CX Education

Episode summary In this episode of CX Education, host Gwen Lafage engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Kelsey Jones from SAP Emarsys. The discussion centers around the critical topic of customer loyalty in the retail landscape. Kelsey stresses the importance of understanding different kinds of loyalty, shedding light on five distinct types: incentivized, inherited, silent, ethical, and true loyalty. Gwen and Kelsey take a deep dive into these loyalty categories, and discuss how retailers can tailor strategies to cut through the noise. As the holiday season approaches, Kelsey advises retailers to harness clean, actionable data to fine-tune their customer engagement. She underscores the need for personalization, the delicate balance between channels like SMS and email, and the significance of ethical considerations in loyalty programs. This episode offers invaluable insights for retailers looking to build long-lasting customer relationships and boost loyalty initiatives.  Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Guest: Kelsey Jones 💡What she does: Global Head of Product Marketing 💡Company: SAP Emarsys 💡Noteworthy: Kelsey Jones is a retail expert from SAP Emarsys, noted for discussing consumer loyalty strategies. 💡Where to find Kelsey: LinkedIn  Key insights Understanding the five types of customer loyalty Kelsey Jones explains the complexity of customer loyalty, highlighting the five distinct types: incentivized, inherited, silent, ethical, and true. Each type demands a tailored approach, emphasizing the importance of personalized engagement. Retailers must recognize that loyalty is not one-size-fits-all; it requires a deep understanding of individual customers and their preferences.  Leveraging SMS for personalized customer engagement Kelsey discusses the significance of SMS in the retail industry, highlighting the need for personalization. SMS offers a direct and personal channel to engage customers, but it must deliver value to avoid being thought of as spam. Brands must listen to their customers, analyze their behaviors, and predict their needs to send relevant SMS messages.   Optimizing retail strategies for the upcoming holiday season As the holiday season approaches, Kelsey advises retailers to focus on optimizing their existing strategies rather than making drastic changes. Retailers should listen to customer data, analyze traffic patterns, and fine-tune their marketing and inventory management. The key is to maintain personalized customer engagement throughout the holiday rush, ensuring that customers have a seamless experience from purchase to delivery and beyond. 

Episode summaryIn the latest episode of CX Education, host Sunny Dhami sits down with Michael Elschenbroich, the CEO of stylink. Michael shares his intriguing journey, tracing his steps from the early days of founding a digital agency to steering the helm at stylink. His experiences in digital and social media marketing shine through as he reflects on his days as a WordPress blogger. Michael shares stories about being one of the first Twitter users in Western Germany, highlighting his foresight in recognizing the potential of emerging platforms. His anecdotes provide a unique perspective on the evolution of the digital landscape over the years. With invaluable insights for those keen on understanding the intricacies of the digital world, Michael's story serves as an inspiration, highlighting the importance of adaptability and vision in the ever-changing world of digital marketing. Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Michael Elschenbroich 💡 What he does: CEO 💡 Company: stylink 💡 Noteworthy: Michael started as a WordPress blogger, early Twitter user in Western Germany, and evolved into stylink's CEO 💡 Where to find Michael: LinkedIn Key insights stylink's rapid growth during the pandemic Michael highlights stylink’s transformative journey - growing from a small team of five to over 80 members in just a few years. As a result of the pandemic and e-commerce, stylink expanded its reach from Germany to 11 other countries, including more in Europe, as well as the US, and Australia. The pandemic, while globally challenging, proved to be a game-changer for stylink’s expansion. Building relationships with affiliate partners Michael emphasizes the importance of building strong relationships with affiliate partners. Instead of individually reaching out to brands, stylink leverages big affiliate networks like Rakuten, CJ, and Impact. This approach simplifies the process and ensures they deliver performance (i.e. traffic), to their partners. Putting human connections first stylink places massive importance on the human touch when working with influencers. Michael points out that influencers are happy to talk about their lives, which makes it easier to understand them, meet their needs, and ensure they feel valued. The goal is to provide a seamless and personalized experience, emphasizing real human interactions over automated bots. 

Episode summary In this episode of CX Education, we welcome Craig Temkin, the director of Vendor Operations and Solution Consultants at Solutions by Text. Craig shares his journey from the messaging industry to the fintech space and how he's merging these two passions at Solutions by Text. He discusses the importance of creating a seamless, friction free payment experience for consumers and how text messaging can play a pivotal role. Craig also shares his take on the industry's future, highlighting the potential of personalized, conversational messaging channels. He emphasizes the importance of security in the payment process, detailing how Solutions by Text leads with security and compliance, offering end-to-end encryption. Craig also talks about the evolution of messaging from one-way bulk messaging to one-on-one direct chats. He underscores the value of these direct, compliant conversations in enhancing customer experience and building customer loyalty. Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Craig Temkin 💡What he does: Director of Vendor Ops & Solution Consultants 💡Company: Solutions by Text 💡Noteworthy: Director at Solutions by Text with 20 years in the messaging space, experience across three continents. 💡 Where to find Craig: LinkedIn Key insights The importance of user experience in payments Craig emphasizes the significance of user experience in the payment process. He believes that a seamless, frictionless payment experience is crucial for customer retention. In a world where competition is king, businesses get one shot at impressing the consumer. If the user experience is poor, customers are likely to move on. Craig argues that the most important metric for him is user adoption and return transactions. The future of messaging and payments Craig discusses the future of the industry, highlighting the potential of personalized, conversational messaging channels. He sees the convergence of payments and messaging as a growth opportunity rather than a hindrance. The next phase, according to Craig, is integrating other services into these channels. Security is paramount Craig underscores the importance of security in the payment process. He believes that security is paramount to the user experience and that validating senders in messaging is mission-critical to add another layer of security and trust for the consumer. 

Episode summary In this episode of CX Education, host Heather Garand sits down with Tara Conway, a seasoned retail professional from Women in Retail Leadership Circle. Tara shares her rich journey in retail, starting from a family business to leading omnichannel transformations. She provides valuable insights into the evolving retail landscape and the role of AI in shaping customer experiences. The conversation explores the potential impact of AI on retail, with Tara highlighting both the opportunities and challenges it presents. She emphasizes the need for retailers to be patient and methodical in leveraging AI, warning against the rush to adopt new technologies without a clear strategy. The episode wraps up with a discussion on the future of retail and customer experience. Tara shares her personal experiences with AI personal assistants and how they could be improved. She also offers her predictions for the next big customer experience trends, making this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of AI and retail. Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Tara Conway 💡What she does: Member 💡Company: Women in Retail Leadership Circle 💡Noteworthy: Tara is a pioneer in omnichannel retail, has led transformations at major Canadian brands, and enjoyed a career rooted in retail from family business to e-commerce. 💡 Where to find Tara: LinkedIn Key insights AI in retail: A double-edged sword Tara discusses the role of AI in shaping customer experiences, highlighting both its potential and pitfalls. She warns against the rush to adopt AI without a clear strategy, emphasizing the need for retailers to be patient and methodical. Tara believes that while AI has the potential to revolutionize customer experience, it could also lead to disappointment if implemented hastily. She predicts that retailers who are patient and committed to leveraging AI will reap the benefits in the long run. Data: The backbone of customer experience Tara shares her experience with Emma, the Toys “R” Us chatbot that had to be retired because of the challenges in managing the data behind it. She emphasizes that the key to improving customer experience lies not in front-end tools but in the engineering and management of backend data. Tara stresses the importance of having a strong foundation of data, understanding insights, and a continuous process of testing and learning. The rise of personal assistants in retail Tara predicts that personal assistants will start to take off in retail, especially with the influx of shopping data expected in the Q4 2023. She believes that this data, once refined and cleaned, will lead to significant enhancements in personal assistants by the first and second quarters of 2024. Tara sees the potential of AI to have an incredible impact on customer experience, making shopping quicker and easier. 

Episode summary In this episode of CX Education, Gwen Lafage hosts Robert Galop, Partner at CPaaS Acceleration Alliance and they dive into the transformative power of CPaaS in enhancing customer experience. Robert highlights advancements in AI, particularly in real-time translation and language processing, and how these technologies are revolutionizing communication. Robert and Gwen also explore the evolution of CPaaS, with Robert outlining the three major growth opportunities: SMEs, enterprises, and global telcos. He emphasizes the potential of CPaaS to deploy bespoke experiences, automate processes, and integrate systems, making businesses stand out. The episode concludes with a discussion on the challenges of marketing in the CPaaS space. Robert underscores the need for marketers to connect with business owners and decision-makers, focusing on use cases and needs rather than the technology itself. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of cloud communications and customer experience! Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Robert Galop 💡What he does: Partner 💡Company: CPaaS Acceleration Alliance 💡Noteworthy: Partner at CPaaS Acceleration Alliance, Robert Galop, is an expert in cloud communications.  💡 Where to find Robert: LinkedIn Key insights The role of CPaaS in transforming CX  Robert stresses the transformative power of CPaaS in enhancing customer experience. He highlights how CPaaS impacts various touchpoints in a customer's journey, using the example of a doctor's office. From facilitating remote visits and transcribing appointments to setting appointments and sending automated notifications, CPaaS platforms are revolutionizing how businesses interact with their customers. Growth opportunities in the CPaaS market  Robert identifies three major growth opportunities in the CPaaS market: SMEs, enterprises, and global telcos and discusses how enterprises can leverage CPaaS to deploy bespoke experiences, automate processes, and integrate systems to make their business stand out. He also comments on the significant potential of AI and automation in mobile-first countries to provide a comprehensive view of the potential of CPaaS. The importance of investing in CPaaS  Robert highlights the importance of businesses investing in CPaaS. He notes that companies that have made this investment are more agile and better prepared to react to changes in customer and business needs. He also highlights that implementing CPaaS is not a "rip and replace" process but rather a layering of services on top of existing systems. 

Episode summary In this episode, host Gwen Lafage sits down with Cyril Coste, an expert in digital transformation and customer experience in the banking sector, to discuss the challenges and opportunities banks face in today's digital landscape. They dive into the challenges of integrating new technologies, managing legacy systems, and balancing security concerns with the need for agility and innovation. Cyril shares insights on how banks approach customer experience improvements and the importance of data-driven decision-making. He emphasizes the role of product owners in pushing for better customer experiences and the need for continuous improvement within organizations. Cyril also highlights the unique challenges banks face in adopting the latest technologies, given their vast customer base and heavy regulation. The conversation rounds up with a discussion on change management and the importance of understanding customer needs through analytics. Cyril advises product owners to look beyond assumptions and engage directly with analytics teams to get a true understanding of customer journeys. This candid conversation offers valuable insights for professionals in the banking sector looking to find their way through the digital transformation journey. Guest-at-a-glance 💡Name: Cyril Coste 💡What they do: Chief Digital Officer 💡Company: Digital and Growth 💡Noteworthy: Specialist in customer experience within the banking sector 💡Where to find them: LinkedIn Key insights The complexity of CX in the banking sector Cyril highlights the unique challenges banks face in improving customer experience. He explains that the banking sector has traditionally been slow to adopt new technologies and trends, partly due to the need to develop solutions compatible with various devices, browsers, and operating systems. Additionally, stringent regulations surrounding security, privacy, and GDPR further complicate the process of transforming customer experience in banking. Change management and technology in banking transformation This episode dives into the importance of change management and technology in transforming the banking sector. Gwen and Cyril discuss the difficulties banks face in adopting new technologies, particularly when dealing with legacy systems. They emphasize that successful transformation requires a combination of the right technology provider and effective change management. The power of data and analytics in understanding customer needs Cyril Coste recommends that product owners and digital professionals within banks should focus on data and analytics for accurate insights into customer needs. He suggests going directly to the analytics team to understand customer journeys. By using data and educating decision-makers about customer needs, banks can make better choices on how to improve their customer experience. 

Episode summary In this episode of CX Education, host Heather Garand has a thought-provoking conversation with Christy Marble from Pantheon. They dive into the current state of digital customer experiences and discuss the importance of meeting expectations. Christy highlights the high stakes of the digital landscape, where a single misstep can lead to losing customers. The discussion goes on to explore personalized marketing. Christy shares insights on how sophisticated personalization strategies can enhance the customer journey and deliver tailored experiences to suit individual needs and interests.  Lastly, the conversation turns to common CX mistakes affecting brands today. Christy identifies the key issues, stressing the need for brands to continuously work on removing friction from customer journeys. She highlights the importance of testing and improving digital experiences to meet consumers evolving needs. Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Christy Marble 💡What she does: CMO 💡Company: Pantheon 💡Noteworthy: Christy has over 25 years of experience leading data-driven go-to-market strategies that deliver market share, significant revenue growth, and return on investment for B2B, B2C, and B2B2C companies. 💡 Where to find Christy: LinkedIn Key insights The high stakes of digital CX Customers are increasingly picky about when and how they interact with brands. A single misstep can lead to lost engagement. 51% of consumers have stopped interacting with a brand due to a bad customer experience, and 17% have stopped after a poor website experience. This highlights the importance of delivering seamless, responsive, fast digital experiences to retain customer interest and loyalty. The power and polarization of personalization Personalization in marketing can be a powerful tool, but it's not universally appreciated. Christy shares that while personalization can enhance the customer journey by delivering experiences tailored to individual needs, it can also be polarizing. 64% of consumers prefer generic communication or are indifferent to personalization, while about a third want personalization. This shows that marketers need to strike a balance in their personalization strategies. Common CX mistakes affecting brandsBrands need to work on removing friction from the customer experience. Rigidity and a one-size-fits-all strategy are common mistakes - like privacy banners blocking entire screens on mobile devices! Christy highlights the importance of testing and improving digital experiences to make sure they meet consumer needs. 

Episode summary In this episode, host Gwen Lafage from Sinch chats with Chad S White from Oracle Marketing Consulting to discuss the importance of an omnichannel marketing approach and its impact on customer experience. Chad emphasizes the importance of breaking down silos between marketing channels so that teams can align with a shared, customer-centric goal and create a more coherent and unified customer experience. Chad also explores the role of technology in supporting a sound marketing strategy and the significance of data privacy regulations and their influence on marketers. As customer expectations continue to rise, businesses must adapt to the ever-changing landscape by embracing new technological advancements, such as machine learning and AI, to deliver better customer experiences. Throughout the conversation, Chad and Gwen stress the importance of maintaining a customer-focused approach, evolving marketing tactics, and fostering collaboration between teams. By adopting these strategies, businesses can stay ahead and create lasting connections with their customers. Guest-at-a-glance 💡Name: Chad S White  💡What they do: Head of Research 💡Company: Oracle Marketing Consulting 💡Noteworthy: Author of "Email Marketing Rules" and industry thought leader 💡Where to find them: LinkedIn Key insights The importance of breaking down silos for omnichannel success In this episode, Chad emphasizes the significance of breaking down silos in organizations to achieve omnichannel success. He highlights the need for teams to communicate more effectively and adopt a shared goal centered around the customer experience. By encouraging collaboration and a unified approach, brands can create a coherent customer journey across channels, leading to better results and increased customer satisfaction.  Balancing privacy regulations with customer expectations Chad discusses the impact of tighter privacy restrictions on the future of email marketing, such as GDPR and the potential for a new national privacy law in the US. He argues that these regulations ultimately benefit both customers and marketers, as they help align brands with consumer expectations and push marketers to deliver higher-quality content. Adapting to these changes and embracing privacy-focused marketing strategies can help companies foster trust and long-term customer relationships. Leveraging machine learning and AI to improve email marketing Chad highlights the potential for machine learning and AI to revolutionize email marketing. He explains that while advancements in generative AI are important, the real value lies in leveraging machine learning techniques for time optimization, subject line creation, and more. By embracing these technologies, marketers can continuously improve their strategies, stay ahead of consumer expectations, and deliver a better customer experience. "Always, always, always, we are chasing rising consumer expectations, and that is not gonna change in the years ahead, which puts a lot of pressure on marketers and all digital marketers to continue to work hard to evolve their programs." 

Episode summary Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) is a cloud-based customer service solution providing businesses with features to manage customer interactions. CCaaS solutions typically offer a range of features: including inbound and outbound voice calls, email, chat, and social media support. One of the primary benefits of CCaaS is that it provides businesses with a scalable and flexible solution that adapts to changing customer demands and business needs. But if a business wants to stay competitive and meet customer expectations, contact centers must undergo a digital transformation which can be complex and challenging. In this episode of CX Education, Shameem Smillie, CCaaS consultant at AlwaysTheOther Limited, gets into the digital transformation of contact centers and the increasing use of technology in customer service. Shameem and our host Gwen Lafage discuss digital transformation, improving customer service, and the position of women in tech and customer experience.  ## Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Shameem Smillie 💡 What she does: Shameem is a CCaaS consultant at AlwaysTheOther Limited. 💡 Company: AlwaysTheOther Limited 💡 Noteworthy: Shameem is a CCaaS consultant specializing in digital and customer experience transformation. She was previously the director of Product Enablement – Voice at LivePerson, as well as the director of Global Contact Center Solutions at Mitel. Shameem is also an advocate and activist for diversity, equity, and inclusion and a champion for women in tech. She is a founding member of Women in CX. 💡 Where to find Shameem: LinkedIn l Website ## Key insights ⚡ Gender imbalance in the technology industry and leadership positions in CX Women are a minority in the tech industry – they’re also a minority in leadership positions. Many organizations and individuals are working to address these issues and promote greater diversity and inclusivity in tech. One of them is Women in CX, a community of over 7,000 women from 50+ countries collaborating globally. As a founding member of Women in CX, Shameem explains why she decided to join this community. "In 2023, there's a huge gender imbalance in the tech industry. And even when you think about customer experience, according to the National Center for Women and Informational Technology, as well as the Office of National Statistics, women represent over 70% of the workforce in customer experience, but when you move up and start to look at leadership positions, they're less than 30%. And I want to be part of the solution to make that number more favorable and make it more equitable for both men and women in all the different industries that represent women in tech — all technology and customer experience." ⚡ Increasing use of technology in customer service Customer service varies depending on the industry, company, and customer experience, but each has its challenges. One major trend is the increasing use of technology in customer service. According to Shameem, the pandemic has led companies to expand their customer service offerings beyond traditional phones and email to chatbots and social media. "What these channels do is they're supposed to allow customers to interact with companies in a way that's convenient and accessible, and what that should then do is lead to increased satisfaction, increase loyalty; the customer will stay with that business. And I think that's the promise, for the most part, of a lot of organizations." ⚡ Companies should focus on the basics while going through digital transformation Digital transformati

Episode summary Emotional intelligence is a valuable way to build relationships with employees, increase motivation, and improve performance. But it also significantly boosts the employee experience — directly impacting the customer experience. In this episode of CX Education, our host Heather Share welcomes Sandra Thompson, the founder of Ei Evolution. They talk about the importance of emotional intelligence in business, why trust is critical in the workplace, and how a good employee experience leads to a good customer experience. ## Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Sandra Thompson 💡 What she does: She's the founder of EI Evolution 💡 Company: EI Evolution 💡 Noteworthy: Sandra is the first Goleman Emotional Intelligence Coach in the U.K. She started out as a customer experience consultant in 2010 when she founded Exceed all Expectations, which she rebranded to EI Evolution in 2021. 💡 Where to find Sandra: LinkedIn ## Key insights ⚡ Emotional intelligence is a vital life skill. Emotional intelligence helps you understand and recognize emotions. That's why it's so critical for both personal life and business. Sandra explains, "The EI evolution is about trying to help people grasp what emotional intelligence is and to invest in that skill. Because I think all of us know people we like to work with and those we don't like so much, and we know where we are productive and where we do amazing work. And I know that it will come down to, very often, emotional connection, and that's really what emotional intelligence is all about." ⚡ Trust is a must. Trust is mandatory in business. When there's no trust in a company, there's no mutual understanding or motivation. Sandra says, "The result of a manager not giving you the space, questioning, checking in, as it has been known in the hybrid environment, means that the employee knows the boss doesn't trust them. And I don't know about any of you, but if you know someone who does not trust you — how do you behave? You behave very differently than if you have someone supportive, trusting, encouraging, empowering, and all those amazing things." ⚡ A good employee experience leads to a good customer experience. Emotional intelligence helps create a good employee experience, which leads to an even better customer experience. Sandra explains, "They have created a meaningful, never-forget moment for a customer by being able to do something important to them. And the great thing about this is that the customer not only feels great, but the employee feels even more amazing, and when they share their story, there's a ripple effect, and there's the opportunity for everyone else to want to do something to feel like that." 

Episode summary There's nothing like healthy competition. And monitoring the way your competitors do business and approach their customers can make you a stronger player. But if you want to stay on top of the game, sometimes you need to look beyond your competition. In this episode of CX Education, our host Sunny Dhami welcomes Bill Eveleth, the COO/CFO of GoLive. They talk about the importance of staying ahead of the competition, why text messaging is still an effective communication channel and the benefits of creating a high-quality customer experience. ## Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Bill Eveleth 💡 What he does: He's the COO/CFO of GoLive. 💡 Company: GoLive 💡 Noteworthy: Bill has also founded a consulting company, The Fractional CFO. Before that, he held CFO roles in multi-billion-dollar companies. He's also authored four books, ranging from business and operations to stories and life lessons. 💡 Where to find Bill: LinkedIn ## Key insights  ⚡ Look beyond the competition. Having competition is a natural part of every business - it can help you stay on top of the game while keeping customers happy. But sometimes, you need to go beyond the competition to win in business. Bill explains, "If you're going to really win in business, you've got to be out front. You've got to be on the leading edge of where you want to take your business, and that's what I do as COO of GoLive; we really spend a lot of time thinking about where are the blue oceans, where are the fields that people haven't gone to yet, and that's where we really want to compete. If you jump into the competitive mass and you try to do anything there, you can just get gobbled up in marketing expenses. So, we focus on the future and where we want to take the business." ⚡ Text messages are still an effective communication tool. Despite what some people think, text messaging is still one of the best ways to reach customers and prospects. Bill explains, "One of the things we really like about text messaging is that 90% of the messages received are read within five minutes. Text messaging, we see as a very efficient and effective form of communication, whether it's in marketing or whether it's in employee communication or patient communication." ⚡ Put your customer's needs first. To build a long-standing relationship with customers, you need to put them first – a high-quality customer experience can make all the difference in business. Bill says, "If somebody comes to me and says, 'Okay, I have a situation, and I want to know if you have a solution,' then yeah, absolutely. You can say, 'Well, I hear what you're saying, and we have a product that I think will solve this problem for you.' So, it's a little different when you're selling a product or a service than when you're selling consulting services. It's okay to have the answer being your product, but you want to understand what their needs are first. Put your prospect's needs or your customer's needs before you make recommendations to them." ##

Episode summary It's super common to hear business owners say, "customers are at the heart of everything we do" or "the customer is always right." But even with this mindset, CX is often left behind – it needs to be invited to sit at the leadership table and get involved in more conversations. Why? Because it’s what connects employees, customers, and operations.  In this episode of CX Education, we’re joined by Olga Potaptseva, the founding director of European Customer Consultancy (ECC). Olga discusses the importance of creating a human-centric culture rather than a customer-centric one and explains that such an approach helps retain top talent that’s motivated to work on a shared objective, such as customer retention. Olga and our host Sunny Dhami, also touch upon the challenges of bringing CX to the leadership table and what it takes for an industry to achieve CX maturity. ## Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Olga Potaptseva 💡 What she does: Olga is the founding director of European Customer Consultancy (ECC). 💡 Company: European Customer Consultancy (ECC) 💡 Noteworthy: Olga is also the founder of CX Panda, the first digital CX library. In addition, she is an author, speaker, judge on all things CX, and a founding member of Women in CX. 💡 Where to find Olga: LinkedIn ## Key insights ⚡CX professionals must focus on processes and training. Otherwise, they risk losing top talent. Olga advocates for a human-centric business methodology. CX leaders must mentor and coach their team members, creating a supportive working environment where employees are motivated to work towards the company's core objectives. ''We must monitor our customer needs fulfillment, keep it at the same level, but make sure that it's a great organization to work for. We cannot expect our people to be advocates for a long time if we burden them with everything they shouldn't be dealing with.'' ⚡CX leaders must be able to speak to customers and employees. However, the collaboration between CX and other teams, especially among decision-makers, is minimal or non-existent. And if CX wants to get a seat at the leadership table, silos must be broken down, and a list of priorities defined and shared with everyone involved in the customer journey. For instance, ''Why is CX important to the company? Why should you be at the leadership table? What do you bring to the leadership team? And yes, you bring the customer perspective. It's important. How is that perspective connected to the goals and objectives of the company? Maybe we should change the goals and objectives of our company based on what the customer is telling us. [...] It's about this balanced view that would drive customers' interest within the organization.'' ⚡Focus on the basics because customers are not irrational in their needs. When ordering a product, for example, customers want it to be delivered on time and undamaged; that's all. No additional incentive will compensate for poor service. ''If you don't get the basics right, you don't have the right to delight. I always use this example. What's your basic need when you travel? You stay in a hotel. What's your basic need? You want to sleep. If your hotel room doesn't have a bed, that's a failing experience. If, at the same time, it has warm cookies and a welcome note, is tha

Episode summary Retail stores play a crucial role in our daily lives, helping consumers access a variety of products, and they can track customers' likes, needs, and values to offer relevant and timely experiences. But how consumers make purchasing decisions has changed dramatically. People stand in stores and use smartphones to compare prices and product reviews; they make purchasing decisions through social media, and when they're ready to buy, they have a growing list of online retailers at their disposal. In this episode of CX Education, our host Sunny Dhami welcomes Andrew Busby, the founder of Retail Reflections. Andrew describes his retail journey and gets into the changes the retail industry faces. Andrew and Sunny discuss customer loyalty to retailers and brands, the future of brick-and-mortar versus online stores, and personalization in retail. ## Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Andrew Busby 💡 What he does: Andrew is the founder of Retail Reflections 💡 Company: Retail Reflections 💡 Noteworthy: Andrew is a retail writer, former Forbes contributor, number one best-selling Amazon author with his book "Harry Was Right All Along," Global Retail Senior Director at Software AG, and the founder of Retail Reflections. In a retail career spanning over 20 years, Andrew held senior positions at Kingfisher and Superdrug. In addition to writing his own retail blog, Andrew is a member of the IORMA Advisory Board, a member of REAN, an advisory board member of Retail Week, a founder of the Retail Advisory Board, and an editor-at-large of Retail Technology magazine. 💡 Where to find Andrew: Linkedin l Website ## Key insights ⚡ Customer loyalty is almost nonexistent. In today's global economic situation, finances are tight, inflation is affecting nearly every country, and there is a cost-of-living crisis. As Andrew says, it affects customer loyalty, and only a few brands can manage that customer loyalty. "Retailers and brands like to think that their customers are loyal. With certain exceptions, I think they're loyal in the moments of the transaction, but I don't think they're loyal. I've been saying for quite some time that the customer experience, whether online or in-store — but particularly in the store — is the number one thing." ⚡ People in retail are much more attuned to what's going on. Modernization, the internet, and all things digital have changed people's habits and expectations - the retail industry needs to move with the times. Customers today are looking for an elevated customer experience, both during the purchase journey and afterward, and based on that, they choose which retailer to shop at. According to Andrew, the average consumer doesn't think and look at things the same way as those working in the retail industry. "Even though somebody perhaps can't articulate — in the way that we might be able to — why they either had a positive, good experience or a negative, bad experience, they'll certainly know it. They'll feel it. They'll feel something about it. They'll say, 'I didn't like that.' So I think this is extremely important for all retailers." ⚡ The future of high street versus online. As a result of the pandemic, we’ve turned more and more to online avenues, and many high street stores have closed. On the other hand, there are many stores where you can see and try their products, but they still encourage you to buy online. Andrew notes the convergence happening now; and that people want to see the digital experience extend to the store. "If I'm buying a big-ticket&

Episode summaryThe development of technology has brought so many advantages. In fact, thousands of companies use technology every day to reduce sales costs and focus on self-service. But it's not just about the value of technology to the business; it should always be about what creates value for the customer. In this episode of CX Education, our host Heather Share welcomes Mike Wittenstein, Founder and Managing Partner at Storyminers. Mike and Heather discuss the importance of customer experience and what customer experience designers do. They talk about using technology to create value, the problem of too many messages, and the benefits of building a story while creating a different customer experience.  ## Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Mike Wittenstein 💡 What he does: Mike is the founder and managing partner of Storyminers. 💡 Company: Storyminers 💡 Noteworthy: Mike is a strategic advisor who helps leaders develop a powerful leadership story so their strategies can increase and sustain their competitive advantage. A lifetime of diverse global experiences has taught Mike how to ask tough questions in a kind manner, translate clients' words into stories, and express business strategies as customer and employee experiences. With his teams at Storyminers, he has helped over 1,000 clients in 24 countries create over $2 billion in value. 💡 Where to find Mike: Linkedin l Website  ## Key insights ⚡ A CX designer really cares about customers. Customer experience is your customers' holistic perception of their experience with your business or brand. It encompasses every aspect of a company's offering — the quality of customer care, advertising, packaging, product and service features, ease of use, and reliability. Customers want you to commit to them, to engage with them, and according to Mike, that's what a customer experience designer does. "They think about the interactions, and they set everyone up for success. They don't just look at the little path of getting the transaction done, or buying the doll, or buying the clothes and trying them on. They think about everything — how people feel; what stories are they going to tell — it goes way deeper than just the surface." ⚡ You should do things WITH customers instead TO customers. Today, when everyone spends most of their time on their phones, people are completely cut off from personal experience, which is precious. Mike points out that keeping in touch with customers is important and explains how it makes a difference between companies. "We've become a group of people, and whether we're customers or employees or strategists and designers, we tend to think about doing things 'to people.' Like, 'Let's make the customer do this,' instead of doing things for them. When you do things for them, there's a whole different attitude and posture, feeling, grace, and harmony that happens when you do things with people. You have the opportunity to connect, to build relationships, to share, and to co-create." ⚡ Use technology for customer value creation. While technology has enabled companies to improve their business and reduce costs, it can also be used to improve customer experience. As Mike notes, if it's digital, anytime you use it, it can create a record, an indelible footprint, and you can make value for customers. "If we're collecting information when they're online, and then in the store, and then on their phone and through conversation, what if we put all of that together and we were able to meet more of our customers' needs? What value could we create for them? That's that five- or ten-second profit pause

Episode summary SMS was the first mobile channel, and with so many new communication channels — like WhatsApp and Viber — popping up, some brands are deciding to leave SMS behind. But SMS is still a powerful way to communicate with customers. In this episode of the CX Education podcast, our host Sunny Dhami welcomes Nick Lane, the chief insight analyst and founder of Mobilesquared. They chat about the power of SMS, rich messaging, and why brands should implement messaging into their omnichannel marketing strategy. ## Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Nick Lane 💡 What he does: He's the chief insight analyst and founder of Mobilesquared. 💡 Company: Mobilesquared 💡 Noteworthy: Nick is a mobile engagement specialist who analyzes, consults, strategizes, presents, moderates, and judges. His expertise in mobile engagement focuses on business messaging, customer interaction, and conversion. He has worked for over two decades in the mobile sector, providing the platform to meticulously shape market strategy and insights and accurate industry forecasts, whether that is for Mobilesquared's own data portal, for MessageMapIQ, for their 60+ clients, or for industry presentations at events around the world. 💡 Where to find Nick: LinkedIn ## Key insights ⚡ There's still nothing quite like SMS. Despite what some people think, SMS is still very much relevant today. Nick explains, "Our view has always been that it hasn't started yet, and we still have that. We still think this is a platform, but we're only at the tip of the iceberg. So what is happening now is largely because of the pandemic and the way brands have started to think about how they engage with their consumers. And also, maybe the digital journey and transformation that they've undergone in that time have really brought them to realize that actually messaging — SMS, for example — is not sexy, but in terms of effectiveness, there's nothing close to it. In terms of getting that message to the consumer, there's no better channel." ⚡ SMS is the most trusted communication channel. One of the best things about SMS is that consumers trust it the most. Nick says, "I think it's still trying to understand what the engagement is and how to engage with people when you only have a few characters. Because right now, the big thing within SMS is one-time passwords. That's really effective, and there's so much security around any purchase or online activity that I'd say that it's increasing the level of trust that people have in the channel." ⚡ Messaging will be the most dominating communication channel. According to Nick, the future will be dominated by messaging. He explains, "We don't have to reach everyone all the time because that's not how advertising works anyway, which is why people advertise on Sky, BBC, CNN, Star, or wherever, depending on where you are in the world. You've got different audiences that you're trying to reach. So again, it's kind of understanding that. But we think WhatsApp will drive things, and that will then pull and drag along the others for a while, and then, they will start to flourish as well. So, in 10 years, the world we think will be very different, and it will be dominated by messaging." 

Episode summary Marketing is critical right now, and if you want to engage your customers and sell your product, you need an effective content marketing strategy for your business. However, there are no universal truths in marketing, so you need to know your customers and focus on your unique value proposition. In this episode of the CX Education podcast, our host Michael Ahearn welcomes Anthony McLoughlin, the VP of Ecommerce & Growth Marketing at Rothy's. They chat about the importance of tailoring messaging to customers, the difference between segmentation and personalization, and why video content works so well. ## Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Anthony McLoughlin 💡 What he does: He's the VP of Ecommerce & Growth Marketing at Rothy's. 💡 Company: Rothy's 💡 Noteworthy: He's an accomplished senior e-commerce and marketing executive with twenty years of experience growing e-commerce and store revenue through digital channels across owned, earned, and paid media. 💡 Where to find Anthony: LinkedIn ## Key insights  ⚡ Tailor messaging to your customers. You can't communicate with all your customers in the same way. That's why tailoring your marketing strategy to specific customer groups is vital. Anthony explains, "In the world that we operate in, there's just so much messaging and so much media that it's just so important to get it really specific and to be really focused on the value proposition of that particular customer in that particular moment — knowing that next week you're going to probably be speaking to the same customer in a different moment, and it all has to be relevant and make sense." ⚡ Know your customer. Understanding your customers is the key to success in marketing. Anthony says, "Know your customer. Understand that it's not going to work verbatim every single time. And just give it more thought up front. It’s about understanding your customer and understanding the channels that relate to the customer at the end of the day. And not every single channel is going to work the same way." ⚡ You can't be everything to everyone. One of the most common mistakes brands make is trying to be everything to everyone. And that's not possible. Anthony says, "What happens is — and it's happening more acutely because of the macroeconomic situation — that you're trying to be all to all at the same time in the same way, and you can't. You can't just flash these promotions. You can't flash these messages to every single consumer in the same way because, over time, they'll drown them out. And so, I think the mistake is trying to be too promotional to a wider audience too quickly and to show all your promotional hands to send the same type of messaging to everyone." 

Episode summary Digital transformation is here for the long haul, and businesses that want to stay afloat must go through it. But in conservative industries like finance, change comes with many challenges, especially if the executive team is not open to innovation and is worried about the effect it might have.  So it’s critical to keep the conversation about entering and conquering the digital space alive. The more information financial institutions have, the more confident they’ll feel about taking that step. After all, people spend more time online and want to access various products and services there.  In this episode of CX Education, Christopher Young, the Director of Industry Strategy & Marketing for Financial Services at Adobe, joins our host Heather Share to discuss customer experience in the digital space, primarily in finance.  Chris discusses the challenges financial institutions face when establishing the tools, processes, and channels for client-company communication. He also talks about the importance of being where your customers are and communicating with younger generations, as that’s the path to growing your customer base in the future. ## Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Christopher Young 💡 What he does: Christopher is the director of industry strategy & marketing for financial services at Adobe. 💡 Company: Adobe 💡 Noteworthy: As he describes it, Christopher's role includes conversations with the company's financial services customers, the branch banks, insurers and management firms. Christopher is an experienced marketing professional with an extensive background in cross-channel marketing, customer acquisition, customer segmentation, brand management, and creative development. 💡 Where to find Christopher: LinkedIn ##Key insights ⚡Create an environment where customers feel comfortable communicating their finance-related plans, doubts, and concerns. The increased use of technology and the internet has influenced customers' preferences and reshaped their needs. Financial institutions that want to stay relevant in the market and continue to grow must stay atop innovations and make the most of the digital channels available. That way, they become part of the entire customer journey: prior to, during, and after a purchase. After all, when clients feel their needs are heard, they are more likely to stay with a particular organization. ''The key thing for financial services is loyalty. And loyalty has been put at risk with a lot of everything — the pandemic, digital entrance, all of these things. So that puts a lot of pressure on our financial services customers. There was a huge change in journeys.''  ⚡The quality of customer experience depends on how fast you can adapt to change. Asked how he would rank financial institutions in terms of their digital experience - Christopher shares results from an Adobe Digital Trends Report. They had around 500 respondents from the financial services industry. One of the questions was, "How would you rate your digital experience in keeping up with customer expectations?" Around 70% of those surveyed claimed they are keeping pace or staying ahead, while 30% are lagging. However, they also got some additional insights. ''The same survey indicated that the marketing executives, 90 plus percent, said that the key to future success is the agility of the marketing department. And to be clear, it's not about applying an agile methodology, but it's for their teams to be able to move fast to rapidly respond to a customer's changing needs. So if there is a situation, consumers are going to react very differen

Episode summary Right now, a remarkable customer experience is everything. If you want to stand out from the competition, you have to make customers feel valued. But in today's over-crowded market, you need to go beyond B2B and B2C — you have to become B2Me or, in other words, business to me. In this episode of the CX Education podcast, host Heather Garand welcomes Daniel Lafrenière, an Omnichannel Customer Experience Strategist. They chat about human-to-human relationships with customers, how to use chatbots to create good experiences, and why Apple is the perfect example of an enjoyable customer experience. ## Guest-at-a-glance 💡 Name: Daniel Lafrenière 💡 What he does: Daniel is an Omnichannel Customer Experience Strategist. 💡 Company: Daniel Lafrenière 💡 Noteworthy: Daniel a speaker, author, and consultant in the field of CX and UX. 💡 Where to find Daniel: LinkedIn ## Key insights  ⚡ Customer experience is about human-to-human relationships. Customer experience should be about interpersonal relationships, not transactional relationships. Daniel explains, "We talk a lot about customer experience or B2C and B2B — business-to-consumer and business-to-business. But in reality, it's more H2H or human-to-human. Even if I work for a company, it's a human talking to another human who is the customer. So it's more H2H or a human-to-human relationship. And if you create a relationship, it's going to be perfect. That's the grail; that's what we're looking for as a business — to create a relationship as opposed to a transaction. If you're a mere transaction, you're a commodity." ⚡ Personalize the customer experience. Businesses to provide a seamless customer experience, and it should be personalized. Customers want to feel valued. Otherwise, they’ll choose another brand. Daniel says, "We call this at the time B2Me or business-to-me. We don't want B2B or B2C; we want B-to-me. Please know me, you know me — I've been doing business with you for years. The same thing as with a couple — ‘You know how I take my coffee in the morning? You've been living with me for years now. How come you don't remember?’ It would be very strange." ⚡ Walk a mile in the customers' shoes. It all boils down to this: treat customers the way you’d like to be treated. Daniel says, "Put yourself into your customers’ shoes too. As simple as that. Treat your customer the way you'd like to be treated. As simple as that. There's a beautiful book on customer experience — it has been written by Jeanne Bliss — 'Would you do that to your mother?' I really liked this title. I wish I'd thought of it. So think about that. Would you do that to your mother? Would you like to be treated that way if you come into a store or call a call center or service department? So just do the right thing. It's as simple as that."

Episode summaryThe pandemic changed everything in our lives — from how we communicate and work to how we shop. COVID-19 brought millions of people into a new working environment; the home office has become a universal reality. Digital is a core part of most businesses.While some companies successfully adapt to digital transformation, others get left behind and struggle with adopting new tools and processes. Customer needs are constantly growing, and to keep up with them, developing a change management strategy and a digital transformation strategy is crucial - these are some of the challenges of going digital.In this episode of CX Education, Heather Garand welcomes Brian Walker, Chief Strategy Officer at Bloomreach. Heather and Brian get into how the digital experience impacts relationships, explain the importance of personalization and optimization of the commerce experience, and discuss changes in data privacy protection.##Guest-at-a-glance💡 Name: Brian Walker💡 What he does: Brian is the Chief Strategy Officer at Bloomreach.💡 Company: Bloomreach💡 Noteworthy: Brian is a long-time member of the e-commerce and digital marketing community that started when e-commerce began. He was a part of the team that launched eddiebauer.com many years ago and has been in many different roles across the industry. Today, Brian leads the go-to-market strategy at Bloomreach.💡 Where to find Brian: LinkedIn | Website##Key insights⚡The three pillars of the commerce experience. According to Brian, Bloomreach provides different standards for customers to use diverse combinations of their solutions and the solutions in the market. "The first pillar is discovery, which is where we power search merchandising, product recommendations, and personalization on sites. It's an AI-driven solution. […] The second pillar is content, and it speaks for itself. It's the experiences that we, as consumers or B2B buyers, are interacting with. We power the sites and applications of customers with content solutions, and, again, we are doing targeting and personalization through that product as well. And then, the last is engagement, which is, of course, where we also partner with Sinch. And engagement is an AI-driven engagement solution focused on marketing automation, channel optimization, and marketing optimization. Again, focused on personalizing the channels, the content, and the marketing that a customer receives through email, text, in-app notifications, social, and advertising."⚡ Digital is a critical part of the business. With COVID, everything changed, and digital became more present. Brian notes that digital grew as an important piece but not necessarily the prime driver. "The trends that we now see really playing out in a more important way were already happening pre-pandemic. The pandemic dramatically accelerated the importance of digital as a way to engage with, inspire, and convert customers. And obviously, there was a point during the pandemic when it was essentially the only channel, and businesses that really hadn't focused on digital, of course, had to accelerate the way they were leveraging those channels dramatically and then, also link together their channels more effectively."⚡ Customer acquisition has become a lot more expensive and less effective. The pandemic and changes in data privacy protection led to massive changes in marketing strategies. Brian explains how these changes impact acquiring new customers and building relationships, and he notes that bringing in new customers today is more expensive and less effective. "There's been a pretty profound shift over the last few years. The combination of those factors is propelling a&

Episode summary The business world is changing — customers' wants and needs have changed, and so have employees' perspectives about their rights and obligations. But not many companies know how to deal with these shifts and how to meet the needs of both customers and employees. The key is to first create a culture that resonates with your team and projects your vision. Then, your employees become your brand ambassadors and help you provide an excellent customer experience.  In this episode of CX Education, host Amber Peters talks with Eric Carrasquilla, the SVP of Digital Engagement Solutions at CSG. They discuss customer experience, its drivers, the challenges companies face when they start focusing on these areas, and the ways to do it successfully.  ##Guest-at-a-glance💡 Name: Eric Carrasquilla 💡 What he does: Eric is the SVP of Digital Engagement Solutions at CSG. 💡 Company: CSG 💡 Noteworthy: A strategic visionary and operator, Eric is passionate about building, launching, and monetizing great software products that deliver exceptional customer experiences.  💡 Where to find Eric: LinkedIn  ##Key insights⚡ Companies don't lack data; they struggle with leveraging it to provide an exceptional customer experience. However, the key to this challenge is establishing a unified system, a tool, and a solution that will gather all your company's data in one place. Customer experience should be seen as a journey with lots of information, from when prospects became customers to when they started using your product, and everything in between. ''So for companies, the issue isn't, 'Hey, there isn't enough data there for me to make sense of.' The problem is that there's too much of it, and it's fragmented. So to be able to bring that stuff in, make sense of it, and do something in real time, that's another reason [CX] is tough.''  ⚡ Focus on what you could do rather than what you should do. Another thing companies find challenging is figuring out where to start with CX. They may have technology, processes, and people, but they don't know how to use data coming from these resources to start measuring and evaluating CX. As Eric explains, focus on the end goal or the north star of your business. ''Within customer experience, [...] look at happy delivery. When you start to break that down and work backward from a happy delivery versus just orders through the app or revenue, the app has to be usable and discoverable. Then people are going to use it more, or you're going to have a higher average selling price, more frequency, and more openness to using other applications on the platform.''  ⚡ Positive results can come out of undesired situations. Regardless of the company's efforts to provide a flawless customer experience, there’s always some friction. However, it all depends on the management and the entire team's approach to it. Friction doesn't have to be a bad thing. If managed properly, it can result in an even better relationship between a company and an unhappy customer. ''You're never going to be able to avoid the friction a hundred percent. The key is understanding where those hotspots happen and to be able to do the right thing quickly.''