Today we discuss how the wrong perspective on bad customer service blinds us to the vital insight we need to make improvements where they are needed the most. Zooming in on bad customer service Too often, customer service is pushed into its own corner. We see this a lot on surveys, where bad customer service is separate from things like long lines at the store, or even rude employees. When we speak in such general terms about poor service, we cheat ourselves out of the opportunity to get to the ...
Aug 25, 2016•13 min
Adam and Jeannie join veteran change agent Eddie Turner to discuss his innovative methods for facilitating change smoothly and effectively. The holistic approach to facilitating change Change is often difficult for individuals. But for organizations, it can be disastrous if the process for facilitating change is not carefully planned and executed. Today’s guest, Eddie Turner, has mastered the art of change management in many industries. Eddie explains some of the common challenges around organiz...
Aug 22, 2016•20 min
Today we discuss some of the ways augmented reality (AR) can enhance marketing and overall customer experiences. Augmented reality is not just for games! According to Wikipedia, “Augmented reality (AR) is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.” Using GPS data to add graphics to real-life environments, Pokemon Go is a perfect example of this ...
Aug 18, 2016•16 min
Adam and Jeannie have a fascinating and entertaining discussion with Anna Liotta, author of Unlocking Generational CODES. About our guest Anna Liotta, MA, CSP is an award-winning speaker, business consultant and author with a deep understanding of how generational demographics and dynamics can affect the landscape of business. Early in her consulting career, Anna noticed a common theme: a fundamental lack of understanding between different generations within an organization that hindered trust, ...
Aug 15, 2016•37 min
Today we discuss how customer service situations turn bad or worse when the customer is refusing help offered by front-line employees. Why is your customer refusing help? While salespeople are typically trained to handle rejection, many other customer-facing employees are not. We train our staff to deliver the best experience possible, but sometimes they try a little too hard, creating tension in the customer experience. This often takes the form of help offered when the customer doesn’t really ...
Aug 11, 2016•13 min
Today we join bestselling author and TEDx speaker Bryan Kramer to discuss the power of sharing to drive customer engagement and create lasting human connections. Viral content and the art of Shareology From sharing content to sharing rides, humans are hard-wired for sharing. But before we can share content and ideas customers will want to engage with, we must first understand why people share things in the first place. How does it relate to our brands? How does it relate to our customers’ goals?...
Aug 08, 2016•30 min
Live from the National Speakers Association’s Influence 2016 conference, Adam and Jeannie discuss ways to use content in customer service and improve the overall experience. Beyond marketing: Content in customer service Sharing valuable content is now an essential part of a successful digital marketing strategy. Companies have had to pick up new skills and tools, or even create new departments to keep up. So now that we’ve got our content hats on, let’s talk about using those resources to improv...
Aug 04, 2016•8 min
Live from the National Speakers Association’s Influence 2016 conference, Adam and Jeannie tackle the challenges women face in building professional confidence with expert and speaker, Becky Spohn. About our guest Becky Spohn is an Inspirational Speaker and Trainer with over 25 years in the industry. She uses her unique style of tough-love, humor, and compassion to educate, entertain, and inspire audiences of corporations, associations, and individuals across the country. As Founder of Confidence...
Aug 01, 2016•12 min
Reporting live from the National Speakers Association’s Influence 2016 conference, Adam and Jeannie discuss the connection between culture and customer service excellence. Create lasting impressions with proactive service To provide satisfactory customer service, you must be there for customers when they need you. But if you’d like to be known for great service, you must reach out to customers before they need you. A strong customer-focused culture that empowers employees to connect on different...
Jul 28, 2016•6 min
Adam and Jeannie interview personal branding expert Jane Anderson live from the National Speakers Association's Influence 2016 Convention. Personal brands have more personal customers “When you’re in a personally branded business, you are far more connected to your customers than ever,” says personal branding expert Jane Anderson. That said, relying on big-brand customer service experience in a personal brand setting can be a huge mistake! Jane outlines some of the key distinctions for us and sh...
Jul 25, 2016•20 min
Today we discuss claims of company longevity as a sales point and whether or not they still have a positive marketing impact on today’s consumers. Is company history still a viable sales point? We’ve all seen marketing copy that says things like “America’s favorite widget for 50 years!” or “Building whirligigs since 1942.” In generations past, these claims held a lot of water for consumers looking to do business with brands they can trust. But in today’s world, technology changes overnight and p...
Jul 21, 2016•11 min
Adam and Jeannie tackle customer experience challenges in many industries with Curtis Kopf, Vice President of Customer Experience for Premera Blue Cross. Behind-the-scenes customer experience challenges A great customer experience is an easy one. But there is often great complexity involved in making those experiences happen. Curtis Kopf has a long history of working with customer-focused organizations that are driven by strong missions. These companies have become leaders in their industries by...
Jul 18, 2016•29 min
Today we discuss infrastructure and the ability to fit into the customer ecosystem as key factors behind the success of any game-changing innovation. Brilliant innovation is still just one step towards the next great thing Tesla Motors plans on making their amazing electric cars more attainable and affordable for the masses. This sounds great, and they certainly have the technology to create the product. But what about the infrastructure? Currently, it can be challenging to find a charging stati...
Jul 14, 2016•15 min
Today’s guest shares how Columbus Metropolitan Library creates an environment that’s attractive, comfortable, and relevant to today’s rapidly-changing needs and lifestyles. Columbus Metropolitan Library: Creating a community around knowledge To remain relevant and attractive in today’s world, organizations of all kinds need to rethink the ideal customer experience often. And in some cases, they must rethink the way they do business. Libraries are no exception. But sadly, most have not changed mu...
Jul 11, 2016•24 min
Today we discuss the impact different methods of payment have on customers and the way we do business. Methods of payment and the experiences around them We admit payment methods aren’t a sexy topic like unboxing or social media engagement. And that’s why this part of the customer experience is so often overlooked! But trust on this one: It’s huge. So how does method of payment fit in, and how much of an impact does it have on your customer experience? Would you know? From those holding up the l...
Jul 07, 2016•21 min
Adam and Jeannie interview Chloë Thomas, author of Customer Manipulation. Why call it "customer manipulation?" Many businesses struggle because they refuse to think of it this way. But in reality, it is our jobs as marketers to manipulate customer behavior. We use whatever tools we can to attract customers, to get them to spend more, then send new customers our way. So how can we keep a handle on customer behavior, without being pushy or feeling guilty? Chloë explains how to use the customer con...
Jun 30, 2016•21 min
Jeannie and Adam discuss recent issues with the TSA check-in process and how many of the customer experience nightmares that emerged around it could have been avoided. TSA Customer Service Customer service in government security… Dare we use these phrases in the same sentence? In many cases, TSA agents have done an excellent job providing good customer service while staying firm with security regulations. There are many people doing great work in the organization! However, the TSA has been in th...
Jun 27, 2016•16 min
Today’s guest discusses the digital fan engagement strategy behind the Copa America Centenario, one of the world’s largest soccer tournaments. Fan engagement in the digital age There’s much more to the modern fan engagement than getting the crowd excited at the stadium. Today, fans are engaging on social media, websites, mobile apps and email lists. Die-hard fans are looking for more information and a deeper connection to the game, while newcomers and guests are just hoping to figure out what it...
Jun 23, 2016•36 min
Jeannie and Adam discuss transparency in business, and what it means for customers, employees and stakeholders. Seeing through the concept of transparency How much information do you really need to share, and with whom? This is an age-old conundrum, but the digital age has brought about new challenges. Transparency has become a hot buzzword in recent years, and with good reason. Customers, employees and stakeholders are demanding more information than ever before. This is especially true for mil...
Jun 20, 2016•16 min
Adam and Jeannie discuss the challenges of creating a culture around patient empathy with Sven Gierlinger, Chief Experience Officer for Northwell Health. Embedding patient empathy into process and culture Healthcare workers are indeed heroes. With sensitive tasks and complicated registration processes at hand, creating experiences that make patients feel safe and comfortable is a tall order. With a background in hospitality at Ritz-Carlton, Northwell Health Chief Experience Officer Sven Gierling...
Jun 16, 2016•27 min
Adam and Jeannie discuss how the Cleveland Clinic uses environmental design as an integral part of the experience. Environmental design: An integral part of the experience The Cleveland clinic is world renowned as a pioneer in improving the patient experience. But aside from focusing on patient empathy and access, they are also using art and design to help create an environment that’s conducive to the experience they want to deliver. In this episode, Jeannie and Adam share observations from thei...
Jun 13, 2016•11 min
Adam and Jeannie interview Brian Andrews, VP of Customer Experience at Sprint, at the 2016 CXPA Insight Exchange. Brian Andrews, Pioneering NPS at Intuit and Sprint Before there was a playbook or a Harvard Business Review article on the practice, Brian was adopting Net Promoter Score at Intuit. Adam and Jeannie had the chance to discuss Brian’s challenges and triumphs during the early days of using NPS. Brian is now the Vice President of Customer Experience at Sprint. Under his direction, they h...
Jun 09, 2016•12 min
In the fourth and last episode in a series of live reports from the CXPA Insight Exchange, Jeannie and Adam explore the challenges of improving customer experience around industry regulations. Industry regulations are no excuse! Companies in heavily-regulated industries like airlines, banks and insurance agencies have to make sure everything’s up to code and in compliance. (And with good reason!) But strict regulations often give rise to interactions that seem impossible to work into customer-fo...
Jun 06, 2016•7 min
Tema Frank discusses her latest book, People Shock, and how to balance technology with process and people for a better customer experience. Connecting people with process As we rely more on technology, we acquire new processes. And those processes often don’t translate to the ideal customer experience. “IT does not think like customers,” says today’s guest, Tema Frank! And the evidence is all around us. Today, the best of intentions can lead to customer service disasters, simply because a set of...
Jun 02, 2016•21 min
In the third episode of a series of live reports from the CXPA Insight Exchange, Jeannie and Adam discuss new challenges and opportunities around the healthcare experience. Decoding the healthcare experience At this year’s CXPA Insight Exchange, our co-host Jeannie Walters took to the stage with Jackie McAtee to share and evaluate a personal journey through the healthcare system. But they weren’t alone! Healthcare experience was a more prevalent theme than ever at this year’s event. Leaders in t...
May 30, 2016•7 min
Experience mapping expert and author Jim Kalbach shares little-known but powerful secrets to leading and executing a successful mapping project. The holistic approach to experience mapping Thinking of creating a customer journey map, process diagram or strategy map for your organization? These can be invaluable tools for growing your business and improving your customer experience. So how can you create useful maps and visualizations that actually help you understand and optimize your processes ...
May 26, 2016•21 min
In the second episode of a series of live reports from the CXPA Insight Exchange, Jeannie and Adam discuss predictive analytics for getting way ahead of customer service issues. Predictive analytics for proactive customer service We just love technology that helps gather and analyze data, don’t you? The problem with data, though, is that it’s all in the past. It’s great to have a solution at hand for a known customer service issues, but that means a customer has already had a mishap with your br...
May 23, 2016•6 min
David Williams, CEO of Make-A-Wish®, shares his expertise in delivering incredible experiences to a highly complex customer base in the nonprofit sector and beyond. Who are nonprofit customers, and are they any different? We talk a lot about showing the human side of a brand to create an experience that customers connect with on an emotional level. To help accomplish this, many corporations are looking to nonprofit partners to help promote their brand and build anticipation. Make-A-Wish® is one ...
May 19, 2016•30 min
The first in a series of live reports from the CXPA Insight Exchange, Adam and Jeannie discuss new trends for hearing the real voice of the customer. Are you hearing the real voice of the customer? A few years ago, the buzz amongst customer experience professionals was all about the data. With so much new technology for gathering and analyzing it, voice of the customer initiatives suddenly became more viable than ever. And yet, CX leaders report there’s still a profound emotional disconnect betw...
May 16, 2016•6 min
Today’s guest shares ideas on how you can grow your business using technology and time-honored principles. Growing Your Business with Tech Growing a business today is fundamentally the same as it’s been for generations, in that it’s all about building relationships. Today, technology brings us many new advantages for building those relationships. But that same tech can put you at a disadvantage if you’re using it the wrong way. Terry Brock explains how social platforms and new communication tech...
May 12, 2016•28 min
