The Delighted Customers Podcast with Mark Slatin

One of the major problems that data visualization solves is the need for quick and clear communication of complex insights, particularly to time-constrained executives. 

It’s about storytelling with data…but how?

With her extensive expertise in data analytics and digital transformation, Katie Manty, a professor at Michigan State University’s Customer Experience Management Master’s program and a leader at Omnicom Health Group, offers unparalleled insights into this crucial aspect of business strategy. 

In this episode of "Delighted Customers Podcast," Katie shares compelling strategies and best practices for utilizing data visualization to enhance customer experience and drive executive buy-in.

Key Takeaways:

1. Customer Experience Improvements:

   - Pain Points in Banking: Katie highlighted how customers in banking and investment sectors often struggle with mobile check deposits and managing dormant 401(k) accounts. The complexity and inaccessibility of instructions lead to dissatisfaction. She shares best practices on how to solve for that.

2. Data Storytelling:

   - Katie's personal advice: Focusing on data storytelling and understanding audience incentives can significantly improve your professional influence. She walks through several illustrations of how to effectively tell stories with data.

3. Effective Data Visualization:

   - Importance for Executives: Visualizing data is essential for conveying insights quickly and clearly to senior leadership, facilitating swift decision-making. Katie shares common missteps and how to overcome them.

Meet Katie:

Katie has a passion for building highly-prized customer experiences. Throughout her marketing technology enablement career, she gathers multiple perspectives, analyzes data sets, forges a business vision and puts the initial concept into production using a test and learn mindset for continuous improvement of the product or process. Katie has been with Omnicom Health Group for three years as a leader in digital transformation and data analytics capabilities in the health care sector primarily supporting biotech and pharmaceutical marketing teams. 

Katie services clients with Omnichannel marketing solutions based on a framework and capabilities that she derived from years of marketing and data strategy experience. She is a Thought Leader enabling colleagues to upskill and speak marketing acumen underscored by data, data visualization and technology integration concepts. She shares a regular Data Coffee Talk with colleagues on all topics data in marketing including how AI is changing the advertising business.

She began her career at Ernst & Young leading application development, business analysis, roadmap visioning and emerging technology teams. Katie earned an MS degree from MIT in the Management of Technology. Her undergraduate degree is from Smith College with a BA in Computer Science and Economics double major. 

Katie is an active alum with both of her alma maters. She spends her free time soaking up the sun as an avid beachgoer, consuming fiction and shuttling her teenage daughter to activities. 

Additionally, Katie is a Faculty Instructor for MSU’s MS in CXM degree. She teaches Data Analysis, Data Integration and Data Visualization as part of the program.

A 34-year-old man fighting for his life in the intensive care unit is on an artificial respirator for over a month. Could it be that his chance of getting off the respirator is not how much his nurses know, but rather how much they care?

A 75-year-old woman is heroically saved by a major trauma center, only to be discharged and fatally struck by a car while walking home from the hospital. Could a lack of compassion from the hospital staff have been a factor in her death?

Compelling new research shows that health care is in the midst of a compassion crisis. But the pivotal question is this: Does compassion really matter?

In Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence That Caring Makes a Difference, physician scientists Stephen Trzeciak and Anthony Mazzarelli uncover the eye-opening data that compassion could be a wonder drug for the 21st century.

This episode is packed with practical insights and ROI evidence for customer experience investment.

Join me and my guest, Dr. Stephen Trzeciak, author, Ted Talk speaker, and, oh yeah, Chief of Medicine at Cooper University Healthcare.

In this episode:

Meet Dr. T

Stephen Trzeciak, MD, MPH is a physician scientist, the Edward D. Viner Endowed

Chief of Medicine at Cooper University Health Care, and Professor and Chair of

Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in Camden, New Jersey. Dr.

Trzeciak is a practicing intensivist (specialist in intensive care medicine), and a clinical

researcher with more than 100 publications in the scientific literature. His scientific

program has been supported by research grants from the National Institutes of Health

and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, with Dr. Trzeciak serving as

Principal Investigator. Dr. Trzeciak is the co-author of two books, Compassionomics:

The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference (2019), and

Wonder Drug: 7 Scientifically Proven Ways That Serving Others Is the Best Medicine

for Yourself (2022). Broadly, Dr. Trzeciak’s mission is to raise compassion globally,

through science.

Karl Sharicz is back with his follow-up to CX-PRO, featuring advanced insights from a global lineup of 16 CX thought leaders. (Yes, I’m thrilled to be one of them!) This book highlights the power of collaboration in the CX community, bringing together practitioners, consultants, and educators. It emphasizes human-centered design, a commitment to quality, and the lasting impact of genuine human connections. The book celebrates employee-driven insights as key drivers of innovation and dives into the diverse career paths that fuel the CX ecosystem.

In this episode:

This book is an essential resource for CX leaders and anyone passionate about advancing their understanding of customer experience management.

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Show Notes:

Meet Karl

Karl brings over thirty years of skills and experiences gained in high-tech research and manufacturing B2B environments along with proven business acumen. Throughout his career, he has served in a broad range of roles within marketing, sales, training, and training management—developing internal and external customer relationship skills and building a decided customer-centric focus along the way. As the Founder and CEO of HorizonCX, Karl offers professional services to organizations in two general categories.

​

In his former corporate role within Tyco SimplexGrinnell, a leading fire and life-safety provider doing business throughout North America, Karl served as Customer Experience Lead where and his team focused on driving those elements of the customer relationship and experience that increased customer satisfaction, reduced customer churn, and increased customer lifetime value.

​

Karl is steeped in the Customer Experience Management discipline, including developing customer-centric cultures; determining the voice of the customer and deriving insights and understanding; fostering organizational adoption and accountability; creating customer experience strategies, designing approaches that will achieve customer experience excellence, and setting up metrics and measurement systems that help drive organizational return on investment.

Books: CX-PRO - Beyond the Basics: Advanced Insights for Customer Experience Professionals Paperback – September 10, 2024

by Karl Sharicz (Editor)

https://www.amazon.com/CX-PRO-Advanced-Insights-Experience-Professionals/dp/B0DD9L8BKC

Jon Picoult, bestselling author and CX thought leader was my first guest in 2022 when The Delighted Customers Podcast launched. He was gracious enough to come back for episode 100 to talk about his His landmark study on the ROI of customer experience is one of the most widely cited pieces of research in the industry.

Jon sheds light on the groundbreaking CX ROI study he initiated, which highlights the tangible and economic benefits of a great customer experience. We'll explore the challenges CX leaders face, particularly in getting executive buy-in, and how Jon's research demonstrates the outperformance of top-rated CX companies versus their lagging counterparts, even amid the pandemic's impact.

If you’re a CX practitioner, you should have this study in your toolkit and understand the trends over the 16 years of research. Spoiler alert - CX leaders outperformed laggards by 5.4x over 16 years!

In this episode:

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Show Notes:

Meet Jon

Jon’s insights have been featured by dozens of media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fortune and Forbes. His landmark study on the ROI of customer experience is one of the most widely cited pieces of research in the industry, referenced by firms such as McKinsey, Deloitte, Accenture, Forrester, SAP, and Oracle.

Jon is also the author of the Amazon bestseller, “From Impressed to Obsessed: 12 Principles for Turning Customers and Employees into Lifelong Fans,” which was featured in The Wall Street Journal as a top reading pick, and has also earned praise from business luminaries such as Horst Schulze (co-founder of Ritz-Carlton Hotels), Hubert Joly (former CEO of Best Buy), and Marshall Goldsmith (world-renowned executive coach).

Prior to establishing Watermark, Jon held senior executive roles at Fortune 100 firms – leading service, operations, distribution, technology, sales and marketing. Early in his career, at the age of 29, Jon earned the distinction of becoming the youngest executive officer in the over 150-year history of a leading global financial services company.

Jon received his bachelor’s degree in cognitive science from Princeton University and his M.B.A. in general management from Duke University.

Books: https://www.amazon.com/Impressed-Obsessed-Principles-Customers-Employees/dp/126425878X

In the episode, Guy Shalom, the CEO of Glassix, shared the personal story behind the company's inception. Glassix began as a solution to a personal challenge: both of his parents have the same disability, which made effective communication challenging. 

This experience inspired Guy to develop a solution that could improve communication not only for his parents but also for customers facing similar difficulties. Over time, this idea expanded and evolved, ultimately becoming Glassix—a company dedicated to improving the customer experience through advanced digital channels and messaging platforms. This journey from a personal challenge to a broader mission encapsulates the company's commitment to making customer interactions more seamless and accessible.

Guy was joined by his Head of Product, Yoad Rashti and his CTO, Boaz Katan as I stretched my podcasting limits with three guests at one time!

🔹 AI-Driven Efficiency and Personalization: Glassix is revolutionizing how businesses interact with customers through AI-driven features like conversation summaries, chatbot AI answers, and mood interpretation. These advancements allow for real-time personalized responses, significantly improving both customer satisfaction and agent efficiency.

🔹 Cross-Channel Communication: With integration capabilities across multiple platforms like WhatsApp, web chat, Facebook, and Apple, Glassix provides a seamless communication experience. This multi-channel approach ensures that customers can reach out through their preferred platform, making interactions smoother and more effective.

🔹 Customization and Security: Glassix's platform is not just powerful but also customizable and secure. Offering flexibility for various industries and compliance with standards like PCI DSS, the platform ensures that user data is protected while allowing teams to tailor solutions to their specific needs.

Catch the full episode for an in-depth discussion on how AI is shaping the future of customer experience and how you can leverage these innovations to boost your business! 🎙️

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Show Notes

• Guy Shalom

CEO & Co-founder, Glassix

Guy Shalom is the CEO and Co-founder of Glassix, a leading software company revolutionizing

customer service with its omnichannel interactive communication platform. Under Guy's

visionary leadership, Glassix has become a pivotal player in the SaaS industry, providing

leading-edge digital solutions tailored to the needs of modern contact centers.

• Yoad Rashty

CTO& Co-founder, Glassix

Yoad Rashty is the Chief Technology Officer at Glassix, where his expertise in driving

• technological innovation and his deep understanding of customer experience technologies empower leading companies to deliver exceptional customer experiences. With a robust background in software engineering and a keen focus on integrating leading-edge artificial intelligence technologies, Yoad leads his teams in developing advanced, scalable, and a secure platform that enhances customer interactions for businesses globally.

• Boaz Katan

Head of Product at Glassix

Boaz Katan leads the development of an advanced omnichannel messaging platform designed to enhance customer experiences. With over 10 years of experience as a product designer in both startups and large corporations like NICE and NetApp, Boaz has a proven track record of designing complex B2B systems.

Contact Info:

For guest contact information, I recommend checking out the multiple platforms mentioned in the episode. You can reach out to the business through their:

- Website

- Web chat

- Facebook page

- WhatsApp account

- Apple account

If you prefer more direct contact information, you might want to visit the Glassix website or their social media pages for further details. 

www.glassix.com

Trust in CX: Lessons from the Executive Assistant to Ronald Reagan

In the latest episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, Peggy Grande shares her fascinating journey from a regular middle-class family to becoming the executive assistant to President Ronald Reagan. From her unlikely selection to be the executive assistant for Ronald Reagan to her touching farewell to the 40th President of the United States, her stories provide invaluable lessons in building trust, particularly through the lens of the trust equation. 

Here are some key takeaways:

Credibility: Peggy’s story emphasizes the importance of intuitive confidence and competence. She recalls, "I was young, yet I had to present myself as a voice of authority, even when I wasn't always completely confident in myself." This highlights that beyond technical skills, credibility is built by speaking confidently and being willing to take on tasks and make decisions quickly.

Reliability: Peggy demonstrated the immense value of dependability by always being present and prepared. She mentions, "I made it a habit to arrive at the office every day about a half hour before the office officially opened." Showing up consistently and anticipating needs is a cornerstone of reliability.

Intimacy: Building a safe space for confidential discussions and knowing when to offer empathy is essential. Peggy recounts a touching instance during Reagan's Alzheimer's battle, noting how she had to step in discreetly to help him finish a familiar story. This exemplifies psychological safety and the delicate balance of being supportive without undermining.

Self-Orientation: Selflessness in serving another's best interests can build profound trust. Peggy showcases this by emphasizing personalization in her tasks, such as learning Reagan's preferences and structuring his day accordingly. Her focus on others' needs over her own effectively strengthened her relationships and trustworthiness.

Show Notes:

Meet Peggy

Peggy Grande was Executive Assistant to President Ronald Reaganfrom 1989 – 1999, after he left the White House. She is author of the book, “The President Will See You Now: My Stories and Lessonsfrom Ronald Reagan’s Final Years.” She served as a Presidential appointee during the Trump Administration and considers it thehonor of a lifetime to have worked for two Presidents of the United States in both support and strategic roles.

Peggy is an international keynote speaker, TV and radio commentator, and widely published opinion writer in the US, UK,

Australia, and the Middle East. She was Chair of World for Brexit and was national spokesperson for a California ballot initiative. She

serves on the Board of Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy and the Board of the Center for American Ideas.

Peggy is a graduate of Pepperdine University, mother of four grown children, and has two granddaughters.

LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenpeterson/

Website: https://www.questionpro.com/us/?

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The Delighted Customers Podcast is sponsored by Better Help

Ken Peterson is the President of QuestionPro’s Customer Experience Division and joined me for an enlightening conversation about the intersection of AI and CX. QuestionPro’s Voice of the Customer platform already incorporates AI in its range of products from basic surveys to complex research, customer experience and employee engagement.

GenAI promises to change customer experience but what are the smartest strategies to create a win for the customer, a win for employees, while delivering on business outcomes?

Ken, a self-admitted geek and mathematician, shares his vision for the future and shared insights on practical applications.   

In this episode of The Delighted Customers Podcast, Ken answers these questions and much more: 

Tune in to discover how integrating AI thoughtfully can revolutionize your customer service strategies. 

Episode Notes:

Meet Ken

Ken Peterson has over two decades of experience in the marketing research, retail, technology, hospitality and transportation industries with a recent focus on Big Data Business Insights, and SaaS deployments. This ties in with his long history of P&L responsibility and detailed understanding of improving business operations. He has had the privilege of helping clients in retail, hospitality, technology, travel, sports and media better understand how to make use of the vast quantities of data that is now available, but often underutilized and misinterpreted. He enjoys delivering relevant insights, fact-based execution and bottom-line results.

LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenpeterson/

Website: https://www.questionpro.com/us/?

Imagine that you’ve been asked to lead a credit union in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. With a rich background in financial and nonprofit marketing, Kristen Heisey has been steering Everence Federal Credit Union towards new heights for the past two years. Under her leadership, the credit union has not only navigated through post-COVID challenges but has also embraced a vision of sustainability and relevance in a competitive market, putting CX at the heart of the change.

Kristen instituted innovative programs like Connect 30, Branch Reimagined, Reach 2030, and Innovation Teams, to achieve breakthrough growth and impact Everence’s culture.

Here are three thought-provoking questions that Kristin's experiences and insights might inspire:

🔹 How can organizations go beyond traditional CX metrics like NPS and CSAT to deepen relationships with their customers?

🔹 What strategies can leaders employ to integrate empathy and genuine care into their customer experience, rather than just pushing products?

🔹 In what ways can financial institutions leverage unique offerings, such as charitable credit cards, to differentiate themselves in the market?

Tune in for a conversation filled with actionable strategies and inspirational leadership perspectives!

Show Notes:

Contact info: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenheisey/

website : https://www.everence.com/

Imagine walking into a clinic feeling anxious about a possible cancer diagnosis and leaving with all your concerns addressed, feeling genuinely cared for and understood. 

Unfortunately, for too many patients today, that’s simply not the case. The pressure of production goals, burned out and short-handed physicians, and an increase in administrative load are a few of the challenges that doctors and medical staff face day-to-day.   

As a result, patients who are awaited results from diagnostic tests like mammograms have their anxiety rise and are left feeling like a number.

In this illuminating episode of The Delighted Customers Podcast, we dive deep into the art and science of patient communication with Rachel Hitt, MD. 

As the Medical Director of Patient Experience for the Tufts Medicine Integrated Network, and Division Chief of Breast Imaging for Tufts Medical Center, Dr. Rachel sheds light on the pivotal role of efficient care and effective communication in enhancing patient interactions. Discover how active listening, empathy, and breaking down complex medical jargon into digestible information can transform a patient's experience. 

1. Why are effective communication and efficient care essential in patient interactions?

2. How do empathy, active listening, and partnership with the patient contribute to communication in healthcare?

3. What are some strategies for breaking down medical information into understandable chunks for patients?

4. How can meeting patients where they are, including considering language barriers and providing interpreter services, improve patient experience?

The lessons that Dr. Hitt shares on this episode aren't limited to healthcare - after all, humans have the same needs regardless of the environment.

Improving Customer Loyalty through Martech and AI-Powered Solutions

Greg Kihlstrom is a best selling author with nearly 20 books on Martech and customer experience management. Greg shares fresh insights into how companies can leverage marketing technology and AI to bolster customer loyalty and satisfaction. 

Whether you're a C-suite executive or a marketing professional, this episode will equip you with actionable strategies to deliver exceptional, personalized customer experiences.

Here are three pivotal questions Greg answered during our interview:

- How can companies efficiently organize and access vast amounts of customer data for better decision-making?

- What are the common mistakes in Martech implementation, and how can businesses avoid them?

- How does AI enhance—rather than replace—human work to improve both customer and employee experiences and drive business outcomes?

Subscribe to our show for more expert insights. Link in the comments!

Greg Kihlström - Biography

Greg Kihlström is a best-selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur, and serves as an advisor and consultant to top companies on marketing technology, marketing operations, and digital transformation initiatives. He has worked with some of the world’s top brands, including Adidas, Coca-Cola, FedEx, HP, Marriott, Nationwide, Victoria’s Secret, and Toyota. 

He is a multiple-time Co-Founder and C-level leader, leading his digital experience agency to be acquired in 2017, successfully exited an HR technology platform provider he co-founded in 2020, and led a SaaS startup to be acquired by a leading edge computing company in 2021. He currently advises and sits on the Board of a marketing technology startup.

He executive produces 5 business and marketing-related podcasts, including the award-winning The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström, now top 5 on Apple’s U.S. marketing charts and in its 6th year with over 500 episodes and millions of downloads, which discusses marketing technology and its role in the customer experience with some of the world’s leading experts and leaders.

Greg is a contributing writer to Forbes, MarTech, CustomerThink, and CMSWire, and has been featured in publications such as Advertising Age, Business Insider, Financial Times, and The Washington Post. Greg has been named #1 on its list of the Top Global Marketing Thought Leaders by Thinkers 360, was named one of ICMI’s Top 25 CX Thought Leaders two years in a row, and a DC Inno 50 on Fire as a DC trendsetter in Marketing. He’s also participated as a speaker at global industry events and has guest lectured at prominent universities and colleges.

Resources This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/DELIGHTED and get on your way to being your best self. The Delighted Customers podcast website:https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast Sign up for The Trusted Guide newsletter here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/newsletter Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markslatin/ Register for the next Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class here: https://www.empoweredcx.com/ The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company