Crack the Customer Code

By Adam and JeannieBusiness

Crack the Customer Code episodes

March 12, 2015Episode 017: Customer Feedback, Mohamed Latib, and Progressive Insurance
In this episode…
Gathering Customer Feedback Can Be More Than Difficult Than It Seems!
Mohamed Latib, COO of PeriscopeIQ
Customer Hero? Letting Your Auto Insurer Follow You Around

Gathering Customer Feedback: Why Is It So Difficult?

There are so many ways to gather customer feedback, but do any of them work better than others?

Adam and Jeannie discuss how each organization needs to understand their goals in gathering feedback and how to best leverage the resources available. Listen in on how Adam and Jeannie view anecdotal feedback – they have strong opinions!

Discussion begins at 1:59.

Mohamed Latib, Co-Founder and COO of PeriscopeIQ

Mohamed discusses how to collect the best feedback from customers. Hear how Mohamed constructs efficient methodologies to get the best insights. Once all the data is collected, how can an organization understand what it means to be a “satisfied customer?”

Listen in to hear how Mohamed defines this and why Adam wants us to just flip a coin!

Interview begins at 5:45.

Customer Hero, Customer Zero: Progressive Insurance And OnStar Track Drivers for Discounts and Data

Jeannie defends why she is calling this program a Customer Hero. Progressive Insurance is allowing customers to opt in to this tracking program, opt in to when data is shared with Progressive and reward customers. What do you think?

Discussion begins at 13:06.

People, Places, and Things of the Podcast
Mohamed Latib, PhD, is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of PeriscopeIQ. As COO, he provides leadership in strategy, business development and client relationships. His primary role is to position the company in thought leadership in the areas of employee and customer engagement to help companies drive business outcomes to achieve market leadership, growth and profitability. Prior to this position, Dr. Latib was a Professor, Dean and Vice President at various academic institutions. PeriscopeIQ| LinkedIn
Adam’s blog: Anecdotal Customer Feedback and the Problem of Uncle Jimmy
Jeannie’s blog: Ignoring Anecdotal Evidence and Your Customer Experience Will Suffer
The Road To Customer Frustration is Paved With Good Intentions
Progressive & OnStar Offering Rewards For Tracking Driving Data

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

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19 min
March 10, 2015 Special Episode: SXSW Interactive Predictions
A special episode where Jeannie and Adam discuss Jeannie's predictions for what will be hot at the upcoming South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive.

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11 min
March 05, 2015Episode 016: Digital Deniers, Blagica Bottigliero, and Discontinuing Products
In this episode…
Phase 2.0 of Digital Deniers: Your Customers’ Digital Lives
An Interview With Blagica Bottigliero of Metaverse Mod Squad
A Product Discontinuation Becomes a Customer Problem

Phase 2.0 of Digital Deniers: Your Customers’ Digital Lives

Are there still people who don’t believe their customers are truly digital?

Adam and Jeannie discuss how leaders need to understand their customers’ digital lives – social, mobile, etc. And how there’s no point in denying it!

Discussion begins at 1:40.

Interview with Blagica Bottigliero
Blagica is Vice President of Digital Media for Metaverse Mod Squad.

Blagica discusses digital engagement in a 24/7 world, who owns the digital customer experience and how customer service fits into that world. Hear how organizations make certain mistakes with social media when serving customers.

Interview begins at 4:04.

Customer Hero, Customer Zero: Discontinuing a Product The Wrong Way

Adam and Jeannie discuss the pervasive theory of maximizing shareholder value and how there’s a backlash when it doesn’t serve customers. Listen to how Adam and Jeannie break this theory down into why short-term returns might not be worth long-term loyalty. And how bad profits don’t add up!

Discussion begins at 10:04.

People, Places, and Things from the Podcast:
Blagica Bottigliero is the Vice President of Digital Media for Metaverse Mod Squad. She's spent 17 years seeing the web grow and enjoying the ride along the way. Connect with Blagica here: Twitter | www.blagica.com | www.metaversemodsquad.com
Scholastic

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

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18 min
February 26, 2015Episode 015: Bad Customer Service, Matt Ward, and Maximizing Shareholder Value
In this episode…
When Bad Customer Service Can Still Yield Good Business Results
An Interview With Matt Ward of E&J Gallo Winery
An NFL Team Makes an Impact with One Customer

Can Bad Customer Service Still Deliver Good Business Results?

Adam and Jeannie discuss how certain industries without as much competition don’t have to deliver great customer service but may need to change that in the near future.

Discussion begins at 1:37.

Matt Ward, Host of Art of the Kickstart Podcast and Blog

Matt works as a consultant, helping entrepreneurs and startups grow.

Matt discusses with Adam and Jeannie how successful crowdfunding campaigns involve customers early and often and how bigger companies can learn from them. Listen in to hear how crowdfunding helped open a butcher shop in Jeannie’s hometown. (And Matt offers some great freebies and discounts to Crack The Customer Code listeners!)

Interview begins at 3:52.

Customer Hero, Customer Zero: What Is the Goal? Maximizing Shareholder Value

Adam and Jeannie discuss the pervasive theory of maximizing shareholder value and how there’s a backlash when it doesn’t serve customers.

Listen to how Adam and Jeannie break this theory down into why short-term returns might not be worth long-term loyalty. And how bad profits don’t add up!

Discussion begins at 13:02.

People, Places, and Things of the Podcast:
RyanAir invests in customer experience: Guardian article
Matt Ward is Host of Art of the Kickstart, a podcast and blog geared towards crowdfunding success, Matt Ward works as a Kickstarter and business consultant helping entrepreneurs and startups grow. He also just released his $16 MILLION Crowdfund Academy course, a step-by-step proven Kickstarter framework on Udemy and is offering $250 OFF to any listener looking to launch a successfully crowdfunded company. Go here for Matt’s special offer or connect with Matt on TwitterFacebookGoogle+

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

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21 min
February 19, 2015Episode 014: Handling Pressure, Jeff Toister, and The Customer as Hero
In this episode…
Handling Pressure in Customer Service
An Interview With Jeff Toister of Toister Solutions
The Customers are the Heroes

Handling Pressure in Customer Service

Jeannie and Adam discuss why the ability to handle pressure is so important for frontline customer service reps. Jeannie tells a story of a problem flight that was handled well by the team at Southwest Air.

Adam recalls a story about his wife’s experience with a frontline rep who completely folded under the pressure of a crowded store.

Discussion begins at 1:50.

Interview with Jeff Toister of Toister Solutions

Jeff discusses how employees are often not the most common reason for service failures. Jeff discusses 2014’s viral Comcast call, the cultural problems he found underlying it, and some background to the story.

Jeff points out the importance of attention and how many impediments there are to customer service reps being able to give customers their full attention. Jeff also points out the important distinction in customer service between emotional and rational needs.

Tune in to find out what Jeff thinks about how mental fatigue affects customer service agents.

Interview begins at 6:45.

Customer Hero, Customer Zero: The Customers are the Heroes

Adam shares the heartwarming story of Shirley Ratliff, whose customers loved her so much that they bought her a car.

Tune in to hear Adam and Jeannie discuss this incredible story and what all customer-facing professionals can take away from the story!

Discussion begins at 18:12.

People, Places, and Things of the Podcast
Jeff Toister is a consultant who helps customer service teams unlock their hidden potential. He’s the author of Service Failure: The Real Reasons Why Employees Struggle with Customer Service and What You Can Do About It. Connect with Jeff : Toister Solutions | Twitter
Southwest Airlines
Shirley Ratliff’s Story (video included)
Bruegger’s Bagels

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

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23 min
February 15, 2015 Episode 012: Millennial Consumers, Anna Bell, and NFL Customer Experience
In this episode…
The Millennial Customer
An Interview With Anna Bell of E&J Gallo Winery
An NFL Team Makes an Impact with One Customer
The Millennial Customer
Adam and Jeannie discuss how Millennials are different (and aren’t) and how customer experience needs to take into account some of their unique behaviors.
Discussion begins at 1:25.
Anna Bell at E&J Gallo Winery
Anna is a marketing director with E&J Gallo Winery, managing a number of spirits brands. Anna talks to Jeannie and Adam about how to manage a customer experience when you sell a product but don’t directly interact with the end user.
They look at how consumer brands can succeed when shaping the customer experience indirectly and how Gallo works with its distributors and sellers.
Interview begins at 7:45.
Customer Hero, Customer Zero: An NFL Team Makes an Impact with One Customer
Adam and Jeannie discuss the story of a young boy who sent a letter to every NFL team asking them why he should choose them as his team. Only one team responded and showed the power of building raving fans one person at a time.
Discussion begins at 14:40.
People, Places, and Things of the Podcast
Anna Bell has held global corporate careers in both finance and marketing in a variety of industries including adult beverage, food and home care. She is currently a marketing director with E&J Gallo Winery, managing a number of spirits brands. She is also actively involved in her community in California, serving on the board of the Center of Human Services, a non-profit organization focused on providing critical crisis care to families in the central valley. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two young boys and is an avid cook, wine enthusiast and beginning skier.
E&J Gallo Winery
Cade Pope’s Story
National Football League
Carolina Panthers

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

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21 min
February 12, 2015Episode 013: Cognitive Dissonance, Mike Wittenstein, and Meet Me at Starbucks
In this episode…
How Our Brains Work Against Us
An Interview With Mike Wittenstein of Storyminers
Meet Me at Starbucks

How Our Brains Work Against Us

Jeannie and Adam discuss why it is often hard for people to accept feedback. They explore cognitive dissonance and how it is difficult for people to accept evidence that is contrary to their beliefs.

Adam mentions that confirmation bias is a similar principle in reverse.

Jeannie explores how Starbucks specifically sought out feedback and used it to create its new loyalty program.

Discussion begins at 1:35.

Mike Wittenstein of StoryMiners

Mike explores how the store of the future is like a concept car, where new technologies are exposed to customers and vetted by customers to be rolled out to the market.

Mike advises that a mid-market firm might get started with a store of the future using private Pinterest boards to explore concepts. Mike advises “starting where you are” and focusing on incremental steps.

He says to implement store of the future, everyone should be on the team. He also shares some of his favorite retailers that are leading the store of the future movement.

Interview begins at 6:24.

Customer Hero, Customer Zero: Meet Me at Starbucks

Adam and Jeannie discuss the Starbucks video, Meet Me at Starbucks. They review their go-to coffee orders as well as how Starbucks has been able to create an entire cultural experience that powers its brand even more than the actual coffee they sell.

Discussion begins at 14:47.

People, Places, and Things of the Podcast
Mike Wittenstein runs Storyminers, a design firm that helps service brands improve their experience, their service, and even their business designs. Mike is also a world-class expert who has helped over 400 companies in 25 countries. By his own admission, he’s a designer who can’t draw… Connect with Mike at mikewittenstein.com, Twitter, SlideShare, or LinkedIn.
Burberry
Hointer
Apple
Rebecca Minkoff
Meet Me at Starbucks

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 min
January 29, 2015 Episode 011: Customer Service Greatness, Mafia Hairdresser, and Not Tipping
In this episode…
Should We Emulate the Service Greats?
An Interview With Jon-David aka Mafia Hairdresser
People Who Don’t Tip
Should We Emulate the Service Greats?
Jeannie and Adam discuss the service greats and if others should emulate them. Jeannie says this kind of imitation can be a false way to present your organization. Instead, she thinks an organization should follow the path service greats like Zappo’s take and evolve with the marketplace and the customer.
Listen in to hear Adam discuss how The Ritz-Carlton $2,000 principle, not the number, can be useful.
Discussion begins at 1:12.
Interview with the Mafia Hairdresser, Jon-David
Jon-David, also known as Mafia Hairdresser, is a Chicago hairdresser who wrote a book about his job with the Mob. He now consults using his eBook marketing and social media skills as well as his salon experience.
Listen in to hear Jon-David discuss his one-of-a-kind Social Media Salon and how he got to know his customers through social media.
Interview begins at 5:41.
Customer Hero, Customer Hero: Customers Who Don’t Tip
Adam and Jeannie discuss customers who don’t tip in industries where it’s expected. Jeannie shares a personal experience she had in the past with a customer that didn’t tip and how it can affect the server’s ability to deliver a great experience to the next customer.
Listen in to hear Jeannie and Adam’s thoughts on industries that are changing how they tip.
Discussion begins at 14:04.
People, Places, and Things from this Podcast:
The Ritz-Carlton’s Famous $2,000 Rule
Jon-David aka Mafia Hairdresser, a Chicago hairdresser who wrote a book about his job with the mob. He now consults using his eBook marketing + social media skills as well as his salon owner & customer service experience. Jon-David can be reached at MafiaHairdresser.com | Social Media Salon

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 min
January 22, 2015 Episode 010: Customer Experience Titles, Ingrid Lindberg, and Steamboat Springs
In this episode…
Discussing CX Leadership Roles
Interview with Ingrid Lindberg
Towns Creating Improved Customer Experiences for Visitors
A Conversation about Customer Experience Leadership Roles
Adam and Jeannie discuss the many different customer experience leadership titles in organizations right now. Listen in to hear their thoughts on why it’s important for organizations to have a specific role focused on and dedicated to the customer.
Discussion begins at 1:15.
Interview with Ingrid Lindberg
Ingrid is the Chief Customer Experience Officer at Prime Therapeutics. Ingrid shares with us how she manages her busy workload and her position as a Customer Experience Officer.
Listen in to hear what she believes needs to change to get the C-Suite to become more customer focused.
Interview begins at 5:10.
Customer Hero, Customer Zero: How Competitive Retailers Cooperated to Improve Customer Experiences in Steamboat Springs
Adam shares with us what the ski resort town Steamboat Springs Colorado did to promote a positive experience for visitors. Listen in to hear how the town got together to invest in a better experience for their visitors.
Discussion begins at 13:15.
People, Places, and Things from the Podcast:
How To Expand Your C-Suite Without Creating Silos
Ingrid Lindberg: As chief customer experience officer at Prime Therapeutics (Prime), Ingrid C. Lindberg is responsible for developing and overseeing the implementation of the enterprise customer experience strategy, which addresses all matters related to how Prime engages and serves its customers. Her role within Prime is the first of its kind within the pharmacy benefit management industry and has been created to ensure Prime’s customers have the best pharmacy experience possible and that the voice of the customer is a driver within the decision making processes at Prime. Twitter | LinkedIn
Steamboat Springs Colorado
Seattle Seahawks 12th man

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

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19 min
January 15, 2015Episode 009: Paper Bag Quotations, Rachel Happe, and Abusing Olive Garden
In this episode…
Chipotle puts quotations on cups and bags
Interview with Rachel Happe
A good Samaritan abuses the Olive Garden Pasta Pass

Chipotle’s Cup and Bag Quotations
Jeannie shares with us an interesting set of microinteractions Chipotle has invested in. She says that Chipotle has paid really good writers to write very short stories on their paper cups and paper bags.
Listen in to hear Adam and Jeannie weigh in on whether the ROI is worth the cost of the microinteraction.
Discussion begins at 1:01.
Interview with Rachel Happe
Rachel co-founded The Community Roundtable to support business leaders developing their community and social business strategies. Rachel enlightens us on who our community leaders are and their roles in business.
Listen in to hear to hear where Rachel finds the resistances on making community management a priority, and how she sees community management fitting in to the overall customer experience.
Interview begins at 4:37.
Customer Hero, Customer Hero: Abusing the Olive Garden Pasta Pass
Jeannie shares a story with us about Olive Garden. Listen in to hear about an incredible thing a man did with his never-ending Pasta Pass, and Olive Garden’s heroic response to his actions.
Discussion begins at 14.27.

People, Places, and Things from this Podcast:
Chipotle Short Stories
Cultivating Thought
Rachel Happe co-founded The Community Roundtable to support business leaders developing their community and social business strategies. Clients including SAP, Aetna, BASF, CA, H&R Block, and CSC benefit from Rachel’s ability to make sense of abstract trends and her ability to see the implications that technical and operational decisions can have on people and processes. LinkedIn | Twitter
Olive Garden Pasta Pass
Random Acts of Pasta

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

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20 min

About Crack the Customer Code

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Crack the Customer Code is dedicated to helping business professionals, small business owners, and customer-facing professionals learn the ins and outs of creating great customer experiences. With…