By Pegasystems
The podcast currently has 45 episodes available.
Between advanced AI-driven solutions, low-code capabilities, and self-service options, there are plenty of new customer service technologies to be excited about. But striking the right balance between your existing tech stack and the latest advancements could mean the difference between high customer satisfaction and high technical debt. Listen as service tech experts Sean Callahan, Chris Contreras, and Stuart Chandler talk the best approach to going modern, strategically.
Key Takeaways:
[3:31] While many of us are generally understanding and personable as customers, that’s not always the case. CS agents are confronted with difficult situations, and new digital technologies can serve to make the lives of agents much easier.
[4:02] Chris shares that Mountain is providing an almost entirely self-service platform for their customers, and how tech touch enablement is a natural evolution of where the platform is headed.
[4:50] At Mountain, there are still humans interacting at each stage of the customer journey, and it does not minimize the human touch point but maximizes the input that real humans provide.
[5:44] We should be looking at how quickly our systems and workflow can support what our customers need to do.
[8:35] After you figure out how you’re going to execute the interaction and simplify it, then comes the technical underpinning, where you start building your tech stack.
[8:51] We can’t bypass our existing tech infrastructures if we want to create smoother customer service experiences.
[10:12] An explosion of CS channels has made it easier for customers to be in touch with businesses, but only if organizations correctly integrate those channels into their overall strategy.
[13:19] Great customer service leaders milestone map the experience of their customers at every step.
[14:48] It’s not just AI that’s changing the shape of the CS tech stack - low code is also opening the door for quick solutioning without the need for a more seasoned engineer.
[20:30] The younger generations are geared towards more interactivity online, and organizations will get smarter about how they build the interactions.
[24:24] Investing upfront in smoothing out your tech stack can pay off big time in the future, and optimizing your customer service to incorporate tech touches like self-service can make a big difference when it comes to winning over the Zoomer generation AND your bottom line.
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Healthcare makes a huge difference in people’s lives – and so should its customer service. Customer-centric service that better cares for policyholders, doesn’t waste their time, and gives them more options can all add up to greater satisfaction and – with the right technology – even identifying symptoms over the phone. Just ask Ingrid Lindberg and Steve Decker, an unlikely duo who worked together to overhaul the customer service at a leading health insurance company. Listen to their story of transformation and how they used customer insights,
operations data, and more to discover what really matter in healthcare service.
Key Takeaways:
[5:02] Taking advantage of automated services can mean big financial gains, but fast service doesn’t always mean good service.
[5:12] While self-service options might help reduce some call time, it’s not a one-size fits all option for customers.
[9:25] In many cases, customers were looking for a live agent to speak to, and having a customer service representative at the right moment can have a huge impact on their lives.
[12:34] When it comes to healthcare, contact centers are responsible for some very sensitive conversations. It’s important that those conversations are handled in the least invasive and most appropriate ways.
[15:21] Customers need the option to opt out of self-service and to get the human touch they desire.
[15:55] Ingrid’s analysis shows that on average, a consumer touches their healthcare company only once a year, in the form of a phone call.
[18:53] The technology has changed tremendously and in good ways, but we still need the human touch and true empathy for the customer. With tools such as sentiment analysis, we can recognize what’s going on with the person at the moment and weave it elegantly into the conversation.
[21:54] Earning trust is an investment, and customer service reps must be repeatable and reliable.
[22:37] We have to stop treating customer service and especially contact centers as empty investments. If there are no members (at healthcare contact centers), there is no money and no CFOs.
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As the options in customer service expand, opening self-service channels through email, text, and web, it might seem like the role of the service agent is becoming less necessary. Think
again. According to customer experience strategist Adam Toporek and customer service expert Nate Brown, the value of human interaction is higher than ever – if it’s used strategically. Listen as our guests discuss the right blend of automaton and human contact, getting creative when attracting talent, the importance of soft skills, evolved ways to capture insights, and more.
Key Takeaways:
[2:04] We are learning that the right blend of AI automation and human contact can get the customer exactly what they need.
[2:29] Digital transformation is going to take a lot of the easy customer service interactions and automate them. This is going to leave time and hopefully give more opportunity for better, richer human interactions.
[3;27] Call centers are becoming less central to customer service operations as contact centers become the new norm, but the human element is as important as ever.
[3:39] Nate discusses how he starts in two places when trying to help a team accelerate their CX results: voice of employee, and then voice of customer.
[6:07] Instead of trying to find the technology to create shortcuts, we need to find great and capable leadership to engage our workers to do their jobs to the best of their ability.
[10:43] Leaders need to empower their agents so they can offer the right solution at the right moment, while understanding the limits of the agent role.
[12:32] Customer feedback is a beautiful opportunity for us to step up and be the guide in a really fun and unique way.
[19:48] You have to let the person know you're being empathetic, which is a little bit different than just having the empathy internally.
[23:48] The seamless interaction between customer agent and tech is the future of customer service, but we have to create opportunities for our humans to shine. This means listening to the voice of the customer, and the employee, and it means training agents on human centered skills every bit as much as we train them on our tech.
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Let’s face it: Customer service is going through an overhaul. The days of sidelining real human needs and playing catch-up to the latest advancements in service technology are over. Listen as
Jeannie Walters, a customer service expert and consultant, dives deep into how far service has come and where it’s headed now that we have the tools and insights to deliver efficient, empathetic experiences across the board.
Key Takeaways:
[02:42] Jeannie didn’t start out as a customer service expert, but her experience in one company changed her trajectory when she noticed a major oversight in their strategy. She developed her own ideas about how businesses needed to rebuild their customer service strategies to become more customer centric.
[4:48] Customer service is not magic, but it’s smart management, and we should be thinking about the customer journey from the beginning to the end.
[6:18] We often have people in customer service that want to help, but they aren’t given the right tools or leadership to do their job well. We create a monster of people with bad attitudes, when they really just need guidance.
[6:18] Customer Service has needed a paradigm shift for quite some time, and brands are beginning to realize that our old tactics need to be thrown out and reinvented. The reactive model of the service strategy is the first one to go.
[7:34] Robots and AI can help us create more human focused experiences if they’re used correctly, and if we marry the right technology and tools with the right kind of attitude around the humans who are serving.
[10:13] Every organization should take a step back and become clear on their strategy for customer service success. If they don’t, everything then just becomes a tactic.
[11:48] When implemented thoughtfully, automated engagements can feel seamless and can provide a more satisfying experience for the customer by proactively offering all the resources they may need.
[16:33] We need to explain our expectations around empathy to our team. Otherwise, it can seem like it’s just a mysterious thing instead of a skill that can be sharpened. We have to figure out what that means for customers instead of having a vague interaction.
[19:19] In automated responses, one of the first things to do is look for words that are vague.
[24:29] When businesses augment their human talent with thoughtful automation and take advantage of opportunities for self service and build empathy into their processes, everyone from the call center to the CEO wins.
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Blockchain. NFTs. The Metaverse. There’s a good chance you’ve heard these terms thrown around recently – and for good reason. These all make up what is quickly becoming Web 3.0, a more immersive, community-centric internet where you can build and sell in entirely new ways. Listen as Emily Rose Dallara, CMO at SL2 Capital, and Bridget Greenwood, founder of Bigger Pie, dive into all the ways the internet is evolving, and the many opportunities brands have to capitalize on this new virtual territory.
Key Takeaways:
[3:00] Web 3.0 is a way of describing the newest iteration of the internet that is built on new technologies like blockchain, and ideas like decentralization.
[3:45] Web 3.0 also is changing our marketing opportunities and tactics. We still need all the marketing fundamentals, but people entering the world today will need to be steeped in Web 3.0, and also keep in mind that it’s all about serving people and communities.
[4:27] With any new market that uses social media as a force to amplify it, there’s always the possibility for hype marketing. Web 3.0 technologies are at the beginning and end of hype marketing.
[11:12] Gen Zers want to be online and experience the Metaverse, as they enjoy being in a space where they can be accepted for whoever they want to be as opposed to the judgment that often occurs in real life.
[12:28] The Nitro League is a racing Metaverse where people can raise and earn credits. In turn, they can buy land, and rent that land out to make money.
[20:20] For businesses entering the Web 3.0 space, more transparency may mean more public support, but it also means more accountability.
[23:16] Blockchain technology cryptocurrency could create unique solutions to global issues, but we must build with democratization at the forefront.
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Customers are sick of old marketing strategies. And today’s best marketers aren’t just telling customers they care—they’re putting their MarTech where their mouth is. Join Tara DeZao, Director of Product Marketing in AdTech and MarTech at Pegasystems, and award-winning inclusive marketing consultant and founder of the African American Marketing Association, Michelle Ngome as they share how you can make the most of MarTech by putting customers first.
Key Takeaways:
[1:46] Traditional marketing technologies can be very static. With AI, you can create customer journeys in real-time that are dynamically activated.
[4:32] Because AI has adaptive and predictive learning and modeling baked in, it can help marketers do individualized and personalized engagement.
[6:00] Third-party cookies allow marketers to follow our digital movements. Michelle explains how whether it’s Google, Amazon, or just Meta in general, the platforms are tracking you not only to buy right away but to remind you for the future.
[7:22] There has to be a balance between what is ethically right and what is legal in MarTech, and it’s time for a new, more empathetic approach.
[7:26] Trends in tracking have made it easy for brands to access customer data that they collect, in hopes of making you a lifetime customer. This is great in theory but can get very annoying.
[9:12] Relying on cookies to determine what your customer wants has not proven to be especially effective.
[11:03] We need AI at the center, acting as the brain to connect consumer touch points with analytics. This is different from the old days of campaign-based marketing.
[15:03] If we don’t think about ways to reach audiences beyond our own communities and beyond the ideal client, we fail to adapt our marketing to benefit underrepresented communities. If we want a more ethical marketing and MarTech landscape, the focus can’t be only on cultivating the audiences brands already know they can reach.
[18:38] Employing more ethical, thoughtful, and equitable marketing tactics could get easier for brands in the future. Some of that is in part, thanks to the real-time data from AI-fueled omnichannel marketing.
[20:12] It’s a much more empathetic engagement to help your customer when they need it, rather than constantly just trying to sell them something.
[21:17] Adjusting the way you promote your business to reflect cultural changes will go a long way, but we have to genuinely put service over sales.
[21:37] If you’re taking a service action versus selling action when it’s in the interest of your customer and their needs at the moment, you are not making a sale at that moment, but you are creating the opportunity, you are earning the opportunity to sell them something in the future.
[22:07] Showing customers you care about them enough to know when not to push them to buy your products can mean more sales in the future.
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Reaching core customers in the fastest, most effective way, is the goal. Using personalized marketing experiences through automation is how you’ll get there. Join Founder and CEO of Black Girl Digital, LaToya Shambo, and Director of Content and Web Strategy at Vendavo, Morgan Short as they unpack how automation and current martech trends are shaping the future of marketing.
Key Takeaways:
[4:31] Latoya discusses how it’s a great opportunity right now for brands to connect directly with audiences, through the lens of influencers.
[4:47] The best future campaigns are the ones that bring more intentional choices about how our content is delivered.
[7:46] The opportunity for brands to use social media to connect with their audience is there; they just have to be mindful of who they are connecting with, and what the content is going to look like.
[13:23] B2B personalization is possible, but it takes figuring out what motivates people, their behaviors, likes, and hobbies.
[16:26] A lot of brands fail by not having internal diversity and having the wrong people sell a product to a demographic they don’t understand well.
[23:04] We’ve moved past the days where content developers stuff as many keywords as possible into their web pages to try and outsmart search engines.
[30:00] Successful brands use every channel to meet their customers where they are, using fun, engaging, and empathetic content.
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Modern marketing leaves little to chance. It’s evolved to utilize data-driven targeting to know precisely what people want. And that evolution is ongoing. Join managing directors David Steuer and Jeremy Woodlee from Accenture as they discuss where MarTech is taking the industry.
Key Takeaways:
[2:13] David discusses the need to drive personalization for the customer experience in real-time.
[4:26] Both AdTech and MarTech need to deliver campaigns to customers using an omni-channel approach utilizing multiple customer touchpoints in the burgeoning age of personalization.
[5:51] As cookies disappear and digital movements become a bit more private, marketers are turning to first-party data.
[6:45] Customer data platforms are key elements for driving success in providing a contextual experience. And, it’s not just a matter of data. There’s an emotional and even moral element.
[12:53] How are organizations decluttering processes while keeping up with the constantly shifting customer needs, moods, and values? By consolidating, rationalizing technology, and optimizing processes.
[18:41] It is getting increasingly tougher for companies to target specific audiences. PII, or personally identifiable information, has been incredibly useful in targeted marketing.
[23:03] To get rid of our own marketing clutter, we must add technologies that create more opportunities for personalization.
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Operational problems aren’t going anywhere; they’re growing. How can leaders keep loyal talent motivated when the dreaded skills gap keeps evolving? Juggling employee development and making a profit, while also doing good is no easy task. Yael Kaufmann, co-founder, and COO of LearnIn, Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry Wehmiller – a manufacturing company – and Stacy Cline, Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at GoDaddy are with us to share their perspectives on how they’re facing these issues head-on.
Key Takeaways:
[2:14] As companies look to be able to fill gaps in their talent needs, they also struggle in a lot of ways to be able to deliver on what it is they are trying to achieve.
[2:31] We can view automation as an opportunity to give employees greater purpose by emphasizing their individual talents and sense of belonging.
[3:20] The great opportunity of technology is to help us do more with less and then invest in actually doing more.
[4:21] There is more seriousness for companies to take action when it comes to topics like diversity and inclusion and climate change, rather than for them to just talk about it.
[7:29] How may our approach to reskilling be holding us back?
[8:20] The rate at which jobs are changing from menial tasks to more interesting knowledge work is exploding. We may not need to look to outside workers, but rather give the people who are already in your organization, and have a ton of amazing knowledge, the skills they need.
[9:24] If you want to be more inclusive and offer benefits, you have to be thinking about some of those barriers that may already be holding people back.
[12:33] Toyota is a great example of listening to the people doing the work, instead of letting them go just to lean things out.
[14:00] Any tech we bring into the mix has to be set up to align with our corporate social and environmental responsibilities.
[19:33] Governance and oversight can take up a lot of resources, so pairing with a vendor who specializes in learning about your customer in a secure way is going to be a game-changer in the future.
[19:28] You don’t need to necessarily be two steps ahead at every point in time, but having thought about it already at that point in time enables you to pull the trigger when the time is right.
[21:24] When GoDaddy began ramping up its environmental efforts, Stacy was cataloging the environmental and social issues most important to its stakeholders. She talks about the process as a constant conversation, and one that must be able to shift as the conversation of the world takes a different shape and tone.
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2020 made us realize that challenges bigger than we ever expected could happen at any moment. So how do we ensure we’re prepared for whatever environmental threats may impact how we do business in the future? Listen as Richard Seline, co-founder of the Resilience Innovation Hub, talks about the importance of having proactive operations measures in place to be ready for anything. Plus, learn about the benefits from an insurance perspective, how to rethink instant gratification, and what it will take to build a sustainable, supportive business.
Key Takeaways:
[1:44] Our environmental conditions dictate how our businesses operate. When one hits our community, we see the fallout in real-time. Richard talks about how it’s not important what we do at the moment, but how we act before and after.
[3:15] Richard defines resiliency as the idea of pre-disaster and risk mitigation.
[4:00] There’s no chance of reducing every risk, but what preparation can do is reduce the cost and the operational and emotional impact.
[4:18] At the Resilience Innovation Hub, Richard and his team focus on de-risking business operations, facilities, and communities using a blend of technology, equipment, data science, and alternative capital.
[8:15] While businesses can’t afford to operate in areas that are most exposed to environmental threats, many still want to continue to build and expand in those regions.
[12:27] Preparing a stronger infrastructure for natural disasters is going to be more than minor modifications to the day-to-day systems. Richard has been working with water systems since 2014 and has seen the focus more on laws and rights than the tradition of getting water to a shared community.
[17:39] While private companies are leading the charge in water systems innovation, the public sector is lagging behind.
[21:04] The breakdown of the supply chain over the course of the pandemic is proof that we need to make our operations as resilient as possible.
[24:00] If we can make the necessary pivot, we can build more sustainable and resilient businesses that support the communities they serve. Richard shares how you can reduce the cost of the operational impact of future events, but only if you invest ahead of the curve.
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The podcast currently has 45 episodes available.