Amazing Business Radio (Shep Hyken & C-Suite Radio)

Shep Hyken interviews Antony Brydon. They discuss the role of automation in customer service, and how companies can best use it to improve their customers’ experience. Top Takeaways: When companies switch to AI and other new automation technologies, more often than not it is the customers who suffer. Companies must make this switch without sacrificing the customer experience. AI has the capacity to transform practically every job within the knowledge sector, especially customer service jobs. The key is making it work. The shortcomings of AI include understanding customer intent and using creativity to solve problems. These are areas where people excel. Integrating the human touch into automated systems will allow the AI experience to improve dramatically. Rather than AI supporting humans, humans must support and train AI so it gets better. Connecting automation to a network of human subject matter experts is a good way to start. Technology is changing incredibly fast, so adaptability is key. Humans are good at adapting to new situations and can therefore help automated systems adapt to best serve the customer. The future is conversational, meaning customers are choosing to connect with companies through more casual conversational channels like texting and instant messaging. AI needs to adapt to this. Poor automated systems end up costing far more than efficient ones. The more a company invests in automation and AI, the better the experience will be all around. Don’t associate automation with a poor customer experience. Contrary to popular belief, it is very possible to switch to AI and automated processes that improve the customer experience at the same time. Quote: “So much of a good experience comes down to the investment in that experience.” - Antony Brydon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways: -      Scott Harris defines creating ‘wow’ as helping your customers always get more out of CX and going over and above in delivering for your customers. -      If you wait until the end of an interaction to survey your customers, you are essentially surveying the memory of an experience. -      CX for years has been about collecting and analyzing data to make great business decisions. Now that same data can be used as a behavioral driver powering better customer experiences in the immediate moment. -      Legacy CX is telling your customers that their feedback matters because you will be using their feedback to shape the experience for future customers. -      CX feedback in real-time empowers the brand to fix the experience immediately for customers that report problems, which in turn creates confidence and trust in your brand and the experience. -      We’re now seeing a paradigm shift in CX that empowers not only the customer but also the employees to shape the experience. -      Customers who leave positive reviews in a survey allow for opportunities to automatically send follow-up messages and offers for these happy customers to join your rewards program, for example. -      Even small businesses can take the concept of sending immediate surveys to help create a better experience for their customers. Not every company needs data-driven software to fix customer issues and improve CX overall. -      In the enterprise world, there is ROI everywhere and with billions of dollars lost from poor customer service every year, companies cannot afford to use the old paradigm of CX anymore. -      Companies are evolving to systems, processes and connectivity that allows them to interact with their customers and improve CX in real-time.   Quote: “Legacy CX is asking your customers for their feedback so that you can try to do better for customers in the future. What if that feedback could make you better right now?” About: Scott Harris is the CEO and founder of Experience.com, a game-changing Experience Management Platform (XMP). Harris is also the author of CX 2.0: Create WOW Customer Experiences, which outlines the future of real-time experience management, released in 2020.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Building Human-Centered AI in Customer Service and Experience Shep Hyken interviews Seth Dobrin, IBM's first Global Chief AI Officer, leading the company's corporate AI strategy. He shares how businesses can take a human-centered approach when utilizing AI to help their customers.  Top Takeaways:    ·      What do we mean when we talk about AI for business? It is a technology that understands the language of your business and automates workflows and processes in a trustworthy manner that complies with regulations.   ·      When organizations build AI, they make it to solve a problem, but they don't often think of the humans that are involved until the end. When building AI solutions, we must start with who will use the AI and why. Then, recognize that the person using the AI technology and the person impacted by it may not be the same person.   ·      AI technology can help us eliminate or reduce the human tendency to have biases when we're driving decisions.   ·      Seth also shares how we can understand the problems that our customers, employees, and contractors face and the value AI create for them. Plus, we take a peek at the AI trends that we can expect in the very near future. Tune in! Quote:  "During the pandemic, we saw a huge acceleration of organizations, companies, governments, and healthcare entities using AI for customer care. Leveraging AI was able to deflect 90% of the conversation so that the 10% who really needed to speak to a human could."   About:   Dr. Seth Dobrin is IBM's first Global Chief AI Officer. He is recognized as AI Innovator of the Year 2021 at the AIconics Awards and named one of Corinium's Top 100 Leaders in Data & Analytics 2022. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Martha Brooke. They discuss common rating systems implemented by many companies, the faults and flaws of these systems, and ways to improve the feedback process overall. In Shep’s Opening Monologue... He talks about the best ways to handle negative online reviews. The Interview with Martha Brooke:The way many ratings systems are designed makes it easy to skew results. Customers don’t give honest feedback out of fear of potential repercussions.One reason customers give positive ratings after negative experiences is because they don’t want to feel like they’re punishing someone. However, being honest is more helpful because it improves the community. That is the benefit of deep altruism versus superficial altruism.There is little tangible proof that reviews and ratings are anonymous, so customers may also fear repercussions from rated individuals or that it will be harder to do business with that company in the future.People are inundated daily with requests for feedback. It becomes easier to leave a simple 5-star review rather than a negative one or no review at all.Companies need to define what a 5-star rating means so that their customers are on the same page. People tend to look think of extremes when giving feedback, but what 5 stars means to one person may not be the same for another.The ultimate goal is to get the feedback to accurately reflect the customer experience.Quote: “Want great customer feedback? It starts with having really authentic conversations. Open ended questions are where the gold lies.” - Martha Brooke About: Martha Brooke founded Interaction Metrics in 2004 with the mission of dramatically improving the customer experience. She is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) and holds a Blackbelt in Six Sigma. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      Some businesses such as a healthcare practice or provider, do not have a product that the customer touches. Instead, it’s all about selling the entire service experience to their customer. -      Remember to manage the Moments of Truth: any time a customer comes into contact with any part of your business they have the opportunity to form an impression. -      Words are very powerful in shaping the perception of the customer experience. For example, the waiting room in a doctor’s office could be renamed as the reception area, implying a different experience from just waiting in a room. -      If your customers are experiencing long wait times or complex systems when trying to call your business, it may be time to hire more help or invest in technology to reduce those hold times or phone trees. -      Creating a positive customer experience increases the likelihood that your customers will tell others of their experience with you, ultimately making you feel more fulfilled with your work to create that experience. -      Dr. Baum’s 10 Personal Promises to His Patients: 1.   We will answer the phone in less than 3 rings. 2.   A human, not an answering machine, will speak with you and make your appointment or take your questions. 3.   We can usually make an appointment to see you on the same day that you call or the very next day. 4.   If you call for the doctor and the doctor is not available, we will call you back the same day and we will tell you what time that call is going to take place. 5.   We use an electronic medical record system to send your prescription to the pharmacy immediately so that the medication will be ready by the time you arrive to pick it up. 6.   We will send a letter to your primary care doctor or referring physician while you’re still in the exam room that lists your diagnosis, the medications you’ve been prescribed and the treatment plan we’ve outlined for you. 7.   We’ll provide you with educational materials on your condition, including articles written by Dr. Baum. 8.   You can communicate with me or one of my staff via email and I will answer you usually within the same day. 9.   We have a very energetic, enthusiastic and smiling staff who will help exceed your expectations regarding your visit to our office. 10. We will make your visit almost magical. Quote:“The customer experience begins with the patient, or customer, the moment you start any sort of interaction.” About:Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Clinical Urology at Tulane Medical School, has written over 300 peer-reviewed articles and 10 books on marketing, communications between doctors and patients, as well as publications on men and women’s healthcare issues. Dr. Baum is the also author of The Business Basics to Building and Managing a Healthcare Practice which was published in 2019.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How an Amazing Customer Experience Can Be a Differentiator for Your Brand  Shep Hyken interviews Arun Shastri, principal at ZS and the author of the Harvard Business Review Sales Management Handbook: How to Lead High-Performing Sales Teams. He talks about the intersection of sales and customer experience, the importance of digital and human interactions, and how they influence the overall customer journey.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    Why is including sales important in the overall plan for customer experience?  How can sales and customer service teams work together to make customers happier?  Why is digital technology key for a smooth customer experience?  What role does human interaction have in today's changing customer experience world?  How can companies create a customer-focused experience from before a purchase to after?  Top Takeaways:    Customer experience is the overall perception customers have based on their interactions with a brand, from the first web search to after the purchase. Ensuring a positive customer experience means simplifying and enriching every aspect of the customer's journey, product, and service.    Salespeople play a crucial role in shaping the customer experience. They help customers discover what they need, educate them about solutions, and build trust.     In both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) industries, customers expect seamless and convenient experiences. Since we are all customers, B2C interactions often serve as a benchmark for B2B expectations. Customers are not only comparing you to your competitors. They are comparing you to the best customer experiences they have had from brands in every industry.    Digital technology serves as a valuable ally in improving customer experience. While digital channels can provide quick answers, they can't fully replace the need for human touch in more complex situations.     Brands should prioritize making every interaction efficient to respect and save the customer's time. Businesses that can reduce or eliminate time-wasting steps in a customer's journey will enhance their overall experience.     As customers evolve, so should businesses. Companies need to be attuned to the changing expectations and preferences of their customers so they can meet them effectively.    Plus, Shep and Arun share how salespeople and customer support teams can become trusted advisors to customers. Tune in!  Quote:   "Customer Experience is about the overall perception through every interaction between a customer and all aspects of the brand before, during, and after a purchase."    About:    Arun Shastri is a principal at ZS and the author of The Harvard Business Review Sales Management Handbook: How to Lead High-Performing Sales Teams. He is the cohost of Reinventing Customer Experience podcast and a teacher for sales executives at Kellogg.     Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Rick DeLisi and Dan Michaeli, authors of Digital Customer Service: Transforming Customer Experience for An On-Screen World. They discuss why customer-centric companies need digital transformation.   Top Takeaways:  ·        Digital Customer Service is about interactions that take place on-screen or have a component of on-screen enhancements (on-screen automation, on-collaboration, on-screen communication). ·        Virtually every service experience starts as self-service. When a customer goes into a company's website or mobile app, they are at the beginning of their digital self-service journey. ·        In a Digital Customer Service interaction, the customers are already logged in and have already begun their search for answers. If and when a human-to-human interaction is needed, the customer support agent should be able to know who the customer is and what they are looking for. ·        US companies alone still receive more than one billion incoming phone calls every year. Many companies claim to be customer-centric yet still expect customers to call them when they need help even in today's on-screen world. ·        Whether you are a B2B or a B2C business, your customers have learned what the best digital experience looks like from the most successful companies.  Quote:   "Customers are now "on-screen" and companies need to meet them on the channels that they are using to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and experience of every interaction."  About:  Rick DeLisi is the co-author of the best-selling book, The Effortless Experience. He has been researching the psychology of customer behavior and expectations in service for the past two decades Dan Michaeli is the CEO of New York-based Glia, a leader in helping companies reinvent how they serve their customers. He develops solutions that create world-class digital customer experiences for “traditional” non-digital-native organizations. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leveraging Content and Social Media to Provide Customer Care Shep Hyken interviews Mich Hancock, CEO of 100th Monkey and the host of MichMash Podcast. She talks about how brands can use digital content and social media to communicate with customers, showcase their values, and enhance customer experience. Top Takeaways:  Social media is called "social" for a reason. It's more than posting branded content. It is about communicating with your customers, getting feedback, responding to comments, and taking action based on what your customers tell you. Respond thoughtfully to every comment, positive or negative. Instead of replying with a generic "thank you" each time someone leaves a comment, respond in a way that makes the customer feel heard as an individual.  Customers are watching you on social media. They are especially watching how you handle negative comments or complaints. When you handle negative comments effectively, it gives customers tremendous confidence to want to do business with you. Remember, you are not trying to win an argument, you are trying to win the customer – and in the world of social media, everyone can watch Social media is a way for businesses to bring people into their community. It is a way for brands to tell a story about their business so customers can get to know them better and understand how they work.  When you offer customer care through social media, educate your customers to go to that channel, and make sure you are monitoring those channels and engaging with your customers promptly.  Plus, Mich shares how companies can share their values, message, and authenticity with their customers. Tune in! Quotes: "Customers like to do business with companies that care about the same things that they do. If you support an amazing cause, you should talk about it because it says a lot about you." About:  Mich Hancock is the CEO of 100th Monkey. She is the Co-Founder and License Holder of TEDxStLouis and the host of Michmash Podcast, where she helps individuals and organizations raise their voices and be heard. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Use Positive and Negative Feedback as Opportunities to Improve the Customer Experience  Shep Hyken interviews Miika Mäkitalo, CEO of HappyOrNot, a simple, non-intrusive customer feedback platform. He talks about the value of customer feedback and how businesses can benefit from actionable insights.  Top Takeaways:    Customer feedback is crucial for businesses of all industries. By actively seeking and analyzing feedback, businesses can identify areas of improvement, make informed decisions, and ultimately enhance their overall customer experience.    Technology, such as feedback kiosks and tablets, provides a simple and non-intrusive way for customers to provide feedback. These devices allow businesses to gather real-time insights and track customer satisfaction on a regular basis. Customers appreciate the convenience of these devices, as it takes just a few seconds to indicate their level of satisfaction. This encourages more customers to participate, providing a representative sample of feedback.    The value of customer feedback lies not just in data collection but in taking action. By identifying trends and patterns in feedback, businesses can make the necessary adjustments to enhance their operations, increase revenue, and improve customer loyalty.    Feedback devices with open-ended feedback options can provide even more valuable information for businesses. By allowing customers to provide specific comments or suggestions, businesses gain deeper insights into the reasons behind their satisfaction or dissatisfaction, enabling them to address specific issues and make targeted improvements.    Feedback devices can be especially beneficial for retail, healthcare, and industries where customer experience directly impacts revenue. Implementing customer feedback strategies can increase sales and profits as businesses make data-driven decisions to optimize operations and meet customer expectations.    Real-time feedback enables businesses to address issues immediately, whether a dirty restroom in an airport or a staffing gap in a retail store. Monitoring feedback in real-time allows businesses to promptly rectify any problems, ensuring a positive customer experience.    Businesses can benefit from comparing feedback across different locations or time periods. By identifying differences in customer satisfaction levels, businesses can assess the impact of various factors, such as staffing or operational changes, and make effective adjustments accordingly.    Plus, Mikka shares how much revenue a business can gain from investing in easy-to-use, real-time feedback devices. Tune in!  Quote:   "In today's world, the customer is king, and retaining them is so important. It is vital for every organization, whether it is a business or a nonprofit, to  measure their customer experience and think about what they could do better."    About:    Miika Mäkitalo is the CEO of HappyOrNot. He is an entrepreneurial business strategist who has a deep understanding of data analytics and its application in various industries, especially customer service and CX.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Tom Goodmanson. They discuss trends in digital customer service, including hyper-personalization and fast, frictionless self-service. The Interview with Tom Goodmanson:The “CX revolution” is only just beginning. The trend across industries is toward elevating the customer experience. This has become critical for organizations to focus on, as 9 in 10 businesses say they’re competing primarily on the basis of customer experience.With all the recent advancements in technology, AI can provide more insights and support to the customer service world than ever before. Technology helps make contact centers smarter, faster, and better and paves the way for proactive customer service.Human interaction will never be entirely eliminated or replaced by AI. However, digital technologies can help support humans—both the reps serving customers and the customers themselves—by making processes easier, more efficient, and more frictionless. Data and analytics empower agents to engage customers in a way that brings humanity back into the equation.Customers’ expectations are higher than ever. These changing and growing expectations drive the biggest trends and most critical focus points for the future of CX. These focal points include hyper-personalization and fast, frictionless service.Hyper-personalization happens when you are able to collect and analyze enough data to get to a very deep understanding of the individual consumer. It allows for exceptional customer care.Find ways to provide your customers with fast and frictionless service. This starts by saving them time. Give your customers the ability to connect with you the way they want to, not the way you want them to.The Calabrio Customer Connect (C3) conference takes place on October 13-16, 2019 in San Antonio. The conference, where Shep will be a keynote speaker, focuses on the challenges of managing growing contact centers, solutions for increasing customer and employee engagement and voice-of-the-customer innovations happening in contact centers today. Learn more at Calabrio.com.Quote:  “At the end of the day when we build all this software to run and drive, we still believe in the humanization of the contact center. We think it needs to become even more human.” - Tom Goodmanson About: Tom Goodmanson is the President and CEO of Calabrio, a workforce optimization and management company. He has more than 20 years of experience leading fast-growing dynamic software and technology companies. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways: ·        Companies spend billions of dollars building their brands, retail stores, and products. But, when it comes down to the moment that's most impactful for a customer, it usually comes down to their interaction with a customer service agent. ·        The feedback economy shifts the service model on its head. There is less focus on broadcasting why your company is great. The focus is on listening to the customer, understanding their pain points, and creating more systemic changes to address them. ·        There are thousands of avenues for empowered consumers to make their voices heard. You need the right tools to harness all this feedback and take action. ·        Social channels don't discriminate. Companies have to learn to change their processes, technologies, and products to be responsive. The customers need to be the center of a company's strategy. ·        Technology is only a piece of what it takes to get the customer service equation right. You need the right judgment and empathy to take action and help your customers. ·        Customer service happens throughout the entire customer journey. The overall user experience is a function of an ecosystem of partners for delivery. Employees, and in some instances, companies need to collaborate to create a great customer experience ·        Policies should be rules or guidelines that empower employees to help the customer instead of hindering service. Quote: “The customer is the center of everything that you do.” About: Colson Hillier is the Chief Marketing Officer for Alorica. He oversees the planning, development, and execution of Alorica’s marketing and communications strategy, as well as initiatives tied to the company's brand principles, value proposition, and revenue growth.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Small Improvements Create Lasting Change in Customer Experience   Steven Van Belleghem, customer experience expert and author of A Diamond in the Rough: Over a 100 Specific Tips to Build a Strong Customer Culture. He talks about how embracing effective empathy, empowering employees to make meaningful decisions, and building emotional customer relationships can transform companies into customer-centric organizations.  Top Takeaways:    The key to transforming companies into customer-centric organizations lies in adopting a customer experience mindset. When leaders prioritize the customer experience, it influences the entire company culture.     Empowering employees to take positive actions that benefit customers can significantly impact team morale and reinforce the company's customer-centric goals. Leaders need to continuously communicate and appreciate the impact of customer-centric behaviors.    True customer loyalty extends beyond transactional interactions and loyalty programs. Building authentic, emotional customer relationships can lead to loyalty and increased revenue. For example, offering knowledge and content for free or demonstrating appreciation for customers at all stages of their journey creates loyalty and long-term relationships.    95% of your customers will be friendly, regular people. But 5% of your customers can be complete nightmares, and nothing you do will be good enough for them. Companies often lean towards focusing on the negative 5% of customer interactions, which can result in the creation of rules and procedures based on outliers. Don't punish your good customers for the sins of the few bad ones.    Embracing a philosophy of making small, incremental improvements can lead to significant overall change in the customer experience. When companies focus on constant improvement, even if it's just 1% at a time, it can create a wave of positive impact on customer satisfaction.    Empowering employees to make small decisions and take immediate action to address customer needs can improve customer experience and loyalty. Training employees to effectively handle customer issues without having to always ask for permission enhances their ability to make decisions that benefit customers. Encouraging and reinforcing customer-centric behavior and sharing success stories during team meetings can motivate and guide employees toward delivering outstanding customer service.    Plus, Shep and Steven discuss why some companies remain "diamonds in the rough" and never successfully cultivate a customer-centric culture. Tune in!  Quote:   "It all starts with leadership. The biggest barrier for companies to succeed in their goal of becoming customer-centric is when teams don't believe their leaders."  About:    Steven Van Belleghem is a customer experience thought leader and keynote speaker. He is the author of six bestselling books. His latest book, A Diamond in the Rough: Over 100 Specific Tips to Build a Strong Customer Culture, is available now!   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.  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

Optimizing Process, People, and Technology to Create a Better Customer Service Experience  Shep Hyken interviews Joseph Walsh, Vice President of Product Marketing for GoTo. He shares the Four Phases of the Contact Center and the significance of placing customer experience at the heart of your company's operations.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    What are the four phases of a customer service center's life cycle?  Why is it important to understand customer demands in the context of social media and other communication channels?  Why is it essential for companies to balance their technology, people, and processes?  How can organizations evaluate and improve customer service to increase revenue and better serve customers?  What potential risk do organizations face when they fail to focus on improving customer experience?  Top Takeaways:    Managers and CX leaders must listen to what's happening on the frontline and how customers interact with agents on the phone, chat, or AI. Find out where your frontline is excelling and what its shortcomings are. Analyze conversations, not just to grade but to determine if you are doing what is best for your customers.    Joseph shares the Four Phases of the Contact Center.    Phase 1 is all about customer-initiated conversations. Agents field multiple calls and answer queries following a script. The tech is often very limited to the standard phone system. There is little room for creativity, and it is all about compliance.    Phase 2 is about collaboration. Beyond the phone system, more technology and communication channels are introduced into the conversation. The CRM platform is integrated, so agents, subject matter experts, and everyone in the company are on the same page and can work together on the customer journey, products, and pain points.     Phase 3 is about entering the digital experience and growth. Customers and agents are using a full array of communication channels, such as web chat, social media, email, and more, that work seamlessly together.    Phase 4 is about automation, AI, self-service, and sustained growth. Customers are empowered to find answers and solve problems on their own through online portals and interactive web chats. Companies are finding ways to reduce repetitive tasks for agents and deliver faster answers to customers, resulting in a better experience for both.    Customers now turn to social media to seek help or voice their frustrations. If your company is on social media, embrace the entire medium, the people who use it, and their expectations.    Customer service is about more than fixing issues. It's about enhancing the overall customer experience. Businesses can continuously evaluate and improve their customer service strategies, increase revenue, and build stronger customer relationships.     Plus, Shep and Joseph discuss the top channels for customer communication. Tune in!  Quote:   "To answer customer needs, you need the entire company working together. It's about ensuring an organization can answer all customer queries and answer them the best they can."    About:    Joseph Walsh is the Vice President of Product Marketing for GoTo. He helps organizations improve customer and employee experience and grow revenue by embracing digital technology.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. 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:-      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

Shep Hyken interviews Robert Glazer. They discuss his practice of employee “wish-granting,” common service mistakes businesses make and his book, Elevate: Push Beyond Your Limits and Unlock Success in Yourself and Others. Top Takeaways:-       Find ways to do something meaningful for your employees around the holidays—or anytime of year. Experiences often are better remembered and make a bigger impact than money. -       By investing in your employees, you are investing in the culture of your organization. With a strong culture, you will attract and keep the kind of employees you want. -       Customers will not love your company until your employees love your company. Focus your efforts on the employee experience and the customer experience will follow. -       “Capacity building” is the method by which individuals seek, acquire, and develop the skills and ability to consistently perform at a high level in pursuit of their innate potential. -       The four elements of capacity building are spiritual, intellectual, physical, and emotional. Focus on each of these elements individually and you will improve your entire being. -        “Spiritual” does not necessarily mean religious. In business, it’s about knowing who you are, what you want, and the standards by which you want to live each day. This is crucial to be a successful leader. -       Three common service mistakes even top businesses make are not establishing rapport with customers, over-responding to a single piece of feedback, and not offering customers full explanations. -       You don’t have to tackle 100% of change all at once. Tackle 1% every day, and soon you will see it add up into big, positive change. -       To sign up for Robert Glazer’s weekly newsletter that inspired his book, go to http://www.fridayfwd.com. Quote: “If you really want to impress people, listen to them. You will be amazed by how much they appreciate that.” About: Robert Glazer is the founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners. He is a serial entrepreneur and author of Elevate: Push Beyond Your Limits and Unlock Success in Yourself and Others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Building Resilience Can Positively Impact Customer Service  Shep Hyken interviews Simon T. Bailey, world's leading expert in brilliance and author of Resilience@Work: How to Coach Yourself Into a Thriving Future. In addition to a review of his SPARK concept from his last interview on Amazing Business Radio, he talks about the importance of resilience in the workplace and the journey from being resilient to achieving brilliance.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can practicing resilience impact customer service and experience in the workplace?  What are the principles of the SPARK model, and how can they be applied to enhance customer loyalty?  How can companies transform a transactional customer interaction into a lasting connection?  What are some effective strategies for leaders to create an exceptional customer experience through their employees?  How can a company build an emotional connection with its customers in a crowded market?  Top Takeaways:    Simon gives us a quick review of the SPARK customer service framework that ignites passion, cultivates devotion, and breeds unwavering customer loyalty.  See them as guests.  Personalize the experience.  Anticipate their needs.  Respond immediately.  Keep them loyal.    The SPARK framework works as effectively on your employees as it does on your customers. Leaders create the experience for employees, and employees create the experience for customers.     Resilience is important in both personal and professional life. It's about bouncing back and being flexible in the face of challenges. Instead of spiraling down, ask yourself, “What went well that can help you spiral up instead of spiraling down?”    Recognizing and acknowledging your employees' efforts can encourage them to repeat positive behaviors. One minute spent on recognition can inspire 100 minutes of initiative.     Leaders and managers play a critical role in building resilience within their teams. By reinforcing positive behaviors and recognizing their efforts, leaders can inspire and empower employees to embrace resilience and work towards brilliance.    Plus, Shep and Simon discuss the four characters in business: Hurry, Worry, Ready, and Steady. Tune in!  Quote:   "Those who get the customer experience right make it common practice. It's a part of their culture. They embed it into the heads, hearts, and hands of everyone who connects with their customers."    About:    Simon T. Bailey is the world's leading expert in Brilliance. He has worked with leading organizations worldwide, including Disney, American Express, Deloitte, Marriott, Visa, Stanford Health Care, and Taco Bell.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways: -      Certain insights from AI and data can be brought down to the call center to help agents improve the customer experience in real-time. -      Abusive behaviors from customers do exist and companies need to be more aware of these harmful interactions. -      Of the 82 million customer interactions CallMiner examined, just under 50% of those interactions had some form or mention of profanity. Of those that had some form of profanity, almost 87% had profanity throughout the entire duration of the call. -      Customer experience tends to lead people to be concerned only with the customer and less about the contact center agents providing that experience. -      Agents are often expected to jump from one call, where a customer uses profanity and exhibits heightened aggression, to another, where the agents are expected to have an upbeat and positive attitude. -      Research has found that agents typically require about 30-40 minutes to mentally recover from offensive calls with angry customers. -      When customer service agents experience racist and sexist remarks, it can have an impact on those individuals as well as, at an aggregate scale, impact on the company. -      Organizations can leverage offensive instances to learn, operationalize a response, change business processes for the better, and create fairer experiences for everyone. -      Providing support and loyalty to your employees is just as important as providing support and loyalty to your customers. Quote: “When we think about customer experience, we’re always thinking about the customer and not about the agent’s experience working in the contact center.” About: Eric Williamson is CallMiner’s Chief Marketing Officer, with more than 20 years of experience in both the technology and consumer product marketing. Eric oversees all global marketing functions from brand and events, to demand generation as CMO of CallMiner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Leveraging Artificial Intelligence Can Be a Win-Win Contact Center Agents and Customers   Shep Hyken interviews Mario Matulich, President and Managing Director of Customer Management Practice. He talks about how organizations can use artificial intelligence and self-service options to empower support agents and elevate the customer experience. Top Takeaways:  There has been significant progress in artificial intelligence (AI), like chatbots and ChatGPT capabilities. This has always been seen as high-potential technology, but in the last few months, it has been used in a more demonstrative way to address challenges faced by contact centers, especially in the post-pandemic environment. Generative AI and other forms of self-service provide a win-win solution for organizations and customers. It gives companies solution to create a better agent experience, and it allows the customers to resolve issues quickly without having to put up with long wait times. To address the challenges of hiring and retaining the best people, organizations need to focus on operationalizing flexibility in remote and hybrid setups and personalizing career development. Artificial Intelligence will not eliminate the need for customer support professionals. Instead, it will assist agents with knowledge management, eliminate mundane work, and allow agents to focus on what they do best: serve customers.  Predictive analytics powered by AI can accurately assess Net Promoter Score and other measurements of customer satisfaction.  The employees in the frontline do more than answer phones. They retain customers, generate revenue, and serve as an extension of the research and development department. They have information and insights from interacting with customers that managers and C-suite may not have access to. Plus, Shep and Mario discuss what to expect in Customer Contact Week Las Vegas on June 19-20, 2023, featuring a keynote speech from Grammy® Award-winning Musician & Entrepreneur, Pitbull. Tune in! Quote: "Customer preferences have shifted dramatically in the last couple of years. Many customers want to self-serve. They want to effectively find a quick resolution to their challenges without the assistance of another human being, and AI can make that possible." About:  Mario Matulich is the President and Managing Director of Customer Management Practice, a leader in market research, events, and customer-centricity. He played professional baseball for the Cleveland Guardians. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Using the Hospitality Mentality to Shape Your Company Culture  Shep Hyken interviews Alan Williams, Founder and managing director at SERVICEBRAND GLOBAL Ltd and the co-author of Supercharging the Customer Experience: How Organizations Can Drive Performance in Today's Values-Based Economy. He talks about aligning the organization's culture, from the leadership to the frontlines, with its customer experience.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    Why is alignment within an organization important for the customer experience?  How has the customer landscape changed in the last 20 years?  Why does customer experience start with leadership?  How is employee engagement linked to the customer experience?  Why is brand identity crucial for an organization's customer experience?  Top Takeaways:    Customer experience is not just a function or a set of processes. It's not just some department or strategy. It is ingrained into the company's culture from the top leadership to every employee. It's in the DNA.     Everybody's job is important when it comes to customer experience. Every employee must understand how what they do impacts the customer, even if they're two or three places removed.    Over the last 20 years, customer decision has shifted to where it is 80% driven by emotion and values. Customers choose to do business with companies that share the same values and stand for the same social causes as them.    Communication has greatly evolved thanks to the internet and social media. Customers' thoughts about a brand can now be shared with millions of people in an instant. Companies need to ensure that their messaging is authentic to their brand identity and resonates with their audience.    Organizations used to have the majority of control over brand perception. They could decide how they want to be perceived and hire a company to pump out that message. Now, customers put more trust in what their friends, family, or colleagues tell them.      The customer focus should extend to the organization's internal customers as well. Every role, whether customer-facing or support-oriented, plays a part in shaping the overall customer experience. Customers, employees, service partners, and communities now shape how people think about a brand.    Customer experience should reflect the organizational brand identity. Every aspect of the customer journey, from arrival to departure, should embody the organization's values. Every action, whether customer-facing or behind the scenes, should reflect the company's mission. When everyone in the organization understands and represents the brand identity, it creates a consistent and compelling customer experience.     Plus, Alan shares examples of  customer experience from the hospitality industry (every type of business can benefit from a hospitality mentality.) Tune in!  Quote:   "A hospitality mentality helps drive customer experience. It is a brilliant training ground because you can learn a lot from that space and then apply it to other sectors."  About:    Alan Williams is the founder and managing director of SERVICEBRAND GLOBAL Ltd and the co-author of Supercharging the Customer Experience: How Organizations Can Drive Performance in Today's Values-Based Economy.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Preventing Customer Churn   Shep Hyken interviews Philipp Wolf, CEO of Custify, a company that helps SaaS businesses deliver great results for customers. They discuss how to utilize customer information and behavior to help ensure customer success.   Top Takeaways:   ·      Customer service can be reactive. It typically happens when a customer reaches out (via phone, chat, email, or other channels) because they have a problem, and the customer service department helps them resolve their concerns. ·      Customer success can be proactive. It happens when a company uses the information that they have to proactively reach out to customers who are having a problem or are not utilizing features of the product that are most helpful to them. ·      Customer service is not a department. It is a philosophy. ·      Delivering proactive customer service is profitable. It saves companies money, ensures customer retention, and encourages customers to spend more. ·      Around 30% of customers who want to cancel a service can be recovered if companies take time to have a conversation with them to uncover why they want to cancel and what can be done (such as discounts or product training) to continue the relationship. ·      Customer Success is about continuously finding ways to add value and ensure that your customers are maximizing the features and benefits of products or services that they bought from you.   Quotes:  "Customer success not only provides a great customer experience, it also helps companies save time and make the next upsell or cross-sell opportunity happen naturally." About:   Philipp Wolf is the CEO of Custify where he helps SaaS businesses deliver great results for customers. After seeing companies spend big money with no systematic approach to customer success, Philipp knew something had to change. He founded Custify to provide a tool that helps companies get the most out of the time they spend with their customers.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Benefits of Self-Directed Customer Experiences (CX) for Customers and Agents  Shep Hyken interviews Nicole Kyle, Managing Director and co-founder of CMP Research. She discusses the evolution of self-service and digital customer service and the importance of personalization and customer control in self-service interactions.  Top Takeaways:    Self-service is becoming more than just enabling customers to attempt to resolve their own issues. Customers want a self-directed experience where they have control over how they are served and can resolve their issues in the way they want.   The pandemic has accelerated the normalization of digital experiences and digital tools. The lockdown has changed our customers' perspective on how they want to spend their time. Customers want to be more self-sufficient and spend less time interacting with customer support if they can get answers faster on their own.    Generative AI, like ChatGPT, is expected to grow in customer contact organizations to support agents. AI will remove low-value, repeatable tasks and help with employee burnout.     Generative AI will improve agent experience by making them more self-sufficient. For example, for whatever reason, they can't reach their manager or peers, they can interact with the AI-enabled knowledge base and get the answers they need.     Organizations need to focus on personalization and customer control in self-service experiences. Customers want a personalized experience that makes them feel valued and have the ability to resolve their issues in a way that suits them.   Plus, Nicole share stats from Self-Service CX: Executive Priorities & Technology Adoptions. Tune in!  Quote:   "Generative AI might reduce frontline workers in the future, but the good news is it will create jobs internally for people to monitor those tools and extract and analyze data."    About:    Nicole Kyle is the Managing Director and co-founder of CMP Research. Nicole joined CMP in November 2021 from Gartner, where she spent eight years leading research and advisory.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. 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 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

Leveraging Technology to Create Personalized Experiences  Shep Hyken interviews Anurag Dhingra, SVP and General Manager of Cisco Collaboration. He talks about using AI to bridge the gap between consumer expectations and satisfaction by enhancing both customer and employee experiences.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can businesses bridge the gap between customer expectations and satisfaction?  What role does artificial intelligence play in enhancing customer service interactions?  What are the benefits of proactive communication in customer service?  How can AI-driven tools support customer service agents in delivering better service?  Why is it important for companies to prioritize customer experience over cost optimization?  Top Takeaways:    There is still a huge gap between what people expect from their customer experience and what they are getting. If you ask a someone if they are happy with their previous customer experiences, the answer will likely be no. Fortunately, we now have the technology to elevate the experiences we can deliver to our customers.     Technological advancements, especially in AI, present many opportunities for organizations to enhance customer service and experience. AI can help streamline processes, provide real-time insights, and assist agents in answering customer inquiries more effectively.    Companies need to be thoughtful when implementing AI solutions. While cost optimization is important, it should not overshadow the goal of enhancing customer experience. Businesses should prioritize strategies that directly impact customer satisfaction, such as reducing wait times, creating personalized experiences, and anticipating customer needs.     Personalization is crucial in creating amazing customer experiences. Customers now expect companies to recognize their preferences and past interactions. Delivering a personalized service can make customers feel valued and understood, strengthening brand loyalty.    In addition to traditional methods of communications, like phone calls, modern consumers also communicate across various platforms like social media and text messages. Companies need to meet their customers in the channels where they prefer to interact. Offering multiple communication options allows customers to reach out in their preferred way, enhancing engagement and satisfaction.     Today, the best use case for AI is helping customer support agents, acting as a co-pilot providing real-time assistance and recommendations. AI can enhance agent efficiency by summarizing interactions and handling routine tasks, freeing agents to focus on complex issues. Technology should empower humans, not replace them.    Plus, Anurag and Shep discuss why it is important to always let customers know when they are talking to AI. Tune in!  Quote:  "Anyone in the organization can be a customer service representative. Because there are now multiple ways to engage with a brand, anyone has the opportunity to do a job that delights the customer."  About:    Anurag Dhingra is the SVP and General Manager of Cisco Collaboration. He leads the technology vision, strategy, and direction for the Cisco Collaboration. He is also on Cisco's Human Rights Advisory Council and the founder of Cisco's Responsible AI initiative.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Use Scarcity to Influence Customer Decisions Shep Hyken interviews Mindy Weinstein, author of The Power of Scarcity: Leveraging Urgency and Demand to Influence Customer Decisions. She talks about the four types of scarcity and how businesses can use them to create community, loyalty, and excitement around their brand. Top Takeaways:    ·      When an organization makes customers feel special by getting something that appears to be hard to get, they endear customers to the company and make them feel connected to the brand.   ·      Our brains are wired in a certain way to react to scarcity. Businesses can use this in a positive way to emphasize value and communicate how working with them through their products or services is in their customers' best interest.   ·      Most people think of scarcity as FOMO(fear of missing out), but it is so much more than that. There are four types of scarcity:   1.    Time-related scarcity - when products or services are available for only a set amount of time. 2.    Supply-related scarcity - when a limited number of products are available or when companies want to create a feeling of exclusivity or uniqueness. 3.    Demand-related scarcity - when customers are excited and want to make sure they can purchase a product before it is gone. 4.    Limited edition – when there is a special or rare version of a product that customers love to collect.   ·      When companies create a scarcity mindset and communicate it well to their customers, it creates a sense of control where the customer feels they have the power to decide when and why they want to buy.   ·      When companies create a mindset of scarcity with products that customers enjoy (for example, limited edition sports or movie memorabilia), they show that they truly know their customers and how to engage with them.   ·      Plus, Shep and Mindy talk about how successful companies use the scarcity mindset to create amazing customer experiences. Tune in! Quote:  "Scarcity creates community. When done right, incorporating scarcity can help brands create loyalty, excitement, and bond with their customers."   About:   Mindy Weinstein is the author of The Power of Scarcity: Leveraging Urgency and Demand to Influence Customer Decisions. She is a marketing instructor at Grand Canyon University and a program leader for The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia Business School. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Avoid Complacency in Customer Interactions  Shep Hyken interviews Len Herstein, CEO and President of ManageCamp Inc. and author of Be Vigilant!: Strategies to Stop Complacency, Improve Performance. They discuss how businesses can be vigilant against complacency by safeguarding success and customer relationships. Top Takeaways:   What breeds complacency in business? Most businesses don't realize that one of the main drivers of complacency is success. The more success we have in our customer interactions, the more we get overconfident. We become vulnerable to taking customer relationships for granted. This week on Amazing Business Radio, Len Herstein discusses why complacency is dangerous and how to avoid it. He offers the following insights and more: ·      Avoid tunnel vision. Companies can become too focused on matching their top competitors that they lose sight of new competitors or new categories that have entered the market. ·      Be a disruptor. Successful companies like Amazon and Netflix are always coming up with new ways to engage their customers. Instead of reacting to what their top competitors are doing, they are the disruptors in their industry and beyond. ·      Learn from success. Most companies debrief when a mistake happens with the idea they will avoid the same mistakes in the future. However, they often forget to look back on their successes, not realizing there are opportunities to replicate the same moving forward. (DOES THAT SOUND OKAY?) ·      Always be vigilant. The best way to fight complacency is to be aware of it. You can't protect against threats that you didn't see coming.  Quote:   "The best way to fight complacency is to be aware. The more aware you are, the more in the moment you are, the more you have that forces you to think, and the less complacent you're going to be."   About:   Len Herstein, CEO and President of ManageCamp Inc. and author of Be Vigilant!: Strategies to Stop Complacency, Improve Performance, and Safeguard Success. Your Business and Relationships Depend on It. He has worked with brands like Coca-Cola, The Campbell Soup Company, and Nabisco. He is also a volunteer State-certified peace officer with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t Overlook the Value of Emotions Shep Hyken interviews Zhecho Dobrev, leading principal consultant at Beyond Philosophy and author of The Big Miss: How Organizations Overlook the Value of Emotions. He shares how emotions and customer relationships affect buying decisions. Top Takeaways:   ·      Customer loyalty is based on the customer's emotional connection with the company. ·      When you look at typical journey maps, they follow the Customer Infinity Loop. They start with branding, advertising, learning about the organization, getting on board the buying experience, payment, and all the other interactions the customer has with the organization. Nowhere is there a focus on customer relationships.   ·      How much value do relationships have in business? Think about the people you have relationships with in your personal life (your spouse, your kids, your relatives, your close friends). Then, think about what makes those relationships - it's that emotional bond.   ·      How do you get an emotional connection with an eCommerce company or a typical business where you have very little, if any, connection? o  Personalization. Showing that you know customers or personalize things based on the data that you have on them. o  Branding. For example, “Joy” is the core of the BMW branding. They communicate the joy of design, life, progress, and more in their marketing and communications. o  Shared values. Patagonia is all about sustainability in the world, and our customer experience research has shown that consumers are drawn to companies with a cause they're interested in.   ·      Zhecho also shared their findings on the value relationships have in driving business. Tune in!   Quotes:  "When deciding whether to continue doing business with a company, you don't base your decision on that moment. You base your decision on your memory with that organization throughout all the time you’ve done business with them."   About:   Zhecho Dobrev is a customer experience and behavior science consultant & trainer at Beyond Philosophy and the author of The Big Miss: How Organizations Overlook the Value of Emotions. For more than 13 years, he has been helping many of the world's most renowned organizations improve their customer experience, including American Express, FedEx, and Caterpillar. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. 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

How Companies Can Provide Outstanding CX From Sign-Up to Cancellation  Shep Hyken interviews Tony Sternberg, CEO and co-founder at ProsperStack, a platform that helps companies reduce customer churn and increase their lifetime value. He shares how companies can differentiate themselves by providing an excellent customer experience from the beginning to the end of their journey.  Top Takeaways:    Companies put a lot of focus into their onboarding process, but the end of the customer's lifecycle tends to get ignored. What looks like the end is actually a point where you can provide a great experience that retains the customers.    We are in a digital world, and there are plenty of automated opportunities to make customers feel they are personally taken care of. Differentiate yourself from others by utilizing your data to create automated yet scalable experiences for your customers that still have a personalized touch.    Big companies like Netflix and Amazon have the resources to provide a world-class automated experience for their customers. The challenge of small to midsize companies is that they do not have the resources to create that same level of automated process on their own.     Data points, such as how long customers have been doing business with you or how frequently they use your services, determine whether customers will be long-term subscribers/customers or are ready to unsubscribe or churn. These data points can be leveraged to escalate offers or provide incentives to keep them as paying customers.    Customers disproportionately judge their experiences based on how they felt at the peak (whether this is the most positive or negative experience) and at the end of their experience.     The best companies can track their customers' cadence to determine whether they're making the most use of your products and services. Using this information correctly can help keep the customer coming back again and again.      No matter what, end strong and positive. The customer doesn't have to be right but let them be wrong with dignity and respect.  Quotes:   "Customers remember the end of their experience with a company to a higher degree. If you leave a bad taste in their mouth, you not only negatively impact the customer's experience, but also impact what that customer tells their friends and their network."  About:    Tony Sternberg is the CEO and co-founder at ProsperStack, a platform that helps subscription businesses optimize their customer cancellation experience through automation. Prior to ProsperStack, Tony was President at CATS Software, playing key customer-facing, product, and operations roles.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Generative AI's Impact on Customer Service and Employee Empowerment  Shep Hyken interviews Anuj Bhalla, Founder & CEO of serviceMob, an AI-powered analytics platform that helps businesses measure and monitor their customer service performance. He talks about creating exceptional customer experiences while adapting to the changing landscape of the service industry.  Top Takeaways:    Staying ahead of industry trends involves embracing technology. Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a critical role in analyzing and improving customer service. AI can offer companies access to valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, adding value to the customer journey.    Organizations need to know what data and information they should be measuring and tailor it to the processes that make sense to their business.  AI can help us know what data we have and what data we need.    Despite AI's advancements, it's important to recognize that there are situations where human intervention is irreplaceable. In some instances, customer service problems may require personalized attention and empathy, which AI might struggle to provide. Balancing technological innovation with the human touch ensures that customer needs are effectively met across various scenarios.    As AI becomes increasingly integrated into the workforce, the creation of new job roles specifically meant to complement AI's capabilities increases. Instead of eliminating jobs, embracing AI could open new career paths and opportunities for employees.    With user-friendly technologies, the process of reskilling the workforce becomes more accessible, creating a workforce that is adept at leveraging AI tools to enhance productivity and deliver great customer experience.    Plus, Shep and Anuj share their predictions on the future of customer service and experience. Tune in!    Quote:   "If you can't measure it, you can't improve it."    About:    Anuj Bhalla is the Founder & CEO of serviceMob, an award-winning software company that helps improve agent performance and enhance customer experience.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Annette Franz. They discuss her new book, Customer Understanding: Three Ways to Put the “Customer” in Customer Experience (and at the Heart of Your Business. They also talk about the crucial role the employee experience plays in the customer experience. The Interview with Annette Franz:Customer understanding is a cornerstone of a customer-centric culture. You must understand who your customers are, the experience they’re having, the problems they face, their goals, and how your business helps them achieve their goals.Communication is crucial in the customer experience. You must communicate openly and honestly with your customers, especially if you need to make changes and decisions that will affect their experience.Everything that affects the customer experience is related to the employee experience. Use the same tools to measure and map the employee experience as you do for the customer experience. Employees, after all, are “internal” customers, and what happens on the inside of an organization will be felt on the outside by external customers.It’s important to eliminate friction for both customers and employees. Be wary of making decisions that will eliminate friction only for customers, while creating more difficulties for employees. That friction, though not direct, will eventually be felt by the customers, too.Happy employees result in happy customers. If you treat your employees well, they, in turn, will treat your customers well. The result is a win-win for your business.Without customers, you have no business. But in order to have happy, loyal customers, you must treat your employees well. At the end of the day, your business focus should really be on the people that drive your business—both customers and employees alike. Quote: “Out of a great employee experience comes employee engagement, productivity, and quality. This translates to a great experience for customers.” - Annette Franz About: Annette Franz, CCXP, is founder and CEO of CX Journey Inc., as well as an internationally recognized CX thought leader, coach, speaker, and author of Customer Understanding: Three Ways to Put the “Customer” in Customer Experience (and at the Heart of Your Business. Her website is cx-journey.com. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Using Feedback to Drive Change in the Customer Experience Shep Hyken interviews Dave Carruthers, CEO at Voxpopme, a company that redefines the possibilities of video for market research and customer feedback. They discuss how CX practitioners can move away from just measuring customer feedback to driving real change in the customer's experience. Top Takeaways:   VoC or Voice of the Customer is hearing directly from customers about all aspects of their journey to make continuous improvements to all areas of that experience. If done right, it can be a huge driving force for all businesses. So how can companies gather these valuable insights from their customers? Here are the top 3 ways: ·      Timely: Real-time feedback is key. The longer the time lapses between the experiencing and asking for feedback, the more likely the customer's recollection of their journey will be blurred. ·      Flexible: It's all about giving the choice back to the customers. They should be able to decide when and how they can give feedback. ·      Personalized: CX practitioners should take a look at what they already know about their customers and their experiences and base their subsequent survey/feedback questions on that. Tune in for more insights on collecting, analyzing, and using feedback to make meaningful changes in the customer's experience. Quote:   "All customers want to feel heard, that their opinion matters, and that they are not providing feedback which just goes into a black hole."   About:   Dave Carruthers is an entrepreneur who specializes in high-growth tech businesses and a video insight evangelist with global ambitions for growth and adventure. He is the CEO at Voxpopme, a company that provides an end-to-end software solution for video research, enabling researchers to capture video feedback at speed, analyze it at scale, and share it with ease. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fostering Good Customer Service Habits to Make Your Business Stand Out Shep Hyken interviews Mark Copeman. They discuss his new book, Helpdesk Habits, which teaches employees how to turn good customer service practices into routine habits. They also talk about the importance of humanity within the employee and customer experience. In Shep’s Opening Monologue... He discusses if and when you should approach the CEO of a company about a problem you’ve experienced. The Interview with Mark Copeman:Copeman’s book is written for agents and other employees on the frontline of businesses. Its aim is to help those agents build habits that will result in excellent customer service.One of the habits the books talks about is the “Service Recovery Paradox.” The principle here is that sometimes things will go wrong. What matters most is how you recover from and fix those problems.If something goes wrong in the customer experience, customer loyalty will dip. However, customer loyalty will increase over time if the issue is resolved.Copeman introduces the concept of the “Habit Loop,” which consists of three steps: trigger, routine, and reward. The most crucial step toward building a habit is reward, which must be associated with the routine.Another habit is called “Lay It Out.” Copeman describes this as taking a little extra time to format emails so that the crucial information recipients need is easily accessible at a glance, whether by using bullet points or bold or italic text.Copeman’s overarching theme throughout the book is “Human Customer Service.” The companies that thrive are the ones that allow and encourage their customer-facing employees to be themselves and let their personalities shine through. It takes very little effort, but the human element is what makes the biggest difference in the customer experience.Quote: “Stuff goes wrong; what counts is how you fix it.” - Mark Copeman About: Mark Copeman is the founder of Wisecurve, a content and product studio. He refers to himself as a “serial entrepreneur” and just released his first book, Helpdesk Habits.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Augie Ray from Gartner. They discuss the importance of investing in the customer experience and how to build a CX that will benefit both customers and companies alike. The Interview with Augie Ray: The emergence of new technology and the rise of social media have changed the way customers interact with brands, giving them more channels of communication than ever before. Brands need to pay attention to the entire customer experience across all channels to stay relevant and successful. Simply acquiring new customers isn’t enough, especially if you experience high customer churn. Create an experience that focuses on retaining customers and building loyalty—and that experience is the result of not just what we say, but what we do. There are two different definitions of customer experience, and they are two sides of the same coin. From the customer’s perspective, CX is their accumulated experiences and perceptions about a brand through every interaction, both direct and indirect. From a managerial perspective, CX is the discipline of understanding and reacting to customer interactions with the goal of meeting and exceeding expectations, creating loyalty and building advocacy. As customer expectations rise, budgets for customer experience need to rise as well. Data shows there is a positive relationship between customer satisfaction and financial gains for businesses. Prioritizing the customer experience benefits the top and bottom lines. Both segments and personas are marketing tools that allow companies to group individuals together in a meaningful way. Segments demonstrate how customers are meaningful to a company, whereas personas flip the perspective and examine how a brand can be meaningful to customers. To access the research that Augie quotes, listeners are invited to connect with him on LinkedIn and to subscribe to Gartner’s newsletter, “Smarter with Gartner.” Quotes: “We are not what we say we are. We are the experience we provide to customers and what they say we are.” “When it comes to the customer experience, we have to look not just at what we say, but at what we do.” “When you succeed for the customer, you succeed for the brand as well.” About: Augie Ray is a Vice President Analyst at Gartner, a research and advisory firm. He covers customer experience for marketing and CX leaders and helps them launch and manage successful CX programs. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. 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

How Happy Employees Translate Into Happier Customers Shep Hyken interviews Temy Mancusi-Ungaro, Chief Executive Officer of Reachdesk, a global data-driven gifting platform that helps teams send gifts at a large scale and measure their impact. He shares how companies can use gifts to create morale, nurture team connections, and ensure employee retention.   Top Takeaways:   ·      From an employee's onboarding to celebrating work anniversaries, birthdays, and promotions, a meaningful gift is a great way to create morale.   ·      Now that the workplace has undergone a migration where employees have gone partially or fully remote, it has become harder to forge relationships. Personalized and timely gifts are an excellent way for employers to show they care for their employees as humans and that they want to invest in their work experience.   ·      If you are dealing with a hybrid or fully remote workforce, people become disconnected from your company. However, just because they aren't there doesn't mean they want to be disconnected. Something as simple as an inexpensive gift and some company swag can make them feel excited and connected to something bigger.   ·      Personalize gifts… When you receive gifts, the ones you will keep are those that resonate with you. It is all about the meaning behind it that creates a personal connection.   ·      Employees need to feel connected and supported. Gifting is a great way to deliver moments that matter, build a connection, and support your employees.   ·      Plus, Shep shares some of the best corporate gifts that he has received. Tune in! Quote:  "In the same way that we use gifts to build relationships for sales, you can use gifts to build relationships within your employees."   About:    Temy Mancusi-Ungaro is the Chief Executive Officer of Reachdesk, the leading global data-driven gifting platform. He has over 20 years of experience scaling SaaS companies and leading customer and employee success.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways: -      The reality of today’s digital world is that the transformation of technology is never done. Therefore, all companies need to continuously change and pivot to keep up with their customers’ expectations and the rest of the business world. -      A lot of companies may have an intuitive belief of where their customers are in terms of their needs, expectations, and pain points. Unfortunately, they don’t do the necessary research to keep their finger on the pulse of where their customer is right now. -      Customer behavior is vital in keeping your business profitable – and there are more customer behaviors besides buying and coming back to buy again. -      Many studies have revealed that while the emotional and rational side of a person plays into purchase decisions, the emotional side tends to be more powerful in purchasing behavior. -      Customer love is the feeling that you can count on a brand to give you what you need and more, along with a feeling of alignment or spiritual connection. The companies that inspire a lot of customer love have better business metrics overall. -      The formula for achieving customer love is spilt into three parts: meeting customer needs, periodically delighting your customers, and standing for something that resonates with your customers’ values. -      Brands with high customer love consistently have more growth, profit, and valuation. -      There is a proven transformation process companies can use to improve their fulfillment of the ‘love formula’: -      Step 1. Understand Your Customer -      Step 2. Map the Customer Journey -      Step 3. Build the Future -      Step 4. Optimize the Short Term -      Step 5. Lead the Change Quote: “In this time of rapid change, you really don’t have a choice if you want your business to remain relevant and successful. You must keep changing with the times.” About: Howard Tiersky is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Winning Digital Customers: The Antidote to Irrelevance. Howard is the founder of two companies that enable large brands to win in the digital world: FROM, The Digital Transformation Agency and Innovation Loft.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five Steps to Delivering an Exceptional Customer Service Shep Hyken interviews Katie Mares, a brand experience expert and the author of CustomHer Experience: The Importance of Tailoring Your Brand Experience to the Female Consumer. She talks about how each touchpoint in a customer's journey impacts their perception of your business and how you can create moments that elevate their experience. Top Takeaways:   ·      In this episode of Amazing Business Radio, Katie Mares shares the five steps to executing a 5-star experience. 1. Understand that what you say and how you say it matters. Choose words that elevate the experience. Speak to your customers in a way that is engaging and sincere. 2. Use your customer's name. Dale Carnegie said, “A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” Saying their name is a simple first step in connecting with your customers.  3. Show your genuine interest. The customer keeps your business going and helps you live the life that you have by paying for your goods and services. Show up and show genuine interest to every customer. 4. Be anticipatory and deliver the “plus one.” Use the nuggets of information that you have about your customers to elevate their experience. It does not have to be something big or expensive. It can be a little extra effort that levels up the experience.  5. Be a hero. Service recovery should be part of the experience. We're human, and we’re going to drop the ball. Consider a complaint or problem an opportunity to create an even better experience. ·      Plus, Katie combines science and her business knowledge to explain how men and women differ when it comes to how they perceive their experiences as well as how they communicate and want to be communicated with. Tune in! Quote:  “A transactional experience is very utilitarian. It is focused on the facts and the practical aspects of the customer relationship. An interactional experience goes beyond that. It is focused on emotional shift that creates trust that leads to the purchase and the loyalty after that.”     About:   Katie Mares is a brand experience expert and the author of CustomHer Experience: The Importance of Tailoring Your Brand Experience to the Female Consumer. She is the Chief Inspiration Officer at Katie Mares, where she helps brands design experiences for their customers. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Memories, Experiences, and Patterns Impact Leadership Style Shep Hyken interviews Susan Drumm, CEO & Chief Empowerment Officer of Meritage Leadership Development and the author of The Leader's Playlist: Unleash the Power of Music and Neuroscience to Transform Your Leadership and Your Life. She shares how to use music to improve your leadership style and make the changes that no longer serve you. Top Takeaways:   ·      Our childhood “wounds” show up in the way we lead others. Leaders don't just react based on what is happening at the moment. Some reactions are triggered by old patterns and experiences.   ·      Old memories and experiences are deep-seated patterns that trigger different reactions in different leaders, even when they face a similar situation. These patterns become the leader's "internal playlist."   ·      A leader's internal playlist is the “music” playing in the background. It sets up how leaders see themselves and the world. It shows up in their leadership styles and how they work with their employees.   ·      The leader's playlist affects the employee experience. This playlist, based on past experiences, impacts the way a leader acts toward people (employees), which eventually trickles down to the customer experience.   ·      How you retain and engage your employees, how your company is doing, how you show up for your family, and how you feel about yourself are all symptoms of an underlying playlist of how you view the world.   ·      Plus, Susan Drumm reveals the top song on her internal playlist. Tune in! Quotes:  "How music impacts a person is very personal. It is not about the genre of music that you listen to or include in your internal playlist. It is about what emotional state that music puts you in."   About:    Susan Drumm is a keynote speaker, CEO, and Leadership Coach. She is the host of The Enlightened Executive, Chief Empowerment Office of Meritage Leadership Development, and the author of The Leader's Playlist: Unleash the Power of Music and Neuroscience to Transform Your Leadership and Your Life.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploring AI's Role in Revolutionizing Customer and Employee Experiences in Contact Centers  Shep Hyken interviews Jonathan Rosenberg, Chief Technology Officer and head of AI at Five9. He talks about how contact centers can use generative AI to deliver customer experiences that people love.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can companies effectively balance customer self-service with personal interactions in high-stakes situations?  How does AI contribute to transforming contact center agents into brand ambassadors?  Why is empathy important in customer service interactions, and how can AI complement this human trait?  How does the implementation of AI tools impact companies' return on investment?  How does generative AI reduce labor costs in contact centers while maintaining human involvement?   Top Takeaways:     AI is changing the way that contact centers operate. AI-driven tools can handle simple queries and support human employees in answering complex questions. It allows businesses to offer quick, precise help that reduces call and hold times while keeping human agents available for tasks requiring empathy and complex problem-solving.    Self-service options are growing more advanced and popular. Although AI can tackle straightforward and repetitive tasks, humans are necessary for high-stakes or complicated situations due to their ability to understand emotions and contexts more deeply.     AI isn't about replacing human employees but empowering them. It provides agents with insights and recommendations in real time so they can focus on building stronger relationships with customers. With AI tools, agents can support customers more effectively, easily handle complex queries, and even seize upsell opportunities.     Great customer experiences can lead to loyal customers. With AI tools, employees can easily access customer's history of interactions with the brand and get information from a broad knowledge base that can help them offer personalized solutions. When customers feel understood and valued, they are more likely to return and tell others about their positive experiences.     AI is quicker and more cost-effective to implement than ever, and the return on investment from AI in customer service is significant. AI can shorten call handling times and make each interaction more efficient, saving money for the business.     Plus, Shep and Jonathan discuss what happens to companies that are laggards when it comes to adopting AI. Tune in!  Quote:   "Setting up and implementing AI has historically been expensive and prohibitive for businesses. Now, with generative AI, it is quick and easy to get started, and the cost of maintaining it is low."    About:    Jonathan Rosenberg is the Chief Technology Officer and head of AI at Five9. He is responsible for the engineering and operational teams building Five9's Genius AI portfolio.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Using Generative AI to Provide a Personalized Customer Experience  Shep Hyken interviews Richard Smullen, CEO of Pypestream, an AI-powered self-service automation platform. He talks about how automation and generative AI can enhance the customer experience and the potential for self-service interactions.  Top Takeaways:    The future of customer service is being transformed by AI-powered technologies that can automate and enhance customer interactions. Technologies, such as ChatGPT and generative AI, are revolutionizing how businesses interact with their customers.    AI is redefining customer support. While there will still be a need for human agents in certain high-touch situations, the majority of customer interactions will be handled by AI-powered systems.    The future of customer service is heading toward self-service and personalized experiences. By providing intuitive and easy-to-use interfaces, businesses can guide customers toward the desired outcome without human intervention.    Companies that embrace AI in their customer service operations are not necessarily reducing their workforce. Instead, they are using AI to augment human agents and improve customer service experiences.     According to Martec's Law, technology changes exponentially, but organizations change logarithmically. The longer organizations delay their adoption and experimentation with technology, the greater the gap will be, and ultimately, they'll never catch up.    Plus, Shep and Richard share their predictions on how generative AI will transform customer service and what happens to businesses that fail to adapt. Tune in!  Quote:   "The customer is not going to believe that they are building a relationship with the AI. They are going to believe that they are building a relationship with the business that happens to be using AI. That level of connectivity and personalization that AI can help a business provide is what is going to drive loyalty."    About:    Richard Smullen is the founder and CEO of Pypestream, an AI-powered automation platform. Pypestream connects businesses to customers through self-service automation and smart messaging.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:  Often in customer service, we tend to put self-imposed limitations that get in the way of delivering great experiences to our customers and slows down the process. When we don't satisfy our customers sooner (or soon enough), they walk.  Everyone in customer service needs to ask the question: How can I help the customer in the shortest amount of time, so they can get the results that they want?  A customer service mindset plus a velocity mindset equals a great customer experience.  To succeed in customer service, you need to have a high score in empathy. Empathy helps you ask the right questions that get you the information you need to help your customers.  Cortisol is the fight or flight hormone. Every minute that customers wait for resolution, the higher their cortisol levels get. We must lower their cortisol levels by getting to the issue faster and turning their experience into a positive one right away.   Companies often concentrate too much on the message. They should be concentrating more on how it is communicated, so that the customer has the right experience. Customer service is not just about responding to a complaint. It is about taking care of people throughout their entire journey.   Quote: "Customer service is all about eliminating resistance so customers can make better decisions, buy-in to your solutions and move forward."   About:  Ron Karr is the CEO of Karr Associates, Inc. and the author of five books including the bestselling Complete Idiots Guide to Great Customer Service and his latest, The Velocity Mindset.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Designing Impactful Customer and Community Engagement  Shep Hyken interviews John Durocher, Chief Customer Officer at Calix. He talks about creating a seamless customer experience by utilizing customer feedback, ensuring proactive communication, integrating teams, and leveraging community connections.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can companies integrate their sales and support teams to enhance customer interactions?   How can small businesses enhance customer support after a sale?  What are the benefits of a customer advisory board?  Why is it important for companies to proactively communicate when there are problems, service outages, or maintenance periods?  How can businesses create an emotional connection with their customers through community involvement?  Top Takeaways:    Companies can improve their service and product offerings by listening to customers. Engaging customers through surveys and advisory boards (made up of customers) allows companies to understand their customers’ needs and generate new ideas.     Customer surveys should be a two-way communication. Customers spend time answering customer feedback. So, companies should respond to the feedback by showing appreciation for their customers’ input and making them feel heard by letting them know what actions are taken.     Customer experience doesn't stop after a sale. It encompasses every interaction the customer has with the company. Each touchpoint should be designed to delight the customer, from when a product is purchased to when they receive any follow-up service or support.     Communication and collaboration between teams ensure that there are no gaps in service delivery. When a customer interacts with one team, they expect the entire company to be aware of their history and needs. They do not want to repeat themselves. Effective communication ensures a consistent and convenient customer journey.     Proactive communication alleviates customer frustration. When there is a problem,  businesses must proactively notify their customers using all appropriate channels, including text, emails, and social media, that their customers are using. This keeps customers informed about what's happening, how long a problem might last, and reassures them that it is being addressed.     Businesses that engage with the communities they serve often stand out. Customers like doing business with companies who value the same things as them.    Plus, John shares examples of how local broadband providers have gone above and beyond for their community during crucial moments. These are lessons for any type of business. Tune in!  Quote:   "It's important not to have gaps in the customer experience. You have to work and communicate as one team. Customers expect that what they have heard from the sales team will be consistent throughout your organization."      About:    John Durocher is the Chief Customer Officer at Calix. He is widely acknowledged as an expert in customer relationship management (CRM) and has contributed numerous articles and papers to industry and academic publications.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Get into the Customer Experience Mindset  Shep Hyken interviews Blake Morgan, customer service expert, bestselling author, and the host of The Modern Customer Podcast. She talks about her latest book, The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building a Business Around Today's Customer, and how to create a culture that prioritizes both employee and customer satisfaction.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can leaders in a company build a customer-centric culture from the top down?  How does employee satisfaction translate into a positive customer experience?  What are the keys to hiring and retaining employees who actively contribute to a positive customer experience?  What are the potential downsides of relying solely on customer satisfaction scores to gauge success?  How does company culture impact customer experience?  Top Takeaways:    In business, customer service and experience are not just strategies. They are a way of life. It's not just about how a company sells, but how it serves.     Companies that treat their employees well often provide better customer service. It's not just about what the company offers to the customers but also about how it treats its people. When employees feel valued and happy, they pass that positivity to their customers.    Long-term and short-term goals can go side by side. A successful leader understands the importance of balancing two opposing ideas — figuring out how to address immediate customer needs without losing sight of the organization's long-term goals.     Leading with a customer-focused mindset means putting in the work to elevate oneself first. Whether it is through music, exercise, meditation, etc., do what you must to elevate your own mindset so you can uplift your team and your customers.     The true measure of a company's customer service comes from the customers themselves. It's not about how high the numbers on your metrics can go. It's about creating experiences that make customers want to come back again and again.    Plus, Blake shares more insights from her latest book, The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building a Business Around Today's Customer. Tune in!  Quote:   "If you want to compete on customer experience, you have to work harder than others. You have to bring more energy, more excitement, and a more service-oriented approach."    About:     Blake Morgan is a customer experience keynote speaker, dubbed by Meta as "The Queen of CX." She is the author of three customer experience books, including her latest, The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today's Customer. She is the host of The Modern Customer Podcast.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Jamie Gilpin. They Discuss how the role of marketers has expanded to include the customer experience, and how social media can positively affect the customer journey. The Interview with Jamie Gilpin:      •The advent of social media has opened new channels for marketers. Marketing is no longer concerned with sales alone; now, marketers must take the whole customer experience into consideration. Social media can provide invaluable insights to marketers for every stage of the customer journey.      •A company’s brand is not determined by first impressions and advertising alone. It is now affected at every interaction and experience a customer has with a company and is comprised of that customer’s feelings toward the company. Marketers can use social media as a tool to manage customers’ impressions and define the company’s brand.      •There are many areas in which marketers no longer have control of a company’s brand. Social media puts control into the hands of the customers, which can create problems when customers use social media as a megaphone to advertise their issues with a company. However, handled well, this also creates an opportunity for marketers to take back control, using those channels to steer the impression other consumers will form of the brand.      •There is a difference between a satisfied customer and a loyal customer. Customers become loyal when they’re not only satisfied, but when they feel a true connection to the company. Loyal customers then become advocates for a brand by recommending it to their friends and family.      •Customers crave authentic, human connection more than anything else, and this is ultimately what drives sales and loyalty. Social media is arguably one of the biggest connection points in the customer experience. Companies must realize this and take advantage of this opportunity to create connection.      •It’s important to identify and uphold a purpose for your company. If your purpose aligns with your customers’ values, this will drive connection and loyalty. However, the purpose must be authentic; otherwise, it will drive customers away. Listen on social media to what your customers are saying to learn what their values, wants, and needs are.      •It’s crucial to truly know and understand your customers. Social media is an under-utilized treasure trove of information; use this tool to get to know your customers and connect with them on an authentic, human level. Quote: “The largest, most unfiltered source of business intelligence for customer knowledge and connection is social media.” - Jamie Gilpin About: Jamie Gilpin is the Chief Marketing Officer at Sprout Social, a leading provider of social media analytics, engagement, and advocacy solutions for business. She received her MBA from Northwestern University. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. 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

Empowering Customer Service Agents with Knowledge Shep Hyken interviews Daniel Fallmann, founder of Mindbreeze, a tool that helps companies capture a holistic view of their customers' data. They discuss how organizations can arm their frontline customer service professionals with the technology that can help them offer better customer service.  Top Takeaways:  ·      The lack of information on a specific customer or product is the key problem for most businesses in every industry. Since the data is often scattered across many platforms, it is not readily available to customer service professionals when they need it. ·      Customer service professionals need a one-stop-shop where they can have a holistic view of the customer's information coming from different platforms and departments.  ·      Companies need to equip customer service agents with knowledge of the product as well as knowledge of the customer - who they are, what they search for on your website, and what their questions or challenges are. ·      Having the technology to access the right information reduces ticket escalation. But, when ticket escalations do happen, it also helps customer service agents identify the experts inside the organization to help with non-trivial customer issues. ·      You can predict what the problem is because of customer behavior. For example, what they are searching for on your website? Are they watching your videos or webinars? What issues are they calling in with? Knowing that information can help you come up with implicit problem-solving mechanisms, knowledge base articles, and automatic routines that make sure the problems do not ever occur, to begin with. Quote:  "Customers today have an "I need it now" approach. Customer service professionals need to know how to easily access information for them to understand the context of the customer’s concerns.”   About:  Daniel Fallmann founded Mindbreeze in 2005 at the age of 23, after he finished his studies in computer science. As Mindbreeze’s CEO he is a living example of high quality and innovation standards. His passion for enterprise search and machine learning in a big data environment fascinated not only the Mindbreeze employees but also their customers. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. 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

Understanding Your Customers Using Quantitative and Qualitative Data Shep Hyken interviews Lesley Mottla, Chief Product & Experience Officer at ButcherBox, a subscription business that delivers meat and seafood to its members. She shares how to get teams across your organization to buy into a culture of member and customer obsession. Top Takeaways:   ·      Customer experience is crucial in a membership business model. The focus is on renewal. You want to maintain the relationship to keep your customers.   ·      To be member (customer) obsessed, you have to have a deep understanding of the customer and their experience.   ·       Invest in listening to your customers. Collect feedback at each point of their journey. Ask them how they perceive your products and services.   ·      Use good data and feedback to create a more positive experience. You can rely on more than one source of information to get the right feedback. Learn about your customers' experiences through feedback, Net Promoter Score, member satisfaction score, diary study, and more.   ·      Understand the different segments of customers that are doing business with you. Know what they want and what they are expecting from you. Use this information to create personalized experiences that will help them get the best outcomes when using your products.   ·      Tell your customers' stories. Paint a picture of what your customers experience and regularly share it with everyone in the company. It is important that everyone in the company, from the CEO to the frontline, buy in to a culture of customer obsession.   ·      Plus, Lesley shares how you can get the CFO to invest in customer obsession. Tune in! Quote:  "The way we show how member obsessed we are is by using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data to figure out where the opportunities are to improve our customers' overall experience."     About:   Lesley Mottla is the Chief Product & Experience Officer at ButcherBox. She is a speaker, coach, and board advisor who is passionate about understanding consumer behavior using data and technology. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What it Takes to Deliver Great Experiences at All Levels  Shep Hyken interviews Adrian Swinscoe, CX thought leader, Forbes contributor, speaker, and best-selling author of Punk CX and Punk XL. They discuss what experience leadership means to the individual, the team, the organization, the customers, and beyond.  Top Takeaways:   ·      It's no longer sufficient just to talk about customer experience in isolation. We have to start thinking about it holistically and ask, “What does it mean for the entire business?” ·      There's a lot of power in a place called the "gemba", meaning the real place. In business, "gemba" is the place where value is created. Figure out where the gemba in your business is and ask yourself, “How can I go there? And, how often do I go there to understand what's going on with my customers and my employees? ·      On feedback… Psychologically, with a blank text box, people don't know where to start or how to start. When you are asking for qualitative feedback, guide your customers by creating a fill-in-the-blank item. Lead with statements like, "Your experience would be better if we..." ·      Some leaders and executives are suffering from the Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome. Even a reasonable person might reach a point where they, without realizing it, would treat customers in a way that they themselves wouldn't find acceptable.  ·      All proceeds of Adrian's book, Punk XL will go to Doctors Without Borders as an acknowledgment of the work that they have done for the last 50 years. How cool is that! Quote:   "When you are sending a customer survey, make it shorter. You are asking your customers to take the time to tell you what they think. Respect their time by keeping it as short as you possibly can."  About:   Adrian Swinscoe has been growing and helping develop customer-focused large and small businesses for over 25 years. He is a CX thought leader, Forbes contributor, speaker, and best-selling author of Punk CX and Punk XL. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      You don’t need to have an out-of-the-ordinary or “exceptional” background to do exceptional things in business and your life. -      Business has the potential to be the most powerful force for good in the world. It begins with companies truly caring about their people. -      The most important thing for any business is to develop a sustainable business model in which people feel valued. -      Many businesses make the mistake of only caring about numbers. Leaders instead should care about their people, making them the number one priority. -      Create a work environment where people feel safe and valued. Give them hope for the future. That will make them feel engaged and give them the desire to contribute. -      A leader’s job should be to help the people they have the privilege of leading grow and develop in line with the company’s vision. -      Customers ultimately benefit from the good treatment of employees. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of their customers. -      Find ways to make work fun. Fun is an excellent motivator that increases employee engagement and productivity. -      The way employees are treated at work affects their behavior outside of work. Therefore, it is a leader’s responsibility to take the best care of the people within their stewardship. This has the potential to make the entire world a better place. -      For more from Bob Chapman, check out his appearance on Shep’s TV show, Be Amazing or Go Home. Quote:“Business could be the most powerful force for good in the world if we simply cared about the people we have the privilege of leading.” About:Bob Chapman is the Chairman and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller. He developed management practices known as “Truly Human Leadership” and co-wrote Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family. 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

How Businesses Can Lean into Their Purpose Shep Hyken interviews Simon Mainwaring, founder & CEO of We First, a strategic consultancy accelerating growth and impact for purpose-driven brands. He is the author of Lead with We: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future. They discuss why companies should take part in creating solutions to the significant issues that the world is facing today.  Top Takeaways:   Customers and employees know that customer experience is more than enjoying your product and feeling like they are valued in the way that they are taken care of. It is also in how they feel about your company and what you are doing in the world. Is your company part of the problem or part of the solution? We are facing social, economic, and environmental issues. For the past two years, we have been going through a global health crisis. Your customers and employees are looking at you. They want to see where you stand on these issues and if it aligns with theirs. Why should you care? And, what's in it for your business? The short answer is that people want to buy from, invest in, and work for companies that are doing good. There's a new expectation, not just from customers, but also for employees. How you treat your employees, how they can relate, identify, and invest themselves in your purpose will determine your ability to attract the talent you need and to get the most out of them, even during difficult times. The more you lean into your purpose and share it with your employees, the more engaged they'll be. As a result, you'll retain them longer, they will be more productive, and they'll be more effective advocates for your brand. Quote:   "Employees are the most effective advocates for your brand, your products, and how you're showing up in the world."   About:   Simon Mainwaring is founder & CEO of We First, a strategic consultancy accelerating growth and impact for purpose-driven brands. He is the author of Lead with We: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future and the host of the Lead With We podcast. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gathering, Acknowledging, and Responding to Customer Feedback  Shep Hyken interviews Isabelle Zdatny, Head of Thought Leadership with Qualtrics XM Institute. She talks about the importance of treating customer feedback as a valuable tool for improving customer experience, the decline in consumer feedback, and customer survey best practices.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    What is survey fatigue?  How can negative feedback act as a valuable tool in preventing customer churn?  Why should companies prioritize genuine feedback over high survey scores?  What are the best practices for creating effective and concise customer surveys?  How many chances do customers typically give companies after a poor experience?  Top Takeaways:    Customer feedback is a gift. Negative feedback uncovers areas for improvement, potentially saving businesses from losing customers to competitors.    Customer loyalty is fragile. High customer expectations and the ability to switch to competitors easily mean companies must work even harder to keep their consumers happy. "Nice to have" industries like online retailers, hospitality, and airlines must invest more in experience to establish trust and loyalty with their customers.     Customer service is increasingly becoming more important than price. More and more customers are willing to pay extra for convenient, hassle-free experiences.     Companies need to look beyond the Voice of the Customer. Other sources, such as customer history, support interactions, and social media, can help companies understand the full scope of their customers' experiences.     Isabelle shares stats from the 2025 Consumer Trends Report by Qualtrics. Here are some highlights:    61% of consumers shared that trust in the information that companies provide to them is a top priority.   53% of bad customer experiences result in a decrease in spending.  Customers are less willing to give feedback than they were a few years ago. Compared to 4 years ago, customer feedback after a bad experience has dropped by 8%. The number of customers who do not tell anyone about their experience has increased by over 6%    Plus, Shep and Isabelle discuss why getting honest feedback is more important than getting high metric scores. Tune in!  Quote:   "The overall quality of customer experiences has improved. What's changing is customer expectations. Consumers are less tolerant of bad experiences, so when they happen, they are more likely to either decrease or stop spending money on a business."  About:    Isabelle Zdatny is the Head of Thought Leadership with Qualtrics Experience Management Institute. She produces industry-leading content on experience management trends and best practices, including the 2025 Consumer Trends Report.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Empowering Teams through Embracing AI-Driven Solutions and Customer-Centricity  Shep Hyken interviews Rony Vexelman, Vice President of Marketing at Optimove. He discusses  why broken customer journeys create poor customer experiences and how brands can avoid them by leveraging AI, personalization, and customer-centricity at every step of the journey.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    Why is it essential for brands to understand and orchestrate the customer journey?  What are some common pitfalls that lead to broken customer journeys?  How has technology changed the approach to customer journey mapping?  How can AI tools empower professionals to expand their roles?  Why is it essential for brands to break down silos within their organization?  Top Takeaways:    Broken customer journeys result from multiple departments working in silos without integrated communication. Each department may have its automation system, which may lead to conflicting or uncoordinated customer experiences. By breaking down these silos and working towards a centralized system, your company can ensure a unified and smooth customer journey.    Businesses need to prioritize customer needs and experiences over pushing products or campaigns. When making decisions, even the tough ones, it's important to consider how these changes will impact customers and how to communicate them effectively.     You will not always make decisions that will make your customers happy. For example, raising prices is not an easy topic to discuss with customers, but it is, at times, necessary. Acknowledge how it impacts your customers and communicate it with them.    Traditional journey mapping focuses on creating an ideal journey for most customers, often neglecting outliers. With today’s technology, businesses can personalize the customer experience at scale, catering to individual preferences and needs.    AI can empower “positionless professionals”, encouraging individuals to expand their skills beyond their specializations. With AI tools, employees can take on tasks outside their usual roles, becoming more versatile and adaptable. This adaptability can result in faster execution, better employee experiences, and better customer experiences.    Extending personalized experiences beyond physical interactions, such as at a reception desk, to online platforms can significantly enhance the customer's perception of the brand.    Plus, Shep and Rony discuss why "breaking down silos" is still a hot topic for organizations after decades. Tune in!  Quote:   "Do your marketing from a customer point of view, not from a product point of view. "  About:    Rony Vexelman is the Vice President of Marketing at Optimove. He is a seasoned professional in multichannel marketing and customer engagement platforms.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Creating Amazing Experiences that Make Customers Come Back (Again and Again)  Shep Hyken interviews Dominic Constandi, client services and customer success leader and Chief Customer Officer at ZoomInfo. He shares what customer service professionals can learn from their own experiences and use to create lasting value at every point of their customer's journey.  Top Takeaways:  The first impression is not necessarily the first time you meet somebody or do business with a company. It's what sets the tone for what's to follow. The last impression is what you remember that hopefully brings you back.    The Moments of Truth concept goes all the way back to the 1980’s when Jan Carlzon, former president of Scandinavian Airlines, came up with the idea to help his employees create a better customer experience. He defined it as whenever a customer comes into contact with any aspect of a business, they have an opportunity to form an impression. That impression can make or break the experience.    First impressions are Moments of Truth that set the tone for the customer's journey. For example:    Hotels spend a lot of money on their lobbies to create a great first impression. They spend resources to train staff on how to make customers feel welcome the moment they walk in.    How a salesperson answers the first few questions a customer has often determines if they would do business with that company or not.    There is a window of opportunity when customers are ready to purchase a product or invest in a service. It is up to the companies to use data to know the who, what, and when. Who are we talking to? With what message? When is the best time to deliver that message?    Customer experience is more important than ever. Customers are more critical, in this economy, in evaluating what's giving them the most value when making purchases and investments.     You have heard of FOMO or Fear of Missing Out. In this episode, Shep and Dominic discuss FUMU, or Fear of Messing Up, and how it affects customer success. Tune in!  Quote:  "Good decisions made from bad data are just bad decisions you don't know about yet."    About:  Dominic Constandi is the Chief Customer Officer at ZoomInfo, overseeing client service that ensures a seamless experience for his customers.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. 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

This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can businesses create experiences that get repeat business and nurture brand loyalty?  How can businesses think outside the box to create fan-like loyalty among their customer base?  What lessons can companies learn from the legendary rock band, Van Halen, in creating loyal customer followings?  What can traditional businesses learn from innovative customer-centric strategies employed by the entertainment industry?  Why should organizations prioritize creating special and unforgettable experiences for their customers?  Top Takeaways:    Developing an authentic and meaningful bond with customers can lead to repeat customers and long-lasting brand loyalty. Brands must create memorable and emotionally resonant experiences for their customers. Capturing the essence of live and interactive rock star performances like Van Halen and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, who embody the art of connecting with their audience, can inspire businesses to cultivate the same kind of loyalty and enthusiasm from their own customers.     Addressing issues promptly and effectively before they escalate is crucial to maintaining a positive customer experience. Whether it's dealing with flight issues or helping customers directly, it’s important to find and fix problems quickly.  By doing so, businesses can prevent potential dissatisfaction and reinforce their commitment to providing exceptional service.    Building and maintaining brand loyalty requires businesses to go beyond providing products and services. By emulating the strategies of successful performers who have cultivated a close relationship with their wide fanbase, businesses can cultivate devoted fans who are deeply connected to their brand.     Making customers feel special and valued is a fundamental aspect of amazing customer service. Customers want to feel that you are watching out for them. Recognition and personalized attention can leave a lasting emotional impact and a strong sense of connection. Businesses that prioritize personalized attention to their customers can establish a bond that goes beyond simple transactions, creating a loyal and committed customer base.    Plus, Shep and Jim share the customer experience moments that changed their lives. Tune in!  Quote:   "When you are in the service business, whether on the front lines or in the back office, you have to think like a rock band. You are trying to create loyal fans."   About:    Jim Serger served four years in the U.S. Navy and is a full-time author who has written seven books, including 9:11 A Time To Always Remember and Jump: 40th Anniversary of Attending the "1984" Van Halen Concert.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Personalized Customer Experiences Can Drive Business Growth   Shep Hyken interviews Mark Abraham, Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group and author of Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI. He talks about AI's potential to enhance personalization and the impact of tailored customer experiences on business growth.   This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    What is true personalization?  How can AI enhance personalization?  How does personalization contribute to customer loyalty and satisfaction?  How can businesses balance personalization with customer data privacy concerns?  What are some common misconceptions about personalization in customer service?  Top Takeaways:    Personalization means using what you've learned about the customer from their past interactions to improve their future experiences.     True personalization is not just about using a customer's name or offering customized products. True personalization involves using customer data at scale to make their next experience smoother, faster, and more convenient.     There are some concerns among customers about data privacy and personalization. Businesses must first get the opt-in from their customers. Second, it is important to ensure personalized experiences are contextually appropriate to the customer's journey.    Respecting customer privacy can make or break a personalized experience. Businesses should collect first-party data (data from transactions) and zero-party data (data directly shared by customers) to create a more accurate and respectful personalization strategy.     Artificial Intelligence has the potential to significantly enhance personalization. It can analyze vast amounts of data to predict and suggest the next best actions for customers, recommend products or services, and tailor customer service interactions.    Starting with personalization doesn't have to be complicated. Start by identifying one area where personalization can have the most impact and using available tools and technologies to implement it.    Mark also shares The Five Promises of Personalization, a practical way to think about how you deliver great personalization.    Empower me: Start with the customer. How are you helping them solve problems or fulfill a need?    Know me: To help a customer, you need to know them. Find ways to engage the customer and collect relevant data in between.    Reach me: Use AI to know how to reach out to your customers and what messages are most appropriate and relevant to send them.    Show me: Build a content library and use content management systems and automation to deliver personalized content at scale.     Delight me: Make the personalized experience seem more magical.    Plus, Mark answers the question—Is true personalization an expensive thing to do? Tune in!  Quote:   "Personalization isn't just customization. Personalization is taking what you've learned about a customer in an interaction and making their next interaction better, faster, or more convenient."    About:    Mark Abraham is a Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group and the founder of the company's Global Personalization business. He co-authored Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI with David C. Edelman.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Relationship Between Value, Customer Experience, and Price Shep Hyken interviews Per Sjöfors, aka "The Price Whisperer," Co-founder of Sjöfors & Partners and author of The Price Whisperer - A Holist Approach to Pricing Power. He shares how companies can use pricing to drive higher growth, sales volume, and profits by providing a great customer experience. Top Takeaways:   ·      There is a direct correlation between how much a company can charge a customer and the level of customer experience. ·      How you present your product or service, and your value messages drive customer satisfaction, customer experience, and how much customers are willing to pay.   ·      Any company has profitability based on three variables: total cost, sales volume, and price. Out of the three, price has the highest leverage on profitability.   ·      Pricing drives satisfaction. Often higher prices lead to more satisfied customers than lower prices. Many companies compare themselves to others in their industry and start doing the same. But, if you give a compelling reason why your price is more than theirs, you're going to win customers over.   ·      And Pers talks about the mistakes companies make when pricing affects the customer experience. Check it out! Quote:  "A satisfied customer with good experiences is more likely to be willing to pay higher prices than somebody who is dissatisfied (if that customer ever comes back)."   About:   Per Sjöfors, aka "The Price Whisperer," is the Co-founder of Sjöfors & Partners and author of The Price Whisperer. He is a thought leader and author on everything pricing and how companies can use pricing to drive higher growth, sales volume, and profits. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Lindsay Pedersen. They discuss strategies for how brands can differentiate themselves by creating authentic, genuine connections with their customers. Top Takeaways: -      A brand is its customer experience, and vice versa. The brand and the experience are built on the relationship between a business and its customers. -      Advertising and marketing may attract new customers, but it’s rarely the real reason why customers like doing business with a brand. Customers like doing business with companies because of how those companies make them feel. -      Many companies focus too much on acquiring new customers rather than retaining the customers they already have. -      Every company should ask itself why it is in business. This question becomes especially important if the company keeps losing customers. Create an experience that reduces customer churn. -      You must differentiate yourself from your competitors. Be wary of doing this through your product alone; that method is too easy to copy. But if find a way to meet a unique need for your customers, you will find success. -      The most important question a company can ask itself is what emotional reward they want the customer to enjoy by choosing to do business with them. There is emotional value in the connection between a company and its customers, and brands must tap into that. Quote: “Businesses don’t make money by impressing people with cool ads. They make money by attracting and retaining customers.” - Lindsay Pedersen Lindsay Pedersen is a brand strategist and owner of Ironclad Brand Strategy who recently authored Forging an Ironclad Brand: A Leader’s Guide. She has advised companies from burgeoning startups to national corporations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Jill Nelson. They discuss her company, Ruby Receptionists, and how to use both technology and humanity to deliver an amazing customer experience.  The Interview with Jill Nelson:The driving force behind good customer service should be human engagement and connection. Technology can allow employees to be more helpful, but it should not be the only layer to the customer experience.Even with the many ways a customer can connect with a company, there is still an expectation of instant availability. Customers increasingly prefer to connect with companies via the phone, and phone calls have the highest conversion rate of interaction to sale.The money you spend on marketing will be wasted if you don’t inject care into the customer’s experience beyond getting them to connect with you. Companies need to communicate that they are there for their customers, that they care, and that they’re human, too. At the end of the day, people want to do business with people.It’s important to hire right from the beginning, as is continuous training. Be careful not to “untrain” or demotivate your employees; assume they want to succeed and help their customers succeed, so empower them to do so.Cultivate a mindset where the customer’s needs supersede your own. Use the customer’s success as your compass, and ask yourself what you can help them accomplish and how you can go about doing so.Quote: “Hiring right is important, but it’s a waste if you don’t also give your employees the freedom, space, and ability to be human and do great things beyond following the rules.” - Jill Nelson About: Jill Nelson is the founder and CEO of Ruby Receptionists. She is a member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization and was honored as the Oregon Technology Executive of the Year in 2017. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patient Experience Best Practices That Every Business Must Do Shep Hyken interviews Jennifer FitzPatrick, founder of Jenerations Health Education and author of Reimagining Customer Service in Healthcare: Boost Loyalty, Profits, and Outcomes. She talks about how organizations can de-escalate complaints, reduce malpractice claims, and promote better healthcare outcomes by improving patient experience. Top Takeaways:  We go to healthcare providers to address a big problem; our health. Some healthcare practitioners know how to treat symptoms and illnesses; however, they are falling short of making the patients feel like they are human beings with respect and dignity. When patients receive great customer service from their healthcare providers, not only do they provide better reviews, fewer complaints, and malpractice claims, but they also have better clinical outcomes. Patients are not just comparing their healthcare providers with other healthcare providers. They compare their experiences in the healthcare world with the best customer service they received from anyone in other industries. Healthcare must recognize younger generations of employees (GenZ and Millennials) are expressing themselves differently than GenX or Boomers. Instead of focusing on external factors like the color of someone's hair or whether they have tattoos or piercings, identify the top qualities that truly matter to your patient's care. Are they compassionate, intelligent, kind, and reliable? Nobody wants to engage with the healthcare system. On a pain scale of zero to 10, most patients come in because they are at a seven or higher. Find ways to make the experience less painful for them, like setting the right expectations, providing updates, and not making them repeat the same information over and over again when it is not necessary. Plus, Shep and Jennifer discuss what is more important in choosing a healthcare provider, expertise or bedside manner. Tune in! Quote: "Train your people to do the right thing for your patients or customers, don't assume they know. Make sure that anybody who comes into contact with the patient and the patient's family members, from doctors to billing and housekeeping, are properly trained on customer service." About:  Jennifer L. FitzPatrick is the author of Reimagining Customer Service in Healthcare. As the founder of Jenerations Health Education, Jennifer helps organizations develop happier healthcare customers. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Gap Between Your Marketing Message and Frontline Teams Shep Hyken interviews Chris Wallace, Co-Founder and President of InnerView, a marketing consulting firm that helps companies align their brand and product stories with their customer-facing teams. They discuss the importance of a two-way dialogue between the marketing department and your frontline teams. Top Takeaways:   ·      Do you know what the people talking to your customers think of you? The employees who talk to your customers, the people who represent you, are the gatekeeper of your brand’s message.   ·      Just because people get a paycheck from the brands that they represent, it doesn't mean that they can deliver every message perfectly, or that their training is going to stick.   ·      The people who live in the trenches have a unique perspective on the customer experience and the brand promise. They get feedback from customers. They see how decisions are made in real-time. They have valuable input that can help leaders make better decisions. Leadership needs to take advantage of their knowledge!   ·      The goal of marketers is to reach the customer, to drive demand, to catch interest, to capture attention, and to set expectations. We encourage marketers to ask themselves - How do we equip our people to understand, align, and confidently deliver on these expectations?   ·      The base level of what customers expect from you continues to go up. They can buy the product that you are selling elsewhere. What customers are looking for are the brands that can deliver that extra layer of value. They are looking for the best company who creates the most amazing service.  Quote:   "There is nothing better than dealing with somebody on the frontlines that truly believes and cares about the brand that they represent" About:    Chris Wallace is the Co-Founder and President of InnerView. Chris and his team have developed the Brand Transfer Study tool which helps companies measure brand message alignment and engage their frontlines in innovative new ways.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio.      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Curiosity and Innovation Can Transform Your Business  Shep Hyken interviews Joseph Michelli, keynote speaker, organizational consultant, and bestselling author. He discusses the principles and strategies in his latest book, Customer Magic – The Macquarie Way, including reimagining customer experience, empowering employees, and transforming businesses.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can companies effectively challenge the status quo to drive innovation in customer service?  What is the "challenger mindset"?  How can storytelling culture contribute to a company's success in customer service and experience?  What drives improvement and innovation in business?  Why is it essential for companies to create products tailored to their customers rather than finding customers for their products?  Top Takeaways:    An insatiable curiosity and a commitment to innovation enable leaders to constantly seek new ideas and solutions that create value for their employees and customers. This is how leaders remain relevant and impactful as their business  grows.      Creating a storytelling culture within the organization is an amazing tool for engaging customers and employees. It builds a culture that resonates with its audience and strengthens emotional connections.    Adopting the challenger mindset or zigging while others are zagging doesn’t always mean contradicting every idea. It means questioning the status quo and driving continual improvement. Leaders must promote an environment where employees are encouraged to challenge prevailing norms and seek opportunities to do things differently. This can lead to unique solutions and fresh approaches that set a business apart.    Shift from finding customers for your products to finding products for your customers. This customer-centric approach focuses on understanding and addressing the needs of your customers.    When hiring, prioritize individuals who embody a customer service-focused mindset. Seeking out employees who not only have the necessary technical skills but also demonstrate genuine care and approachability toward customers can significantly transform your business.    Plus, Joseph Michelli shares how the inspiration for his book, David and Aidan Tudehope of Macquarie Technology, has achieved great success by challenging the status quo of their industry. Tune in!  Quote:   "It's not about the product. The product is a vector to create an impact on the lives of humans. The magic is in how we create an experience in the lives of our customers."    About:    Joseph Michelli, Ph.D., C.S.P., is an international keynote speaker and organizational consultant. He is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Nielson BookScan, and New York Times #1 bestselling author. His latest book, Customer Magic – The Macquarie Way: How to Reimagine Customer Experience to Transform Your Business, is available now on Amazon.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways: ·        Many companies think that they are customer-obsessed while unaware of the customer-focused gaps within their organization. These gaps can be felt by the customers through their digital channels, interactions with people, and a variety of things in their organization. ·        Gaps in being a customer-obsessed organization happen when companies do not deliver their brand promise. ·        The brand promise falls into three categories: 1. ‘Unlike the others’ - Being different, quirky, or unusual. 2. ‘At your service’ - Differentiating the experience through amazing customer service. 3. ‘On your side, by your side’ - Being the customer's advocate. ·        A customer-obsessed organization listens to their clients and takes actions based on the information that they receive. ·        In 2017, it would have taken 17 interactions with a brand to close a typical B2B transaction. Now, it takes 27 with 4 or more people involved before customers can make a buying decision. ·        Throughout the pandemic, the racial tensions that we are in, and the environmental issues that we are facing, customers are taking a closer look at the brands that they want to trust and do business with. ·        What happens inside an organization is felt on the outside by the customers. ·        Many companies underestimate the importance of how employees feel about how service is delivered to their customers. ·        Alignment in business is knowing who your customer is, how you want them to feel, and shaping your product around customer obsession. ·        Aligned organizations have 19% faster growth and 15% higher profitability. Quote:  "Lead with the customer first. Keep the customer in mind with every decision that your company makes."  About: Shirley Macbeth is the Chief Marketing Officer at Forrester. Macbeth has 25+ years of experience as a marketing executive with a proven track record in increasing revenues and building brand awareness for global B2B companies. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Mary Drumond. They discuss Mary’s recent article, “Bad Experiences Aren’t Always the Problem for Companies” as it pertains to customer feedback, customers’ expectations, and the entire customer experience. The Interview with Mary Drumond:It’s important to look into the reasons why customers make their decisions. Most metrics only look at recommendation potential and satisfaction instead of examining customers’ motivation. That means a huge piece of the puzzle is missing.Customers stop doing business with companies for a number of reasons. The number one factor that drives customers away is when their time is not respected. Customers don’t like having to wait or being kept on hold; do this too much, and you may find your customers leaving to do business with someone who has a higher respect for their time.Why do companies with poor customer service continue to flourish? For certain business models, the most important factor may not be CX—it could be time and/or money. Customers expect an experience equivalent to the company’s price point, whether that is high or low. Additionally, if the starting price is lower, customers using the service who are not price-sensitive will pay more for upgrades.Humans make decisions on a cost vs. benefit and pain vs. pleasure basis. For customers making purchase decisions, this means weighing time and money against quality, product, customer service, etc. The lowest price may not always be the best value.Many companies either ignore or miss out on the most important aspect of feedback: the voice of the customer. Survey questions need to be redesigned to allow the customer to voice the issues that matter to them rather than giving data the company wants. Additionally, surveys need to be conducted in a way that eliminates bias entirely, or the data will be skewed.When customers are inundated with too many surveys, they will be less likely to participate and may become irritated. This phenomenon is known as “survey fatigue.” This also happens when customers feel as though companies aren’t doing anything with their feedback—they don’t want to make the effort to complete the survey if their voices are going to be ignored. Quote: “There’s nothing worse than asking for a customer’s feedback and then doing nothing about it.”- Mary Drumond About: Mary Drumond is the Chief Marketing Officer at Worthix, editor of the Science Behind Decisions blog, and host of the Voices of CXpodcast. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Dr. Natalie Petouhoff. They discuss AI in business—what works and what doesn’t work, how it can help companies and employees succeed, and how we can best utilize it. They also discuss the need for diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace. In Shep’s Opening Monologue... He discusses the pros and cons of chatbots. The Interview with Natalie Petouhoff:Companies that become too enamored with chatbots, AI, and other technologies can risk losing touch with their customers.AI shouldn’t replace humans; it’s meant to aid and augment both the employee and customer experiences.AI might be more useful to employees rather than customers. It can eliminate mundane, repetitive task for support center agents and help them build better rapport with their customers, which thereby improves the customer experience.Social media has transformed how customers and businesses interact. Having multiple methods of contact, or channels, removes effort from customers, which customers really like.Contact centers and companies alike need to reorient themselves so that the customer is at the center of their operations. They should be less concerned with statistics and more concerned with people.You don’t have to go above and beyond to create an exceptional customer experience. Most customers simply want a quick, easy, and efficient answer or solution to their problems. Providing that is going above and beyond when that isn’t the standard.Companies and employees need to be able to guide and train their AI so it learns better. AI is not meant to operate in an isolated environment; its intelligence is human-inspired.Companies are no longer competing solely against their direct competitor; they’re now competing against the highest standard for service across the board. AI can help power that without customers even realizing it.When companies don’t have an agile mindset, it can be difficult for them to adjust to how rapidly technology changes. Failing to adapt can spell doom for companies if they don’t respond with urgency and a willingness to learn.Quote: “AI is meant to augment the problem-solving process.” – Dr. Natalie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How AI is Transforming Customer Communication Shep Hyken interviews Anand Janefalkar, CEO and founder of UJET. He talks about the power of AI enhancing CX and how businesses can leverage it to improve customer support and avoid churn. Top Takeaways:  Customers have so many options and want to get the best out of the money they spend. Since there are many options for companies offering more or less the same services, customer support becomes the differentiator. It comes down to how easy it is to communicate with a business and how delightful the experience is. In the 80s, the White House commissioned the Technical Assistant Research Program to conduct a study on customer experience. They found out that the number one reason customers leave is rudeness or apathy. Almost 40 years later, our customer service and experience research has the same findings - the number one reason customers leave to do business elsewhere is rudeness or apathy.  The evolution of customer communication has expanded beyond traditional phone and mail. Companies must embrace diverse channels like chatbots, social media, and visual communication to meet customer expectations and deliver a seamless experience. Customer service professionals and support agents now mostly consist of young professionals who are digitally acquainted. They are "obsessed" with their phones, and the internet has become a seamless extension of their day-to-day lives. Training them on a stack designed 20-30 years ago, which they have never used in their lives, then asking them to solve a problem for the customer without using their senses of visual and contextual information gathering is a recipe for disaster. The result can be rudeness that comes from frustration from the inability to solve that issue. Technology must feel intuitive. Just like smartphones became popular because they are easy to use, customer service platforms must prioritize user-friendly interfaces that make interactions effortless. They should have a human-first mindset when designing communication between customers, support agents, and AI. Organizations need to be responsible for using AI for customer interactions. Proper training, data, and empathy are crucial to ensure AI understands and responds appropriately to customers, providing a human-like experience while maintaining efficiency and accuracy. Plus, Shep and Anand discuss how AI can empower agents and increase their efficiency. Tune in! Quote: "Natural language processing and AI play a crucial role in customer communication. When communicating with customers, it needs to feel like you're explaining something just like you would explain it to a family or a friend."  About:  Anand Janefalkar is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of UJET. Anand founded UJET to modernize the contact center by addressing long-standing design flaws and conventional thinking that have failed to evolve in parallel with changing human interaction landscape. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. 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

Defining Success from the Customer's Perspective Shep Hyken interviews Dan Balcauski, founder and principal consultant for Product Tranquility, where he focuses on helping high-volume B2B SaaS CEOs define pricing and packaging for new products. They discuss what companies can learn from subscription models about focusing on the customer’s journey and feedback. Top Takeaways:   Anything can be a subscription. Whether you are selling razor blades, pens, or a streaming service, the goal is to get the customers to say that they are getting enough value for your products to continue doing business with you. A subscription model solidifies the relationship between the business and the customer but it also requires a focus on customer experience. How do companies ensure that their customers continuously get value over time so they don't leave you for your competitors? What are the outcomes that your customers are trying to achieve? Most of the time businesses focus on operational efficiency, revenue, and profits. These are all great things. But, the problem is that these are not the criteria that the customer is using to define success. Companies need to understand that they are not the center of the customer's world. We need to understand the full journey. This week on Amazing Business Radio, I interview Dan Bacaulski, founder and principal consultant for Product Tranquility, where he focuses on helping high-volume B2B SaaS CEOs define pricing and packaging for new products. Dan takes us through how businesses can focus on the outcomes that the customer is trying to achieve and how they define success. Learn how to put the customer first, provide value, and define success from the lens of those you serve - the customers. Quote:   "We are not the center of our customer's life. We need to understand the full journey. We need to ask, "What is our customer's day to day like?" and "What are they trying to accomplish?" About:    Dan Balcauski is the founder and principal consultant for Product Tranquility, where he focuses on helping high-volume B2B SaaS CEOs define pricing and packaging for new products. He is a TopTal certified Top 3% Product Management Professional and also helps to teach Kellogg Executive Education course on Product Strategy. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. 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

Using Conversational Data to Enhance the Customer Experience   Shep Hyken interviews Amy Brown, founder and CEO of Authenticx, a software that listens, analyzes, and activates customer voices at scale. She shares findings from Authenticx's Customer Voices Report and how organizations can use data to drive customer experience strategies. Top Takeaways:   ·      Customers want to be empathized with and understood by the brands they interact and do business with.   ·      Customer centricity means taking intentional steps to listen to what your customer needs and having everyone, at all levels in the organization, committed to delivering on them.   ·      Typically, the customers who answer surveys are either very angry or very happy with your organization. However, this leaves out customers who are in the middle or think their experience is only satisfactory. When companies don't learn from this segment of their customers, they often lose them once a competitor that does it better comes along.   ·      The value of listening to customers is that it teaches organizations the points of friction in their processes and identifies their competitive differentiators. It shows them the problem spots they need to pay attention and what drives negative sentiment. And it helps brands determine their value propositions using the words of their customers.   ·      When you hear good feedback and read positive testimonials, put that data into your process so that all your customers can have the same amazing experience.   ·      Frontline workers are a great resource when it comes to what customers are saying about your company and their experience. Train them to listen for customer insights, take notes, and share with everyone in the organization.   ·      Listen to your employees, too, not just your customers. Leaders must be listening for employee engagement and burnout. Turn positive and negative conversational data into actionable strategies that support your employees.   ·      Plus, Amy shares what The Eddy Effect™ is and what it means to customer experience. Tune in!  Quote:  "Customer-centric organizations believe that listening to and understanding what their customers want is vital to their ability to thrive as a business."   About:   Amy Brown is the founder and CEO of Authenticx. As an executive with 20 years of experience in healthcare, she founded Authenticx to bring the authentic voice of the patient into the boardroom and increase positive healthcare outcomes.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Customers Expect from CX Practitioners Shep Hyken interviews Baker Johnson, Chief Marketing Officer at UJET. They discuss how CX practitioners can put what they know about communication from their personal relationships into their customer relationships. Top Takeaways:   Here is something brands and even CX practitioners often forget - customers just want to get things done. They are not thinking in terms of channels. They are not worried about what department, whether it be sales, marketing, or customer support, resolves their issues. They really only care about problems solved. What do customers expect from CX practitioners? It's not about how many channels of communication are available. Compared to sales and marketing, the advice given to CX practitioners is always lagging. They are told to constantly add channels to meet customers where they are. But, customers don't think in terms of channels. They just want to connect with the brand – how they want and when they want. It's not about departments within the organization either. Sales, marketing, and customer support departments are often fighting on who is the most influential to customer experience to gain more internal power. We have to move away from this and put customers first. At the end of the day, we are all customers. The way that we interact in our lives is how consumers expect to interact with brands. It is also what your employees expect from you. We have to bring what we know about relationships and communication from our personal lives to our work lives and apply it to how we interact with our customers.  Quote:   "Take off your work hat, put on your real-life hat and you'll have all the answers to what needs to be improved in customer experience."   About:   Baker Johnson, Chief Marketing Officer at UJET where he is focused on driving corporate growth by evangelizing how UJET’s ultra-modern, customer-and-user-centric approach to CX is radically disrupting the Contact Center ecosystem. He brings more than 15 years of leadership experience to the role driving branding and data-driven strategy transformations to fuel SaaS growth. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Creating a Company Identity That Transforms Customer Experience  Shep Hyken interviews Laura Richard, Principal at Level5 Strategy and one of the 2023 Woman Leaders in Consulting. She talks about the essence of branding and its role in customer experience, employee engagement, and business growth.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    What is a brand promise?  What is the role of branding in enhancing the customer experience?  How can businesses define their brand to impact customer relationships meaningfully?  How does empowering employees align with a company's brand promise?  Why is it important for employees to share the same values as the brand they work for?  Top Takeaways:    A brand promise is a company's commitment to its customers, defining what they can expect every time they interact with the brand. It is the guiding principle that all the decisions of an organization are centered on.     A brand true to its promise creates value, builds trust, and fosters long-lasting relationships that benefit the customer and bring financial success to the business over time.    Understand what matters most to the customers you want to build a relationship with. Know what they want to get and how they want to feel as a result of engaging with the brand.     In a competitive market, a strong brand sets a company apart from competitors and creates an emotional connection with customers. For example, Nike empowers its customers with the motto "Just Do It," and Patagonia focuses on sustainability.    Employees are essential in upholding the brand promise. When a company clearly defines its brand promise and values, it can attract employees who naturally resonate with those principles.    Companies should identify which touchpoints are "table stakes," meaning basic expectations that must be met, but not necessarily exceeded. They should also focus their resources on the "moments of truth," the interactions that emotionally impact customers and can significantly deepen relationships.     Plus, Shep and Laura discuss how convenience and consistency drive loyalty. Tune in!  Quote:   "When people hear the word brand, they think of the logo, tagline, or marketing campaigns. But a brand truly is the company's identity, the common set of truths the organization needs to deliver to create value for its customers and employees."    About:    Laura Richard is a Principal at Level5 Strategy and one of the 2023 Woman Leaders in Consulting. She is Chair of the Board of ParticipACTION, Canada's leading advocate for physical activity.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Link Between Soccer (Football) and Customer Service Shep Hyken interviews Gregorio Uglioni, a customer experience specialist, host of CX Goalkeeper, and author of Customer Experience 4 (CX4). He shares how customer service teams can implement lessons and best practices that organizations can learn from soccer teams and their fans.  Top Takeaways:   ·      Customer service is a team sport where different experts and teams empower and learn from each other to provide an amazing customer experience.   ·      What can customer service teams learn from soccer teams?   o  Turn customers into fans. Fans are emotionally invested and will defend their teams no matter the game's result. When companies provide great experiences, they will earn "fans" who will continuously choose them over their competitors and become brand ambassadors who recommend them to everyone they know.   o  Customer service teams should have one common goal. Each team member has their own role, but they work towards a common goal - winning the match. In customer service, different teams, such as the customer support team, the social media department, and the sales team, have their individual roles. Still, the goal must be unified to win the customer over with an amazing experience.   o  Players must be trained to improvise. During a soccer game, players don't ask permission from their coach before making a move. They are already empowered by their training, strategy, and team support even before stepping into the field. Customer service representatives must have the tools they need, from knowledge bases, coaching, and training to make empowered decisions on how to best serve the customer.   ·      Plus, Gregorio talks about how organizations can create a customer service architecture that can help teams provide a winning experience. Tune in! Quote:  "The company, like a team, has two additional sources of feedback. The employees who give positive or negative feedback will help the team grow. Then, fans or customers will give feedback through comments, surveys, and brand loyalty."   About:    Gregorio Uglioni is a Business Transformation, Innovation, and Customer Experience specialist. He shares his expertise on his podcast, CX Goalkeeper, and books, including his latest, Customer Experience 4 (CX4). Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How CX Avoidance Impacts Customers, Employees, and Brands Shep Hyken interviews Dan Hill, founder of Sensory Logic, Inc. and a pioneer of using facial coding in business to capture and quantify consumer responses. He is the author of nine books including his latest, Blah, Blah, Blah: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo. They discuss how to use technology and staff the customer service department to be effective throughout the entire customer journey. Top Takeaways:   Learn about “customer avoidance” and why it happens. In the age of digital transformation, companies must find ways to eliminate customer service and experience avoidance and create a seamless customer experience with technology and customer relationships. When customers call companies, one of the first things that they hear is "Your call is very important to us", followed by a hold tone. Customers want to feel like they are moving towards progress when they are calling about a problem. When they don't feel that they are progressing to a solution, customers will feel anger towards customer service representatives and ultimately, the brand. Companies avoid engaging with their customers for the following reasons: ·      To limit their cost. ·      To limit the time taken by their staff in interacting with customers. ·      To avoid revealing that their staff is not well-trained or prepared to field questions. Companies sometimes become enamoured with the technology. They use it as a shield to avoid interaction with their customers. When this happens, it negatively affects the brand and the whole value proposition. Dan provides some insights on how to restore the customers’ confidence in the organization: ·      Companies must use technology to facilitate collaboration, not to replace human-to-human contact. ·      The transition from chatbots or any type of automation must be seamless. When the customer is connected to the frontline, they should not have to repeat their story. ·      Frontline employees need to be knowledgeable enough to answer questions and give customers the confidence that they are progressing to a solution. ·      For more insights from Dan Hill, listen to the full episode! Quote:   "About 25% of managers are believed to be bullies. If people are feeling bullied or oppressed, that's going to translate in how they relate to their colleagues and their customers."   About:   Dan Hill, Ph.D., is the author of nine books, including Emotionomics and Blah, Blah, Blah: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo. He is the founder of Sensory Logic, Inc. whose clients represent over 50% of the world's top 100 advertisers. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Sam Lessin of Fin Analytics. They discuss the changing needs and expectations of customers, and how to keep customer service simple while delivering satisfaction. The Interview with Sam Lessin:The world is becoming more customer-centric, but not every company is keeping up. There must be more training and coaching present within contact centers and customer-facing roles.Measurement is everything. You can only change what you measure. You must measure and collect data across multiple areas of your business so you can understand which moments in the customer journey need review and repair.Executives are in danger of being too far removed from their customers’ journey. Data can help bridge this gap. The right data can help executives make the best decisions about how to create healthier relationships, improve workflow, and create better customer service.Consumers’ expectations of companies they do business with have never been higher, especially when it comes to communication and availability. Customers now expect companies to be as easy to reach as their friends are.Social customer care involves customers communicating with companies through social media channels. Companies need to be aware of the increased visibility that comes with these territories; it can be good, but it can also be a huge liability.Technology, systems, and processes will continue changing and getting more complicated. Keep it simple by remembering that it’s really about serving people well. Customers just want their questions answered and their problems solved quickly and easily; this has remained constant and will not change.Understand the lifetime value (LTV) of your customers and examine how customer service impacts it. Focus on this aspect more than any others.Customer service is not a separate department or something that only happens in contact centers. It is present throughout the entire customer journey. It drives value for your organization just as much as—if not more than—sales, marketing, product, etc.Quote:  “Your customer service isn’t just a call center; it’s driving value for your organization.”- Sam Lessin About: Sam Lessin is the co-founder and co-CEO of Fin Analytics. Formerly, he was Product VP at Facebook and founded drop.io. He also writes a column for The Information. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Cameron Mitchell, Founder and CEO of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. They discuss Cameron’s customer service philosophies and his new book, Yes is the Answer! What is the Question?. The Interview with Cameron Mitchell:Be goal-oriented. Know the difference between working for a paycheck and working for your career.Define your company’s core values and culture first. Then, build the company for the people, by the people.Rather than putting the guests/customers first, put your employees first. This sets up a triangular relationship: you take care of your employees, your employees take care of your customers, and your customers take care of your company. This all stems from an internal people-first culture.Mitchell shared his company’s Five Pillars of Culture, which are in the form of questions. These questions must be answered with authority and conviction. They are as follows:What do we want to be?How do we define ourselves?What is our mission?What is your role?What is our goal?There should be an almost even split between cultural and fiscal responsibility, the scales tipped in favor of culture. The number one goal should be to maintain your company’s culture and values. Making a profit should be second to that. Never sacrifice your culture for the sake of profit.Your company will have many goals that come and go, but the one constant goal should be to be better today than you were yesterday, and better tomorrow than you are today. This creates a culture of positive change within your organization. Stagnation is a death sentence.The phrase “yes is the answer; what’s the question?” creates an attitude of action. It motivates people to find creative solutions to problems rather than just saying “no.”Attaching an image, symbol, or picture to your company mantra can make for a powerful reminder. Implement and integrate this company-wide to ensure everyone is on the same page.Quote:  “We take care of our people, our people take care of our guests, and our guests then take care of our company.” - Cameron Mitchell About: Cameron Mitchell is the founder and CEO of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. He has enjoyed success as a lifelong entrepreneur, accomplished businessman, culinary expert, and nationally recognized restauranteur. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. 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

Six Ingredients for Transforming Your Business to Thrive Shep Hyken interviews Joel Bines, managing director and global co-head of the Retail Practice at AlixPartners and the author of The Metail Economy. They discuss how to meet the growing expectations of the smart and savvy Me-centric customer. Top Takeaways:   Joel Bines shares the six ingredients for transforming your business to thrive in this Metail economy: curation, customization, category expertise, cost, convenience, community. 1.    Curation: The art of defining and producing a set of experiences (products, locations, digital, physical, etc.) so that the person thinks that someone picked all of these things just for them. 2.    Customization: Consumers want to have a say in the products they want to spend their money on. Because of technology, it's never been easier to customize some experience component. That doesn't mean it has to be bespoke. You can provide the illusion of customization by finding things that give the consumer the sense that they are customizing something. Add one or two more, and you're fine. You don't have to build one thing at a time. 3.    Category expertise: Expertise means that any question that customers might have is easily answered by the person they are talking to. 4.    Cost: If you are going to use cost as a competitive advantage, then it has to be the lowest cost at all times because consumers are smart and savvy with technology. It’s easy to find a lower cost, if there is one. 5.    Convenience: The question you need to ask when thinking that convenience is an advantage is, “Who is it convenient to?” Too often, company executives start with convenience for the company. If the answer is not “convenient for the customer,” then you’re doing convenience wrong. 6.    Community: If you're going to build a community of people, you have to make sure that every part of your organization is set up to serve that community. It is very difficult to build a community, but losing a community is very easy.   Quote:    "Customers' tolerance and friction level for customer experience is lower than ever. Customers know what they want, and if the companies they do business with cannot give it to them, they go somewhere else."   About:   Joel Bines is a managing director and global co-head of the Retail Practice at the business consulting firm AlixPartners. He is widely regarded as one of the world's leading operational strategists with a 30-year track record of improving performance at retailers, brands, and consumer companies.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Jeff Toister. They discuss his book, Getting Service Right: Overcoming the Hidden Obstacles to Outstanding Customer Service, and Jeff offers immediately applicable advice on how to improve your customer service.  In Shep’s Opening Monologue... He discusses the importance of caring for your employees so they can better care for your customers. The Interview with Jeff Toister:It’s difficult to not take angry customers personally. The instinct is either fight or flight, neither of which is helpful in a customer service situation. The key is to recognize this instinct, take a pause and a breath, and choose to respond in a different way.Employees are trained to jump straight into offering solutions to angry customers rather than focusing on the emotions at play. Often, angry customers need to vent first. Once they’ve calmed down, they will be more receptive to your ideas for solutions to their problem.Transform your approach from an adversarial stance to the mindset of a partner. If you approach the problem with the customer as a team, they won’t be on the defensive and will be more open to potential solutions.Organization leaders and executives usually don’t spend much time dealing with customers and can therefore be out of touch with their company’s quality of customer service. They may make the mistake of assuming that customer service is both easy and common sense, which it isn’t.People assume that customer service is getting worse when in reality, it’s getting better. The issue is that “good” customer service is what’s expected, and people remember negative experiences more because it’s a deviation from the expectation.When you witness an employee fall short of an expectation, don’t jump straight to conclusions and solutions. Instead, ask “why?” and suspend judgement. Have a conversation with the employee and involve them in problem solving for the present and the future.Quote:  “Great customer service leaders make it easy for their employees to deliver great service.” - Jeff Toister About: Jeff Toister is a top customer service and experience influencer and the author of three customer service books. He has also created video-based training courses for LinkedIn Learning (a.k.a. Lynda.com). Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken sits down with Sean McDade. They discussed how to create a consistent customer experience, why you should listen to your customers (and what to do with what they tell you), and how you can create a customer-centric organization. Top Takeaways: Sean defines being customer-centric as, “Consistently listening to customers and empowering your organization to take what customers are saying and do something about it.”Simply listening to your customers isn’t enough. You have to align your organization to enable people to take action towards putting the customer at the center of your company.Great companies who get great ROI out of listening to customers follow up on every bad customer experience. They find out what went wrong and they make it right with that customer. Then they fix the common reasons that caused those bad experiences so that they might not happen again.The customer experience is everything the customer experiences with your company. This includes people, employees, products/services, and websites. A good customer experience has consistency across all touchpoints that a customer has with an organization.If a customer has a positive experience with your organization, ask them who provided that good experience and what they did. This will allow you to recognize good people within your organization and duplicate their positive actions.About: Sean McDade Ph.D. is the CEO and founder of PeopleMetrics. For over 20 years, he’s helped companies get closer to their customers by systematically listening and improving the experience. He wrote the book Listen Or Die: 40 Lessons That Turn Customer Feedback Into Gold. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Building Customer Relationships After the Deal is Closed Shep Hyken interviews Sam Cummings, award-winning Customer Success Manager, Data Scientist, and co-founder of Data Plant. He shares how companies can empower their teams to provide value, create great experiences, and build customer relationships. Top Takeaways:   ·      What is the difference between customer support and customer success? Customer support is transactional. If a customer is having an issue with a product, the customer support department helps them fix it, and that's it. Customer success is relational. It enables the customer to get the most value from the product over a period of time.   ·      The subscription model has been around for a long time. In the last two decades, it has evolved into a mechanism that is a part of every industry. In a subscription business, companies need to have someone in the organization to maintain the relationship after the deal is closed.   ·      The customer success department ensures that customers get the most value out of a product by teaching them to use the product in a way that they are getting the most benefit. The goal is they keep using the product, they buy more, or they renew their subscription.   ·      It is said that the most abused customer is the "sold customer." Customer success ensures that companies don't just close a deal. They start a relationship with their customers that provides value and great experiences.   ·      The ability for customer success teams to have all of the customer's data (marketing data, product usage, support tickets, etc.) in one place can help them understand the customer's experience and uniqueness, empowering them to have more empathy.   ·      Sam Cummings also answers the question - Can customer success be automated? Tune in. Quote:  "Customer success, in a vacuum, is about customer retention. It is about how organizations can motivate customers to keep using their products or services." About:   Samuel Cummings. Co-Founder, Head of Data Science at Data Plant. He has travelled the world, presenting to executives and directors the success stories of applying data science in the customer success domain.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Creating Proactive Customer Experiences  Shep Hyken interviews Colin Shaw, co-host of the Intuitive Customer podcast and the Founder & CEO of Beyond Philosophy LLC, a customer experience consulting company that has been recognized by the Financial Times as ‘one of the leading management consultancies for the last three years in a row. They discuss how companies can use customer science to provide positive and memorable customer experiences. Top Takeaways:   When was the last time that an organization did something for you that you weren't expecting? Perhaps it was to email you if you needed a refill of a product that you previously ordered. Or, to show you articles and videos of how you can maximize the use of something you purchased from them. Whatever it was, it was a pleasant surprise. The world's leading companies like Apple, Airbnb, Amazon, and many more are becoming so in tune with not only what the customers say they want, but they also know how their customers behave and what they feel. They can accurately predict what their customers are going to do next – and what they will want next. This week on Amazing Business Radio, I interview Colin Shaw, Founder & CEO of Beyond Philosophy LLC, to talk about understanding the customers in an even deeper way through customer science, behavioral science, and the journey map. ·      Customer science is the fusion between technology, data, and behavioral science. ·      Behavioral science is looking at what customers are doing as opposed to looking at what customers are saying they are doing. ·      The journey map is looking at the customer journey from the customer's perspective. If you can predict what the customer is going to do next, will it change the way you create customer experiences?  Quote:   “According to Daniel Kahneman, "We don't choose between experiences, but we choose between memories of experiences." You can’t be loyal to something that you haven't experienced.”   About:   Colin Shaw is the Founder & CEO of Beyond Philosophy LLC, a customer experience consulting company that has been recognized by the Financial Times as ‘one of the leading management consultancies for the last three years in a row. He is the co-host of the highly successful Intuitive Customer podcast, which is rated in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Buzzsprout.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:  Broken promises to your customers can be either implicit or explicit depending on the situation or marketing strategy.  There are lots of reasons why some promises are not kept. Mistakes will happen or there will be miscommunication throughout management, or sometimes people become busy and a little forgetful.  Many companies struggle to provide a consistent customer experience and inconsistent experiences create distrust and causes customer churn.  Shep’s definition of amazement is simply being better than average all the time. Consistently amazing your customers is key in earning their trust and confidence in your business.  Advertising is making a promise to your customers. It sets the expectations for your customers.  A customer doesn’t buy a product or service. They buy a solution. For example, you’ll buy a soda because you’re thirsty. You buy a drill to make a hole.  Businesses can use the framework of a guarantee to provide a more consistent experience and there are three elements to an experience guarantee: 1) Promise to solve a customer’s problem. 2) Act to solve it. 3) Recover from any service failures.  Think about what the real question is, behind the question your customers actually give you. Be aware of the solution your customers are searching for.  Quote:  “Advertising helps set the customer’s expectation on the promises that brands are willing to deliver.”  About:  Jeff Toister is an author, consultant, and trainer who helps companies develop customer-focused cultures. He's written four books including The Guaranteed Customer Experience. Thousands of customer service professionals around the world subscribe to Jeff's Customer Service Tip of the Week email.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews contact center expert Chrissy Cowell. They discuss the concept of the “gig economy,” the utilization of contact centers for freelance employee management, and how on-demand agents can provide cost-effective support and solutions for your customers and your business. Top Takeaways:The workforce industry is migrating to the gig economy (also known as the freelance economy), which describes the increasing preference in society for convenience and instant gratification. Businesses have an increased tendency to hire independent contractors and short-term workers, while workers have an increased availability for these types of contracts.In a gig-type model, the need to fully understand your business and forecast its needs is crucial. Third-party contact centers can help large companies navigate freelance workforce management.Resources for freelance workers include Fiverr and Upwork. Freelancers can post their skills and services on these websites, and employers can search the database to find an worker that will fulfill their needs.Gig workers can be a less expensive option to fill gaps in the workforce, allowing organizations to avoid things like payroll taxes and benefits for part-timers.There is difference in impact between the gig worker and the full-time employee. If you’re not forecasting and scheduling gig workers appropriately, it could become a cost for your business. However, when done right, gig workers can prove a very cost-effective way to provide customer support.The gig economy appeals to young workers because it gives them more control over their careers, great experience, more exposure, and faster networking. This allows for better work-life balance, which is a priority for many millennials and Gen Z workers. About: Chrissy Cowell is the Director for Work Force Optimization Product Management at Aspect. Across her 18 year career in the contact center industry, she has worked with various WFOs and BPOs in addition to assuming other roles such as account director, consultant, marketing manager, and quality manager. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Quote: “It’s important to make on-demand gig employees feel engaged and provide motivation to keep them involved and engaged in your business.” – Chrissy Cowell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Use Proactive Communication to Manage Increasing Customer Expectations Shep Hyken interviews Laura Bassett, Vice President of Product Marketing at NICE, a complete platform for delivering an end-to-end customer experience. Bassett shares how customer expectations have changed over the years and how companies can provide amazing customer experiences through proactive communication.  Top Takeaways:   ·      Customers are more demanding than ever because they're learning what excellent service looks like from the best experiences they've had from other companies (not just in your industry). ·      Proactive communication helps both businesses and customers. It will not only help the customers before they ask for help, but it also helps them get more value from the products. It will also help companies retain customers.   ·      How to convert an un-amazing situation into an amazing experience:   o  Walk in your customer's shoes and compare that to what you might expect for your own experience.   o  Make your customer support agents (more) knowledgeable. Help them understand that they don't have to go through a script when it is unnecessary.   o  Empower your agents. Give them the tools, the options, and the information to actually solve the problem.   o  Turn customer support agents into customer service executives who own the experience. Give them their own bot assistants and real-time knowledge bases that they can leverage to solve their customer’s problems.   ·      A NICE survey found that 80% of consumers will start with digital (website, app, Google search, YouTube, etc.) when they have a question, a need, or want to buy something. Quote:  "Companies should understand and predict when they can answer a question before customers even realize they have it."   About:   Laura Bassett is the Vice President of Product Marketing at NICE. She has 20+ years of experience in consulting, development, and delivery. Bassett is an outstanding product marketer, gifted speaker, product ambassador, and strategic thinker.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      The secret to getting your employees to love coming in to work is creating an environment where employees feel welcome, loved and empowered. -      One of the most important things you can do every day is huddle with your team. Meet together and talk about your culture and company values daily. -      The number one reason people leave their jobs is because they are not feeling recognized or valued by their boss or management. -      Keeping a healthy, productive company culture is all about making sure your employees feel valued, informed of their responsibilities, participate in ongoing training, and set goals to help them grow. -      The anxiety from having to confront customers on a hard “no” can cause employees to enter their fight or flight mode. Either way, the interaction becomes negative and causes the customer to become even more unhappy with the situation. -      Find ways to say yes to your customers, even if the answer is no. -      Christine Trippi’s four-step process on how to always say yes includes: 1) Make friends first. 2) Explain what you can do. 3) Offer options. 4) Be creative. -      Energy times execution equals your sweet results. After feeling inspired you may have a lot of energy to get started, but it’s the ideas and the execution of those ideas that will make sweet success. Quote:“A lot of companies have a great onboarding process that covers their missions and values, but then it ends on day one. It’s how you pull through every day that’s going to create your company culture.”   About:Christine Trippi is an award-winning hotelier who has been in a romance with hospitality for over 30 years, serving as manager at resorts, and full and select-service hotels. She is the founder of The Wise Pineapple and uses her experience and passion for helping leaders and organizations have Sweet Operations, Sweet Cultures, and Sweet Results.   Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enabling, Recognizing, and Celebrating Great Customer Service  Shep Hyken interviews David Diestel, chief executive officer of FirstService Residential. He talks about delivering exceptional service consistently, creating moments that matter, and empowering the team to provide amazing customer experiences.  Top Takeaways:    A brand is not just about a name. It’s about being united and joining together under a common set of values. It starts with leadership defining who you are as an organization and what you stand for. Then, it is reinforced daily throughout the organization through empowerment and recognition.    Creating an organization's positive and supportive culture is key to delivering extraordinary experiences. Daily meetings involving all team members, regardless of their position, help to unify the company's culture and values. This consistency in communication and empowerment fosters a workplace that is service-aware and dedicated to delivering outstanding customer experiences.    In most organizations, there is a gap between CEOs' perceptions of being customer-centric and customers' actual experiences. This is why feedback is important. Using tools like Net Promoter Scores (NPS) to measure customer and employee experiences provides valuable insights. By understanding the depth of customer relationships, companies can align their culture and optimize their customer experience, ultimately leading to improved service, retention, and growth.    Maintaining a customer-focused culture across multiple regions requires alignment and consistency. Celebrating customer service wins and establishing consistent communication helps maintain a customer-centric focus across various locations.    Plus, Shep and David share examples of Moments of Magic®  and "Moments that Matter." Tune in!  Quote:   "Every interaction with the customer matters. It is important that everyone in the organization learns this and that it is constantly reinforced."    About:    David Diestel is the Chief Executive Officer of FirstService Residential, one of North America's largest property management groups. They serve 9,000 communities and 18,000 employees.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Blake Morgan. They discuss her new book, The Customer of the Future: 10 Guiding Principles for Winning Tomorrow’s Business, focusing on the psychological, technical, and experiential components of building a good customer experience. The Interview with Blake Morgan: If you don’t get the simple stuff down, you will lose customers. The “basics” includes knowledge of your customers and their wants and needs. Above all, seek to make their lives easier rather than more difficult. Psychological components of CX are the invisible pieces of your strategy. These include a CX mindset, company culture, and leadership development. Everyone in a company, from executives to frontline employees, must have a CX mindset—an attitude of service and a desire to make their customers’ lives better. There is a correlation between how employees feel at work and the quality of work that they do. Studies show that companies that invest in the employee experience are 4.2 times more profitable than companies that don’t. Don’t leave training up to chance; it must be intentional and consistent. Leaders must understand company culture and what happens at every level of the organization. One person cannot turn a company around alone. There is often a disconnect between technology and human connection. It’s rarely technology that is missing from a company; it’s human connection and a service mindset. On an experiential level, design a friction-free customer experience, consider customer-focused marketing, and, above all, design and commit to a code of ethics. This is especially important in today’s fast-paced world of technology and AI. The most important thing when thinking about the customer experience is simply to make others’ lives easier and better. This extends beyond customers to employees as well. In the end, the companies who “have a soul” in this way will be the ones that succeed. Quote: “Don’t make life harder on your customers to make it easier on your business.” - Blake Morgan About: Blake Morgan is a keynote speaker, customer experience futurist, and author of two customer experience books. Her latest is The Customer of the Future: 10 Guiding Principles for Winning Tomorrow’s Business. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seamlessly Combining AI, Human Touch, and Data in Customer Experience  Shep Hyken interviews Gaurav Passi, Founder and CEO of Zingly.ai. He talks about seamlessly integrating AI and human interaction to create a collaborative and customer-centric experience.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can businesses effectively balance AI and human interaction in customer service?  What are the most effective strategies for leveraging AI to enhance customer experiences?  Why is it important to prioritize long-term customer relationships over individual transactions?  How can AI tools provide hyper-personalized service to customers?  How can businesses effectively handle after-hours customer calls using AI tools?  Top Takeaways:    Bringing the human touch, data, and AI together creates a powerful combination that can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and competitive advantage.     When companies understand when to use AI and when to involve human representatives, it benefits everyone, including the customers, the employees, and the business. AI can efficiently answer quick queries, but human interaction is crucial for building long-term, meaningful customer relationships.     Many customers are experiencing FORO or Fear of Reaching Out. When customers are experiencing a problem, the first step is usually going to the company's website to get the contact information. Once they click on "Contact Us," they get some 800 numbers, call the company, the IVR kicks in, and they are put on hold, plus a few other steps. This long process and the time they have to carve out of their day to resolve their problems deter many customers from getting in touch with companies.    The bigger problem is the dissatisfied customers who never call but end up leaving because they never got the answer they were looking for.     While many customers still prefer traditional phone customer service, there's a growing expectation for digital options, especially among younger consumers. Offering a mix of digital and traditional channels can cater to diverse customer preferences.    AI can handle a large percentage of "one shot, one kill" questions and after-hours customer calls, resolving problems efficiently. However, maintaining a balance between AI and human touch is important, as human interaction adds a personalized, empathetic element that AI can't replicate.     By leveraging AI and personalization, you can address scale issues in call centers, allowing a single representative to handle multiple interactions simultaneously. This enhances efficiency in handling customer inquiries and improves overall customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Score (NPS).    Plus, Shep and Gaurav discuss why some customers hesitate to use AI. Tune in!  Quote:   "The meshing of human, data, and AI together can significantly elevate customer satisfaction and NPS, offering a competitive advantage in the market."    About:    Gaurav Passi is the founder and CEO of Zingly.ai. He aims to revolutionize customer relationships by leveraging generative AI, human expertise, and data to achieve hyper-personalization at scale.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:-      It isn’t enough to simply gather data. Data collection without action is a waste of time. You must use those insights to drive positive change within your organization. -      Learn how to “fish the big data lake” so you can pull out useful pieces of information about your organization, its processes, and the customer experience. It is crucial to be able to determine what is important and what is not. -      Customers want and expect a personalized experience. Microdata is specific to an individual person and can help you deliver the personalized experience that customers want. -      Consumers want to do business with organizations they trust. Trust is about setting expectations and delivering on those expectations. The first step in any customer relationship should be about building that trust. -      Confirmit’s recent report indicates that a very small number of businesses expect their investment in CX to increase in 2020. This is in spite of the fact that improving CX can lead to more success for businesses overall. -      Instead of thinking about ROI, instead think of ROX—return on experience. You must be able to demonstrate this in tangible terms relating to company goals that executives can immediately connect to. -      Improving your NPS rating alone will not necessarily lead to an increase in sales. You must examine the operational side of your business and either eliminate or mitigate problems that get in the way of improvement. -      Technology can be a powerful tool in creating change, but it is not a solution by itself. There must always be a human element to assist, support, and create connection. Quote:“You must demonstrate the ROI of customer experience. It’s not good enough to just say that this is the right thing to do. You must have the business acumen to speak in terms your organization’s leadership understands.” About:Claire Sporton is the Senior Vice President of Customer Experience Innovation at Confirmit, a leading SaaS vendor for multi-channel customer experience, employee engagement and market research solutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shep Hyken interviews Ford Blakely. They discuss pursuing your passion, creating convenience, and balancing technology with human connection. When faced with a problem, it’s important to approach it from the standpoint of convenience. How can you fix things to make them more convenient for your customers and employees?The concept of convenience has come more front and center over the past few years. This is largely due to two main factors. First, the review economy put control in the hands of consumers and allowed them to advocate for what they wanted from companies. Second, the immediacy of convenience created an expectation of on-demand service, placing the importance on how companies deliver their service rather than just what their product is.Even if they’re not your direct competitors, companies like Amazon and Uber have created an expectation of a certain level of guest experience thanks to technology and convenience. Your customers will come to desire and even expect this same level of service and guest experience from you, too.There needs to be a balance with technology use. Some companies implement too much technology, sacrificing the human connection their customers crave. This can prove detrimental to business.As with technology, there needs to be a balance between convenience for customers and convenience for employees/businesses. The goal should be to create convenience for all, but it should definitely be skewed in the customer’s favor. When in doubt, always do what’s best for the customer. Quote: “It’s simple. If you can combine two things that take extra effort into one… that’s convenience.” - Ford Blakely About: Ford Blakely is the founder and CEO of Zingle. He has been involved in startups, finance, and various entrepreneurial projects for over 20 years. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Reinforcing Behaviors that Shape Your Organization’s Culture Shep Hyken interviews Dan Cockerell, Walt Disney Company VP for 26 years and owner of Cockerell Consulting Group with his wife, Valerie. He is the author of How's the Culture in Your Kingdom?: Lessons from a Disney Leadership Journey. He shares how a sustainable culture that inspires loyalty from employees and customers. Top Takeaways:   ·      Culture can be defined as "How things are done around here." It is based on your values, it defines what your best practices are, and how you hire people who are going to believe in that culture.   ·      Any organization can decide what its culture is and then start to go after it with intentionality. It is not a matter of cost; you can't buy culture. It is a matter of will.   ·      Dan Cockerell shares how organizations can create the right culture that makes a long-term impact on employees and customers:   1.    Hire the right people. Look at the people in your companies who are superstars and figure out what makes them great. Then, find people who have the same fire and great attitude.   2.    Train them right. Set clear expectations from the beginning, starting from the interview and onboarding process. Your employees should understand why what they do is important in the overall customer experience.   3.    Treat them right. Treat employees with respect. Listen to them, equip them with the right tools, and help them when they need it. Recognize them when they do a great job so you can reinforce the good behaviors that bring a stronger culture. Quote:  "Money is not a long-term differentiator to keeping your employees happy. It is important because it helps you do things in life, but when it comes to human nature, people don't perform for money. What they do every day gives them the purpose that will make them stay in your organization."     About:   Dan Cockerell is a retired 26-year Walt Disney Company VP who now owns Cockerell Consulting Group with his wife Valerie. He is the author of How's the Culture in Your Kingdom?: Lessons from a Disney Leadership Journey.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Takeaways:. -      56% of consumers go to a company's website before they call customer service. In many cases, this can be a missed opportunity to contain and resolve a customer's concern. -      Almost half of the consumers believe that self-service is more convenient. 82% say that they are willing to use self-service but 46% don't expect it to work. -      Right now, most self-service channels are focused on information about the company and its products instead of the customer journey. -      Of the customers who tried self-service, 50% still end up with the live agent. Only 33% are satisfied with self-service. -      Autonomous customer service allows the complete ability to focus on the customer journey regardless of the channel. -      Autonomous customer service can be simple to implement. There are more sophisticated setups, but it can be as simple as setting business rules to monitor data, initiate outreaches based on changes in the data, and track performance. -      Autonomous customer service gives companies the opportunity to avert and resolve most customer inquiries without agent interaction. This gives companies a high cost-benefit while increasing the level of customer service. -      In 5 years, there will still be a need for human customer service agents, but the nature of their work would be more meaningful as mundane inquiries will be handled through autonomous capabilities. -      Organize around the customer journey and activate that across all channels. Quote: "It shouldn't matter how or where the customer seeks their service resolution. You should be able to rise to the challenge and meet them anywhere they want."  About: Jeff Nicholson is the Global Head of CRM Product Marketing for Pegasystems, where he leads the company’s CRM market vision and strategy. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio. 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