The PEN Perspective Podcast

Welcome to the next episode of The Rise of The Customer Podcast, the go-to podcast for CX professionals looking to transform their organisation.

In this episode, we’re joined by Rachel Chapman, Marketing Consultant at RBC Future Focus and agile marketing expert. Rachel has held a variety of different customer experience and marketing roles in her time, with her biggest claim to fame being the memorable ‘Bank of Ant and Dec’ campaign at Santander.

During her conversation with Neil Sharp, Rachel delves into:

- What agile marketing is and what it means in practice

- How customer insight has evolved

- What links marketing and customer experience

- And, how data can drive insight and improve your business

If you want to hear from a true expert on how successful companies have implemented agile marketing to improve their customer experience, then this episode is a must-listen.

Welcome to the next episode of The Rise of The Customer Podcast, the go-to podcast for CX professionals looking to transform their organisation.

In this episode we’re joined by Garry Gormley, Founder and Owner of FAB Solutions, to explore the often-misunderstood world of sales. Garry spends his days helping organisations be more commercially successful through effective sales, with a particular focus on the customer experience.

The word sales has a whole host of connotations, but what really goes on behind the scenes? Is the sales process really just a way of making money, or are there conscious efforts made to consider the customer experience at each stage of the journey?

During his conversation with Neil Sharp, Garry covers:

- How to prepare for and deliver great sales by using the POD POSER sales process.

- The psychology of sales; are you born with the innate ability to sell? Or can successful selling can be trained?

- How your customer’s experience of sales varies in different settings, whether it’s: B2B, B2C, face-to-face or digitally.

If you want to develop a more effective approach to selling that creates a positive customer experience, or if you find the idea of stepping into a sales situation scary, this is the episode for you.

Welcome to the next episode of The Rise of The Customer Podcast, the go-to podcast for CX professionals looking to transform their organisation.

In this episode we’re joined by Claire Sporton, Head of Consulting and Customer Success at OCX Cognition and Founder of Sporton Consulting Ltd. With a background in psychology and systemic management, Claire has over 20 years’ experience both as a consultant and a practitioner, helping organisations bring together customer, employee, and partner perspectives and marrying them with financial, operational, and behavioural data to create insight and positive change.

During her conversation with Neil Sharp, Claire takes a look at how leading organisations can get to the bottom of what their customers are thinking and feeling, and addresses questions such as;

- How you can use technologies such as Artificial Intelligence to make sense of “Customer Exhaust”

- Why ‘true empowerment’ on the front line often proves elusive

- Whether there’s still a place for customer surveys and measures such as customer effort, NPS or customer satisfaction

If you want to take a step back and really challenge yourself to consider whether you are really getting the best from your customer Insight or if you are considering new technologies to help drive continuous improvement, this is the episode for you.

Welcome to the next episode of The Rise of The Customer Podcast, the go-to podcast for CX professionals looking to transform their organisation.

In this episode, we’re joined by Lucian Camp, a brand and marketing specialist whose long and distinguished career has involved several of the finest agencies in the UK. Lucian, who describes himself as the ‘Entire Workforce’ at his one-man-band business - Lucian Camp, Consulting brings with him a range of expertise in brand marketing and communications, particularly within the financial services sector.

During his conversation with Neil Sharp, Lucian delves into:

- What a successful brand looks like when it comes to CX

- How to create differentiation through your brand personality

- Why it’s important to immerse your brand into every level of your business

- And how you can infuse your brand into your customer experience

If you’re looking to fully unite your organisation’s brand with your customer experience, then this episode will give you lots of food for thought.

Welcome to the next episode of The Rise of The Customer Podcast, the go-to podcast for CX professionals looking to transform their organisation.

In this episode, we’re joined by Katy Howell, Chief Executive Officer at Immediate Future, a leading social media agency based in London. Often called in as the ‘UK expert on social’ by TV, radio and the press, Katy appears regularly on BBC News, Victoria Derbyshire, and Reuters, as well featuring in The Telegraph, Financial Times and Guardian. She’s considered the 4th most influential social media marketing expert, named by The Drum as one of the 25 women who have made an outstanding contribution to digital, and was honoured to be amongst the Top 100 Asian tech entrepreneurs in the UK.

During her conversation with Neil Sharp, Katy shares her wealth of experience and in this episode, we dig into:

- The evolution of social media over the last 17 years

- How social media can be used to underpin the customer experience with your brand and organisation

- How to safely manage interactions in regulated industries

- Why paid social media is important for your business

- And, the role social media influencers can play in your organisation

If you want to take a step back and really challenge yourself to consider the role of social media in the experience your customers have of your organisation, whatever sector you are in, this is the episode for you.

Welcome to the next episode of The Rise of The Customer Podcast, the go-to podcast for CX professionals looking to transform their organisation.

Joining Neil Sharp in this episode is Dirk Otto, Head of Marketing at Boehringer Ingelheim Espana, the Spanish affiliate of Germany's biggest prescription drug company. Dirk has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years and brings with him a range of fascinating insights into the challenges pharma companies across the globe are currently facing.

Dirk explores how the role of the customer experience management plays an ever-increasing part in success, as well as other key topics including:

• What marketing means in a life science company

• How big pharma industry trends can affect your approach to customer experience

• What value-based health care means for your patients

• The impact digital is having on the way you serve your customers

Whether you’re working within the life science sector or another industry, there’s plenty of inspiration to draw from this insightful episode to optimise your company’s customer experience.

Welcome to the next episode of The Rise of The Customer Podcast, the go-to podcast for CX professionals looking to transform their organisation.

In this episode, we’re joined by Stuart Tragheim, Chief Executive Officer at Holloway Friendly, a leading income protection mutual society. During Stuart’s 35-year career in the financial services market he’s held roles in strategy, leadership and business development across a variety of organisations – taking invaluable lessons from each.

During his conversation with Neil Sharp, Stuart shares his honest thoughts on the life protection industry, and discusses how the culture of clarity and purpose at Holloway guides the behaviours of his team to deliver great customer outcomes.

He explores many hot topics including:

- How to help your customers understand the need for income protection and how to lift the subject so it becomes interesting and engaging.

- How to put the customer at the heart of everything you do by creating a supportive culture.

- How you can develop a community that genuinely meets the needs of your customers.

- What the future of mutuality in the UK market looks like.

If you’re a CX professional looking to optimise your company’s customer experience, this episode will be very valuable.

Welcome to the next episode of The Rise of the Customer Podcast, the go-to podcast for CX professionals looking to transform their organisation.

Joining Neil Sharp in this episode is Ian Golding, Global Customer Experience Specialist and CEO and Founder of Customer Experience Consultancy Ltd. Driven by his passion for CX, Ian has dedicated his career to transforming CX in the corporate world – and has also worked to build and promote the CCXP qualification.

During this interview, Ian shares his views on how and where CX needs to develop - and gives his perspective on the upcoming CX trends that you need to be planning for.

Neil and Ian’s conversation covers some insightful and relevant CX topics including:

- The science of customer experience – how you can turn theory into driving actionable change

- How the pandemic has exposed different industries’ ability to adapt (or not!) their customer experience model

- Why your customer experience shouldn’t sit in isolation and how to give others the ability to get involved

- The importance of gaining traction for customer experience for it to be taken seriously at board level

If you’re a CX professional looking to transform your business, improve the experience your customers receive, and ultimately grow your bottom line, this episode is a must-listen.

Welcome to the next episode of The Rise of the Customer Podcast, the go-to podcast for CX professionals looking to transform their organisation.

In this episode, we’re joined by Oke Eleazu, Chief Operating Officer at Bought By Many, an award winning pet insurance company. Before insurance, Oke worked across numerous sectors – from retail and financial services to healthcare and housing - and brings with him a great range of practical experience when it comes to delivering customer service excellence for some of the UK’s leading companies.

During his conversation with Neil Sharp, Oke discusses real-life examples of how you can put customer experience theory into practice and examines:

- How to build a business around your customers using customer research

- Why you should engage with your customers throughout their entire journey

- How the power of insight can help your company culture become customer-centric

Oke also talks about his book, ‘The Cult of Customer Excellence: How to Build a Truly Customer-Centric Culture’, which explores how the environment and culture created in some of the world's greatest customer-focused companies resembles the mindset created by a cult.

It is by understanding the ‘anatomy’ of such companies that you can embark upon a journey of customer excellence within your company.

If you’re a CX professional looking to translate your customer centric principles into practical actions, this episode is the one to listen to.

Good independent contractors can provide specialist support and help businesses directly address the skillset challenges they’re facing. But with the state of play this year still uncertain, what do contractors need to consider when selecting their next role?

Clare Allan, Recruitment Manager at PEN, recently caught up with Rosie Mills, Change Consultant and PEN Contractor, to explore what it’s really like to work as an independent contractor in these unique times.

In this exclusive podcast interview, Clare and Rosie discuss what makes a strong contractor, the benefits of being independent and other hot topics in the world of resourcing, including:

- The key trends affecting contractors in 2021

- The upcoming impact of IR35 and how it will affect businesses and contractors alike

- The importance of selecting the right roles and effective networking

Whether you’re a contractor looking for your next opportunity or a business deciding whether hiring a contractor is right for you, you won’t want to miss this interview.