Top Takeaways:-      Companies and brands are connecting in new and different ways. -      The companies that will win are one’s that can deliver consistent, on-brand experiences in every channel, 24-7, because that’s what consumers demand. -      Next-generation chatbots and automation technology allow brands to deliver concierge-like experiences for consumers across every channel empowering the consumer 24/7/365 at a global scale. -      It’s a myth that automation (via chatbots and workflows) and great customer experience (highly personalized, intelligent, on-brand, human agents) are mutually exclusive. They used to be, but that’s not the case anymore. -      Technology is now at the point where you can deliver what customers want, immediately when they want it. -      There are 3 key elements of a ‘concierge-like experience’: Personalization, Human + AI, Omnichannel. -      Brands can build a truly concierge-like personalized conversational experience very fast with platforms like Solvvy. -      Traditional chatbots, the ones you’d see a few years ago, didn’t deliver the type of CX top brands have been needing to incorporate. -      The future of CX involves the potential for combined human and AI experiences in customer support. Together is better. Quote:“The future of CX involves a digitally guided journey to the best possible solution.” About:Mahesh Ram is the founding CEO of Solvvy, the next-gen chatbot and intelligence CS automation platform. He’s been CEO, founder or early employee of three cloud-based software companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      There are two halves to customer-centricity. One is the great leaders of CX, who are inspirational catalysts for creating a customer-centric culture. The other half is the people in the trenches, who connect those leaders and companies with solutions. -      Any customer experience tactic or strategy you try to implement should be supported by your customer record, which is all the information you can (legally) gather about your customer. -      If you want senior leadership to invest in customer experience, you must show them the ROI (return on investment).   -      The best way to position customer experience to leadership is to highlight the increase in productivity, efficiency and agility. -      Touchless and contactless payments have existed since 1997, but have been accelerated and more widely adopted over the past year. -      The employee experience has a huge impact on the customer experience. If employees are happy and well-supported, they are able to better support customers and deliver a better experience. -      Employee needs will continue to change moving forward. Make the voice of the employee a central part of the decision-making process. -      Become a partner to your customers and clients, rather than another vendor. If you’re not a partner, you’re in a potential churn zone where someone else could come along and build a better relationship with your customers. -      The inspiration and innovation that comes from teamwork is what drives a customer-centric culture. And that is available to executives free of charge! Quote:“What is at the center of the productivity conversation is this notion of employee experience. Employee experiences are central to customer experiences.” About:Dennis Wakabayashi is the VP of CX Solutions Delivery for RR Donnelley, a global business communications firm. He is among the top 50 CX influencers globally and provides relevant customer experience content on many social channels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      If you send a personalized item to your customers, whether it’s a note or other gift, don’t put your logo on it. Ask yourself, “Is this a gift or a promotional item?” -      In today’s world, there is so much mass digital communication—emails, texts and more. That makes a handwritten note stand out even more. -      When someone receives a handwritten note, they are more likely to keep it—and even display it. That’s the emotional impact it has. -      Define a clear schedule for when you want to connect with your customers. This will give you a series of touchpoints with them throughout the year. -      Staying top-of-mind for your customers helps you make your follow-up sale and can make customers come back to do business with you again and again. -      There is a lot of ROI to be had from sending handwritten notes, but that can’t be your sole agenda when sending them. It will make the notes come across as insincere, which will drive customers away. -      Handwritten notes are great for showing gratitude to your customers. They can also be used to ask your customers to write you a review, to remind them to schedule annual appointments or to apologize for mistakes. -      If you do make a mistake with your customer, fix it and send a handwritten note as follow-up. Fixing the problem the right way can increase customer loyalty and the lifetime value of the customer, more than if the mistake had never even happened! -      Personalization is crucial for companies of every size. Even massive companies should feel as though they are small and personal to the customer. -      Gratitude matters. Show your customers that you appreciate them! It goes a long way. Quote:“People keep actual handwritten notes. When someone receives a handwritten note from somebody, not only would they read it, they might even put it on display.” About:David Wachs is the Founder and CEO of Handwrytten, a platform for writing and sending handwritten notes at scale. He is a serial entrepreneur and frequent speaker on marketing technology. Previously, David was the Founder and President of Cellit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Customer centricity happens when everyone in the organization is focused on customer engagement. That engagement is more than just satisfaction—it’s about an emotional connection with your customers. -      There are three components involved in getting everyone in an organization aligned: leadership, culture and talent. -      In order for leaders to be truly customer-centric, they must be immersed in the customer experience. That means spending time on the frontlines of customer service. -      Give your customers a voice in your company. Actively involve them in problem-solving and give them a seat at the table. -      Leaders must model the company culture they wish to see. -      Customer centricity must be part of an organization’s values. These values must be visible to all employees and felt by customers. Define the behaviors you wish to see and empower those frontline employees to deliver on those values. -      Even internal employees who may never directly interact with customers still have an impact on the customer experience. Every employee must recognize their place in the customer journey. -      Emotional engagement is driven by three metrics: pride, passion and confidence. -      Engaged employees lead to engaged customers. Fully engaged employees and customers translate into greater profit and success for your company. -      Service values are similar to core values. They define standards of service on how to delight customers and should ignite and inspire employees, not stifle their initiative. -      Recognize the difference between skill, talent and knowledge. Skill can be transferred, knowledge can be learned, but talent is innate. Part of hiring right is finding that talent. -      Much of driving customer-centricity boils down to measurement. Measurement alone isn’t enough, though—you must use what you learn to improve the process and drive a better customer experience. Quote:“A customer-centric culture is one where everyone is engaged in creating engagement for our customer. That engagement is emotional engagement, not just satisfaction or loyalty.” About:Vibhas Ratanjee is a Senior Practice Expert with Gallup who specializes in organizational development, culture change and executive-level engagement strategies. Vibhas is an executive coach and a leadership consultant to senior executives and CEOs, as well as a well-known speaker and author. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways: -      You may not always be able to keep doing things the same way you have always done them, especially under time constraints. The ability to adapt is crucial. -      Difficult, frightening and challenging times can become opportunities to really shine as a brand and as a company. -      Show appreciation to your customers! Call them to thank them for their recent purchase without any sales agenda. This gesture goes a long way. -      Look for ways to adapt and translate the customer experience without sacrificing the quality of the experience. -      A “luxury” experience does not mean a slow experience. Focus on creating an elevated sensory experience by meeting your customer where they are. -      Not every moment within the customer experience is equal. Focus on managing the beginning, end, high points and pain points. -      Brand promises of customer centricity were put to the test once the pandemic hit. Leaders and companies will be remembered for how they behaved during a crisis. -      You don’t need to be perfect. Be honest and own your mistakes, and keep working to improve the world around you. -      One of the most powerful things a leader can do is listen. That’s much of what customer service is all about. -      The word for 2020 is empathy—followed by “you’re on mute!” Don’t lose hope, find the humor, and keep moving forward. Quote: “Leaders throughout the pandemic said they were moving between front, middle and back more than they’ve ever had to before. You have to have a fluidity of leadership style to a greater degree than prior to the pandemic.” About: Joseph Michelli, Ph.D., is a certified customer experience professional, international keynote speaker and the bestselling author of nine business books. He helps leadership teams improve the experiences they provide for team members and customers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Customer success and customer support are related, but different. Customer success is about proactively helping customers to get the most value out of a product or service, while customer support is about reactively solving customer issues. -      Almost every company today is seeking ways to build and deliver connected customer experiences using technology. Having an online business presence is not an option—it’s a necessity. -      Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not replace human agents. Instead, it augments the capabilities and ingenuity of human experts. The result is a more efficient—and delightful—customer experience. -      AI comes in many forms (chatbots, voice systems on phones, etc.) and cab be a quick, easy and convenient way for customers to get a solution to a simple problem. -      AI needs to be able to recognize when it should transfer the customer to a live agent. This can happen when the customer asks to be transferred, when the AI recognizes it doesn’t have the right knowledge to help, or when it detects customer frustration. -      When transferring to an agent, AI should deliver as much information as possible to that agent. This includes the issue the customer is calling about, who they are and their history with the company. -      Executives should regularly take customer support cases and calls so they know exactly what it’s like on the frontlines of their organization’s customer experience. -      Don’t sacrifice the emotional, human connection you have with your customers in favor of the latest tech. -      The future of customer service and experience is more of the ‘know me’ desire. Customers want an experience that is personalized to them as individuals. Quote:“Customer success is proactively helping achieve what they need. Customer support is reactively helping customers whenever something is not working.” About:Gabriele Masili is the Global VP and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Customer Experience & Success at Microsoft. He leads the Digital Customer Experience Council across Microsoft and is responsible for enhancing customer and employee connected experiences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Customer service is what ties all other aspects of a business together. It is the marriage of sales, marketing, product management and more. -      Customer success and customer service are not the same, but they are closely related. Success is about proactive outreach, whereas service is reactive. But they are both part of creating a great customer experience. -      Never leave the customer entirely alone or cease communication with them, even after the initial onboarding process. Maintain communication to ensure they get the most value out of your products and services. -      Don’t wait until it’s time for the customer to renew their subscription or contract with you to reach out to them. -      Renewal isn’t the goal; the goal is helping the customer get the most value. If you do that, the renewal follows naturally. -      Collect and use data to personalize and contextualize your interactions with your customers. -      COVID-19 has changed customer service. It’s still about helping customers through their entire journey, but individual needs may have changed. Meet customers wherever they’re at and help them recover and plan for the future. -      Care for your employees just as well as you care for your customers. The employee experience directly affects the customer experience. -      Give customers a voice in your company. This is possible for companies of every size and greatly improves the customer experience. Quote:“Our goal shouldn’t be about the customer is buying from us. Our goal should be about them getting value.” About:Teresa Anania is VP of Global Customer Success and Renewals at Zendesk. She helps customers realize maximum value across the customer lifecycle, resulting in renewal and customer satisfaction.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Now more than ever, it’s incredibly important to pay attention to your digital customer experience. Most organizations have made the move to virtual, and all should understand how their customers are connecting with them. -      The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated what was already starting to happen in terms of technology. We have been thrust 3-5 years into the future. -      Technology allows brands to reach customers where they are rather than forcing customers to come to brands. It also helps brands communicate more effectively with their customers for a faster, better experience overall. -      Both customers and chatbots must be able to decide when to switch from AI to a human being. And, it should be an easy and seamless transfer. Otherwise, customers may end up frustrated with the experience. -      People use AI all the time without realizing it. It’s important to remember that even big, well-known bots (such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home) that are powered by massive AI can still make mistakes. -      Bots can be just as—if not more—effective in supporting agents behind the scenes as assisting customers on the front line. -      Train your agents how to interact with and interpret your chatbot. Working together, agents and chatbots can provide a much better experience to the customer. -      Your chatbot should work side-by-side with your CRM to help agents better understand your customers. A single pane of glass, with all the customer’s information, is ideal! -      Chatbots will not replace agents. Instead, the roles of those agents will change and evolve alongside chatbots. -      Both humans and chatbots have their strengths. Chatbots are good at automation, speed and efficiency, whereas humans excel at critical thinking and relationship development. You can’t automate a relationship! Quote:“Think about your customers’ digital experience as the first solution, the first frontier and the thing your company wants to solve for.” About:Philippe Mesritz is the first VP, Customers for Life at Khoros, a tech company that helps companies better connect with their customers online. He has over 20 years of customer-facing experience and previously ran the support services organization. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      The goal of customer service should be to answer questions, eliminate confusion and become your customer’s trusted advisor. -      Customer service training is your most valuable asset. It is always worth investing in. -      More often than not, customers leave companies due to a lack of transparency or authenticity. -      An amazing customer experience can translate directly into word-of-mouth marketing. -      The customer experience doesn’t start after a customer makes a purchase or even on the first sales call. It begins at the first interaction the customer has with your company, which could be as simple as them browsing your website. -      The sales experience is part of the larger customer experience. It’s what makes the customer say “yes” the first time, and hopefully keep saying “yes” over and over again. -      Sales and service go hand-in-hand. If you’re in the sales process, your goal should be to demonstrate an above-and-beyond level of helpfulness and willingness to help your customers achieve their goals. -      Video is a very powerful and effective tool and can be used for a variety of purposes. For example, send a video proposal instead of a PDF, or send a video recap to a decisionmaker after an important call. Video can also be used to cross-sell or upsell in the right scenarios. -      Take the opportunity to learn what your client’s criteria for success are and position yourself in their future. Just ask: A year from now, what would have to happen for you to feel working with us was a success? -      Ritualizing video into your CX can answer questions, share new information and position you to become your customer’s trusted advisor. Quotes:“If you become a trusted advisor, you become a magnet for new opportunities, because the customer knows that you will take care of them at a very impressive level.” About:Todd Hartley is the Founder and CEO of WireBuzz and a rock star of remote selling, video marketing and sales optimization. He creates effortless, on-demand buying experiences that improve clarity and eliminate confusion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:  No matter what you’re selling, there will always be certain conditions of satisfaction. These will vary from situation to situation, but the basic underlying principle will always be the same: Does it meet the customers’ expectations?  Get in the habit of having frank, transparent conversations with your customers. Communication is key!  Customer service is all about engagement. That’s what people crave more than ever.  Packaging is important and includes more than just what’s on the outside of a product. It could include word choice and tone or mode of delivery. Make sure the packaging is an accurate and positive representation of your brand identity.  While packaging is important, it isn’t everything. The product still needs to do what it’s supposed to do and meet customer expectations.  Customer service has always been about relationships and engagement. The number of followers you have on social media, for instance, doesn’t matter if those followers don’t have a relationship with you and aren’t truly engaged.  Look for the people who are so fully engaged with you that they’ve become your biggest fans. Those people will organically drive more connections for you by telling their friends and family about you and the experience you provide.  Your best innovations and insights can come directly from your engaged customers.   Customer complaints can provide valuable information on how you can improve your products and services.  Leaders and managers need to get on the front line and have discussions with customers to gain an accurate view of what’s happening within their company.  Define and identify your “dream customer.” Recognize you can’t please everybody, but this will help you focus your company vision.  Quote:  “Every executive should be the most strategic person in the room. You can’t necessarily be the smartest person in the room, but you can become the most strategic through education, motivation, inspiration and the chance for a little monetization.”  About:  Jeffrey Hayzlett is a global business celebrity, speaker, bestselling author, primetime TV host and podcast host. He is the Chairman of C-Suite Network, home of the world’s most trusted network of C-Suite leaders.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      First you have to get customer feedback. Next you must respond to it. Then you should do something with it—as in, use it to improve internally. -      Customer ratings and reviews can be a powerful employee motivator. If they know their performance will be graded, they may strive harder to achieve good results. -      It’s important to ask for feedback or reviews while the experience is fresh. Optimize your request so that it occurs either during or after the customer’s experience with your brand. -      42% of companies don’t actively collect feedback from their customers. This represents a huge opportunity across the board to implement a survey program to help improve a brand’s experience. -      Set up an automated system that collects on an ongoing basis. It is easy to do this using the tools and technology available today. -      Making surveys quick and easy will increase the number of customers who complete them. Be upfront and honest about how quick and easy you’ve made the process. -      Quantitative surveys should be no longer than 10-12 questions long—ideally shorter. Sometimes it’s good to offer a qualitative (free response) question to allow you customer to tell you how they truly feel in their own words. -      After you get the feedback, you must respond to it. Ideally, you should respond to every single review (positive and negative), but if you have limited resources, prioritize responding to the negative reviews. These are opportunities! -      Remember, when you respond to a negative review, you’re not only talking to the customer who wrote it, but all potential customers who may read the review. One bad review could turn away up to 30 potential customers if not handled correctly. -      After responding to feedback, you must react to it inside your organization. This could mean fixing a broken process or improving an aspect of your service. -      Dig deeper than the surface of what a bad review is telling you. For instance, if someone complains about the price, the right thing to do isn’t necessarily to drop the price. Instead, ask if you’re providing the value customers expect. Quote:“Strike while the iron is hot. Ask for feedback or a review while the experience is still very fresh in your customer’s memory. Take a proactive approach and incorporate asking for feedback into the hospitality component of your business.” About:Joshua Liebman is the founder of BackLooper, a consumer insights tool that helps businesses optimize their feedback loop and foster customer loyalty. His passion for customer experience comes from his background in hospitality and tourism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Don’t fall into the trap of thinking your service is “good enough.” “Good enough” service is never good enough. -      Customer expectations are evolving so quickly that companies don’t even realize they are failing their customers. By not meeting those expectations, brands will let down and lose customers. -      Companies must utilize AI and technology alongside a human element in the customer experience. Technology alone won’t work. -      Think of your customers in terms of the classic iceberg metaphor. There is so much more going on underneath the surface than what is clearly visible. Work to understand those behaviors and motivators you don’t immediately see. -      NPS and CSAT scores are not enough to get the big picture of your customer base. Not enough customers fill out surveys (even one-question surveys) or provide enough details to allow for global projections of customer satisfaction. -      Customers who have a less than amazing service experience with you may not fill out a survey, but they will tell other people. This will affect your brand reputation and could result in missed opportunities and lost revenue. -      We are in the age of the “now” customer. Customers are no longer willing to wait for answers or products, but companies still believe they are. -      It’s crucial to mystery shop your own business so you can get real data to help you understand what is truly happening with your customer base and how your company can improve areas of weakness. -      Deflection is not a customer-centric concept. You can offer your customers alternatives, but always give them the option to come back. -      For more, read Simplr’s report, “The State of CX in 2020” and attend (or rewatch) Simplr’s webinar, “How to WOW the NOW Customer” featuring Shep and Daniel! Quote:“‘Good enough’ is not good enough. A ‘good enough’ mentality causes you to rest on a laurel that is a false presumption of loyalty by your customers and future customers.” About:Daniel Rodriguez is the CMO of Simplr and an experienced marketing executive, entrepreneur, family guy and musician. Before Simplr, he served as VP of Marketing for Seismic and co-founded multiple other companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Prioritize your company culture above anything else. When customers purchase from you, they’re really buying into your culture. -      The first thing you do should be to define your company’s culture and values. Do this early on with intention instead of waiting for it to happen accidentally in the future. Be specific about what your values are. -      Assemble a team of your colleagues and employees and work together to define and refine your company’s culture. The people you hire affect the culture you build—for better and worse. -      Any time you communicate with your customers, make sure you do so in alignment with your values. -      Find the customers that align with your culture and values. Don’t be afraid to “fire” customers if they aren’t a good fit. -      Creating an amazing customer service experience really comes down to the idea of delight. Any company can delight their customers. -      Build a process where you work delight into various points along the customer journey. The first step is to map out your customer journey and then recognize those opportunities. -      It can be difficult to work in delight into an online business—but the opportunity is HUGE. Again, it’s all about mapping the journey (which can be easier online) and putting a process in place. -      Creating processes for amazement will eventually become part of your company’s culture. Employees will love it and customers will become “superfans.” This helps you build a great reputation. -      Automate the processes you build, but never your relationships. Never sacrifice the human element. Quote:“It all comes down to the idea of delight. It’s an underutilized word. Have a process for working surprise and delight into every single customer journey.” About:Matthew Barnett is the CEO and “Papa Bear” of Bonjoro. Originally trained as a designer and artist, Matthew is committed to building both great products and great culture. His goal is to be the next Zappos—the most loved brand in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Become a partner to your customer. Work to solve your customers’ business needs without trying to make a sale. -      When selling technology, focus on solutions and success instead of the technology. Identify business problems and needs before turning to technology. -      Lose the mindset of customer service happening only in call centers and contact centers. Go broader, and think instead about consumer engagement and consumer interaction. -      Technology has progressed rapidly, opening up new channels of communication. Companies must be ready to meet their customers on these new channels and provide a consistent consumer interaction experience. -      Ideally, create an omnichannel communication experience. This allows you to communicate with customers across all channels using a single interface on the back end. This creates consistency, helps the agent provide better service and gives the customer a better experience. -      Customers and companies alike should ask more open-ended questions when communicating with each other to facilitate productive conversation. Customers should ask what that company is doing to understand their needs and entire journey. -      Companies must ask themselves what their consumer engagement strategy is, whether or not it is holistic (stretching company-wide) and if it is truly customer-centric (instead of product- or sale-oriented). -      As technology changes so quickly, be mindful of how you do and don’t adopt it. Don’t get too enamored with new tech and lose sight of the humans behind it—both your customers and employees. -      Everyone in an organization has a positive or negative impact on the customer service and experience, not just the customer service department. It’s part of the company’s culture. Quote:“Everybody, in every organization, has positive and/or negative impact on consumer (customer) interaction. Consumer interaction is part of the culture.” About:Lou Gallagher is a Consumer Engagement Specialist at Mitel. With over 35 years of experience as a business leader, business consultant, IT application developer and engineer, Lou has created customer engagement strategies that reduce cost and enhance CX. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      To understand Generation Z as consumers is to understand the future of your (and every) business. They are the fastest growing generation in the workforce, the number one generation of consumer trendsetters (they even influence Baby Boomers!) and the most likely to write positive things online and recommend brands to others. -      The oldest members of Gen Z are 25 and most of them do not remember 9/11. -      While it’s important not to box people in by generation, knowing a customer’s generation can give you clues that help you better understand them. This, in turn, can help you faster connect, build trust and drive influence with those customers. -      When making a purchase decision, Gen Z customers look for a few key things: low price, ease of purchase, ratings and reviews, ease of returns and if someone they know previously made that purchase. -      Gen Z wants an experience before they buy something. When they do buy something, price (not the lowest price) is important to them and they always expect a good deal. They will pay more for an all-inclusive experience if they feel it is a better deal than the cheapest option. -      Ease of purchase is all about asking yourself how simple you can make something so it just works. Often, this involves utilizing new tech—but be careful not to sacrifice the human connection! -      Offering easy returns reduces the risk for online and first-time purchases, which consumers perceive to be very high-risk. Reducing risk helps overcome objection in the sales process. -      Ratings and reviews are incredibly important to all consumers, not just Gen Z. Even more important is knowing someone personally who bought that product or service before. Family and friends’ opinions are the most trusted, even if their tastes do not match the purchaser’s. -      To understand your consumer base better, create a generational snapshot and put it into a pie chart. Create practical urgency to bring in that next generation to ensure your business lasts. Quote:“Generations are not boxes. Generations are powerful and predictive clues. If you know those clues, you can faster connect with, build trust and drive influence, which is ultimately what customers want.” About:Jason Dorsey is the President and Co-Founder of The Center for Generational Kinetics as well as a leading generational researcher, speaker and author. His latest book is Zconomy: How Gen Z Will Change the Future of Business—and What to Do About It. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      The year 2020 has thrown us into the future technologically. This creates many new opportunities for companies to make their customers happy and make their lives easier. -      Customers increasingly expect companies to take a stance on social issues. Remaining silent is no longer an option. Companies must have a point of view, share it with the world, take action and be transparent about the journey. -      Companies don’t need to change the whole world to make a positive impact; they just need to change their world. Find your company’s strengths and leverage them to tackle concrete challenges in society that matter to you. -      As a bare minimum, you must offer a good product for a good price and with good customer service. In the past, this was all it took to make customers happy. Today, they expect more. -      To be truly successful, companies must know how to create convenience for their customers, especially digital convenience. -      A good, working digital interface is a necessity. It must help customers save either time, money or energy (or, ideally, all three)—the resources that no one ever has enough of. -      Look beyond your product and think about the human being that is your customer. Become a partner in their life by asking how you, as an organization, can add value to their life. This is the future of customer experience. -      Identify the tradeoff your customers must make when they buy from you or any company in your industry. What can you do to reduce or even eliminate it? Develop a process and make it part of your mission statement and brand identity. Quote:“Companies don’t have to change the world. They just have to change their world. Look at the strengths of your organization and see how you can leverage them to solve the concrete challenges in society. This is your responsibility as a business owner.” About:Steven Van Belleghem is a co-founder and board member of nexxworks. He is an entrepreneur, an international keynote speaker and the bestselling author of four books. His latest book, The Offer You Can’t Refuse, comes out on October 28, 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways: -      It’s important for any and every business to measure the level of service they provide. After all, you can’t change what you don’t measure. Mystery shopping is one method of measuring the customer experience a business provides. -      When designing a mystery shopping or other measurement/feedback program, it’s important to first understand what you’re trying to measure. -      Follow the customer journey as closely as possible to get the best read on what the customer experience is like. -      Mystery shopping and measurement programs are effective everywhere—in both B2B and B2C businesses and both inside and outside the organization. -      Measuring your customer service and experience gives you an objective perspective of what works and what doesn’t work. -      Once you get your results, you must use them. Develop new strategies and implement training where it’s needed. Continue to measure. Identify gaps and celebrate success. Over time, this will vastly improve your CX. -      Design and roll out an internal program before an external one. In other words, focus on your employees and their experience first. Get everyone in alignment with your mission and how they play a part in the customer journey. -      Remember that the beliefs and behaviors of leaders and managers will be passed on to employees. Leadership must model the actions and attitudes they want to see in their employees. It starts at the top. -      Now, more than ever, companies must take care of their customers, across every touchpoint and channel. Start by putting people (employees and customers) at the center of your business and show that your truly care. Quote: “Being able to measure customer service gives you feedback on where to develop new strategies and implement training. Then, measure again to identify gaps and celebrate success.” About: Claire Boscq-Scott is keynote speaker, consultant and trainer specializing in retail and hospitality with over three decades of mystery shopping and customer service experience. She is the author of three books, the latest of which is The Secret Diary of a Mystery Shopper. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      An omnichannel customer service experience is about being able to meet customers at any channel they choose and create a seamless experience for the customer between different channels. -      The difference between omnichannel and multichannel is having all channels work together rather than simply having more than one channel available. -      The transition between a chatbot or any AI technology should be seamless and invisible—the customer should not be able to tell when they’re talking to a bot versus an employee. -      Many call centers focus on antiquated metrics that don’t ultimately best serve the customer. Focusing on resolving the customer’s issue the first time they call in (“first call resolution”) rather than reducing the average handle time can prove more cost-effective down the line. -      More than anything, support center agents must be empathetic to the needs of the customer. Work from a place of wanting to solve the customer’s problem instead of meeting a financial metric. -      Diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) play a huge role both in support centers and in the overall customer experience. Not being able to connect with customers is a pain point. Call centers must be as diverse and inclusive as the customer base they serve. -      Companies should create more self-service options for their customers, especially for common problems. Simply put, customers want this! -      AI will never fully replace the human support agent. A bot will only get you so far before a human has to interject. A better solution is to integrate tech with your human employees to provide a better customer experience. Quote:“How do you make something simple? You start with your process. If you don’t have your processes in place, it doesn’t matter how much technology you get. Tech without process just creates an automated mess.” About:Jerry Campbell is the Head of Customer Experience (CX) and Social Engagement at 7-Eleven, where he leads a team that delivers “world class” customer service and experience through an omni-channel approach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      There must be a balance between artificial intelligence (AI) and human connection. As with any new technology, there always needs to be a human fallback. -      The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a massive shift in both business and consumer buying preferences and habits. Many companies were unprepared to make the shift to e-commerce, self-service and other digital channels. -      Think of AI instead as IA, or intelligent assistant. Have it support an employee (versus a customer) so they have faster access to the right information. This helps them work more efficiently to support the customer, which results in a better customer experience. -      The role of the salesperson is shifting to that of an expert. Consumers (in both B2B and B2C) expect to be able to turn to sales reps for information and answers. -      When a consumer knows they can rely on a sales rep or vendor for the fastest, most accurate information, it can drive customer loyalty. Customers will continue to come back because they know they can rely on that company to give them what they need. -      In B2B buying, the stakes are incredibly high. Any friction or errors within this sales process could have long-lasting repercussions, costing you not only millions of dollars but even the customer. -      Omnichannel solutions can help eliminate friction for both customers and employees. The channels must be easy to use and seamless to switch between. -      Companies need to talk to their customers on a much deeper level to understand their new wants, needs and values in reaction to a rapidly changing world. They must also find new ways to create that personalized experience. Quote:“Bringing together the analytic power of AI and the context and empathy power of a human being can deliver an incredibly personalized, really effective, fast selling process.” About:Geoff Webb is the Vice President of Products at PROS, where he works with technology, marketing and go-to-market teams. He has over 25 years of experience in the technology industry in addition to sales and marketing management. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Good customer service and experience principles can be applied in any relationship—professional or personal. -      Successful companies known for their innovation all share common cultural values of curiosity, grounding, discovery, trust and passion. Add these five elements into your relationship with your customers. -      Secret #1: Curiosity helps you learn about and understand your customers better. This makes customers feel not just heard, but valued, and makes them more likely to collaborate with you to find new solutions. -      Secret #2: Grounding is about focus. Focus on not just your customers’ needs and expectations, but also their hopes and aspirations. This will turn your business relationship into a partnership. -      Before you can focus on the customer, you must first understand who you are, what your company is about and what your collective values are. This will help you understand your role in the customer’s journey. -      Secret #3: Discovery is about risk-taking, which can be scary, so reframe this around learning. Every risk and every mistake are opportunities to learn something new and improve. You must create a safe environment for your employees and customers so they’ll want to take risks. -      Secret #4: Trust is about authenticity, transparency and above all, truth. Companies must emphasize the truth—the whole and complete truth—in their culture and values. -      Secret #5: Passion is the energy, enthusiasm and excitement about what you do. Find out how to create that passion and identify what holds you back. -      Bring the best of who you are not only to your interactions with your customers and colleagues, but to everyone you encounter. Quote:“Curiosity, where someone is intensely interested in who we are and what we’re about, is something we don’t experience a great deal. When customers experience it, they feel valued, not just heard.” About:Chip Bell is a senior partner of the Chip Bell Group, a top customer service keynote speaker and a bestselling author of 24 books. His latest book is Inside Your Customer’s Imagination: 5 Secrets for Creating Breakthrough Products, Services, and Solutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      In order to build a company’s culture, you must lead with consistent values and reward the behaviors you want to see. -      When your employees are in alignment with your company culture, you can trust that they will make decisions based on those values without the need for an over-abundance of rules. -      A great company culture happens when what you believe, what you say and what your employees do are all in alignment. -      When hiring, you must try to attract employees who are in alignment with your organization’s culture and values. -      There is great value in the seemingly little things. Everyone has the choice to do something well or poorly, and doing those little things excellently really adds up for customers and colleagues. -      Perfection is impossible, but pursuing perfection leads to excellence. -      The “overnight success” is a myth. It’s about hard work. Many people have talent, but not everyone has the perseverance and the will to make it work. -      There’s an old saying that goes, “How we do anything is how we do everything.” This applies to business as well. Strive for excellence in everything you do. Quote:“The quintessential example of culture is the organization that has people with consistent values who make decisions based on those values. You don’t need a lot of other rules when you have those values.” About:Robert Glazer is the founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, a global partner marketing agency. He is the author of the inspirational newsletter Friday Forward, which inspired his recent book of the same name. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Using video can be a great way to connect with your customers and collect their feedback. -      In order to build a good customer experience, you must get close to the customer by speaking with them more frequently and understanding the path they’re on. Good CX is about connection and relationships. -      It is possible to use technology such as video to build customer connections globally from the comfort of your own home, which can even prompt customers to be more truthful and go deeper in the feedback they provide. -      When connecting with customers to gather feedback and insights, make sure to have purposeful conversations with a set agenda. This will help you glean the most useful information. -      The best insights come from talking directly with your customers, either one-on-one or in a group setting. -      Brands must be prepared to pivot and adapt to rapidly changing customer demands, desires and priorities. Collecting feedback more rapidly can help position companies to meet new consumer expectations. -      A good customer service and experience program is more important than ever for all companies in today’s environment. Without one, a company will not succeed. -      It’s important to collect qualitative data in addition to quantitative data. This will give you insights on top of numbers. Quantitative data gives you the “what” while qualitative data gives you the “why” behind what your customers tell you. -      You must integrate the voice of the customer into your business. This will drive your company into the future and beyond. -      Discuss.io’s moderator guides for driving purposeful conversations can be found on their website. Quote:“Building a good customer experience is about getting closer to the customer, speaking more frequently to the customer and having a finger on the pulse of where the customer is going.” About:Simon Glass is the Chief Executive Officer of Discuss.io, an enterprise-level smart video platform. He is responsible for overseeing all facets of the business and driving the company’s global development strategy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Creating a good customer experience requires doing research. Learn about your customers and their expectations, then build your CX to meet those expectations. -      To find out what your customers want, ask them! Incorporate conversations with customers into your business and CX model. Ask people who may not usually get asked. There are many untapped sources of valuable information that will help you succeed. -      Know who your customers are, and once you do, you will be able to better market to them personally. Personalization will help your product sell. -      Don’t confine yourself to your industry alone. Mine information from other industries. This will help you come up with more creative solutions to problems. -      When you support your community, they will support you. The more you give, the more you get. This is the law of reciprocity. -      Everybody is in customer service whether they realize it or not. Even if an employee doesn’t have direct contact with a customer, they support someone who does. Customer service must be part of the company’s culture. -      Employees who do come into direct contact with customers are best positioned to collect customer feedback. This feedback must be communicated throughout the rest of the organization. -      A great product or service alone is not enough to get and keep customers. You must support your great product/service with amazing customer service. -      Don’t just be a vendor; be a partner. This means helping your clients and customers succeed with the product or service you offer. This goes beyond customer service and into customer support and customer success. Quote:“Make friends in low places. Ask questions and gather information from everyone. It’s amazing what you’ll learn about your customers and their expectations.” About:Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey are the founders of Barefoot Wine and Business Audio Theatre. They are the New York Times bestselling authors of The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Companies can find success by identifying a specific problem and then solving it for their customers forever, turning it into a “forever transaction.” -      Everyone is in the subscription/membership business whether they know it or not. Even if there is no traditional subscription involved, customers “renew” by returning to do business companies they like and trust. -      A subscription is a tactical decision about pricing, whereas membership is the mindset that a customer is going to be with you for a long time through a formalized relationship. -      Thinking of your customers as members opens up new opportunities to deepen and extend new and existing relationships with your best customers. This can happen even without incorporating subscription pricing. -      Offering a subscription model can create a more convenient experience for your customers. -      To move from a one-time transaction to a subscription, you must first step back and figure out your product or service’s goal as it pertains to customers. Build your subscription around meeting that goal or solving a problem for your customers. -      After someone subscribes or becomes a member, you must teach them to make your product or service a habit. If the customer is not engaged or getting value, they will not renew. -      Shift your focus from customer support to customer success. This means not only solving customer issues, but helping them use, value and succeed with your product or service. -      Focus on your customers’ long-term well-being and success. This will help you build a formal relationship with recurring revenue in any company and any industry. Quote:“A subscription is a pricing decision. It’s a tactic. Membership is the mindset that the customer is going to be with you for a long time. It makes the entire organization think differently about marketing, products and services. Pricing is just a small part of this very powerful business model.” About:Robbie Kellman Baxter is the founder of Peninsula Strategies, LLC, a management consulting firm. She is also the author of the bestselling book The Membership Economy. Her new book is called The Forever Transaction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Many companies will do “functional testing” to make sure their products work, but leave out “user testing” to ensure that their customers are having a good experience with their product. -      Brands must remember that they not only sell products and services, but experiences. As much time and effort should be put into making sure the experience is a good one. -      Companies build brand loyalty, not technology loyalty. Whether your touchpoints are digital or in person, there must be a personal element of the brand at each one. -      Though technologies have changed and improved, customer service and experience have remained the same. Nothing has really changed. Customers still want a quick and easy resolution to their problem—and companies want to make their customers happy and get them to come back. -      You can’t have a customer-centric culture without putting actual customers at the center of your business. Do not replace customers with data or technology, or your company will suffer in the long run. -      Listen to what your customers are telling you about their experiences with you, your products and your services. They will tell you where friction is and what they want. -      Every employee at every level of the organization should come into contact with the customer and listen to their feedback. This will foster empathy and create a more customer-focused culture. Leadership must model this. Quote:“If you want to have a customer-centric business model, you have to have a customer at the center of that business model. Technology does not replace that. Data is great, but it is in no way a way to replace actually building empathy with your customer.” About:Andy MacMillan is the CEO of UserTesting and a former product executive at Oracle and Salesforce with 20 years of enterprise SaaS experience. He helps companies become more customer-centric. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Good customer service and experience is a competitive advantage; it sets your company apart from competitors. -      Empower your employees to do whatever it takes to take care of the customer, not just for today or one transaction, but forever. -      When you focus on taking care of the customer, the rest of your business has a way of working itself out. Besides, taking care of the customer is simply the right thing to do. -      Start creating an exceptional customer experience and company culture by hiring the right talent from the beginning. Look for people the with education and experience necessary, but more importantly, look for people who have “fire in the belly” for taking care of customers. -      Once you’ve hired the right people, you must train them to the products, processes, values and culture of your organization. This training should not be a one-time event; it must be ongoing for the rest of their career! -      Don’t punish the majority of your customers or employees for the mistakes or wrongdoings of a few. -      Empower your employees and then TRUST that they will do the right thing. If you do this right, they will never have to say, “Let me check with my manager.” -      Do the right thing for the customer, even if the issue isn’t your fault. Treat the customer how you would want to be treated—as a fellow human being. -      When dealing with customers, remember that you don’t know what’s going on in their lives, either. Always look for the good in everyone. Quote:“I empower all my employees to do whatever they need to do to take care of the customer, not just for this transaction, but forever.” About:Chuck Surack is the Founder and CEO of Sweetwater in addition to owning ten other businesses. He is a frequent speaker and mentor and mentor on issues such as entrepreneurship, quality customer service and the pursuit of excellence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Many people assume (wrongly) that diversity is about equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, which are actually government regulations. Diversity is about who’s on your team. -      All metrics prove that if diversity and inclusion are part of your company, you will outperform your competitors. -      Diversity of thought on your team helps you become more innovative, make more money and ultimately succeed. -      You must ensure that your corporate culture is both diverse and inclusive. -      It’s important to remember that for many questions and issues related to diversity and inclusion, there is no one absolute right answer. -      It’s one thing to have good intention. However, people cannot read each other’s minds to determine intention; we can only measure the impact our words and actions have. -      Racism shows up in the workplace and has a huge impact on both the employee and customer experiences. It is five times harder for Black people to get their foot in the door as it is for white people. It comes down to unconscious bias and microaggressions. -      There is a difference between an ally and an advocate. Allies will speak up in the moment if they see something happen. Advocates do this and more; they intentionally disrupt bias and seek multiple ways of breaking down barriers. -      In order to enact change within an organization, leaders must become advocates for diversity and inclusion. They must do their personal work to overcome bias (conscious and unconscious) first, then actively advocate for the people in their organizations. -      Don’t remain silent. Speak up and take action, even (especially) if you make mistakes along the way. If you want to help, become an advocate. Quote:“We’re all imperfect and we’re going to make mistakes. The point is to not wait until you’re perfect, because that’s not going to happen. Lean into the discomfort. If you’re coming from a place of good intention, people will understand even when you mess up.” About:Lenora Billings-Harris is an award-winning author, thought leader and international speaker in the areas of inclusion, diversity and unconscious bias. She is a Certified Professional Speaker (CSP) and a Council of Peers Award of Excellence (CPAE) Speaker Hall of Fame inductee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Big companies often have more resources and can implement disciplined strategies, whereas small companies are nimbler and are often able to react and make necessary changes more quickly. -      The difference between customer service and customer experience: Customer service is more immediate, often involves a human-to-human interaction and usually is a response to a problem or question. Customer experience is more overarching and can include product packaging. -      A good customer experience can help you better market your business and build your personal brand. -      Don’t underestimate the small, seemingly simple tools like business cards and email. Small details mean everything and can make or break your business. -      Be aware of how the customer service and experience of your business looks from the outside. It can prevent customers from wanting to do business with you in the first place. In other words, it could be the bad customer experience you never hear about! -      When sending an email, there are three things you must get right: a great signature line, a great subject line and a timely response. This is part of your customer experience. -      Self-service options are great to have in place. This can range from a FAQ page to video tutorials on YouTube. -      Don’t be afraid to invest financially in your business. Pay for the tools you need. This will create a better experience for everyone. -      Above all, be genuine when interacting with people. That’s the key to an amazing customer service and experience. Quote:“Be genuine. You have to really love people. It starts with that. It’s hard to fake a smile. If you enjoy people, you’ll be fine.” About:Ramon Ray is a best-selling author, global speaker, event producer and entrepreneur. He is the founder and producer of Smart Hustle Media, and has started four companies and sold two companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways: -      Money should not be your main career goal. You will achieve more success if you instead focus on becoming someone that people want to do business with. In other words, focus on building your soft skills and delivering great customer service. The money will follow. -      A good customer experience has the potential to be your most powerful marketing tool. The better service you deliver, the more likely your customers are to recommend you to others. -      Try to make each and every one of your customers feel like they’re the most important person in the room. -      Recognize the importance of publicity; become a shameless self-promoter. Being good at what you do is one thing, but the world has to know. It’s not so much what you say, but to whom you say it. -      Customer service and the customer experience is all about how you make the customer feel. The goal should be for them to leave feeling better than they did when they arrived. -      Figure out the one, simple question you can ask your customers to gauge whether you achieved your goal. It could be something like, “was your problem resolved?” or “would you recommend us?” -      Your business is only as good as your worst employee. Make sure everyone is in alignment with your company’s culture and customer experience mission. -      When delivering a message to your staff, speak as an audience advocate. Be specific—specificity builds credibility. Quote: “Don’t concentrate on making a lot of money; rather, concentrate on becoming the type of person people want to do business with.” About: Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is an award-winning, Hall of Fame keynote speaker and speech coach. She is a former president (and the first female president) of the National Speakers Association and is a member of Speakers Roundtable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      The product or service you sell isn’t actually your product—the experience you provide your customers and clients is your product! In short, the experience is your product. -      Your goal should be to create a beautiful product, and then elevate that product to another level through the amazing experience you provide. -      Salespeople must consider the tactics they’re using on their customers and ask themselves if those tactics would work on themselves. If you wouldn’t respond well to a certain tactic, odds are your customer won’t either. -      Customers often make purchasing decisions based on subconscious factors rather than specific, tangible metrics. Often, it comes down to the customer’s experience and how a business made them feel. -      Experience beats virtually everything else. When everything else is equal, the experience is what will set your business apart. -      Think about not only what contributes to a great experience, but also about what detracts from that experience. Work to eliminate those factors for your customers. -      Traditional sales “closing tactics” can actually become a detractor to the overall experience. Studies have shown that customers will resist when they feel their freedom to choose is restricted. -      Remember that a good experience is one without friction! -      Oftentimes, the products and apps that consumers love most (because of the way they’re designed) are designed by companies with an amazing culture and amazing employees. An amazing experience is pervasive. Quote:“The experience is the product, and everything is about that experience. We are all in sales and therefore we all have a role to play in terms of creating that amazing experience for our customers.” About:David Priemer is the founder of Cerebral Selling and the author of Sell the Way You Buy: A Modern Approach to Sales That Actually Works (Even on You!). He is the former VP of Salesforce, where he created the Sales Leadership Academy program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      In unprecedented, chaotic and uncertain times, customer interactions are more valuable. Treat your customers with respect and dignity and make sure they feel the value in interacting with you. -      Beware of survey fatigue! This happens when customers receive too many surveys, become frustrated and start ignoring them. -      There are generally four good reasons and ways to use surveys to collect customer feedback: 1.   Tracking studies utilize data from surveys to help both parties manage their relationship. These are typically used in B2B settings and should operate as a two-way street so both the business and the client receive value. 2.   Surveys after tech support or other customer service interactions are important so companies can learn how to improve. Ideally, these should also operate as a two-way street so that customers feel their voices are being heard. 3.   The “get it off your chest” survey collects data on one specific aspect (or “touchpoint”) of an experience. This typically consists of a single question that asks customers to rate their experience on a scale, followed by a more open-ended question about how to improve. 4.   Surveys can be an opportunity for companies to show appreciation to the customer by compensating them or reimbursing them for their time to complete the survey. This could involve anything from a free gift card to a charitable donation or priority service in exchange for the customer’s feedback. -      Consider a customer interview as an alternative to a survey. Customers will speak more freely and may tell you things you never would have thought to ask about. This can be invaluable for improving your CX. -      Above all, make sure you do something with customer feedback once you receive it. Quote:“Customer feedback is always relevant. If you’re not listening to your customers, it’s hard to guide the ship.” About:Martha Brooke is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) and holds a black belt in Six Sigma. In 2004, Martha founded Interaction Metrics to help clients get more value out of the customer experience they provide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Facial coding is not facial recognition, but rather how emotions are displayed on the face. -      Facial coding is universal, spontaneous and abundant. In other words, it is a plentiful resource of information that, when properly utilized, can help companies understand their customers and ultimately create a better customer service experience. -      Collecting and interpreting data from facial coding can help companies understand whether or not customers are having a good experience and if they will return in future. -      The seven different emotions you can get from facial coding are happiness, anger, sadness, surprise, disgust and contempt. The first three are “approach” emotions. Surprise and disgust are reactive emotions. Adverse emotions are disgust and contempt—in other words, customer service killers! -      Every point of the customer journey creates an emotional reaction. Make sure each step inspires the right emotions (such as surprise and happiness) to facilitate moving your customers in the direction you want, rather than driving them away. -      Customers may not remember all the details of their experience with you, but they will remember the high points—the beginning, the ending and above all, how the interaction made them feel. Quote:“There are two currencies in business: dollars and emotions.” About:Dan Hill, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized expert on the role of emotions in business, politics, sports and popular culture. He is also the founder of Sensory Logic, a political pundit and the author of multiple bestselling books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Culture and culture design are management systems. You must embed the right cultural norms into your organization in order to influence and drive the behaviors you want to see in your employees. -      Think of your organization as a community of people who are tasked with certain outcomes. Help employees understand their purpose and the outcomes they are responsible for; in short, it’s about the employee mindset. -      Shift the focus away from making money to taking better care of your employees and customers. That will drive better products and success for your company. -      Customer service is affected by the mindset and psychology of the people who show up to work each and every day. This includes CEOs, managers and leaders, who must model the beliefs and behaviors they want to see across the organization. -      Culture design is about programming the right mindset that will drive the best customer-focused behavior. -      Leaders are hugely influential over a company’s culture, as people naturally emulate the behavior of those they perceive successful. Unfortunately, negative behavior spreads faster than positive behavior. -      Zappos, for instance, uses their company culture as their brand. This is the biggest differentiator in their experience and what sets them apart from other companies. -      Let customers’ high expectations for service directly inform and drive the experience you deliver. -      Don’t only focus on core values—core values are the destination. You must map out the journey for your employees, which includes the right behaviors and beliefs that will get you to the destination. Quote:“Culture actually is a management system. When you embed the right kinds of cultural norms into your organization, you influence the behaviors, mindsets and beliefs people have as they do the work.” About:Jason Korman is the co-founder and CEO of Gapingvoid Culture Design Group. He is a serial entrepreneur who has spent much of his life in the wine business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Influence is not what most people think it is. It’s not something you can turn on and off, but is instead about consistent messaging (both verbal and nonverbal) that drives people to action. -      Customer service is all about relationships. Those relationships are built over time through consistent communication and interactions. Predictability and consistency are the foundation for a good customer experience. -      Remember that communication happens both through language and through nonverbal cues such as body language and facial expression. All of this has an effect on the experience as a whole. -      What does it mean to be yourself? It’s about bringing your best self to every interaction and every single day. Remember that your name is on every single thing you do. -      The 3-step process to redefining and expanding your influence is as follows: -      Make sure you get feedback instead of fluff. Get the truth from people you trust. Find out what works to enhance your influence, and what is getting in your way of influencing your customers. -      Deliberate practice is crucial. Once you know what is working and what isn’t, you must practice to make the changes you want to see. -      Be accountable. If you don’t ask for feedback, you will go through life based on feelings instead of facts. Find people you trust to help keep you accountable. -      Start small. Identify ONE thing that you could have done better, and work to improve that in your next interaction. That’s how you make progress and ultimately, big changes. -      Deliver feedback in a supportive, kind and helpful way. This does not mean you should be dishonest. It doesn’t cost anything to be nice. -      Above all, be kind to each other. You never know what someone may be going through or dealing with. And you never know when you may need that kindness from others. Quote:“Influence is so much about how we show up and present ourselves every single day. How we communicate Monday to Monday, both verbally and nonverbally, determines the level of influence we really have.” About:Stacey Hanke is the founder of Stacey Hanke, Inc. and the author of Influence Redefined…Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be, Monday to Monday®. She has trained and presented to thousands on word choice and body language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Many customers believe that companies don’t about customer service. If this were true, the customer support center or department would not exist. However, companies don’t often have the technological tools to provide a great experience. -      The customer support department and contact centers have undergone a change over the past decade. They are no longer viewed as a cost, but a source of profit. -      Frontline customer service agents have valuable information and data about the customer. Ideally, this information will trickle up to management and leadership to further improve CX. -      The life of a customer service representative can be difficult and there is often a high turnover rate in these positions. Sources of difficulty and stress include upset customers, a lack of resources and frustration with technology they are using (the need to switch between too many programs). -      Companies need to examine what they ask of their CX agents and work to eliminate points of difficulty and stress. If agents are treated better, they will treat customers better. -      It is crucial for companies to adopt an omnichannel system for customer communication. This allows for customers to have a single conversation with a company that spans over multiple channels, rather than a separate conversation on each channel. -      Machine learning and similar technology is now a requirement to deliver a good customer experience. -      Technology can assist companies in proactive service—reaching out to customers before a problem arises. -      Before deploying machine learning, AI and other tech to your customers, utilize it internally first. Use new technology to create a better employee experience, and it will result in a better customer experience down the line. Quote:“Machine learning is not an option in customer service anymore. It is a requirement.” About:Cameron Weeks is co-founder and CEO of Edify Labs. He guides the team to think and act differently when it comes to changing the way companies connect with their customers and employees interact with each other. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Even before the world was disrupted by a pandemic, customer service was hard. Customers already thought customer service took too long in terms of hold times and time to resolution. Customers’ expectations have now increased, driving the need for better customer service up even higher. -      There is a higher volume of customer service calls since the pandemic began. Companies and agents need to improve their customer service strategies to effectively handle the volume. -      According to Pega’s recent report, 4 Steps to Exceptional Service Strategy During Disruption, there are four areas of major concern among businesses right now. They are as follows: 1.   How do we show empathy for customers during this time? You must have good self-service strategies available for your customers. You must also be present with them on the channels they want to communicate on. Implement proactive service strategies and act with empathy. 2.   How do we show support for agents during this time? Everything changed for employees and agents, too. Strategies include guided workflows, coaching, augmenting tools that support remote collaboration and applying analytics to improve areas of unproductivity. 3.   How do we keep an eye on our costs? Conveniently, many strategies for improving the customer and employee experiences are also effective at reducing costs. Beware of cutting costs in areas that will negatively affect the customer experience—that will harm your business in the long run. 4.   How do we protect our profits? You must look through an empathetic lens. Work with your customers (and employees) to find solutions that work for both the customer and the business. Protect your profits, but also do right by your customer. -      Make your employees’ jobs easier by providing them a “channel-less” experience—allowing them to interact with and assist customers on any channel from a single program or application. -      Put the right strategies in place from the beginning so you don’t have to re-do temporary fixes later. -      Pegasystems’ annual event, PegaWorld, will be held virtually this year on June 2. For more information and to register, go to the Pega website. Quote:“Your agents aren’t available 24/7, but your customers are.” About:Jeff Nicholson is the Vice President of CRM Product Marketing for Pegasystems, where he leads the company’s CRM market vision and strategy. He is a recognized customer engagement thought leader who has been featured in numerous publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Optimism is a great trait in a leader—and a sense of humor doesn’t hurt, either! -      In order to have a great customer experience, you must have a great employee experiences that incorporates and is empowered by digital technology. Neither technology nor the human element should be sacrificed. -      Prioritize adding proactive service to your CX strategy. This means incorporating strategies to fix problems before they occur. -      Technology can help make agents more productive, efficient and effective by providing them the tools and capability to provide proactive service. -      As a leader, you must find a way to get the two sides of your business (the employee side and the customer side) to meet and work in tandem. Technology can help create a better experience on both sides. -      Take an outbound approach to customer service rather than an inbound one—that is, waiting for the customer to call you with a problem. Instead, take the opportunity to reach out to your customers first to provide support. -      Times of hardship and crisis, while tragic, are also a great driver of change. We must embrace the changes and innovations that come during these times if we hope to keep moving forward. -      The support world has operated primarily with voice technology. Moving forward, video could become the new voice in terms of customer support as customers and companies rely more on video technology. -      When an issue occurs, it’s crucial to not only address it in the moment, but also create strategies for the future. Customers want solutions quickly, but you must also make a plan for if and when a similar problem arises down the line. -      Focus on building resilience within your team and your organization. This will ensure you thrive today and can weather any changes to come. -      The C-Suite must be open and accepting of the ideas of others—at the very least, they must be willing to listen. They also have to look at the people side and the numbers side of every issue. When pitching ideas to the C-Suite, make sure you present them with an ROI attached. Quote:“Have a mindset of change. If you build resilience into your models and encourage that in your people, then you’re building the right fiber into your organization.” About:Jonathan Lerner is the president of TTEC Digital. Prior to joining TTEC in 2019, he was senior vice president and general manager for Customer Engagement Solutions at Verint. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      A key finding from 5WPR’s 2020 Consumer Culture Report was that 71% of people surveyed find it important to buy from companies that align with their values. -      When it comes to customer service and customer loyalty, it is important to attempt to understand your customers’ values. If you can resonate with what is important to your customers, you will build a more loyal customer base. -      Be mindful not only of what you say, but how you say it. These elements have a huge effect on customer purchasing habits and ultimately customer loyalty. -      It is crucial for brands to adapt to worldwide events. For example, many companies that formerly manufactured unrelated products have begun producing items like masks and hand sanitizer to help combat the coronavirus. -      There is always a risk for brands to take a stand on moral issues. Companies must be smart and strategic about weighing in on polarizing issues and determine whether the risk is worth the potential gain in customer loyalty. -      When in a global crisis, brands need to be careful and mindful of their marketing practices. Attempting to sell could rub consumers the wrong way and risk negatively affecting the brand’s reputation in the long term. -      Trust is crucial in any relationship. Businesses must prove to their customers that they are trustworthy. -      The goal is for crises to never occur. However, even a crisis could turn into good PR for a brand. The key is in how the crisis is managed. -      The process for managing a crisis is to first find out what actually happened. Then, you must decide how to handle it—make a plan of action for both the present and the future. Acting quickly and decisively is crucial. -      Don’t forget how to smile and laugh—especially in a crisis. Find at least one thing to smile about every single day. Quote:“Brand sentiment really matters. What you say, how you say it, tone—those things really affect consumer purchasing habits and loyalty.” About:Ronn Torossian is the founder and CEO of 5W Public Relations. He has worked with some of the world’s most visible companies, brands and organizations and has been recognized with numerous rewards throughout his career spanning over 20 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      A web- or cloud-based interface is an excellent option for working from home, as it allows users access to everything they need without being tied to one specific device or location. -      One of the downsides to working remotely is the lack of human interaction and creative in-person collaboration. Communication technology (such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Slack) can help combat this. -      The biggest mistake companies make when converting to a remote workforce is attempting to recreate the in-office environment. Companies must be flexible and embrace the differences—and benefits—working remotely provides. -      Asynchronous work is a huge benefit of working from home. For this to work, managers must trust their employees to do their job and focus on the things that matter. If they do, often employees will come up with more innovative solutions to get their work done. -      Humanize the remote working experience. Without “water cooler conversations,” we should encourage people to share information and details from their lives with their team. This will help teams stay connected while being physically distant. -      Businesses need to find a way to connect and communicate authentically and empathetically with their customers without a physical presence. Video and voice channels are ideal—but other options may be more feasible or efficient. -      The use of emojis is a great way to humanize a digital interaction. Emojis—and even animated GIFs or memes—soften the tone of text and add empathy. -      Flexibility between channels of communication is imperative. Consumers want to be able to switch seamlessly between channels without having to start over. -      The customer experience starts with the employee experience, and the employee experience starts with leadership. Treat your employees with empathy, authenticity and vulnerability, and they will treat customers better and create a better outcome for your business. Quote:“In the customer service world, the experience that you deliver to your customers is going to start with treat your teams—how you treat your own employees. Having compassion for your employees and being authentic with those employees is what’s defining brands right now.” About:Rowan Trollope is CEO of Five9, a leading provider of cloud contact center software for the enterprise. He is a recognized Silicon Valley leader with a depth of experience in software solutions and cloud innovation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      When the economy is bustling and the unemployment rate is low, the resultant labor shortage makes it very difficult to find (and keep) the best employees for the job. -      Even a single bad employee can dramatically impact the morale of other employees. But customer service ultimately suffers the most at the hands of a bad employee. -      When you understand the differences between yourself and your employees, you will understand how to manage them better and ultimately be a better boss and leader. Additionally, try to help your employees get where they want to go. -      Research your present workforce—understand what makes your current great employees a good fit. Then seek out new candidates who have a similar background, traits, attitude, skillset, etc. -      Expand your search for the perfect candidate to new “hunting grounds.” Become aware of nearby colleges, high schools, vocational schools, etc.—places you think are a good source for new hires. -      It doesn’t matter if you have the best hiring practices if you don’t have an employee retention strategy—a way to improve your workspace. -      Survey your employees regularly and ask them three questions: what they like about working there, what they don’t like about working there and what one thing they would change if they could. -      Remember: it all starts with being a great place to work. Quote:“It starts with being a great place to work. You have to work on that every single day.” About:Eric Chester is an award-winning speaker and bestselling author of five books. His latest book is Fully Staffed: The Definitive Guide to Finding & Keeping Great Employees in the Worst Labor Market Ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      These are strange and unprecedented times. In a very short amount of time, the United States has shifted from having only 5% of its workforce working remotely to over 50%. -      Virtual assistants and workers can help you deliver your value proposition by handling essential tasks that don’t necessarily drive business—such as answering the phone, managing calendars, etc. -      On average, it takes companies 60-90 days to find, hire and onboard a new employee. Turning to a virtual assistant or remote staffing option can reduce that time to about one week. -      Businesses must devise new systems, processes and technologies to better manage a remote workforce. -      During this time, organization leaders must seize the opportunity to connect with their employees and their customer base in an authentic and empathetic way. -      Many people are scared and confused during this time. Reach out to them not to sell a product, but to simply ask how they’re doing. This will strengthen your relationship both now and in the future when things return to normal. -      Communication is moving faster than ever before, and with people working remotely, you must communicate more frequently than in the past. For example, try having a group call with your team three times a day—start-of-day, mid-day and end-of-day. -      Appoint a Director of HR—humor resources. Have this person find something funny or uplifting to share with the team at large once a day to keep morale up. -      Many businesses have slowed down. Be there to support your clients as best you can while acknowledging these changes. As the old saying goes, hope for the best but prepare for the worst. -      Ramsey’s company, MyOutDesk, has put together a guide to working remotely to help businesses adapt. The Go Remote Guide is available for free by texting “MOD” to 31996. Quote:“I believe it’s our civic duty to stay productive as a country. Let’s stay productive as a country and get through this together.” About:Daniel Ramsey is the founder and CEO of MyOutDesk, a virtual assistant company. He founded the company during the 2008 recession to help companies worldwide restructure to a remote workspace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      The concept of transhumanism is that we, as human beings, are able to transcend what we were capable of in the past thanks to new technology and innovations. -      People use technologies such as AI in their daily lives more than they realize. A good example is a Google search. It is the artificial intelligence behind that search engine that allows it to work as well as it does. -      Customers have very little trust in AI and chatbots when it comes to a need for deeper connection and communication. That’s where a human-to-human interaction is needed. -      Our strengths as human beings are our emotional intelligence, our creativity, and our authenticity. AI should support human agents so that they are more able to utilize those strengths. -      Many agents, especially in call centers, deal with repetitive problems. AI can assist by providing those agents (instantly) with the best responses for each situation. -      A huge problem in call centers is employee retention. When employees leave, they take their knowledge and expertise with them. AI can help fill in the gaps. -      Customers are in control today more than they have been in the past. Their expectations for service from a company are much higher—meaning companies need to step up to meet and exceed those expectations. -      Companies need to invest in omnichannel technologies—meaning customers can connect with a company using the channel of their preference and have virtually no gaps in their experience between channels and even agents. -      Above all, AI and other technologies must empower people to use more of their human potential. Quote:“Humans are great at understanding and using emotional intelligence. It is very difficult to build a computer that can understand that.” About:Vit Horky is Senior Director of Digital Experience at NICE inContact. He previously co-founded and served as Co-CEO of Brand Embassy. Vit is also the author of Customer Service in the Transhuman Age. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways: -      Everything you learn comes from others. Everyone has an obligation to share what they learn so that more people may benefit. Pass on what you have learned. -      No matter what the outcome of your business is, it all starts with your employees doing the job they’re supposed to do. -      In order for your business to succeed, you must first understand your market—your customers. You must know what they want and need before you can begin to meet their expectations. -      Employees must also have an understanding of the customers they serve. Management must create the system and processes that allow employees to deliver to customers. -      It is the role of leadership to create an environment within the organization in which all employees want to give customers what they want, rather than an environment where employees feel forced to do it. -      Customers should be the number one focus of your business—customers are your bottom line. They are the ones who create revenue for your business. Deliver to them a great product and great service, and you will see income. -      To deliver exceptional service, you must start with a great team. Be selective in your hiring process and treat your employees well. The perfect hire is worth the wait. -      Customers want three things from a product: they want it to be defect-free, they want it to be timely (when they want it) and above all, they want the people who give it to them to be nice to them. Delivering these three things consistently is what creates customer loyalty. -      The biggest driver of customer satisfaction and loyalty is just being nice. Being nice to your customer doesn’t cost anything. Quote: “The employee who wants to take care of the customer will do a better job than the employee who has to do it. Leaders must create this feeling among their employees.” About: Horst Schulze is one of the founding members of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and served as its President and COO. He later founded The Capella Hotel Group. Today, he serves on various boards, speaks and acts as a consultant across industries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways: -      Studies have shown that high-performing companies that enjoy consistent growth are those that focus on crafting experiences. -      Studies have also shown that there is a significant gap between the experience businesses believe they’re delivering and the one that their customers are actually receiving. -      Marketing is largely responsible for the creation and sustainment of experiences. Therefore, customer experience is the new marketing. -      Companies need to have a complete understanding of their customer journey so they can better contextualize their marketing and therefore their customer experience. -      There are five factors that go into creating context within the customer experience. All amazing experiences can be broken down into these five categories. They are as follows: Available – An experience must be available to a customer on their own personal time. Permissioned – Customers must ask for this experience of their own volition; companies should not force it on them through ads or unwanted emails. Personal – An experience should not only be personalized, but personal in its delivery. Human-to-human delivery is best. Authentic – Experiences must invoke empathy on the part of customers and employees, creating an emotional connection. Purposeful – Ideally, experiences should go beyond a product and help customers achieve their greater goals. Context goes beyond basic personalization. Companies must ensure they are delivering the right message to the right person at the right time. In order to do that, they need to understand all decisions across the customer journey. Brands need to focus on delivering more human-to-human experiences interactions. This will create a better and more personal experience for the customer. As we move into the future, marketing will continue to become a part of everyone’s role, much in the same way that the customer experience is every employee’s responsibility. Quote: “The creative lens of marketing has to shift toward focusing on the concept of customer experience. Experience wins over everything else.” About: Mathew Sweezey is Director of Market Strategy for Salesforce. He is the author of Marketing Automation for Dummies and The Context Marketing Revolution: How to Motivate Buyers in the Age of Infinite Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      NPS refers not only to the Net Promoter Score, but also to a system that is a set of behaviors, actions and technology that provides customer feedback directly to frontline employees. While the score itself is important, the bigger impact is on frontline employee learning, making customers feel as though their voice is heard and valued. -      When asking for customer feedback, model your approach off of NPS and Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s original Service Quality Index: ask a single question with a simple metric, then an open-ended follow-up question (“why?”) and finally, follow up on the feedback you receive. -      In his recent Harvard Business Review article, Rob identified four strategies companies can use to achieve consistent and sustained growth in customer value. They are as follows: -      Develop robust customer-value management processes and tools. -      Combine design thinking with loyalty-earning technologies. -      Organize around customer needs. -      Lead for loyalty. -      The value of your customer is the value of your company. -      The best way to grow through customers varies from company to company. For some, acquiring new customers and making sure they are a good fit is the best method of growth. For others, focusing on retaining existing customers may be a better path. -      Companies most often underestimate the value of attaining the right customers in the first place. -      Organize your company around customer needs instead of functional teams and processes. This will eliminate unproductive internal politics and competition for resources that only end up hurting the customer. -      The most important objective for any business should be to grow the value of its customer base. To that end, every individual should understand how they can contribute to and enhance that value. Quote:“The most important objective for a business should be to grow the value of its customer base.” About:Rob Markey is a partner at Bain & Company and a leader in its Customer Strategy and Marketing practice. He also leads the NPS Loyalty Forum and co-authored The Ultimate Question 2.0: How Net Promoter Companies Thrive in a Customer-Driven World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways: -      Even if you think customer reviews don’t apply to your business, they are still important. Regardless of your industry, customers are reading reviews online or on some industry forum before they decide to do business with you. -      Customers look for recent reviews when researching your business. Studies have shown that reviews older than 3 months are considered irrelevant. -      If you don’t follow up with your customers, don’t get their feedback and don’t ask for reviews, you are losing money. Not having any recent reviews (or any reviews at all) can hurt your business. -      Studies have shown that 89% of users read the replies to reviews. This creates a huge opportunity for businesses. It is crucial to respond to all reviews, both positive and negative, because it shows that you care about your customers and their experience. -      Create both a strategy and a budget for customer reviews. Monitor all platforms where your business has a presence and write a customized, personalized response to each and every review. -      Make it easy for customers to leave you a review. If you don’t capture their feedback as they are leaving, send them a brief follow-up message within 24 hours of their experience with you and include a link to a short survey. -      Don’t wait too long before requesting feedback from your customers. Otherwise, they may forget the details of their experience with you. -      When sending a survey to a customer, make sure the survey is a short one! One minute in length is ideal. At the very least, the time it takes to fill out the survey should not exceed the length of their interaction with you! Quote: “We can’t impress everybody. We can’t make every single person happy. But we will try our best.” About: Rupesh Patel is an award-winning hotel owner, hospitality influencer and passionate entrepreneur. He hosts a weekly live hospitality show on LinkedIn and his website, smartguests.com, has helped more than 4,000 hotels improve their customer service. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      An organization’s message is related to their brand promise and customer experience. The experience needs to deliver on the customer’s expectation, which is created by the brand promise. -      Everyone in the organization needs to be in alignment with the message and be able to describe the value. This applies regardless of whether someone is in a customer-facing role or not. -      The same consistent message and experience must be delivered to internal customers (employees) as well. This will ultimately help create a better experience for internal and external customers. -      An organization’s message must be relevant to the customer and qualifying—in that it attracts the right customers and repels the wrong customers. -      Even if you do not interact with the customer directly, you likely interact with someone who does. It’s important to remember that the way you treat your fellow employees will be felt by customers on the outside of your organization. -      A confused mind will not take action. Create clarity for your customers and invite them to ask questions. This strengthens the relationship your customers have with you and your company. -      First and foremost, you must determine your company’s value proposition. Ask yourself what message you want to convey and how you provide value for your customers. This excites people and gets everyone in alignment. -      Always give your customers a seat at the table. This will help you create your culture and deliver it in a way that makes sense to them. Quote:“Give your customers a seat at the table. This is how you create the culture internally and externally that you want to present to your customers.” About:Bill Cates is an internationally recognized client-acquisition expert and speaker. He is also the author of four bestselling books, including his most recent, Radical Relevance: Sharpen Your Marketing Message - Cut Through the Noise - Win More Ideal Clients. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      It’s neither luck nor magic that creates success (though those can certainly help)—it’s hard work. Any and every company is capable of putting in hard work. -      Give potential employees a taste of your company’s culture right away. Be upfront about the requirements of the position and the expectations for success. This will help eliminate candidates who may not be the best fit. -      During the candidate’s interview, don’t ask all the questions. Allow the applicant to ask questions of you and your company. This helps them feel they are a part of the company and the culture from day one. -      Be transparent as you describe the job.  New employee orientation should reinforce all the information applicants already heard during the hiring process. It should be a way of further introducing them to the company culture and holding them accountable for previously established expectations. -      Details are what create value for customers, especially throughout multiple points of contact. Paying attention to detail throughout every stage of the customer journey is what will ultimately amaze them. -      Think through the entire customer experience from every angle. More companies need to consider the customer journey in its entirety. -      Leadership must demonstrate the behaviors they want to see in their employees, even for something as simple as picking up trash. When leadership models behavior, it spreads throughout the entire organization. -      Don’t forget that there is an internal customer experience in addition to the external customer experience. This is also known as the employee experience, and it is just as important as the external customer experience. Happy employees create happy customers. -      Create your company’s “Service Standards.” Then, ensure that these standards are consistent across every location and every individual. That will create amazement for the customer. -      Never stop training, even on “the basics.” It is the consistency that creates the magic. Quote:“The key to success is recognizing that there is a ripple or domino effect to internal service. Happy employees create happy customers.” About:Teri Yanovitch is a dynamic speaker, author, trainer and consultant. Her passion is helping organizations create a culture of service excellence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices