Poland Technology

This week we turn our attention to the success story behind the 1440 Newsletter which boasts almost two million subscribers at a time when fewer and fewer Americans trust News outlets. Busy professionals require unbiased news without motive. Tim Huelskamp, co-founder, and CEO of 1440 Media outlines some of the essential criteria which have led to 1440’s success. He states the importance of knowing, understanding, and delivering for the user and the importance of achieving a 40% retention rate before scaling and monetisation can take place. If this all-important open and retention rate is not reached, the business model is ultimately doomed to fail. Tim discusses the challenges he is confronted with and stresses the importance of being laser-focused on creating and delivering the best product in the world. This a fascinating insight for any budding entrepreneurs in this space or indeed in any industry. Enjoy the show!

This week we are turning our focus to the power of digital marketing. Marketing has always been about connecting with your audience in the right place and at the right time. Today, that means you need to meet them where they are already spending time on the internet.

I’m delighted to be joined by Courtney Rambo, one of the Co-founders and Directors of Intellitonic, an SEO and digital marketing agency. Courtney provides a thorough insight into the background of creating an effective digital marketing tool.

She outlines the importance of understanding where the company is currently positioned and where the competitors are. She examines several elements such as the strengths and weaknesses, the particular industry, how the website appears, and the use of keyword research to serve as a backbone of the overall strategy. Courtney outlines how keywords determine content and she takes a look at budgeting and results when using a paid platform. Finally and importantly what were the challenges they faced on the journey to establishing Intellitonic and how does the future look. This is a bumper show that provides a fascinating insight into digital marketing as an invaluable asset in any company’s success. Enjoy the show!

In the post-pandemic world, we live in today, the company website has become the core strategic asset. Effective conversational sales and marketing which take place via the website are driving more qualified leads in the customer pipeline. To discuss this essential element of the customer success journey I speak to Dan Darcy Chief Customer Officer at Qualified. Qualified enables companies to have valuable conversations with the right people using the website as the digital store frame. Qualified success architects do whatever it takes for customers to realise the value and role of the investment with Qualified. How has this been achieved? What model has been adapted and what are the future challenges? Get fired up, genuinely care about the success of customers and let the expansion numbers speak for themselves! Enjoy the show!

This week I’m delighted to discuss company culture with Wren Cotrone, Director of Customer Support at Agiloft. Wren believes that culture is the most important aspect of running a department. Over his career, Wren has seen the good, the bad and the ugly, including toxic red flags, so he’s got plenty of wisdom and advice to share. Treating people with respect and dignity, providing the best tools, and procedures can empower a workforce leading to personal success. Ultimately, this trickles down to, and manifests itself as an amazing customer experience. Wren points out how research such as the Forrester 2020 Report are playing their part, highlighting why companies can no longer neglect to invest in culture. A fascinating insight, where the stakes have never been so great. Enjoy the show.

Diversity and inclusion are widely recognised as key elements to any company's success. So why and how has advertising’s exclusion of the LGBTQIA+ online community come about? What impact is this having on LGBT creators who voice the community online?

To discuss this topic in greater detail, I’m delighted to be joined by Alex Parmar-Yee. Alex is responsible for Strategy at Awin UK and is also the author of the article “Embracing the LGBTQIA+ online community as part of your advertising strategy”. Alex is an advocate for a more inclusive society with the mantra that diverse teams produce better results. Publications have begun to disappear, creators are failing to monetise, and there is a diminishing level of online content. Brand safety lists have been instrumental in bringing this about. However, Alex believes that working with a partnership approach and engaging with more creators can lead to more brands embracing the community on a day-to-day business level. If brand safety moves towards understanding content as opposed to using lists of words such as gay, lesbian, etc will also bring about a positive change. A fascinating insight, enjoy the show.

It’s never an easy decision to move from one technology system to another in CX. Harvesting critical information to ensure customers are better served is of paramount importance but when the data isn’t always accurate, alarm bells begin to ring and the need to change becomes a lot clearer. To throw some light on the subject, I was delighted to have a conversation with Ben Gardner, Senior Director of Support at Drift who has first-hand knowledge when it comes to overseeing such a system transition. The move involved leaving Zendesk for Salesforce.

Ben gives a thorough overview of the entire process from start to finish. From why hiring somebody with the sole purpose to manage the service cloud implementation and manage the system thereafter was the best option, to the challenging bumps, and lessons along the way. Communication and sincere dialogue became key when addressing the concerns of internal users and Ben learned this the hard way. A fascinating insight with much wisdom and advice on offer. Enjoy the show!

When companies successfully understand the customer story and their conversations with customers, they can better shape the customer journey. This leads to more engaged customers that are passionate about who they are buying from.

To discuss this fascinating and critical topic in greater detail, I am delighted to be joined by Ben Rosenberg, Co-Founder of Rosencall Consulting. With over 12 years of experience in CX, Ben highlights the importance of measuring and understanding how the customer interacts with every facet of a company. He discusses the importance of communication channels and using the correct tools and mechanisms to understand the data. Feedback is at the heart of everything you do as a support organisation and providing feedback via the correct support mechanisms is crucial.

We discuss some of the common pain points and how the future looks in a more automated but human-driven customer experience. Enjoy the show!

In today’s fiercely competitive business landscape, success hinges much on the retention of employees. It is the people who are emerging as key competitive differentiators and retaining the talent has become a matter of paramount importance.

To discuss this phenomenon in greater detail, I’m delighted to be joined by Gary O'Connell, Vice President of Support Services at EMEA Sophos. Gary highlights the ever-shifting landscape of recruitment post covid pandemic. The candidate pool has been transformed given remote working possibilities from around the world.

However, establishing meaningful engagement between the company and its employees is challenging. Employees can feel isolated and disconnected and when constantly faced with such an array of new career opportunities, attrition is on the rise. Gary is dealing with these challenges head-on with a variety of creative initiatives. Introducing a new role known as an Employee Success Manager and The Buddy System are two critical strategies that are helping to combat attrition rates. With full-time remote working more popular than hybrid models, it is the new working norm. Companies now face the difficulty of trying to establish meaningful engagement with employees as they are consistently approached for new roles, never has the competition been greater or more intense. Tune in to discover the best survival skills.

Today’s economy is governed by the customer. Your customers choose exactly when and how they want to engage with your organisation. Thus the stakes have never been higher when investing in customer experience. Your internal processes impact the overall experience you deliver to your employees and your customers. Unfortunately, it’s often challenging to pinpoint where processes are causing problems or when and how is the right time to scale these processes.

To examine this in greater detail, I am delighted to be joined by Manuel Harnisch - Vice President, of Customer Service at People Data Labs. Manuel outlines precisely what a process is, its uses, high/low impact, frequency scenarios, and when is the right time to scale. We look at the pitfalls of scaling too soon and how human psychology plays a role. Finally, the million-dollar question, Build vs Buy, a future with human-assisted automation and millennials' contributions. It’s a bumper episode and a must for anyone in the customer services space.

This week Alan Rich, CEO of Y Meadows offers a fascinating insight into some of the most up-to-date technology which offers real value in customer support. Alan provides an overview of Natural Language Processing and Robotic Automation Systems. This technology determines the intent, performs entity extraction and determines the sentiment of tickets, and ultimately routes their journey. Natural Language Processing is constantly improving, delivering new functionality, helping agents to become more productive and build real relationships with customers. A must-listen for anyone in the customer support field.