FIR Interviews

FIR Interviews

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FIR Interviews episodes

  • Customer Service - The Magic Is In the Details
    You’ll be hard pressed to find a company that doesn’t tout their customer service skills.
    All of them say it and all of them believe it.
    If that’s the case though, why do so many of us have personal customer service horror stories?
    Why is bad customer service such a common gripe?
    It’s mostly because customer service is a lot easier to talk about than do.
    It only takes a few seconds to type out a sentence about how great your customer service is, but actually providing that customer service over an extended period is a much bigger challenge.
    It’s still possible and that’s what today’s podcast is all about.
    Ways to Maintain Customer Service
    Let me guess. Your customers are never upset with the quality of service you provide.
    In fact, they’re talking about it with every person they happen to meet.
    Right?
    No way. Nobody is perfect.
    Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes those errors involve less than stellar customer service.
    But there’s hope.
    Here are five ways you can consistently provide the possible service over time.
    Customer Service and the Big Picture
    So often the way serve our customers is further down on our list of priorities than it should be.
    We all spend so much time attracting new customers that it’s easy to forget how much value the customers we already have bring to the table.
    Make sure you keep your current customers happy and serve them to the best of your ability.
    Establish Boundaries
    This might sound confusing.
    But whatever service standards you agree to become your boundaries, and you should work to maintain those boundaries.
    Stick to your schedule.
    If you’re closed on evenings and weekends, try not to answer emails or phone calls during those ties.
    Have you agreed to a certain number of deliverables? Great! Provide that number and not more.
    Maybe you have specific times blocked out for meetings and direct communication.
    If so, that’s how long you should spend on it.
    This helps add to your customer service in a few ways:

    * It means you’re clear about what you’re doing and when you’re doing it. Everyone loves clarity.
    * Boundaries require your customers to respect your time. (It’s MUCH easier to be nice to someone who respects your time!)
    * Having boundaries preserves your energy as well as your team’s. This means they can devote their full attention to delivering great customer service.

    Be Consistent In Your Communication
    Like most industries, the communications world has its own vocabulary.
    Within those industries, companies use their own terms and definitions for different concepts.
    On top of that, organizations have their own methods for dealing with questions, collaboration, and feedback.
    Imagine how frustrating it is to not understand how you should get support on an issue you’re experiencing.
    It’s annoying and that annoyance tends to be talked about quite a bit.
    We have to remember that most of our customers aren’t used to the same industry jargon we use in our everyday work-lives.
    And they shouldn’t have to know our language. They have other priorities.
    It does mean, however, that it’s on you as their service provider to be clear and consistent so they know what to expect.
    The Curse of Knowledge
    It’s important to also remember you have the curse of knowledge.
    This means because you’re front and center with your industry knowledge, it’s easy to forget that everyone else is operating on the same level of knowledge as you.
    I like to use the grandmother test.
    I find that if I can explain something I’m doing to my grandmother and she understands it,
    12 min
  • Spin Sucks #56: 5 Tips to Stay Ahead of Industry News and Trends
    Being in marketing and communications, you’re often considered to be “the expert” in your field.
    Whether it’s colleagues, clients, family, and friends, people rely on you to be on top of the latest and greatest in your industry.
    Of course, that’s easier said than done, because who can keep up with the constant changes on digital and social media?
    We need to stay current, get our work done, and still have a bit of personal time. But how?
    Here are five strategies we use at Spin Sucks.
    Talkwalker Alerts
    If you haven’t tried them, check out Talkwalker Alerts.  (We think they’re better than Google Alerts.)
    Talkwalker is easy to use: just enter your keywords, choose how often you want to be notified, and they send you links.
    It also integrates with Hootsuite, Slack, and other software to make your life incredibly easy.
    Subscribe to Newsletters
    Email is far from dead, and one of the best ways to reach customers is through relevant, helpful, and easy to read newsletters.
    Not too long ago, we asked our readers, and they shared a few of their favorites.
    Having a trusted source doing the heavy lifting, discovering, filtering, and adding context, keeps you up to speed and saves you time.
    Social Media Monitoring 
    You’re probably already doing this, but monitoring journalists, influencers, and bloggers who cover your industry, is always a great source for news.
    Client and Audience Questions
    Another resource you may not have considered is people—as in clients, customers, prospects, brand loyalists, and even detractors.
    During your client calls, in internal meetings, or when you’re engaging online, keep an eye out for what they’re sharing.
    The links are often worth a deeper look.
    Have You Asked Your Team?
    Every member of your team likely has their own go to sites.
    Talk to them, find out what they’re reading, and either subscribe, or curate a list your entire company can use.
    Bonus Tip
    OK, we have one more suggestion to add.
    We have so many lively and informative conversations in the free Spin Sucks community on Slack, and you’re always welcome to join.
    7 min
  • Spin Sucks #56: 5 Tips to Stay Ahead of Industry News and Trends
    Being in marketing and communications, you’re often considered to be “the expert” in your field.
    Whether it’s colleagues, clients, family, and friends, people rely on you to be on top of the latest and greatest in your industry.
    Of course, that’s easier said than done, because who can keep up with the constant changes on digital and social media?
    We need to stay current, get our work done, and still have a bit of personal time. But how?
    Here are five strategies we use at Spin Sucks.
    Talkwalker Alerts
    If you haven’t tried them, check out Talkwalker Alerts.  (We think they’re better than Google Alerts.)
    Talkwalker is easy to use: just enter your keywords, choose how often you want to be notified, and they send you links.
    It also integrates with Hootsuite, Slack, and other software to make your life incredibly easy.
    Subscribe to Newsletters
    Email is far from dead, and one of the best ways to reach customers is through relevant, helpful, and easy to read newsletters.
    Not too long ago, we asked our readers, and they shared a few of their favorites.
    Having a trusted source doing the heavy lifting, discovering, filtering, and adding context, keeps you up to speed and saves you time.
    Social Media Monitoring 
    You’re probably already doing this, but monitoring journalists, influencers, and bloggers who cover your industry, is always a great source for news.
    Client and Audience Questions
    Another resource you may not have considered is people—as in clients, customers, prospects, brand loyalists, and even detractors.
    During your client calls, in internal meetings, or when you’re engaging online, keep an eye out for what they’re sharing.
    The links are often worth a deeper look.
    Have You Asked Your Team?
    Every member of your team likely has their own go to sites.
    Talk to them, find out what they’re reading, and either subscribe, or curate a list your entire company can use.
    Bonus Tip
    OK, we have one more suggestion to add.
    We have so many lively and informative conversations in the free Spin Sucks community on Slack, and you’re always welcome to join.
    7 min
  • Is Thought Leadership Just Another Buzzword?
    Hello FIR Podcast Network. We’re excited and honored to be joining this stellar line-up of PR podcasts!
    And we hope you enjoy listening to Spin Sucks.
    And now on with the show…
    In our industry, there are so many buzzwords. And it get tiring trying to wade through all of the corporate jargon. Admit it. We all hate corporate jargon. We hate to hear it and we hate to use it. And yet… we still do.
    Why can’t we just talk to each other like real people?
    That’s what we’re getting into today, because in this episode, we’re talking about thought leadership.
    Thought Leadership Is Not Dead
    Buzzwords are like fashion trends; autumn’s treasures are spring’s trash heap.
    All of a sudden you’re hearing whatever the new buzzword is at every conference and in so many business conversations. Then, of course, comes the fall from grace. Then said buzzword of the moment keeps popping up, only now it’s in a sarcastic tone or in the cynical dismissals on social media.
    It’s understandable. It’s easy to get tired of the hype train and want off at the next stop.
    With “thought leadership” it’s not so easy.
    While so many of us would love to see the end of the term, we just can’t let it go. It’s a huge part of so many communications plans.
    And the fact of the matter is, when it’s used correctly it’s exactly what it sounds like.
    Thought leaders are changing industry expectations. They’re on the cutting edge of production for their services. They help others realize their full potential.
    Thought leaders are industry experts, they’re facilitators and they’re leaders.
    Is It Time to Say Goodbye?
    In this episode of the Spin Sucks Podcast, Gini Dietrich dives into why we’re not necessarily saying goodbye to the term “thought leadership” just yet, and shares some ways you can help avoid the challenges that can occur when your organization’s thought leader moves on to another thing.
    11 min
  • #142: Montressa Washington, Natalie Forest & Mitchell Levy on Comfortability and Vulnerability

    In this episode, Mitchell Levy (@HappyAbout), TEDx speaker and the AHA Guy at AHAthat (http://AHAthat.com), and co-host Natalie Forest (@NatalieForest), founder of Success Revolutions and Revolutionize Your Potential (http://natalieforest.com), had a thought-provoking conversation with #ThoughtLeader Montressa Washington (http://aha.pub/AskMontressa), Knowledge Broker at Ask Montressa and Managing Director at Chrysalis Consortium, LLC.
    The discussion continues on the month’s topic of reaching one’s potential. This time, guest Montressa speaks about comfortability, vulnerability, and positivity toward life. She points out that one of the main reasons people, especially young ones, aren’t achieving their potential is because they doubt themselves and their abilities! She additionally shares that asking for help or a support system is an ideal thing to do if you get lost somewhere and want to get back on track.
    One more phenomenal guest will speak about his great thoughts for the month, so stay tuned for the next episode!
    To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.
    Here are a couple of AHA messages from the episode. See more in the “Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life” eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, AHAthat: http://AHAthat.com.

    * Achieving #Potential means being able to talk & interact w/ people to get comfortable in following your dreams. http://aha.pub/AskMontressa
    * Forget about self-doubt. Go out there, create your own patterns, create your own dreams, and follow them. @NatalieForest #TLL
    * If you do something and it doesn’t work out, retweak it, start over, and do it better. Get out there and do it! http://aha.pub/AskMontressa
    * If you want others to achieve their #Potential, then you have to allow them to be themselves. Are you doing that? @HappyAbout #TLL
    * You may think that other people are perfect, but trust me, they also struggle with things just like you do. http://aha.pub/AskMontressa

    41 min
  • #142: Montressa Washington, Natalie Forest & Mitchell Levy on Comfortability and Vulnerability

    In this episode, Mitchell Levy (@HappyAbout), TEDx speaker and the AHA Guy at AHAthat (http://AHAthat.com), and co-host Natalie Forest (@NatalieForest), founder of Success Revolutions and Revolutionize Your Potential (http://natalieforest.com), had a thought-provoking conversation with #ThoughtLeader Montressa Washington (http://aha.pub/AskMontressa), Knowledge Broker at Ask Montressa and Managing Director at Chrysalis Consortium, LLC.
    The discussion continues on the month’s topic of reaching one’s potential. This time, guest Montressa speaks about comfortability, vulnerability, and positivity toward life. She points out that one of the main reasons people, especially young ones, aren’t achieving their potential is because they doubt themselves and their abilities! She additionally shares that asking for help or a support system is an ideal thing to do if you get lost somewhere and want to get back on track.
    One more phenomenal guest will speak about his great thoughts for the month, so stay tuned for the next episode!
    To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.
    Here are a couple of AHA messages from the episode. See more in the “Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life” eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, AHAthat: http://AHAthat.com.

    * Achieving #Potential means being able to talk & interact w/ people to get comfortable in following your dreams. http://aha.pub/AskMontressa
    * Forget about self-doubt. Go out there, create your own patterns, create your own dreams, and follow them. @NatalieForest #TLL
    * If you do something and it doesn’t work out, retweak it, start over, and do it better. Get out there and do it! http://aha.pub/AskMontressa
    * If you want others to achieve their #Potential, then you have to allow them to be themselves. Are you doing that? @HappyAbout #TLL
    * You may think that other people are perfect, but trust me, they also struggle with things just like you do. http://aha.pub/AskMontressa

    41 min
  • FIR Interview: Mayo Clinic's Dr. Sandhya Pruthi and Jay Maxwell on Creating a Smart Audio First Aid Skill

    Voice will be the interface to everything.

    Searching “voice technology” on Google News produces headlines like “Why voice technology is a marketer’s new best friend,” “Voice technology will change your relationship with consumers,” “Kayak sees potential with voice technology-assisted bookings,” and “Google goes all in on voice first with its latest product.”

    The Mayo Clinic has a reputation for experimenting early with new and emerging technologies, both in medicine and in delivering information to and engaging with patients and healthcare consumers. Mayo dove into social media when most hospitals and other healthcare organizations were avoiding it over fears about regulatory compliance and patient privacy. So many hospital communicators got in touch with Mayo to learn about its social media activities that it established the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network to support the industry’s use of social media.

    It’s no surprise, then, that the Mayo Clinic has been an early adopter of smart audio, the voice technology that underlies the Amazon Alexa platform, Google Home, and other Artificial Intelligence-based systems that enable appliances like speakers to interact with people through natural language. Mayo first entered the space with its Mayo Clinic Radio News Minute, available for Alexa users to add to their Flash Briefing. Now, the Clinic has introduced an Alexa First Aid skill, which “provides you with self-care instructions for dozens of everyday mishaps and other situations and provides quick, hands-free answers from a trusted source.”

    In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz talks with Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, the Mayo Clinic’s chief medical editor and associate medical director for Content Management and Delivery, and Jay Maxwell, senior director of Health Information, about the development of the skill, how it works, how they measure its effectiveness, and their approach toward preparing for a voice-enabled world. The interview includes a brief demonstration of the Clinic’s Alexa skill.

    About our conversation partners

    Dr. Sandhya Pruthi received her M.D. degree from the University of Manitoba, Canada in 1990, and completed a Family Medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic in 1994. She was the Director of the Breast Diagnostic Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN from January 2002 to July 2010.  She is a Consultant in the Department of General Internal Medicine and a Professor of Medicine.  Dr. Pruthi’s research area is in breast cancer prevention. Her clinical expertise is the management of women at increased risk for breast cancer and providing pre-operative counseling to women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. She is the Mayo Clinic principal investigator on several national breast cancer prevention and biomarker trials aimed at reducing the risk of breast cancer. She has collaborated in other women’s health trials studying complementary and alternative therapies for the management of menopausal symptoms and improving the quality of life of breast cancer survivors. Dr. Pruthi is the Chief Medical Editor and Associate Medical Director for Content Management and Delivery for Global Business Solutions. She is an Associate Medical Director for Development and physician partner in the Center for Innovation at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Pruthi is a board member of the National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC).

    In his role as senior director of health information, Jay Maxwell oversees content development for Mayo Clinic’s Global Business Solutions. Jay has nearly three decades of publishing experience in web, mobile, print and broadcast channels. He has led large and diverse teams in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. As a journalist, Jay has served on a state chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and has been a recipient of SPJ’s Sigma Delta Chi Award. Connect with Jay on Twitter at @johnjaymaxwell.

    About our sponsor

    Thanks to Ragan Awards for sponsoring this episode. Use the code INTERVIEWS to save 25% on the following:

    • The 2017 Video & Visual Awards which will celebrate the best corporate videos and visual designs from the past year. The final deadline is Oct. 25.
    • The 2017 PR Daily Awards which will focus on the industry’s most successful PR campaigns, publications, and events. The early bird deadline is Oct. 13 and the final deadline is Nov. 8.
    • The 2017 Ace Awards which honors individual PR practitioners, in-house teams, and agencies. The early bird deadline is Oct. 27.

      • Visit Ragan.com/Awards to enter.

      The post FIR Interview: Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Sandhya Pruthi and Jay Maxwell on Creating a Smart Audio First Aid Skill appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

      25 min
    • FIR Interview: Mayo Clinic's Dr. Sandhya Pruthi and Jay Maxwell on Creating a Smart Audio First Aid Skill
      Voice will be the interface to everything.
      Searching “voice technology” on Google News produces headlines like “Why voice technology is a marketer’s new best friend,” “Voice technology will change your relationship with consumers,” “Kayak sees potential with voice technology-assisted bookings,” and “Google goes all in on voice first with its latest product.”
      The Mayo Clinic has a reputation for experimenting early with new and emerging technologies, both in medicine and in delivering information to and engaging with patients and healthcare consumers. Mayo dove into social media when most hospitals and other healthcare organizations were avoiding it over fears about regulatory compliance and patient privacy. So many hospital communicators got in touch with Mayo to learn about its social media activities that it established the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network to support the industry’s use of social media.
      It’s no surprise, then, that the Mayo Clinic has been an early adopter of smart audio, the voice technology that underlies the Amazon Alexa platform, Google Home, and other Artificial Intelligence-based systems that enable appliances like speakers to interact with people through natural language. Mayo first entered the space with its Mayo Clinic Radio News Minute, available for Alexa users to add to their Flash Briefing. Now, the Clinic has introduced an Alexa First Aid skill, which “provides you with self-care instructions for dozens of everyday mishaps and other situations and provides quick, hands-free answers from a trusted source.”
      In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz talks with Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, the Mayo Clinic’s chief medical editor and associate medical director for Content Management and Delivery, and Jay Maxwell, senior director of Health Information, about the development of the skill, how it works, how they measure its effectiveness, and their approach toward preparing for a voice-enabled world. The interview includes a brief demonstration of the Clinic’s Alexa skill.
      About our conversation partners
      Dr. Sandhya Pruthi received her M.D. degree from the University of Manitoba, Canada in 1990, and completed a Family Medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic in 1994. She was the Director of the Breast Diagnostic Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN from January 2002 to July 2010.  She is a Consultant in the Department of General Internal Medicine and a Professor of Medicine.  Dr. Pruthi’s research area is in breast cancer prevention. Her clinical expertise is the management of women at increased risk for breast cancer and providing pre-operative counseling to women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. She is the Mayo Clinic principal investigator on several national breast cancer prevention and biomarker trials aimed at reducing the risk of breast cancer. She has collaborated in other women’s health trials studying complementary and alternative therapies for the management of menopausal symptoms and improving the quality of life of breast cancer survivors. Dr. Pruthi is the Chief Medical Editor and Associate Medical Director for Content Management and Delivery for Global Business Solutions. She is an Associate Medical Director for Development and physician partner in the Center for Innovation at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Pruthi is a board member of the National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC).
      In his role as senior director of health information, Jay Maxwell oversees content development for Mayo Clinic’s Global Business Solutions.
      25 min
    • FIR Interview: Nicole Scheffler, Host of the Diva Tech Talk Podcast

      According to its website, Diva Tech Talk “is a specialized communication channel highlighting women doing wonderful things in the technology arena by creating podcasts from interviews with successful female individuals in the field and covering various technology events.  It was created to inform and inspire women of all ages to succeed in professional and life missions that are technology-driven.”

      The podcast has also won Clarion Awards from the Association for Women in Communications in 2017 and 2016.

      In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz spoke with Diva Tech Talk co-founder and host Nicole Scheffler about the show’s origins, its goals, and life as a female engineer in a male-dominated industry (and what communicators can do to help change that).

      Connect with Nicole at @Tech_Nicole. Follow the podcast at @DivaTechTalks.

      About our conversation partner

      Nicole Scheffler has been a Systems Engineer and has worked across business units within Cisco for over 12 years.  She has created her own job rotation program serving across vertical as a sales engineer, in Technical Marketing, and as a Security focused Consultant.  Currently, she proudly serves the Cisco partner community as a consulting engineer.  She holds a Masters degree in Information Technology and several Cisco certifications.  She has also been an Adjunct Professor at Davenport University and Lansing Community College in various networking and security courses.  Nicole also highlights other women in tech with her Diva Tech Talk podcast and has started two community organizations for technology locally.  She loves live music and spending time with her family outdoors.

      About our sponsor

      Thanks to Ragan Awards for sponsoring this episode. Use the code INTERVIEWS to save 25% on the following:

      • The 2017 Video & Visual Awards which will celebrate the best corporate videos and visual designs from the past year. The final deadline is Oct. 25.
      • The 2017 PR Daily Awards which will focus on the industry’s most successful PR campaigns, publications, and events. The early bird deadline is Oct. 13 and the final deadline is Nov. 8.
      • The 2017 Ace Awards which honors individual PR practitioners, in-house teams, and agencies. The early bird deadline is Oct. 27.

        • Visit Ragan.com/Awards to enter.

        The post FIR Interview: Nicole Scheffler, Host of the Diva Tech Talk Podcast appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

        25 min
      • FIR Interview: Nicole Scheffler, Host of the Diva Tech Talk Podcast
        According to its website, Diva Tech Talk “is a specialized communication channel highlighting women doing wonderful things in the technology arena by creating podcasts from interviews with successful female individuals in the field and covering various technology events.  It was created to inform and inspire women of all ages to succeed in professional and life missions that are technology-driven.”
        The podcast has also won Clarion Awards from the Association for Women in Communications in 2017 and 2016.
        In this FIR Interview, Shel Holtz spoke with Diva Tech Talk co-founder and host Nicole Scheffler about the show’s origins, its goals, and life as a female engineer in a male-dominated industry (and what communicators can do to help change that).
        Connect with Nicole at @Tech_Nicole. Follow the podcast at @DivaTechTalks.
        About our conversation partner
        Nicole Scheffler has been a Systems Engineer and has worked across business units within Cisco for over 12 years.  She has created her own job rotation program serving across vertical as a sales engineer, in Technical Marketing, and as a Security focused Consultant.  Currently, she proudly serves the Cisco partner community as a consulting engineer.  She holds a Masters degree in Information Technology and several Cisco certifications.  She has also been an Adjunct Professor at Davenport University and Lansing Community College in various networking and security courses.  Nicole also highlights other women in tech with her Diva Tech Talk podcast and has started two community organizations for technology locally.  She loves live music and spending time with her family outdoors.
        About our sponsor
        Thanks to Ragan Awards for sponsoring this episode. Use the code INTERVIEWS to save 25% on the following:

        * The 2017 Video & Visual Awards which will celebrate the best corporate videos and visual designs from the past year. The final deadline is Oct. 25.
        * The 2017 PR Daily Awards which will focus on the industry’s most successful PR campaigns, publications, and events. The early bird deadline is Oct. 13 and the final deadline is Nov. 8.
        * The 2017 Ace Awards which honors individual PR practitioners, in-house teams, and agencies. The early bird deadline is Oct. 27.

        Visit Ragan.com/Awards to enter.
        25 min

      About FIR Interviews

      From the publisher's feed

      Interviews with business leaders and innovators of interest to communicators