Crack the Customer Code
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"Is customer experience training a one time process or is it ongoing?" Sounds like this one will have a pretty simple answer, right? As with all things in business, ongoing training is always beneficial. For customer experience (CX) training, this sometimes isn't as straightforward as other types of on-the-job training. We talk about CX and our goals, but we don't take the time to connect those with other departments, which can leave our CX programs feeling disjointed. In this week's episode, Jeannie dives into this seemingly easy question in more detail. She talks about how having a pervasive view of customer experience in your company culture creates the best environment for CX to thrive. Listen for actionable tips and suggestions that you can implement within your company to improve your customer experience (and employee experience), from training onward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"How do we get leadership or executive sponsorship initiatives that we want to tackle?" This is an AMAZING QUESTION! And a Jeannie favorite. The key to this answer is leadership buy-in. As a Customer Experience Leader, we know that investing in and executing customer experience is a winning strategy for business goals and objectives. But if company leadership isn't invested, all of our efforts can seem like they aren't working. In this week's episode, Jeannie talks about actionable ways that you can speak to your business leaders about customer experience, tips for getting them to buy-in and ways you can help achieve your business goals at your company. Remember, we're all in this together! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome everyone to our very first episode of Experience Action! A customer experience podcast where we turn ideas into action. We hope that you are as excited to be here as Jeannie is! With over 20 years investigating the best and worst in customer experience, Jeannie Walters has heard A LOT of questions. In DMs, emails and voicemails, Jeannie has heard it all... and now she's here to give you the answers you need! So... how do we do this CX thing anyway? Join Jeannie as she gives real answers to real questions in handy, bite-sized audio nuggets (mmm... nuggets)! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This episode is special in so many ways. First, it’s the 500th episode of Crack the Customer Code! That in itself is an incredible thing, but this is also the season's finale and another bourbon summit. Unfortunately, this is also the last episode of the whole show. If you're not aware, Jeannie and Adam have mentioned several times that they are ending the podcast. However, they will still end it on a high! Even though it's the end, Adam and Jeannie have much to discuss. They'll tell you about everything they've learned over the years, the things that delighted them and what were the most challenging parts, and they'll even share a few tips for podcast hosts and guests. Lastly, make sure you stay tuned until the end to learn what these veterans of the CX world are planning in the months to come. Without giving anything away, know that you're bound to hear more from them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Speed and responsiveness matter today, and even though the pandemic has changed the rules, some things are still carved in stone. Jay, Jeannie, and Adam will delve deep into this, and they'll touch upon how values are not just words but things that companies need to act upon. You'll also learn about Jay's interesting views on the future of CX and how AI and other modern technologies can improve the industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nearing the end of the podcast, we are sure you can agree that it’s time to take a look at the past. That’s why this episode is dedicated to the history of Crack the Customer Code and CX in general. Customer experience has gone through a lot since the start of the podcast, especially when that came as a result of changes in things like technology, AI, and the internet. Even though you’ve been with them for a long time, you still have a lot you don’t know about Jeannie and Adam. That’s why they’ll talk about their histories, most notably their beginnings in CX. So, tune in to one of the last few episodes of your favorite customer experience podcast to learn about all the things we’ve been through over the years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jeff Toister’s first customer service interaction ended in a service failure. Vowing to learn from that experience, he became obsessed with customer service. Today, he guides organizations that want to build and grow a customer-focused culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There’s no such thing as perfection in customer experience, but there is perfect execution. And to reach that, you need to eliminate mistakes, especially the more common ones. To help you with that, Jeannie and Adam have decided to dedicate an entire episode to addressing these and how to avoid them. Companies tend to make many strategic mistakes that hurt their customer experience. They also make numerous other mistakes, and Jeannie and Adam aim to talk about all the crucial ones. By the end of the episode, you'll know exactly what you need to do in your company and how to treat your team and your customers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The future is for the optimists! There's a lot to be optimistic about in the future of CX, and that's precisely what we discuss here today with our guest, Jen Bailin. She is the Chief Revenue Officer at SAP Customer Experience (CX), one of the leading drivers of SAP growth. Jen Bailin has a lot of experience in CX, but she also has a lot of visions for the future. She shares exciting thoughts about the Metaverse and how important it will be in the future. CX will change, and we are already seeing shifts resulting from the pandemic, but also from a natural progression towards a different future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Crack the Customer Code has been with you for countless years, but all good things must end. After meticulous consideration, Jeannie and Adam have decided that the podcast will end with this season. It's been around for almost a decade, but it has become hard for both Jeannie and Adam to get enough time to serve you, the listeners, in the best way they know how. However, this is certainly not the end. Adam and Jeannie are not going anywhere; they will remain in the CX sphere, and we still have a few more episodes of Crack the Customer Code for you before we reach the end. Much of the episode is dedicated to what's on the horizon for the two. You'll also learn about the many exciting things that have happened since the start of the show and some funny details you might not know. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What is the power of relationships? Our guest, Zhecho Dobrev really gets into how we can understand the emotions of our customers better. And not only that, but what does that do for the value of an organization? Business leaders in general are overlooking emotions, and that's been a challenge for a really long time. So much has to be data driven, and of course, nobody looks at emotions as data. Zhecho shares how he has conversations with data driven leaders to convince them that investing in the emotional relationship with customers will actually pay off for their organization. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Customer service isn't easy. This isn't breaking news to CX people, and it might not be breaking news to many of our listeners, but it should be discussed. Agents don't have it easy, especially when encountering problematic customers. Is there a point when they should stop dealing with a specific customer? Should the entire customer support do the same with all customers when it gets too bad? There certainly are instances where things get so bad that the only solution seems to be shutting down specific lines of communication. What's more, in some cases, customers tend to complain of something that's not even in the job description of the agents. So, what's the solution? Naturally, it's not as simple as some think, so tune in to hear what Jeannie and Adam have to say. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We've mentioned our sponsor, Forethought, several times this season, but they're finally with us in person. Specifically, the CEO of Forethought, Deon Nicholas, is here to talk with Jeannie and Adam about his company's human-centered AI. Forethought is the "AI for Customer Support" company and the 2018 TechCrunch Disrupt winner. Their AI is customer support software that works with your team while the company supports your agents. Forbes listed Forethought among the next few billion-dollar startups. Forethought is at the forefront of AI technology, and they are working on it with a genuine human approach. Their conversational AI is there to help both the customers and the customer service agents. Deon Nicholas has a lot to say about his company's solution, and he's also here with a special offer for all Crack the Customer Code listeners. Tune in to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Knowing how your customers are doing is the bare minimum of what companies can do with customer experience, but so many don’t succeed in that as they are focusing on bigger metrics. However, this knowledge is crucial in improving user experience, which is why the customer health score metric is an important figure to follow. We spend so much time and energy talking about, but we don’t do much about the people in the middle. These are the people who want to yell at us and they are thinking about it, and they will slowly leave the brand if you don’t do something about it. People are not always clear on what they want and think, which is why it’s crucial for companies to do more about figuring them out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr. Shirley Davis has a lot of fascinating insight to bring to you on how HR should work today, how cultural change can happen in a company, and much more. Most importantly, she has an interesting way of implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion into any organization. She talks about that in her new book, but you can also get some of those insights if you tune into this episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Crack the Customer Code is back on the air! It's the start of a new season, and Jeannie and Adam are ready to help you solve your latest CX conundrums and bring a host of guests to share their valuable insights. The show has been on for so long, but the CX world never rests and never stops improving, so neither can CTCC. Tune in to learn about the new things you'll be getting this season, the new guests that will be joining us, and the new sponsor Crack the Customer Code now has. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jeannie and Adam are recording together for the season finale of Crack the Customer Code because it’s another bourbon summit and bourbon is best drank in company. We've had a lot of guests this season and learned a lot of fascinating lessons on the future of CX, but more importantly, on what won't change in our industry. So, tune in to get a quick recap of what happened in this season and, of course, to learn about the bourbons Adam and Jeannie are drinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What does it mean to be authentic and transparent in customer and employee experience? More importantly, how does that work in practice? That's precisely what we are talking about with our guest David Sakamoto. Transparency is not as simple as many companies think. You need to be open about your inner processes and plans to your employees, and you need to show everything about your product or service to the customer. David has a lot of fascinating ideas behind all of this and a few recommendations you should hear about as they have already worked for him and his company GitLab. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, we will talk a little bit about empathy and its importance in business. It’s all because empathy plays a crucial role in improving your organization. There are specific connections between empathy and business results, and that’s precisely what we are here to unravel. Catalyst’s report on the Power of Empathy in Times of Crisis and Beyond has given us a couple of interesting findings and data that shows the importance of leaders leading their teams with empathy. Employees become more productive and innovative, but they also decide to stay in the company, another growing worry businesses face today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Keeping employees motivated and having a sense of purpose is crucial in keeping them happy. It's even more crucial today in the era of the Great Resignation. Thankfully, Donna Cutting has some interesting suggestions in her upcoming book, but she'll also share some thoughts in our talk today. Even if your company doesn't sell a life-changing product, there are still ways to give every team member a sense of purpose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We don’t really think that customer experience and the government ever go together, but that doesn’t negate the fact that we, the people of the United States, deserve better experience when dealing with the government. The government sees areas of improvement, which is likely why President Biden made his executive order dealing with CX in government institutions. The order is interesting, and it deals with a lot of commitments the government is making and changes it's likely to implement, so Jeannie and Adam are here to discuss some of them. Tune in to learn how your dealings with the administration or the IRS might get better in the near future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Annette Franz has some exciting ideas to share about the customer-centric mindset all companies need to have. Many of them are already widely believed by organizations, but they are not adopted in the way they need to be. What's more, many companies keep delaying this to increase profits, but they need to understand that genuinely implementing the employee and customer-centric model is the way to go to drive more value. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do you think that we at Crack the Customer Code innovate enough? Whatever the case may be, innovation is the key subject today. It's also vital in business in general as everyone wants to see it. Customers want companies to innovate, and companies themselves want to innovate. However, it's clear that not every business knows how to innovate adequately. Many do it for the sake of innovation and, in doing so, often fail to truly grasp what the customers want to get. It can be a big problem, which is why this entire episode is dedicated to innovation and the examples of how companies are innovating in the right way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Recommendations are essential, and so is customer loyalty. Today's guest of Crack the Customer Code, Fred Reichheld, knows that well. He is the creator of the Net Promoter System of management, founder of Bain & Company's Loyalty practice, and author of five books, including a New York Times bestseller – The Ultimate Question 2.0. He is a frequent speaker at major business forums, and his work on customer loyalty has been covered in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Financial Times, The Economist, and Businessweek. When Fred developed his Net Promoter System, he had no idea that it would end up being used by the majority of companies today. But times have changed, and so has CX, which is why he has had to make changes and updates to that system. He has a lot of intriguing things to say about the things he's been working on lately, so tune in to learn all about them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The right to repair is a big discussion right now. Many feel that companies have gone too far in making their products hard to repair, and users now want to be able to fix the products they buy. Naturally, this doesn't always work for organizations, which is precisely why we are where we are. But shouldn't that change? It's clear that companies make more profit when they limit the ability of customers to repair their products. However, couldn't it be better to give them the ability to repair and reap the rewards of more loyal customers? Jeannie and Adam will talk about that in more detail and tell you all about CX, the right to repair, and how they go together, so make sure you tune in to the latest episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Michael Bartlett has a lot of interesting and, frankly, very unique ideas on customer experience. He’ll discuss how he connects other fields to CX, all in an effort to improve it and help CX professionals become better at their jobs. You can find all of that in his new book as well, so tune in to hear why it will be a great and useful read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Customer experience and banking – an old topic, but one that needs to be discussed. Some would say that they go together and have to go together, and they point to many trends that might be able to prove this point. Others would say quite the opposite, and you can already guess where Adam and Jeannie stand. "These trends are absolutely important, but they still involve customer experience." This is actually a big topic, and it goes as far as the difference between customer service and customer experience. But one thing is sure, people care about their bank experience, and they especially care when they can get more modern tools that will pretty much automate a big chunk of the banking experience. The good news is that Jeannie and Adam are here to discuss all of that in detail, so tune in as soon as you can. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Some might not believe it, but there is still a debate between customer experience and customer service, even though the former includes the latter. The first guest of the new season, Brad Cleveland, has a lot to say about the role of customer service in CX. Customer service is often mistreated and not given the respect it deserves. In this episode, we try to change that and Brad has enough great examples and options from his work and his book that are bound to give you something to think about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome back to Crack the Customer Code! With so many changes in the world of customer experience, expect the upcoming season to be jam-packed with important knowledge, insights, and opinions you’ll want to hear. "We are all facing change like we never have before." Tune in for this brief introduction to the new season of the show where Jeannie and Adam will tell you what to expect. And don’t worry, the first interview is coming soon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
