Crack the Customer Code

"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

As we sail off into the sunset of the Crack The Customer Code podcast, Adam and Jeannie reflect back to 2014 (when they started this podcast) on what they, their guests, and Forrester's predicted for customer experience trends in 2022. Adam and Jeannie delve into Forrester's 2014 article on predictions for the future of customer experience, and highlight several predictions of particular interest, including omni-channel service, mobile-first mindset, proactive engagement, and customer service agents. 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