The 10-second customer journey and how to remove friction fast
March 5, 2026
Buying decisions don’t happen in neat, linear funnels anymore. They happen in seconds. In this episode of In Other Words, host Jason Hemingway is joined by Todd Unger, Chief Experience Officer at the American Medical Association and best-selling author of The 10-Second Customer Journey. They explore what Todd calls the Tornado Funnel, where the entire customer journey compresses into a single moment of decision. When that moment hits, friction decides who wins. Todd offers a clear view of what it takes to compete when every second counts.
Buying decisions don’t happen in neat, linear funnels anymore. They happen in seconds. In this episode of In Other Words, host Jason Hemingway is joined by Todd Unger, Chief Experience Officer at the American Medical Association and best-selling author of The 10-Second Customer Journey. They explore what Todd calls the Tornado Funnel, where the entire customer journey compresses into a single moment of decision. When that moment hits, friction decides who wins.
Drawing on a career that spans media, ecommerce, and healthcare, Todd explains how growth now depends on integrating marketing, product, commerce, and service into a single, connected system that removes friction before the customer feels it. When those elements are misaligned, friction creeps in, and in a ten-second decision window, friction costs revenue.
From eliminating hidden barriers in digital journeys to using AI to scale personalization and detect breakdowns in real time, Todd offers a clear view of what it takes to compete when every second counts.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why removing friction across departments is non-negotiable for growth
- The authentication problem that kills activation rates
- How to build a win-win culture for digital transformation
- Why AI-powered friction detection outperforms manual audits
- The personalization evolution from database targeting to AI-enabled one-to-one delivery
Todd Unger is the Chief Experience Officer at the American Medical Association, renowned for his expertise in customer experience strategy, digital transformation, and growth marketing. With a diverse career spanning consumer marketing at AOL and Time, digital product development, e-commerce, and membership-driven organizations, Todd has pioneered the integration of marketing, product, commerce, and sales to create seamless customer journeys. He is the bestselling author of “The 10-Second Customer Journey,” which redefines how organizations approach rapid decision-making and friction reduction in the digital age.
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Highlights and YouTube Chapters:
Highlights and YouTube Chapters:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 00:58 The Career Path That Makes Sense Later
- 03:22 What Is the Tornado Funnel?
- 06:02 Old-School Positioning, Modern Toolsets
- 07:42 The Enterprise Problem
- 09:48 The Evolution of Personalization
- 11:43 Content Strategy in an Age of AI and Discoverability
- 13:54 Understanding Friction Across the Customer Journey
- 16:27 Removing Login Barriers to Increase Engagement
- 19:17 Driving Collaboration Across Enterprise Teams
- 21:08 Automating Low-Value Work to Improve Focus
- 22:09 Where AI Delivers Immediate Impact in CX
- 24:55 Responsible AI Adoption in Regulated Industries
- 28:24 Building a Culture of Experimentation and Testing
- 31:01 Enabling Global Growth Through platform partnerships
- 33:03 Balancing Short-Term Wins with Long-Term Transformation
- 37:04 Defining Global Growth in a Boundaryless World
Episode Resources:
- Todd Unger, Chief Experience Officer at American Medical Association
- American Medical Association Website and LinkedIn
- The 10-Second Customer Journey Book
- Jason Hemingway, CMO at Phrase
- Phrase Website