Technically this is Maxine Weber's DOUBLE, DOUBLE Secret Bonus Question (DDSBQ). Maxine is a Former CX leader and Director of Marketing, Nutraceuticals at Ashland . You may remember her from her last episode: S3 Ep55 Impact of a Consumer Affairs role can Have on one's Career Journey. She spills the tea on how she approached the employee experience for her Contact Center front line folks resulting in the lowest attrition rates per program for her BPO. HINT: Max was ahead of her time in truly embr...
Sep 27, 2022•12 min•Season 4Ep. 61
My Curious Colleague, the PODCAST, is back for Season 4...! I'm kicking off Season 4 with my colleague, Jane Freiman, - Owner, Smart Kitchen Insights. She shares Home & Kitchen Trends she's been tracking. You may remember her from Episode #28 (Dec 2021) when she was on the podcast and is back to update us on some of those trends PLUS share some new ones. I love this idea of keeping our listeners close to trends which may trickle down to impact the Consumer and -- ultimately impact the Consum...
Sep 20, 2022•29 min•Season 4Ep. 60
Our next Double Secret Bonus Question (DSBQ) episode on the My Curious Colleague Podcast this week features my colleague @Beth Ziff , EVP of Customer Engagement at Premiere Response. My DSBQ to Beth is trying to find out her secret for being so effortlessly “steady in a recall” (she refers to them as “high volume events” because they could be positive...so true!). Beth reveals certain steps regarding People, Process & Platforms that guides her calmness and she believes- if followed- will gui...
Jul 31, 2022•11 min•Season 3Ep. 59
Say hello to S3 Ep58 of the My Curious Colleague podcast with my guest, @Craig Antonucci, Chief Experience Officer (CXO) at AutoCar Trucks. After many years on the BPO/vendor side. Craig found himself in 2021 with an opportunity that he couldn’t refuse – and made the move over to the “Client side” as well as made the move to Birmingham, Alabama by way of NJ! We talked about AutoCar Truck’s business model – which is a little complex – production of customized vehicles/fleets and providing customi...
Jul 25, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 58
This week my guest is my colleague @Andy Greenawalt, CEO and Co-Founder at the start-up Storyhub.ai. We share an interest in finding insights lurking in consumer data. His start-up is focused on “helping mission driven DTC companies”. I ask Andy why Story Telling is an ideal way to communicate findings and the why behind his focus on DTC orgs (vs. say… large classic CPG organizations). While Storyhub is considered a start-up, I did get probe for you to get a sense of the vision and approach to d...
Jul 19, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 57
I’ve got my colleague @Beth Ziff, EVP of Customer Engagement at Premiere Response on the My Curious Colleague Podcast this week. We’re talking CX Metrics in the Contact Center. Beth made me laugh – a lot. She is a delight… no surprise to those who know this consumer care space leader…! And she takes us thru it all… THINK – 🌟 how & why her POV on CX Contact Center Metrics has changed 🌟what’s the metric she’s most intrigued about now 🌟 when & how’s the best way to include this metric wi...
Jul 11, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 56
✨My colleague Maxine Weber, Director of Marketing, Nutraceuticals at Ashland is a fabulous addition to my series on “How a stint in Consumer Affairs impacted one’s career journey” In between deep CPG Marketing and now B to B Marketing, Maxine had the unique opportunity to lead -at the same time- both Consumer Affairs & Regulatory Affairs. And led she did…! 🤔 THINK: what’s she leveraged from her consumer affairs experience into her more recent roles – some will surprise you, the reason behin...
Jul 04, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 55
🏄🏼♂️ Have you met my DOUBLE SECRET BONUS QUESTION (DSBQ) 🔐episodes on the My Curious Colleague podcast…? Something new I’ve started where I get a chance to go a little off Full Episode topic and ask questions that my guests have a unique POV on… Listen to S3 Ep54 with Tom Asher, VP of Customer Support at Twist Bioscience who joins me for the DSBQ. We dig into his non-corporate journey to “finding” Consumer/Customer Care as a profession. 🌲 Okay…this guy is drawn to cutting edge organizations...
Jun 26, 2022•14 min•Season 3Ep. 54
Long time colleague and Consumer Care/Support Leader - @Tom Asher - joins me as a delightful addition to my series on "How Direct Experience in Consumer Relations Can Impact one's Career Journey." Tom's serving his team at Twist Bioscience as VP of Customer Support. THINK: Tips on what Tom leveraged from his stint leading Levi Strauss' Consumer Care Team into his later career roles...(HINT: Servant Leadership is part of the mix..) The Big Lesson learned about himself from a rotational assignment...
Jun 19, 2022•16 min•Season 3Ep. 53
We've got another Double Secret Bonus Question for you... In this episode, I ask Neal Topf, President of Callzilla (BPO) the following: DOUBLE SECRET BONUS QUESTION: How can you be a Good Business Partner...One that leads to a productive relationship for the vendor, client and ultimately --- our consumers. Neal is dropping gems -- three gems to be exact. So listen in. Thanks Neal...! And THANK YOU to our new SPONSOR: Want to use the best income growth strategies from top entrepreneurs and CEOs, ...
Jun 14, 2022•8 min•Season 3Ep. 52
We've got a Double Secret Bonus Question Episode for you this week with my colleague, @Chris Drury of Blount Find Foods. I ask Chris to share the scoop on his upcoming speaking gig. Chris shares that AND a funny story i know you'll enjoy. Thanks Chris...! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/denise-venneri/message
Jun 05, 2022•6 min•Season 3Ep. 51
💛 In the spirit of giving back, I continue to ask my guests which organizations they'd want to give a Volunteer Shout-out to. What they all had in common are that they were volunteer organizations my guests had a lot of heart 💜 for. Please join me in reviewing the My Curious Colleague podcast compilation of Season 3 Volunteer Org Shout Outs in the FULL Episode (S3 Ep50) And… thank you to the following for their time and sharing of their talent as guests on Season 3 of the My Curious Colleague ...
May 31, 2022•7 min•Season 3Ep. 50
⚙SUNDAY SNEAK PEEK: This week we’ve got my colleague, Christopher Drury , Director of Customer Care at Blount Fine Foods BACK on the My Curious Colleague podcast. Our conversation is 3rd in our series on the “R” word (yes, Recalls..), BUT this time we’re focusing on the Technology side of Recalls. 🤔THINK – Four different touchpoints along the Recall Communication Journey where technology can be enabled – we’re talking: ✔Traceability Reporting ✔Disabled Microsite Websites at the ready ✔The benef...
May 23, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 49
💦SUNDAY SNEAK PEEK: On this steamy 85 degree Sunday in Cleveland, I thought I'd share a refreshing Redux of my episode with my colleague Krystle Dowling , who I was lucky enough to have worked with back when... Enjoy...! ************************************* I’m kicking off a new series this week where I’ll be focusing on guests’ sharing how their direct experience working in the Consumer Care function impacted their career path and perspectives of consumers. My guest is my colleague, Krystle D...
May 17, 2022•13 min•Season 3Ep. 48
⛳SUNDAY SNEAK PEEK...! This week I talk with my colleague, Neal Topf …He’s a BPO owner, self-titled Iconoclast & Existentialist, and now! a first time published co-author…! On Tuesday I'll be posting S3 Ep47 of the My Curious Colleague podcast with Neal – President, Callzilla. 📚Neal is a Chapter contributor to the book titled “Customer Experience4” . His chapter is called “Fireside Chats – What Customer Experience Podcasting Can Teach Us.” We chat about how he got “tapped” to contribute, hi...
May 10, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 47
⭐SUNDAY SNEAK PEEK: My guest this week is my colleague Jon Cox …and he’s Back! but this time he brought a friend - - his colleague Richard Wakeanda (Food Safety/QA Leader). And we’re talking “Mock Recalls”. So interesting to get the QA perspective AND the Consumer Affairs POV. These 2 colleagues allow me to get into the details – which you know I love. 🤔THINK – ✔Reasons to conduct a Mock Recall (they’re not universally mandatory) ✔Best Practices galore re: Steps to INITIATE & EXECUTE a Mock...
Apr 26, 2022•27 min•Season 3Ep. 46
This Tuesday, 4/19/22, my guest on the My Curious Colleague #podcast is author & keynote speaker Dan Gingiss - The Experience Maker. We chat about this little gem: Dan will be taking the stage for the 1st time at the SOCAP International (Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals) Symposium as the Keynote Speaker on Monday, 5/2 at The Wigwam Resort in Phoenix, AZ. ---> About 4 minutes in, you’ll hear about an exclusive offer Dan has for our community: For his interactive course - The Exper...
Apr 18, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 45
⚾ SUNDAY SNEEK PEEK...! Hello My Curious Colleagues. This week on the My Curious Colleague podcast, my guest will be my colleague, Tara Pasquin Bischoff . You may know her as a long time fixture and contributor to the Consumer Care Industry. Tara is part of my series on - - "What the impact of direct Consumer Care experience has on one's career journey." And Tara brings the INSPO. She is currently a brand new (pun intended) Associate Brand Manager at Ricola USA joining the company at the end of ...
Apr 12, 2022•19 min•Season 3Ep. 44
Welcome to S3 Ep43 of the My Curious Colleague podcast with “A Book Opening” to which my colleague, @Neal Topf – President, Callzilla is a Chapter co-contributor. The book is titled “ Customer Experience4 ” and its Editors are @Naeem Arif and @Andrew Priestley . 🎇What’s exciting about this latest book in the #CX series is that Neal is now a first time published author…which he can add to his roles of senior leader and a fellow podcaster..! His chapter is called “Fireside Chats – What Customer E...
Apr 05, 2022•5 min•Season 3Ep. 43
My guest this week on the My Curious Colleague podcast is my colleague, Brian Schalk. We talk about his various Consumer Care roles in the CPG industry including his current stint as Global Consumer Care Director at General Mills. Among other topics, we went deep into chatting about his Leadership Style and got granular with his approach that you could leverage for both a new & a seasoned team member. This man is a true “student” of the development of people. Love it…! So…be sure to listen t...
Mar 29, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 42
🏀 SUNDAY SNEAK PEEK… This week I’m chatting with my colleague – Steve Sedlak – about his experience over the years as a Customer Service Leader. He’s super chill but watch out… as he drops the gems for us in this one…! We talk about: 💎 His Top 4 lessons learned across CPG, travel & airline industries 💎 What he misses most now that he’s in retirement 💎 AND…what His approach is to Complaint Management 💜 So… thank you Steve for joining me on S3 Ep41 #MyCuriousColleague #CX #customerexperie...
Mar 22, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 41
My colleague, Fiona Brown CEO, at SOCAP Australia joins Leaders Marie Shubin and Jon Cox of SOCAP International USA on this week's podcast. SOCAP stands for the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals. Did you know it was President John F. Kennedy who introduced what was eventually to be called the Consumer Bill of Rights in the early 1960’s…? 👉🏻 We talk Consumer Rights, Digital Age impacts and the similarities and differences across these 2 trade/industry groups... PLUS we talk World Consum...
Mar 15, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 40
PART 2 of my conversation with my colleague Jeanne Jones is ready to go... So, do take a listen to S3 Ep39 of the My Curious Colleague Podcast...! ⭐ Jeanne has pretty much done it all - CX Operations Leader for several decades, raising a family, filed for a patent and now... a published author. And Thank you, Jeanne... --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/denise-venneri/message...
Mar 09, 2022•19 min•Season 3Ep. 39
I caught up with my colleague, Jeanne Jones, a CX Operations Leader across a myriad of Fortune 500 companies including ConAgra Brands, Ameritech & Sprint to name just a few. But did you know she filed a patent and is a published author now…? So much to catch up on…! Therefore… Jeanne’s interview is a “2 Part-er”. Catch Part 1 S3 Ep#38 (Part 1) on the My Curious Colleague #podcast. Look for Part 2 of her episode coming soon…! We talk topics such as - - what stands out for her across her decad...
Mar 01, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 38
Hello My Curious Colleagues…! This week my guest is my colleague, Helen Horsham-Bertels, Principal – Bago Consulting . I knew of Helen when she held Global leadership roles at Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Customer Care, Guest Experience and Guest Communications. So… did you know that she now is a consultant and conducts trainings with clients, including DEI topics and Unconscious Bias…? Our conversation included – What moved Helen to expand her focus on the Guest Experience to include the Em...
Feb 22, 2022•16 min•Season 3Ep. 37
My guest this week on the My Curious Colleague Podcast is my colleague, Jon Cox, Sr. Manager, Consumer Affairs | Marketing at the Wellness Pet Company . This is 2nd in my series of talking the Consumer Care function as part of guests' career paths. (Yes-He was on the podcast last week talking opening about Recalls) 💜 Jon has been a leader in the Consumer Care space And… has recently served as Chair-Elect of SOCAP (the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals) & currently serves as SOCAP’s ...
Feb 15, 2022•14 min•Season 3Ep. 36
My guest this week on the My Curious Colleagu e #Podcast is a colleague who started leading the Consumer Care Team during a recall…yes – you’ve heard right – a challenging time to start a new role AND… I said the “R” word. In fact we say the “R” word quite a bit in this episode. My guest is my colleague, @Jon Cox, Sr. Manager, Consumer Affairs - Marketing at the Wellness Pet Company. Jon is so open on this topic of Recalls and I’m grateful to get the conversation started on the My Curious Collea...
Feb 08, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 35
I’ve got guest @Lisa Diehl BACK on the My Curious Colleague Podcast to update us on her Dashboard Analytics Project she first shared with us on S1 Ep4. And she takes us thru the details… THINK – 🌟level setting us on the project intent, 🌟 scope, 🌟status, 🌟 challenges and the 🌟 final milestone that’s in the works…! 🌟 Lisa Diehl is Manager, Consumer Advocacy- Global Retail Division. North America Consumer at Blue Diamond Growers for the past 6 years and has been leader in the Consumer Care In...
Feb 01, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 34
💜 My guest is my colleague, Krystle Dowling, Sr. Consultant-Consumer Insights. Krystle & I worked together in Consumer Affairs at Campbell Soup where Krystle was a Sr. Analyst on our Reporting Team and we all benefitted from her penchant for “finding opportunities” and impacting the marketplace. 📣 I’m kicking off a new series this week where I’ll be focusing on guests’ sharing how their direct experience working in the Consumer Care function impacted their career path and perspectives of c...
Jan 25, 2022•13 min•Season 3Ep. 33
Welcome to Season 3 of the My Curious Colleague Podcast...! I'm honored for Marie Shubin , CEO of SOCAP (Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals) industry group to return to the podcast. Marie has been a leader & a welcomed fixture within the Consumer Care Community for the past 25+ years. Along with sharing SOCAP's vision along four core pillars, Marie shares a sneak peek of timing she shares for some key events this year. Foremost is SOCAP's vision and deliverables in support of professi...
Jan 18, 2022•24 min•Season 3Ep. 32
