behind the Mic are on the way soon!”