CRS Coronado gave CX Leaders and their teams a taste of what it’s like to deliver unrivaled, legendary customer experiences.

Day Two was just as exciting and packed with some great highlights, which we’ve summed up for you here.

Welcome to Hilton, Where We’re Humanizing the Digital Experience

Keynote presentations and panels are a cornerstone at CRS. Mike Gathright, Senior Vice President, Head of Customer Experience at Hilton, was our first keynote of the day, giving the audience an insightful and thought-provoking glimpse into how the brand “Fills the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality.”

“Humanizing the digital experience is a unique opportunity to do something meaningful and meet the customer where they are,” he said.

Mike also explained why you must fall in love with the problems just as much as the solutions when it comes to understanding customers’ needs and pain points, and doing something that’s a big win for both guests and team members.

“Until you have disruption, you don’t always see the opportunities in front of you,” Mike added. “For Hilton, it comes down to ensuring the stay experience is top of mind.”

Inspired by global consumer insights, Hilton proves the stay is the key element that can make or break any trip through its new advertising campaign, “It Matters Where You Stay.” The campaign encompasses the brand’s world-class hospitality; from innovations such as Confirmed Connecting Rooms, Digital Key Share, thoughtful service, and early confirmation of upgraded rooms for Hilton Honors members.

Before wrapping up, Mike shared a few of the clever TV commercials featuring the new campaign, which focused on some of the unspoken pitfalls of travel.

Moments of Brilliance

How Tech Giant Asurion Uses CX to Generate Revenue —​ While Lowering Costs​

Josh Smith, Head of Business Development at Simplr, shared how to scale and generate revenue while cutting costs for tech giant Asurion. It’s a tall order, but it was done.

Not only has Simplr helped Asurion meet (and exceed) email response time SLAs, they’ve empowered Asurion with a distributed, “spike-proof” model that ensures adherence to rapid-fire response times… no matter the volume.

Asurion’s partnership with Simplr grew to include an automated program that increased the quality and speed of ticket resolutions. The program proved to be so successful that automation handles nearly half of the eligible tickets today. Moreover, the automations in place helped consistently beat speed and quality SLAs with this strategic client.

Delivering Exceptional Experiences, Acting on Insights, and Ensuring ROI in an Accelerated Fashion

George Puig, Chief Commercial Officer at Continuum Global Solutions, and Rick Small, Executive Vice President, Director, Financial Crimes at Truist, came together to share how the two businesses partnered to address a critical need—fraud complaints.

Rick talked through the ways Continuum Global Solutions was able to deliver an immediate solution that allowed Truist to meet the expectations of its clients by providing best in class CX (and all within a 90-day implementation window).

How Nintendo of America Leveled Up Support with Channel of Choice and Bots

Nintendo’s vision has always been to put smiles on the faces of everyone the business touches. This vision extends to the way Nintendo delivers customer service. Christian Brucculeri, Senior Vice President, Go-to-Market at Quiq, and Shellie Dow, Vice President of Operation Services, Support, and Stores at Nintendo shared how Nintendo built streamlined, seemingly effortless support available on their customers’ preferred channels.

In this session, attendees learned how Nintendo of America automatically resolves routine inquiries with its bots and supports customers on their preferred channels with the highest level of personalized service.

The Future of CX Unlocked by the Metaverse

Armed with decades of experience, this panel featuring moderator Kirk Johnson, Executive Vice President, Concentrix Catalyst at Concentrix, Mauricio Odovaine, Head of Outsourcing at Meta, Sue Morris, Vice President, Customer Operations at Google, and Ian Clarke, Vice President of Development Services at Blizzard, shared bold predictions on how the metaverse is poised to transform customer experiences.

For brands looking to set themselves apart, it would be wise to start tuning in to this quickly evolving landscape.

Each panelist shared insights on how to immerse in a firsthand exploration of the possibilities the metaverse holds and explained how attendees can begin staking their claim in this bold new virtual world.

Smilemakers: Leveraging the Power of Innovation and Tech to Up-Level Your Customer Experience

For the final keynote of the Summit, Alvin Stokes, Chief Customer Contact Officer, delivered an inspiring story of how SmileDirectClub is democratizing access to dental care by shaking up and innovating the industry—most importantly, customer experience.

He shared the upcoming rollout of the SmileMaker Platform, their proprietary smartphone-based scanning app featuring AI technology, and how the brand is pushing the boundaries when it comes to revolutionizing the orthodontia industry.

A Big Thank You

Thank you to all of our attendees, panelists, keynote speakers, sponsors, special guests, and our Execs In The Know family. Without you, this incredible Summit would not have been possible.

And remember: We won’t stop until we’re Legends!

Already looking forward to next year? Join us in Austin on March 1-3, 2023, or in Nashville September 20-22, 2023. 

The post Day 2: Customer Response Summit Coronado Recap and Highlights appeared first on Execs In The Know.

It was an absolute pleasure and a privilege to see old friends and meet new ones face-to-face for the first time. The core theme of this year’s Summit revolved around Inspiration, Innovation, and Imagination to create legendary customer experiences.

So, what happened during CRS Coronado? It’s hard to summarize the value of new connections, impromptu lunch table conversations, collaborative working sessions, and the sparks that fly with a unique gathering of international CX Leaders.

But we’ll try!

It was a packed three days of conversation and collaboration around a suite of technologies and strategies that are rapidly becoming the new digital front door for customers. Attendees learned from some of the top CX Leaders and other distinguished industry experts in powerful keynote presentations, panel discussions, Customer Shop Talks, Moments of Brilliance sessions, and a compelling case study.

The Summit was also a conglomerate of some of the biggest thought leaders and industry veterans sharing their knowledge and insight regarding the industry’s future.

Each discussion was designed to inspire new ways of thinking and to help attendees understand the possibilities CX presents and how harnessing its potential can lead to customer advocacy and true business transformation.

Keep reading to see what you missed or to relive some of your favorite moments from Day 1.

Conference Kick-Off

The opening act performs the CRS Coronado theme song “Legend,” to kick-off off the Summit, which set the stage for all the legendary moments attendees would experience over the course of the next two days.

Remember: We won’t stop until we’re legends.

Keynote: CX Innovation at Amazon, the World’s Most Customer-Centric Company

Day 1 began with a captivating keynote from Alice Sesay Pope, the Vice President of Global Device, Digital, and Alexa Support at Amazon. She is a big picture strategy leader that is passionate about customer experience and transforming companies’ customer experience to award-winning levels.

So, it’s no surprise that she inspired and motivated the audience with her keynote on how the world’s most customer-centric company is constantly matching ever higher customer and consumer expectations by leaning on practical, innovative solutions to create meaningful change.

Alice shared how Amazon turns simple ideas into effective initiatives that keep employees engaged, connected, and enthusiastic. Moreover, attendees left with food for thought and a new way of looking at how they can apply these critical elements into their own customer and employee interactions.

Panel Discussion: Balancing CX Digitalization with the Human Touch

When it comes to CX, digital transformation has changed everything. In our first panel discussion of the Summit, moderated by 24-7 Intouch’s Brent Stevenson, CX leaders from top brands (Tracy Sedlak, Stephanie Hill, and Jim Moloney) discussed their own recent digital transformations and shared best practices for delivering on innovation while also maintaining the balance and irreplaceability of the human touch and empathy.

As you continue working through your digital CX strategy, each panelist was adamant that you shouldn’t forget to keep the human touch a part of your foundation to let your customers know that they matter.

How does your brand plan to use innovative technology to drive empathy and personalization for high-quality customer engagement?

Customer Shop Talk Highlights

Emerge as a CX Leader by Unlocking the Value of AI in Your Contact Center

Alex Avalos, the Principal Digital Sales Strategist at Nuance, and Lindsay Land, the Chief Operations Officer at Consumers Credit Union, came together to discuss how Consumers Credit Union has driven measurable success through its investment in AI-powered CX technologies.

While credit unions aren’t known to be huge tech leaders, Consumers Credit Union has a vision for changing members’ experiences. That’s why they took a calculated risk and doubled down on their tech investments, including the TellerPlus+ ATMs, which are 75% self-serve and 25% DSR assisted.

“We don’t focus on our competitors,” explained Land. “If we had, we wouldn’t have launched this tech because no one else was doing it at the time in Michigan.”

During the pandemic, when other banks and credit unions were closed, their drive-up Teller Plus+ stations were able to serve members in ways that others could not.

Takeaway: Never let a good crisis go to waste.

Optimizing Performance Among a Remote Workforce

Is your communication reaching the people you want and are they truly understanding the information you’re trying to convey? During this Customer Shop Talk, Jesse Greenberg, Senior Account Executive at Laivly, offered attendees some advice to help them get refocused and place greater emphasis on the experiences of both customers and employees alike.

He underlined how transparency not only empowers your frontline staff but also lays the groundwork for building strong emotional connections with customers.

Unlock Better Business Outcomes with Customer Data

Despite organizations knowing the importance of CX, many are doing an inadequate job of using and leveraging customer data. Led by Jim Rees, Global GTM Leader at Amazon Web Services, this Customer Shop Talk dove into innovative ways businesses can deliver frictionless, personalized customer service to drive positive business outcomes.

Panel Discussion: Exploring CX Trends to Unleash Your Inspiration, Innovation, and Imagination

During this panel discussion featuring Andy Yasutake, Global Director, Community Support Platform at Airbnb, Sean Ilenrey, Vice President of Support at Dutchie, Sean Ellis, Head of Support at Acorns, and moderator Marina Kalika, Senior Director, Global Marketing at Nuance, attendees got a glimpse into both the successes and challenges these CX leaders currently face.

When asked the question “What keeps you up at night?” Andy replied with: “How to solve issues at scale consistently when guests are traveling internationally, and their hosts aren’t available.”

Other key highlights from this panel discussion include:

• How do you successfully share data between two organizations?
• Why it’s important to not lose sight of the brilliant basics.
• Ways to reduce the path to proficiency for agents by breaking learning down into modular pieces.
• The key reasons that it’s crucial for agents to champion innovation.
• Why do you only get great CX when you have great EX?

Case Study: Tapping into the Power of GigCX and Customer Advocacy

How does a business become GigCX ready? Throughout this enlightening case study, led by Jackie Craver, Vice President, Community Support at Zwift, and Megan Neale, Co-Founder and CIO at Limitless, the duo shared exactly how the process works. It’s quickly becoming a mainstream customer experience resource and their case study proved why your brand’s biggest fans need to be on the front lines.

What We Learned

• Why GigCX platforms and supporting technology matter, both for GigCX Experts and customers
• Getting started with GigCX, and getting a glimpse into what the future holds
• Understanding what motivates GigCX Experts and what makes for a positive GigCX experience

Panel Discussion: Optimizing CX Through Automation and AI

“Regardless of scale, brands have to find quick wins. You can’t go throwing your money at the next shiny object. You need to have intention for automation. You can’t just automate to automate,” explains Thomas McDaniel, Vice President, CEC Product & Site Services at Marriott International.

He was joined by Heather Anderson, the Director of After Market and Sales Operations at Bosch, Tori Faulkenberry, Senior Vice President Customer Care at Astound Broadband, and panel moderator Pete Tapley, Vice President, Customer Experience Innovation at TELUS International.

During this panel, the discussion was focused around how to implement and optimize AI powered solutions to transform service experiences.

What We Learned

• Where to start with automation and AI and how to line up key enablers for success.
• How to best avoid implementation pitfalls.
• Common use cases and the capabilities of automation and AI
• Even as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday interactions, human conversation remains the primary way people make complex purchases or emotional decisions.

Keynote: FTD’s Digital CX Transformation Amidst a Challenging Backdrop

Originally called “Florists’ Telegraph Delivery Association,” FTD is the world’s first flowers-by-wire service and has been a leader in the floral and gifting industry for over a century.

Throughout his keynote, John McCahan, Vice President, Customer Care at FTD, brought the first day to a close with an engaging, honest look at how the brand went from filing bankruptcy to:

• 183% NPS improvement
• 40% reduction in refunds
• 33% reduction in customer contacts
• 53% reduction of human interaction on contacts

Their strategic plan? Stick with a top-down belief, being honest about what customers want (they expect simple self-service and seamless omni-channel interactions), getting accurate information, eliminating silos that don’t integrate, simplifying their CS technology stack, and gathering behavioral patterns, data, and insights to improve and optimize CX and business processes. Lastly, FTD partnered with Gladly for their omnichannel customer communications.

If there was only one piece of advice John could offer the leaders of today, it would be this: “Take risks. Fail fast and fail early. Burn the boats when necessary. Sometimes, you must have no way back.”

Innovations Lab and Cocktail Hour

Sponsored by Silver Level Business Partner, CallMiner, our Innovations Lab and Cocktail Hour was the perfect way to unwind, network, and learn how innovative concepts can be applied to improve CX after a full day of discussions.

Networking Evening

Sponsored by Gold Level Business Partner AWS, the Path to Legendary included a stop at Huntress in San Diego with great food, awesome music, and the best networking in the CX industry. It was a fun-filled evening of moments that became Legendary.

Already looking forward to next year? Join us in Austin on March 1-3, 2023, or in Nashville September 20-22, 2023. Stay tuned for more info!

The post Day 1: Customer Response Summit Coronado Recap and Highlights appeared first on Execs In The Know.

In today’s tight labor market, creating a contact center where people love to work is a major competitive advantage. Workplaces with great culture foster better collaboration, innovation, and customer satisfaction—and, in large part, that’s because they’re able to attract and retain the best talent. 

When it comes to outsourcing your contact center, culture matters just as much as it does in your head office—not only to your employees, but also to your customers. So how can you ensure that your contact center provider has what it takes to foster a winning culture? Based on our experience planning, launching, and operating contact centers around the globe, here are five key indicators that your outsourcer is equipped to deliver a remarkable employee experience. 

5 Signs of a Winning Employee Experience That Will Drive Better CX Results 

1. Managers are leaned-in and invested 

In a recent survey of American workers, 81% of respondents said they want to quit because of their manager. Additionally, Managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores, and engagement is strongly linked to productivity. Given the powerful influence that managers exert—for better or worse—over workplace culture and engagement, it’s important that contact centers invest in upfront managerial training and development before agents hit the floor. 

Here’s our guidance for what a great provider will be doing: 

• Talent needs talent: Hires leaders with deep experience coaching and developing teams, and invest in training for leadership to help grow and support your frontline workers. 
• Wave 0: Has supervisors, managers, and site directors take customer calls before agents are onboarded, and ensure leadership is familiar with common call drivers and can better support agent challenges. (They’ll also understand these challenges more personally, too, which will help them relate to agents). 
• Brand immersion: Ensures leaders immerse themselves in the client brand’s goals and challenges. 
• Grows leadership from the ground up: Trains and promotes leaders from within to create tomorrow’s contact center leaders. This way, leaders will be better equipped to meet the needs of frontline employees – they’ve been there themselves. 
• Automate: Automate low-level administrative tasks to free-up leaders to focus on their teams, rather than paper work.  

On top of creating empathetic and supportive leaders, this approach ensures that managers live and breathe the brand values, improving engagement and performance in the process. 

2. The contact center is an extension of the client brand 

A successful contact center provider immerses agents in the brand from day one through physical and digital spaces that express your brand story, voice, values, and messaging. By delivering an on-brand employee experience, a strong provider ensures that all customer-facing employees are equipped to deliver the service, support, and CX that sets your company apart. 

Here’s our guidance for what a great provider will be doing: 

• They understand your brand voice, and build it into training: Make sure your outsourcer is equipped with training and onboarding materials that include more than product information, but the brand voice, tone, verbiage, and the general feeling you want them to exude.  
• They build work environments that reflect client brand standards and values: No matter how far your contact center is from your headquarters, ensure your BPO makes it feel like an extension of your own offices and agents feel connected to your brand. Be on the same page with your outsourcer about the look and feel of the contact center and ensure that you physically visit the center on a regular basis, so agents know their stakeholders as familiar faces. 
• They have similar core values: When choosing a BPO to handle your CX, make sure you’re on the same page about core values, rewards & recognition, perks, and the fundamentals of how employees are treated.  
• They’re strategic about hiring when it comes to the agents handling your CX: They think beyond performance, and think about what traits most align with your brand’s values. Make sure your outsourcer understands and prioritizes these as they staff your brand’s contact center – a good fit can make all the difference in the culture of the workplace, and how your contact center operates as a team. 
• They make agents feel like part of your brand: Just because your customer experience agents are outsourced, it doesn’t mean they aren’t a critical part of your brand. After all, they are largely responsible for your customers’ brand experience when they contact you. Make sure your provider has branded swag, rewards, and other branded items to give to agents, just as you would your internal employees to make them feel like part of the team.  

3. Development and promotion is part of the employee experience 

One way that contact center providers strengthen company culture is by investing in agents’ career success and development from the start. It’s not just about equipping agents with the knowledge, skills, and confidence for day-one performance (although that is a critical piece of the culture puzzle). It’s also about making their development a priority all throughout their employee experience. According to a 2022 report by 15Five, nearly 50% of U.S. workers say learning and development for career growth is one of the most important factors in staying with a company. 76% admit to having a stronger work ethic when their employer demonstrates a commitment to their growth. 

Here’s our guidance for what a great provider will be doing: 

• They make sure that the avenues of development reflect your brand values: Do they use a modern, digital-first training platform to facilitate ongoing learning and development? Do they use training simulators or gamification to create an immersive brand experiences within the contact center? – Bonus: 90% of employees are more productive with gamification, with 72% of them reporting it inspiring them to work harder and 95% enjoying it. AND, significantly, 70% of Forbes Global 2000 companies will implement gamification strategies to boost engagement, retention, and revenues. Keep this in mind as you select your BPO. 
• They favor flexibility in their team structure: Work with your outsourcer to understand how the team structure works, and how it can change based on the individuals making up the whole team. Can roles and responsibilities change based on individuals’ strengths, weaknesses, and interests? Is there room for growth into new areas? These opportunities can make or break team morale and engagement. 
• They invest in their agents: This means they’re dedicating time and resources to professional development opportunities – which makes agents feel valued, and helps prepare the next generation of contact center leadership. Don’t overlook how important these opportunities can be: 70% of employees would be somewhat likely to leave their current job to work for an organization known for investing in employee development and learning, and 76% of millennials believe professional development opportunities are one of the most important aspects of company culture. 
• They keep agents engaged and excited at work: While there are many ways to go about improving employee engagement, here, you should ask your provider about how they plan to keep agents excited and engaged in roles they are passionate about. A great provider will create opportunities for employees to learn new skills and work in different parts of the contact center, depending on their personal interests and skill sets. 
• They understand who agents are outside of work: A great provider will show they care about the whole person, not just a way to fill a seat. This means prioritizing agent growth in personal ways, too, such as lessons on managing finances, honing communication skills, or even getting involved in the communities your team lives and works in. 
• They promote from within: And display clear career progression examples to show how to get to the next level. Agents are more likely to be motivated when there’s a clear goal they can work toward. 

4. Agents are appreciated and rewarded 

Remember, your CX program’s success depends completely on the frontline of workers staffing your contact center. A little appreciation can go a long way. The proof is in the stats: according to Harvard Business Review, feeling undervalued at work was one of the top reasons front-line workers cited for resigning. Additionally, according to Glassdoor’s Employee Appreciation Survey, 53% of people said feeling more appreciation from their boss would help them stay longer at their company and over 40% of employed Americans feel that if they were recognized more often, they would put more energy into their work. What it comes down to is that employees want you to recognize their value.  

Here’s our guidance for what a great provider will be doing: 

• They are conscious in creating a positive work environment: When the culture of the contact center is lacking, or worse, is negative, there’s also the trickle-down impact on culture, morale, and productivity. Choose a BPO who understands this, and is intentional about even the small things that add up: does your provider offer perks in your contact center, such as free coffee or snacks? Are there social events? Are they providing flexibility to your agents to work remotely or in a hybrid model?  
• They prioritize your agent experience over productivity: On average, 74% of call center agents are at risk for burnout and, of those, 30% are at severe risk. Ask your provider about how they break up some of the time that your agents are bogged down in the trenches, and what resources and events they have for agents, such as wellness and social events, CSR events, and mental health assistance. 
• They recognize even the smallest of wins: Ensure your BPO is highlighting the performance and progress of each individual and team win. Use chat channels to call out agents who are leading the game, or to highlight overall contact center successes. Also make time for celebrations, including birthdays, work anniversaries, holidays, etc. to boost team morale. 
• They provide competitive benefits and pay. Today, the hiring market is extremely tight. Staffing your contact center is not easy — especially if you require any specialized skills or niche industry expertise. Choose an outsourcer that incentivizes and shows value to your agents by providing a competitive benefits package.  

5. Inclusion is taken seriously 

In the contact center, fostering a sense of belonging requires leaders to walk the walk. Contact center managers need to lead by example, provide equitable opportunities for people to do and be their best at work, and address systemic obstacles they may be facing. If your BPO isn’t making DE&I a priority, it could affect your brand loyalty: research from Deloitte shows 57% of consumers are more loyal to brands that take action to address social inequities. 

Here’s our guidance for what a great provider will be doing: 

• They have a diverse leadership team: When it comes to DE&I in the contact center leading by example is critical. By ensuring that there is a diverse group of leaders in place, you get a more diverse set of ideas, viewpoints, and experiences trickling down into your contact center and overall CX delivery.  
• They prioritize inclusion from the start: Integrate pillars of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility into the content of agent training, ensuring that all employees get the same value from their training and are equipped to handle challenges from different types of customers from around the globe.  
• They provide ongoing opportunities to learn: DE&I training isn’t a one-and-done kind of thing. They keep the conversation and learning going by offering continuous opportunities to build knowledge and awareness of how to be a good co-worker and ally to people of racialized and/or marginalized identities and people with disabilities. 
• They understand equity vs. equality: Building equity is important because it aims to address structural inequalities by leveling the playing field and ensuring each employee has the support and resources they need to succeed and have a positive employee experience. 
• Find a BPO that aligns with your diversity initiatives: Choose a partner that is on the same page about incorporating the DE&I strategies we’ve mentioned above their operations. Ask your outsourcer what else they are doing to prioritize a truly equitable and diverse employee experience in the contact center, and how it translates to both agents working there, and the customers they service. 

Succeeding in these five areas is critical to building a positive culture in the contact center and delivering the best possible employee experience, which will, in turn, help you deliver better CX. But there’s lots more to consider when choosing the right BPO partner for your needs. Interested in learning more? Let’s talk. 

Guest blog post written by ibex. To learn more about this topic and others, visit the events page to check out all of our upcoming events.

The post 5 Employee Experience Must-Haves When Choosing Your BPO appeared first on Execs In The Know.

There’s no better place to welcome CX leaders than at the legendary and newly remodeled beachfront property Hotel del Coronado. Since 1888, this historic hotel has been acclaimed for its spectacular seaside setting and for hosting iconic guests, such as innovator Thomas Edison, worldwide cinematic idol Charlie Chaplin, pop culture icon Marilyn Monroe, and now all the CX gurus in Execs In The Know’s leadership community.

“CRS Coronado will be an action-packed journey that spans three full days of Drawing Inspiration, Witnessing Innovation, and Igniting the Imagination,” said Chad McDaniel, President of Execs In The Know and MC for the event. “From insightful and inspiring keynotes to powerful thought leadership sessions, interactive workshops, live demos with use-case discussions in the Innovations Lab, and all the exclusive networking experiences that are planned, this is sure to be an unforgettable three days.”

The keynote speakers for this event include Alice Sesay Pope, Vice President, Device, Digital & Alexa Service at Amazon; John McCahan, Vice President, Customer Care at FTD; Mike Gathright, Senior Vice President, Customer Experience at Hilton; and Alvin Stokes, Chief Customer Contact Officer at SmileDirectClub.

In addition to an amazing lineup, Execs In The Know, in collaboration with research project partner Zenarate, will be marking the event with the release of the CX Leaders Trends & Insights: 2022 Consumer Edition research report. This 76-page report contains trending data built around the experiences and perspectives of consumers. It includes content in a variety of specific topics such as Multichannel Journeys, Self-Help Solutions, and Consumer Preferences as well as an entirely new dataset examining “The Happy Consumer.” The report will be made available in print at CRS Coronado, with a digital release on the Execs In The Know CX Research webpage following the event.

If you are a CX leader looking to learn, share, and engage with your industry peers, CRS Coronado is a can’t miss opportunity. It’s more than just a conference, it’s an experience.

Those returning to Hotel del Coronado will notice some major renovations that honor The Del’s rich legacy, while delivering a contemporary look and feel. For CX leaders, it’s a valuable reminder that you must stay true to your roots while evolving fearlessly to make your brand and customer experiences legendary.

Be sure to check out CRS Coronado’s agenda page for a complete overview of what’s happening each day of the event. Registration for the event is still open and you can even sign up for email updates on sessions and future CRS events to stay informed as each event draws near.

To learn more about CRS Coronado, take a moment to visit the event page, or find out what to expect when you attend by watching a short highlight reel from EITK’s last live CRS event, CRS Clearwater.

Watch our CRS Clearwater recap video to get a taste of what to expect in Coronado! https://vimeo.com/704258544/6cc4c04144

To stay up to date on future Customer Response Summit events and all other CX thought leadership, sign up for our mailing list: https://execsintheknow.com/stayintheknow/

CRS Next Stops

March 1-3, 2023: Customer Response Summit – Austin, TX (registration opening soon)

September 20-22, 2023: Customer Response Summit – Nashville, TN

The post Execs In The Know’s Signature CX Event, Customer Response Summit, Returns October 24-26 at the Legendary Hotel del Coronado appeared first on Execs In The Know.

Think of the last time you found out about a new brand or product/service that intrigued you. What did you do to learn more about it?

Well, if you’re like 87% of shoppers out there, you began your discovery research online, starting with the brand’s web/mobile sites – its ‘Digital Front Door.’

And as you reflect on that experience, how was it? Were you able to find what you were looking for, and was it fast and easy? Were you able to get your questions answered quickly and clearly? Did you have to contact anyone for additional information because you got stuck? Overall, how did the experience compare to the last great experience you had with a different brand?

The Journey Is Broken in 2 Key Areas: Discovery & Consideration. Why…?

As customer experience (CX) professionals, we seem to place most of our focus on the Buy, Use/Service, and Re-Engage/Loyalty phases of the CX journey, while oftentimes glossing over the initial journey phases of Discovery and Consideration – which are THE first-impression-setters that significantly inform the Buy phase and beyond. AND which, unfortunately, are often broken due to subpar web/mobile site experience(s), outdated knowledge bases and FAQs, and under-performing chatbots, among other factors. Taken together, these factors are breaking a brand’s CX journeys in the critical early stages for one simple reason: They are inhibiting and/or fully preventing the fluid and intuitive self-service experience customers crave.

Further compounding this self-service breakage is that the issue is a meaningful blind spot for many brands. According to NICE’s 2022 Digital-First Customer Experience Report, there is a significant disconnect in how brands and consumers view both the performance and priority of their digital self-service. A few notable statistics tell the story:

• In general: 53% of brands believe their customers are very satisfied with their self-service offerings – but only 15% of consumers agree.
• Optionality & priority: 81% of consumers want MORE self-service options from brands – but 40% of businesses believe they have enough.
• Make it smarter: 36% of consumers want smarter self-service offerings – but only 11% of businesses are prioritizing it.

… And the Stakes Are Very High

The consequences of these broken journeys impeding self-service for brands are incredibly high, especially in the post-pandemic world, where we’ve seen customer behaviors, attitudes, and preferences change dramatically. Consider these four (4) consumer mega-trends that will continue to accelerate and fuel the importance of quickly patching the holes in these journeys:

Combine these renewed customer mandates with the fact(s) that 62% of shoppers have reported giving up looking for what they want to buy due to a poor digital experience (Zona Research), and 52% expect a poor experience when they know a chatbot is coming, the gravity (and price) of the problem further increases (Forrester Research).

This Is Fixable—and Fast

While these journey potholes create significant cost and revenue implications if left unaddressed, there is a way forward. With advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology, there is a better way to drive conversational and contextual self-service, and fix your Digital Front Door. At Knowbl we have invented an approach that provides brands speed, ease, and scalability of self-service intelligence derived from the real source(s) of truth – your current content. Depending on your specific intents, you can conservatively shift 7-10% of your current contact center volume to self-service almost immediately – which will significantly drive down operational costs, while simultaneously improving CX and revenue. Stop by and visit us at the technology showcase at CRS, or visit Knowbl.com to learn more about how leading brands are ditching chatbots and delivering on next-gen digital self-service.

About Knowbl

Knowbl provides every business the ability to quickly create conversational AI solutions that can be deployed across any digital user interface, including but not limited to search, chat, voice and agent assist. The Knowbl Platform takes your existing content, structured and unstructured, and automatically conversationalizes it so that your employees and customers can get the information they ask for on demand.

Guest blog post written by Knowbl. To learn more about this topic and others, visit the events page to check out all of our upcoming events.

The post Your CX Journey Is Broken at the Front Door — and You Can Fix It, Quickly appeared first on Execs In The Know.

The lines between omnichannel and multichannel customer experience often blur, and even though the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are not the same. Understanding the difference between omnichannel and multichannel is essential for businesses to enhance customer experience.

Back to Basics: What Is a Channel?

Before diving into the differences between omnichannel and multichannel CX, let’s go back to basics and go over what a channel is.

A channel is a medium a brand uses to communicate with customers and target audiences, and vice versa. Channels include email, phone calls, social media, websites, text messaging, online, and physical stores. Anywhere that communication between a brand and a stakeholder can happen is a channel.

There are typically two types of channels that brands rely on for communication: marketing channels and customer contact channels.

Marketing channels help brands grow awareness and promote their product or service. For example, advertisements on a billboard, signs in a physical store, or a company’s website copy and images are considered marketing channels. Contact channels are how customers can get in touch with a business — for example, by emailing, engaging in a live chat, or calling a contact center for support. In modern customer service landscapes, marketing and customer contact channels overlap.

Given the variety of channels brands and customers can use to communicate, businesses have turned to omnichannel and multichannel CX models to align CX goals better and create effortless communication with all stakeholders.

What Is Omnichannel CX?

As digital natives, most consumers switch between channels and devices throughout the day. For example, a potential customer could see an ad on Instagram and then visit a company’s website to make a purchase. Since consumers are tech savvy regarding channel usage, they expect brands to meet customers where they are and support their CX preferences.

With this in mind, an omnichannel strategy aims to ensure that customers don’t get lost or have to restart their journeys when switching between channels.

Omnichannel means all channels and is growing in popularity among industry experts. Omnichannel CX involves all potential customer touch points connecting seamlessly, regardless of channel. This seamless connection allows customers to pick up where they left off on one channel and continue their journey on another. A customer can start a support inquiry with a chatbot and then transfer to a live agent phone call without restarting their customer service request.

Information from each channel and interaction integrate for a better user experience. As a result, the user experience is more personalized, seamless, and contextual. Omnichannel CX relies on tools that unify sales, marketing, and support so that customers can jump between channels to continue their journey with a brand seamlessly.

One technology that supports an omnichannel CX is a customer data platform. This platform aggregates customer data across all channels to create more holistic customer profiles. Companies can improve the CX across channels with more accurate and detailed information about customers. However, genuinely connecting these channels can be challenging to achieve. Moreover, proper omnichannel support requires every employee to operate from the mindset of delivering and sharing a seamless and consistent CX.

Another barrier to omnichannel CX adoption is the cost and complexity of adopting new technologies that support it. Implementing omnichannel processes and communications across a business will likely require significant investment in technology and business adaptation.

What Is Multichannel CX?

Multichannel CX refers to using more than one channel to market your brand and communicate with stakeholders. These multiple channels are typically not integrated with each other, but they can communicate with each other through APIs.

Businesses opt for a multichannel strategy for CX to focus on being present where their customers are and seek to make each channel engaging and easy to use. Doing so can positively impact sales, customer retention, and customer satisfaction.

Businesses can use customer segmentation and customer journey mapping tools to identify improvements to their multichannel strategy and prioritize investments. A robust multichannel strategy can enhance CX and create a competitive advantage for businesses.

While omnichannel and multichannel CX both focus on communication across all channels, omnichannel goes the extra step by providing an integrated and optimized customer experience, with conversations seamlessly transferring across channels.

At-a-Glance: Omnichannel vs. Multichannel

Multichannel Strategy Use Case: Retail

E-commerce and online shopping continue to increase in popularity among consumers. This shift has forced brands to enhance retail CX from the digital shopping cart to the contact center. Technology such as AI-powered intelligent virtual agents (IVAs) helps companies improve customer support by enabling multichannel CX.

For example, retail contact center agents typically engage across various channels (e.g., phone, email, and social media) and resolve technical issues and detailed product questions. IVAs help retail organizations manage and enhance CX by delivering human-like messages across multiple channels. At the same time, IVAs can proactively suggest the next best action by leveraging customer data and past interactions without the support of a human agent.

Mosaicx transforms retail service by helping businesses deploy virtual agents to enhance CX.

Enhance CX with Mosiacx

Innovative and affordable contact center automation solutions allow brands to bridge the gap between channels. IVAs like Mosaicx help bridge the gaps between channels by meeting customers where they are. By bridging the gap, customers have more control over their journey with the brand, which leads to overall satisfaction.

Businesses can use solutions such as Mosaicx to offer a unified solution with various customer engagement and customer experience solutions. Companies can automate common customer inquiries, minimize wait times, establish easy AI-to-agent handoff, lower average call costs, enhance CX, and increase customer retention.

Mosaicx is more intelligent than traditional contact center solutions. It provides true automation, not just interactive voice response or automatic call distribution. Its software uses voice recognition, AI, and machine learning to help customers find information quickly and resolve issues without help from a human agent.

With Mosaicx, your company can build a dynamic multichannel strategy. Your customer support teams will deliver better customer service, elevate the overall customer experience, and promote customer loyalty.

Omnichannel vs. Multichannel: Final Review

Though they have notable differences, omnichannel vs. multichannel CX are two terms often misconstrued with each other. While they both emphasize all channels, omnichannel provides seamless connection, while multichannel focuses on communicating with stakeholders across all channels.

Companies can begin to bridge the gaps in CX with the use of conversational AI tools like Mosaicx. With Mosaicx, brands prioritizing a multichannel strategy and leveraging IVAs in their contact centers will gain a competitive edge and deliver a strong CX.

This post originally appeared on mosaicx.com.

Guest blog post written by Mosaicx. To learn more about this topic and others, visit the events page to check out all of our upcoming events.

The post Omnichannel vs. Multichannel: Are They the Same Customer Experience? appeared first on Execs In The Know.

1. Capture customer sentiment and learn from it

Contact centers are an organization’s window into customer feedback, trends, and sentiment. Is a caller content, confused, or upset? Is there a recurring issue with a specific product? Gathering this data and making it actionable for CX leaders and contact center associates can be a challenge. Asking an agent to assess a customer’s mood across hundreds of calls and report those consolidated impressions makes their job even harder than it already is.

But when an AI/ML-powered contact center can automatically flag phrases like “not happy” or “cancel my subscription”—or even pick up on tone of voice—an organization can gather a rich vein of data while agents stay focused on the matter at hand. AI/ML can transcribe calls, track customer sentiment, detect common issues and customer trends, or even pinpoint discrepancies—such as a price promotion in an email that doesn’t match the promotion on the website. The result is an up-to-the-minute picture not just of what people are calling about, but also of how they feel about your company and its service. These insights reports can also chart agents’ performance to uncover coaching and training opportunities.

Ring is a smart home security company that provides support to their customers, who they call “neighbors.” Using the ML features of Amazon Connect, Ring’s customer support team can understand neighbor sentiment, needs, and safety issues in real time. When a neighbor calls in with an issue that requires additional support, agents have context about their account so they can help resolve the customer issue quickly. This helps Ring deliver faster, more personalized service right from the start of a conversation.

2. Eliminate friction with personalized self-service

AI/ML can also streamline customer self-service so they get answers quickly without having to spend lengthy time searching out of date websites, navigating frustrating menus of “Press 1 for sales or 2 for support,” or waiting for a human agent. Today, customers can naturally explain in their own voice why they are calling and where they need help. AI/ML understands customer intent, makes sense of the request, and formulates a response, providing specific information to the customer that is timely, accurate, and personalized.

For example, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, MetroPlus Health, part of the largest municipal health system in the United States, needed to reach thousands of members quickly. This scale was impossible to accomplish without automation, but they didn’t want to lose the personal touch. MetroPlus Health used an Amazon Connect interactive chatbot powered by ML to quickly understand people’s health needs, then reached out to as many as 10,000 people per day with proactive, personalized messages that connected people with care, resources, and support.

3. Streamline the agent experience to better serve customers

People reach out to contact centers to get answers to complex and sometimes urgent problems. They want accurate answers as fast as possible. They don’t want to repeat information a company should know about them, like their name or what product they purchased, or wait as an agent digs through overwhelming amounts of information to find the answer to what they are calling about.

Today, AI/ML can augment agent work to simplify a large range of tasks like automating real-time caller authentication to making voice interactions faster and more secure. AI/ML can automatically assemble relevant customer information from multiple applications for the agent as soon as the support call or text interaction begins. It can provide agents relevant recommendations and answers across knowledge repositories, applications, internal wikis, and FAQs. And when a call ends, AI/ML can automatically create post call summaries to save agents time and deliver more insights to agents and supervisors the next time the customer may call. All these and more help agents better know who they are speaking with, assist them in better understanding the customer’s issue, and expediting answers and satisfactory resolution.

One organization realizing benefits today is Traeger Grills, the outdoor cooking choice of food enthusiasts. As Lizzy Mitchell, Head of Customer Experience Analytics at Traeger Grill, shares, “At Traeger, our mission is to help create a more flavorful world. Our customers are passionate about their grills. We handle tens of thousands of contact center contacts every month where people have questions on everything from grill care to WiFi connectivity. Our Traeger Techs used to spend a ton of time navigating multiple systems to find customer data. Now, when agents are connected to our customers, Amazon Connect automatically surfaces a unified customer profile that shows who is calling, their contact history, purchase history and grill type. Our agents no longer have to toggle between applications to find information and that helps provide a world-class customer experience. Since implementing Amazon Connect Customer Profiles, we’ve seen a ~25% reduction in handle time and a ~10% increase in CSAT.”

AI/ML: Buzzwords or a practical reality?

These are just three areas which we’ve seen organizations benefit from AI/ML-powered contact centers. If you are interested in exploring how businesses across industries are benefiting from cloud and AI technologies in their contact centers, check out our featured customer stories for Amazon Connect!

Author: Cory Glover, Senior Manager Product Marketing, Amazon

Guest blog post written by AWS. To learn more about this topic and others, visit the events page to check out all of our upcoming events.

The post 3 Ways AI and ML Can Take Your Customer Experience to the Next Level  appeared first on Execs In The Know.

Despite staggering inflation, consumer spending has hardly let up. Global e-commerce sales reached $4.9 trillion in 2021 and are expected to increase to $7.4 trillion in 2025. With this already massive and increasing spending by consumers, global brands will need to ensure they have the proper resources to support increased customer volume.

Before we dive in, let’s take a look at how companies are managing their customer support operations today and how it compares to how customers want to be supported.  

Today, most companies still communicate with their customers using traditional tools and processes from over 20 years ago — by investing in complex contact center operations primarily focused on voice calls. It’s a reality many of us have come face-to-face with at some point. You’re one of the lucky ones if you’ve never called a toll-free support line and subjected yourself to static hold music for an undetermined amount of time.

Not only is this approach expensive and operationally challenging, but it’s not what customers want. Customers want to engage with international brands in the same way they engage with family and friends — through the messaging platforms they use every day in their native language – SMS, email, WhatsApp, and social media.

Because of customers’ desire and lower total costs of ownership, Gartner predicts by 2025 we will see 80 percent of customer service operations embracing messaging channels.

And, it appears Gartner is not alone in their prediction. The Verint 2022 State of Digital Customer Experience Report shows a growing preference for interacting with companies through social and private messaging channels.

What Does This Mean for Service Delivery Teams for Retail Brands?

Radial predicts customers will start filling their shopping carts earlier in 2022, with Black Friday sales starting as soon as October. Early holiday deals will drive customers to extend their holiday shopping experience, forcing accelerated customer service wait times to accommodate demand. 

Extended shopping seasons can put a strain on an already struggling contact center. The Harvard Business Review cites turnover being as high as 45 percent and a 2022 NICE WEM Global Survey research shows that this number grows to 50 percent when companies have more than 5,000 support agents. 

For most companies, the instinctive response is to post seasonal job listings and hope for the best. Lead time for new hires can take nearly six weeks and can be even longer when hiring bilingual agents or native speakers. And, while this strategy helps to bring in new faces, it can take up to 30 days for new agents to learn the systems. When you factor in the time it takes to close a new hire, it could be nearly three months until your seasonal agents are ready to roll.

Innovative companies have been down that road one too many times and have found ways to leverage technology to make the holiday seasons more manageable. 

Goodbye Voice; Hello Chat

Progressive companies that are in tune with customer preferences are making digital channels their primary means of customer communication; using voice to handle the less frequent, more challenging issues. The switch to a digital dominant strategy helps promote a consistent, omnichannel experience for customers (and agents). What’s more: digital channels make it easier for agents to handle multiple customer inquiries at once. 

The icing on the cake? Companies save upwards of 33 percent when switching from voice to digital.

• Seasonal fluctuations are more manageable: We are all well acquainted with the challenges of Black Friday – cash is often left on the table due to poor customer service. Brands that offer real-time chat and messaging will ensure their customers feel supported quickly in these important moments, driving loyalty and encouraging future purchases.
• Your team will be more efficient: Experienced support experts can effectively handle multiple conversations at once. By leveraging AI in the right ways, your teams will be able to delight more customers at the same time. Let’s face it, it’s virtually impossible to successfully manage separate voice conversations simultaneously (much less in multiple languages). 
• Customers prefer it: No one wants to “wait on hold,” so why make your customers suffer through it? Asynchronous messaging channels allow your customers to post a question and then divert their attention rather than anxiously waiting for the on-hold music to stop.

Make Global Customer Support Manageable

For companies with global customers, utilizing digital channels is a no-brainer. The scarcity and cost associated with sourcing native speakers to support customers seems to grow by the month. Digital channels enable companies to use existing agents to circumnavigate language barriers. 

In fact, a study from the European Commission found that one-third of employers have difficulties filling positions due to applicants lacking foreign language competencies. 

Visionaries who grasp the importance of digital channels also know the necessity of providing native-language support. Real-time multilingual customer support allows for hyper-personalization, building customer loyalty, and retention. The use of translation technology coupled with immaculate customer service skills leads to five customer reviews and customers coming back for more.

Those that have made the move to digital multilingual support are already seeing these benefits:

• Reduced costs: Every agent can deliver high-quality, technical customer experiences in your customers’ preferred languages. Redesign your recruiting strategy with a focus on superior service skills rather than expensive language skills, and re-invest the savings in delivering higher-quality engagement. Optimizing your recruiting strategy is particularly meaningful when handling seasonal spikes.
• Greater reach to potential customers: Customers are drawn to companies that offer the products, services, and support best suited to them in their native language. Multilingual technology allows businesses to reach customers in markets that weren’t possible before.
• Improved customer experience: Offering native language support is proven to drive customer loyalty and retention as well as increase NPS and reduce agent handle time – it’s a win-win for everyone!

The holidays are upon us. And the bottom line is that companies risk losing $1.6 trillion yearly due to poor customer service. 

Don’t be a part of that statistic. 

Consider the use of digital channels to introduce greater flexibility into your customer service operations and hiring strategy. The best part: consumers spend nearly 60 percent more with companies that utilize live chat and digital channels for support. This flexibility allows you to quickly offer unparalleled multilingual support, regardless of the peaks or valleys your business experiences during holidays or off-seasons. 

To learn more about multilingual customer support, visit www.chatlingual.com

Guest blog post written by ChatLingual. To learn more about this topic and others, visit the events page to check out all of our upcoming events.

The post Insights for Retailers Navigating the Holiday Season with a Global Support Team appeared first on Execs In The Know.

Customer Response Summit (CRS) Coronado is fast approaching, scheduled to hit the shores of sunny California, September 15–17, 2021. A truly special event, CRS Coronado marks Execs In The Know’s long-awaited return to live events. In fact, CRS Coronado is the first Execs In the Know live event since March 2020, and we can’t wait to see everyone!

Below are some of the most widely discussed topics taking place in the Execs In The Know community over the past year. Many of these will be highlighted in the keynotes, panel discussions, case studies, and breakout sessions that will be taking place at CRS Coronado.

The New Dynamics of Recruiting and Hiring

Work-from-home (WFH) has added a new layer of complexity to the recruiting and hiring process. With a tight labor market, increased wage pressure, and new challenges in the work/life balance for workers, recruiters need to find new and inventive ways to find and hire the best agents, especially in a candidate pool no longer restricted by geolocation.

Virtual Training and Coaching

Training and coaching in a virtual world require a special kind of finesse. Although many CX programs have revamped the tools and processes used to train new agents (as well as coach existing agents), there is still plenty of room for innovating and reinventing. Learn what others are doing and discuss new (and legacy) best practices.

Agent Engagement

A year on from the shift to WFH, and finding ways to motivate, engage, and inspire agents continues to be top of mind for program managers, supervisors, and leaders. From lunch-and-learns to finding unique ways to celebrate the wins, the value of highly engaged agents is well documented and will continue to be a major priority especially for those considering maintaining a higher percentage of WFH talent post-COVID.

Optimizing Outsourcing Strategies

Business continuity and redundancy planning took center stage in 2020 and will continue to be a top priority well into the future. As leaders take stock of the strengths and weaknesses of their outsourcing footprint, they will be looking to find the next great destination for an in-center site. In doing so, they’ll consider how cost, culture, and capacity play into maximizing their outsourcing strategies and partnerships, all while maximizing a new level of flexibility when it comes to hiring individuals in a WFH capacity, regardless of location.

Striking a Long-Term Balance (WFH vs. In-Center)

As things currently stand, most programs will be taking a hybrid approach to the workplace, with a mix of agents working in-center and from home. But what’s the right balance? Is this dependent on the workforce, the types of engagements, the culture of a company? Companies are in the midst of exploring this decision now, especially as more and more of the economy opens back up.

Personalization as a Differentiator

Personalization has long been valued by consumers, and it can add tremendous value to the customer journey. But what does personalization look like as more automation and self-help is added to the experience? Brands need to constantly find the balance between these two elements, finding the sweet spot that makes personalization a true differentiator.

Data Utilization

For a long time now, CX programs have been awash in data. From business intelligence derived from QA programs to customer feedback, there is no shortage of valuable data pools. But how can program managers best organize, disseminate, and action this data? This is a topic that will continue to persist, especially as new ways of collecting even more data come online.

SMS/Text as a Channel

New CX channels are constantly being added, evolved, and evaluated. An important consideration for brands has to be what their customers want. SMS/Text is a channel that has emerged, matured, and gained acceptance among consumers over the past few years. If a brand doesn’t already offer SMS/Text as a channel, now is the time to understand how customers might feel about such a solution in the future.

Managing Multichannel Engagements

CXMB Series Consumer Edition research from 2020 shows most consumers (71%) routinely use multiple channels to resolve a single customer care issue. Managing this experience (which means creating ease, effectiveness, and consistency) is only going to grow more important to the overall customer experience.

Digital Transformation

The past year has accelerated the digital transformation plans of many brands. While this may have been the result of necessity (that mother of all invention), and a net-win for brands and consumers alike, brands need to take the time to assess the experience of these initiatives. Now is also the time to set priorities for the next wave of digital change, those initiatives that are likely to have the most positive impact on the customer experience.

……………………………….

Are you looking to connect with your peers on these and other CX topics? Consider joining us at CRS Fall 2021, October 18–22, 2021. Visit the event homepage to learn more about the venue and the continuously evolving agenda.

Furthermore, if you are a CX practitioner at a corporate brand, consider joining the conversation on Know It All (KIA) online community. Crowdsource and connect with your CX peers in a collaborative, non-competitive environment — a totally free service from Execs In The Know.

The post CRS Coronado: 10 CX Discussions You Don’t Want to Miss appeared first on Execs In The Know.