Nils Hafner

Prof. Nils Hafner is a Professor of Customer Management in the Financial Industry at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Lucerne School of Business). He holds a doctorate in innovation management/marketing and has extensive consulting experience with global firms like UBS and Deutsche Bank. His research focuses on customer relationship management (CRM), customer experience (CX), and digital transformation in banking. He leads academic programs in digital banking and AI transformation and advises on CX strategies.

Education: Studied business administration, psychology, philosophy, and modern history at universities in Kiel and Rostock. Doctorate from University of Rostock (2000) on service quality in call centers.

Research Interests: CRM innovation, AI-driven customer dialog, financial services marketing, and change management. Notable projects include the CEX Trend Radar and conversational banking studies. Author of bestselling books on CRM and CX.

Advisory Roles: Member of Forward Consulting's board, EconBiz scientific advisory board, and Contact Management Magazine advisory board. Clients include over 120 companies across Europe.

Labs/Teams: Leads research at the Institute of Financial Services Zug (IFZ), focusing on fintech, conversational AI, and customer journey optimization.