REALLY Know Your Customer

The shift to remote work is a challenge for most companies, but even more so for those whose company cultures are built on customer centricity and face-to-face communication. Being a trusted partner is the number one concern for Matthew Evetts, even as everyone is going through quarantine. Joining Betsy Westhafer and Tony Bodoh in today’s episode, Matthew is the Group CTO for the Optic Security Group and GM of Optic Digital. Matthew comes from a company culture that is very much influenced by the “big village” culture of New Zealand, characterized by an emphasis on face-to-face dealings with customers. He describes the difficulties in adapting that culture to the quarantine and how the company manages to surmount them. With recent advances in information and communications technology being utilized on an unprecedented scale, Matthew sees the current crisis as a catalyst for the inevitable future of customer experience in the IT world.

World-class entrepreneurs make a point of building really good customer relationships. Such relationships don’t happen automatically; you have to push them to the customer. Transportation and logistics expert and podcast host, Joe Lynch, stresses this point as he joins Betsy Westhafer and Tony Bodoh in this episode to talk about building customer relationships, the importance of face to face meetings, trust and vulnerability in relationships, and keeping your brand focused on personal relationships. Joe runs The Logistics of Logistics, a sales and marketing firm that helps transportation, logistics, warehousing, and technology firms grow their sales. From his rich experience, Joe knows very well the importance of a two-way relationship between customer feedback and the constant improvement of services.

There is an inextricable link between doing right by your customers and treating your employees right. No matter what way you put it, customers will always feel the blowback of whatever culture has a foothold in your workplace. If you foster a negative environment, you can rest assured that your customers will also feel negative about their experience. Scott McGohan is the CEO of McGohan Brabender. Scott speaks to Betsy Westhafer and Tony Bodoh about the importance of taking care of the people around you, whether customer or employee. There’s so much to be gained from a positive shift in workplace culture, so make sure you don’t get left in the dust.

Often, we are really not the best critic for our own product. With our emotional attachment and biases, leaving the final say to ourselves will not help us improve. This episode’s guest is someone who shares this unique perspective and highlights the importance of working with the customer in the product development cycle. Betsy Westhafer and Tony Bodoh sit down with former Army Ranger and inventor of the RopeSafe Edge Protection System, Jonathan Norton. Here, Jon shares with us his own journey and the moment that led him to form his company—where he saw a problem, determined whether it was real, and got input from the field. He highlights the importance of being open to feedback, the discipline required when validating that customer feedback, and the approval process that goes with it. Jon then talks about why culture matters so much and why you need to adjust accordingly to the information your customers provide, even if it seems contradictory to your own perspective.

The Coronavirus pandemic has put almost all industries under hot waters, and traditional businesses are under pressure to transform into digital businesses. With a digital mindset and extreme focus on customer-centricity, business transformation and human potential expert, Kerrie Hoffman, shares her knowledge about the subject matter. She talks about working from the outside in to find solutions and provide exceptional customer service. Kerrie also takes a look at the B2B model and extends that into a B2B2C model, where you add value by learning the issues of your client’s customers. Learn more about what customer-centricity is all about and why it’s a valuable tool and strategy to have when diving into the digital age in this insightful conversation.

We are experiencing an unprecedented paradigm shift in the world of retail. Retailers are struggling to cope with reduced sales, shop closures, and stagnant inventories, and consumers are increasing drawn to eCommerce as lockdown measures continue in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Omnichannel technology offers these retailers a chance to grow together as we go through the current crisis. Built upon an intimate knowledge of customers’ needs and preferences, omnichannel technology seamlessly links sellers who want to unlock their retail inventories and consumers who are clamoring to buy their goods. Today’s guest is Tim Hinckley, the Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Radial, a company that offers omnichannel solutions to businesses in the retail industry. Tim joins Betsy Westhafer and Tony Bodoh to talk about how Radial knows its customers and what makes it different.

The ability to get to know your customer in order to tailor your offerings to their interests is a skill that many businesses covet, but so few truly practice. Learn key tactics to really know what your customers want and gain a deeper understanding of who they are.  Betsy Westhafer and Tony Bodoh welcome guests who do business to REALLY Know Your Customer. Get ready to hear some great advice that will help you sharpen your customer experience to perfection.