Lisa at a recent open studio weekend in Yonkers, NY
Second in our “Meet The Board” series is Lisa Oswald. We hope you’ll enjoy getting the chance to know our EITK Advisory Board members a bit better over the coming months!
Get to Know: Lisa Oswald, Senior Vice President, Customer Service at Travelzoo Inc.
My role leading customer strategy is all about growing our company by making it easier for customers to do business with us. My commitment to deliver service for a competitive advantage — a business imperative, really – drives everything we do. That’s because consumers demand more from companies today. And making smart decisions about what our customers want and need, and how to effectively deliver that drives revenue and loyalty.
My company is Travelzoo, a global media commerce company. You probably know us as the publisher of the Travelzoo Top 20®, the definitive list of the week’s best travel, entertainment and local deals. As Senior Vice President of Customer Service, I lead global customer strategy for our 28 million members across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, driving culture change and influencing the way my colleagues think and act in support of our members. That includes helping set the organization’s product roadmap for delivering member experience outcomes. My most important role, however, is the one I take most seriously…upholding our members’ trust in our brand. After all, there’s a reason why we’re called the Deal Experts!
My role with the Advisory Board with Execs In The Know gives me a unique platform to help other service leaders solve our toughest service challenges. Collectively, we help identify the “next big thing” to break through, and stimulate conversation on how to navigate complexity to create real value. My involvement helps me stay relevant. It helps me keep pace with the unprecedented rate of change in our industry. And it exposes me to the best of the best thought leaders, innovators and service practitioners who make me a better leader.
While in business strategy little is black and white, my “second life” in the arts (I’m a monotype artist), allows me to think differently and blend creativity with business process. For me, art making is a leap of faith. I give myself over to the process and the process leads to its own result. So there’s always a spirit of freedom in my work (visit me at http://studiomonotype.com). I bring that same left brain/right brain combination to my community volunteerism, where I serve my hometown of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York as a Commissioner of the Arts. As one of a team of art advocates, I bring public art programs to our community for enrichment and economic development.
Want to talk service? Or compare notes on your favorite artist? Follow me at @LisaPOswald or message me on LinkedIn.
