Crack The Customer Code

Jeannie and Adam discuss ways to inform your team and keep them motivated through the retail apocalypse. Retail apocalypse: Who thinks the end is nigh? Rumor has it we’re in the Retail Apocalypse…have you heard of this? With increased competition and ever-increasing customer expectations, the evidence is all around us. The internet is all abuzz with what this means for businesses on the macro level, but what about the actual people in your organization? Your employees see the evidence too. Stress is at an all-time high for many retailers, and that stress trickles down into your staff. So, are you addressing this? “Nobody wants to tell their staff the ship is sinking, because then it will just sink faster.” -Adam Toporek Although it’s hard to talk to employees about hard times, it’s much worse to leave them to their own securities. They’re not blind to plummeting stocks, negative sentiment in reviews... not to mention those customers who bring these things up to them! “If people do not have informatio

Adam and Jeannie interview Arnie Malham to uncover his secrets to innovating culture for a better overall customer experience. Innovating culture for better experiences all around When starting a new company, we have a vision of how we want to be different – to have a great culture and a memorable experience. It’s easy to believe that if we hire the right people and train them well, then everything will fall into place. “I’m going to have a company where people are proud to put us on their resume.” -Arnie Malham But what happens when business gets challenging and stressful? What is your default mode of culture, and how does it affect your business? Without actively creating a culture that benefits everyone, what we thought was a solid culture succumbs to stress. Teams lose touch with the “why” and relationships suffer for the sake of getting things done. That’s why we’re thrilled to bring Arnie Malham to the show. Through painful trial and error, Arnie had discovered a highly innovative approach to cre

Jeannie shares expert tips for building brand trust through truly consistent customer experiences. Consistency and brand trust Brand trust is one of the cornerstones of customer satisfaction and loyalty. However, trust is hard to earn and easy to destroy. And you may know customers can trust you, but do they know? So, it’s imperative to think of ways to deliver an experience that earns trust for the long term. There are many building blocks to trust, but today we’re focusing on one of the most important ones: Consistency. But truly consistent customer experiences go well beyond consistently creating delight at a given touchpoint. In fact, those touchpoints need to be consistent with one another. “Consistency means living that promise on every channel, every time.” –Jeannie Walters Does your great shopping experience lead to a checkout that’s from another planet? Or does your personalized service end with a bill that’s anything but? “When it’s time to hand over the money, the experience can be a total

Jeannie and Adam discuss the incredible transformation and enhancement of Comcast customer service with Tom Karinshak, Comcast's Executive Vice President of Customer Service. Comcast customer service and game-changing innovation When we ask people about their worst customer service experiences, cable and communications providers often top the list. And years ago, Comcast may have been the first company to come to mind. But this is changing fast! Customers now demand better experiences from all the companies they do business with, so they no longer grin and bear it with cable companies. They’re fed up with the typical experiences, so they’ve taken to social media and other feedback platforms, and Comcast has indeed been listening! Since Tom Karinshak became Executive Vice President of Customer Service for Comcast Cable, the company has made incredible strides in improving and enhancing not just the customer experience, but the employee experience as well. “I'm a firm believer that you can’t have a great

Adam shares expert advice for making customer experience your competitive advantage in 2018. Customer experience is THE competitive advantage Welcome to 2018! To start off the new year, we’d like you to think about customer experience as your competitive advantage. Because unless you plan to compete on price, providing a customer experience that is both frictionless and memorable is the best way to differentiate your brand this year. But many brands fall into a trap when trying to differentiate on experience! While they create perks and gimmicks to entice customers, competitors are drilling down into the customer journeys to focus on the moments that matter most to their customers. What you do to differentiate doesn’t have to make a big splash. In fact, many of the experience initiatives brands make a huge deal out of chalk up to little more than clever marketing campaigns. And while they may generate in influx in sales, things taper off when customers realize these changes are only skin deep. “When you

Jeannie and Adam celebrate 300 episodes by sharing outrageous predictions for the distant future of customer experience and customer service. 300 episodes and counting…Celebrate with us! When we started this podcast back in 2015, the idea of having even 100 episodes seemed so far away. But sine then, we’ve celebrated 100, 200, and now (drumroll, please) 300 episodes! This reminds us of how not so long ago, customer experience was something most leaders had never heard of, and excellent customer service just meant being speedy and polite. But now customer experience is a must-have focus in business, and excellent customer service is experience-driven and baked into the DNA of our favorite companies. “We learn from our guests, we learn from our listeners, and we learn from each other.” -Adam Toporek So we’re taking this opportunity to think ahead. Like, way ahead! What will customer experiences be like 1oo years from now? And how will leaders design and deliver those future experiences? We’re looking at

Adam and Jeannie share tips for making new channels a seamless part of the overall customer experience from the inside out. Working new channels into your DNA Customers are engaging with brands on more channels that ever before. It’s staggering how quickly a new channel can change the way customers buy, engage, and just live their lives. As a result, smart leaders put a lot into developing those channels quickly to have a presence wherever heir customers are. But in the age of smart watches and virtual assistants, it's a tall order! And who knows what’s next!?  “2 years ago, we were not talking to devices in our living room…” -Jeannie Walters Just providing and managing new channels for your customers is only part of the work.   What about the internal aspect? When new channels put a strain on internal processes and resources, or just aren’t considered, the experiences delivered through them tend to fall short or fail altogether. Even big companies who invest heavily in diversifying their multichannel e

Adam and Jeannie interview Michel Falcon to explore employee and customer engagement strategies that lead to amazing experiences that scale. Leveraging culture for amazing experiences If you want to deliver outstanding experiences, then you must have an amazing culture to match. Today’s guest, Michel Falcon, is an expert at creating employee engagement strategies that lead to amazing customer experiences, and he has some great tips to share with you today! First off, Michel explains that proper engagement starts with recruiting. In fact, it should start before you even consider hiring! As part of a special process Michel shares with our listeners, you can cut significant overhead by frontloading much of the work and starting off right. “We need a certain type of individual who has a customer-centric DNA” -Michel Falcon But it’s not just about hiring the right people and training them right. You need a solid ongoing engagement strategy. Michel shares some innovative ways he gets new hires engaged right

Adam and Jeannie discuss how to balance your performance and resources with the promises you make to customers. Is your brand making meaningful promises? Broken promises chalk up to bad customer experiences. As a result, many brands set low expectations regarding call time, hours of operation, and many other things. On the flip side, brands need to differentiate themselves by making bold promises. And yet many create customer service nightmares and harm their brand image by making promises they can’t always keep. “If you don’t deliver, that’s a bad #custexp…” -Jeannie Walters Balancing resources with performance and tying these things to a promise that is both realistic and meaningful to customers is a tall order for most businesses. How can you strike a balance that keeps customers happy while keeping your resources in check? There’s no easy answer, and it’s different for everyone. For some, this may mean making big changes or additional investments. But for others, a few simple tweaks can make a worl

Adam and Jeannie discover how to attract your ideal customers with Jeffrey Shaw, author of LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer’s Secret Language. Jeffrey Shaw and the power of the customer lingo As an entrepreneur or growing business, it’s critical to differentiate yourself and get noticed. But too often, brands get noticed by the wrong prospect. And to make matters worse, it’s very difficult to turn down the “wrong” customers. So, how can you attract the “right” customers while diversifying your clientele? “You don’t have to say ‘no’ if only the right customers are showing up.” --Jeffrey Shaw There are many ways to do this, but too often, it amounts to wasted time and resources going above and beyond to appeal to less-than-ideal customers. have you considered the language you use as a driving force? “The people they jumped through hoops for and went crazy over tend to be the least profitable.” -Jeffrey Shaw Today’s guest, Jeffrey Shaw, has unlocked the power of the customer lingo. Through experienc

Jeannie and Adam share tips and ideas to make the holidays more meaningful and less stressful for customers and employees alike. A quick leadership guide for the holidays The holidays are not only about spreading extra cheer, but also about giving thanks. It's one thing to say "thank you" to customers and employees, but showing them you appreciate them is another.  Does your gratitude shine through in the way you do business? This time of year is more stressful for just about everyone. So what can you do to make sure your gratitude is felt throughout the holiday season? Adam and Jeannie have some great ideas to share! Special segment We really appreciate the feedback we receive from listeners to help us keep improving the show. In fact, we have a special shout out for one of you, plus a special message for all of you. Thank you for listening, and Happy Thanksgiving! Related Content 360Connext® post, The Best CX Leaders ROCK at These 3 Things Customers That Stick® post, A Guide to Customer Service Hig

Adam and Jeannie discuss an innovative approach to the education experience with Katy Lynch, Co-founder and CMO at Codeverse. Codeverse and innovations in education Educating the next generation on coding the things that keep our lives going is critical. But traditional schools don’t provide an environment where kids can excel at coding while keeping parents up to speed with what’s happening and why. Moreover, there are a lot of myths about what an education in coding is really about, and who it’s for! “I can’t think of a more exciting time to be in the coding industry than now.” -Katy Lynch Katy Lynch set out to create a highly engaging environment where young children can dive into the world of coding. Through tireless research, interviews, and LOTS of testing, Katy discovered what does and does not work. As a result, Codeverse was founded and built around a highly innovative learning experience. “A high-quality education, just like a high-quality product, speaks for itself.” -Katy Lynch At Codeve

Adam and Jeannie share updated insights on what and how millennials buy and what that could mean for your industry in the future. Are millennial trends destroying your industry? We discuss millennials quite often on this podcast because new trends are developing so fast! This time, we have fascinating (and scary?) new insights because they’re reaching a new phase of adulthood. As it turns out, millennials are different in more ways than we ever imagined. And it’s not just about skinny jeans and fad diets. For instance, millennials are not buying much beer. (What!? That’s blasphemy!) Another example is how millennials are waiting longer to get married and not buying starter homes. But these are just a couple of the trends that have hit the news lately. Millennials are making new waves in every industry at a rapid pace, and executives are crying out in their wake! So, what does that mean for your industry? Will your offering become a fading memory while millennials push forward and shape their world? Well,

Adam and Jeannie interview Mark Podolsky about keeping customers happy while maintaining a passive income. Can happy customers and passive income coexist? Earning a passive income is a dream most of us have, but so few of us can do this in a sustainable way. How can you automate most of your workflow while still delivering a great customer experience? Today’s guest not only survived, but triumphed over the real estate crash of 2008. Instead of closing shop like so many others, he used the changing landscape as an opportunity to break the mold and connect with customers in better ways. “I’ve automated as much as I can, but then I’ve given that personal touch.” - Mark Podolsky A recognized thought leader in maintaining passive incomes, Mark shares some great tips for entrepreneurs and leaders who want to earn a passive income while focusing more on what matters most to them in life. Find out how Mark balances automation with personalization and how they tie to his bold philosophy of “Happy Customers Gua

Jeannie and Adam discuss the content and creation process behind Jeannie’s new customer experience course on LinkedIn Learning. LinkedIn is not just for networking, and Jeannie’s wisdom is not just for podcasts! We have a special announcement for you!   Have you ever heard of LinkedIn Learning? Formerly Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning offers video courses to sharpen a vast range of business skills and learn new ones. In fact, LinkedIn Learning is adding new content every day from industry experts sharing the latest tips and insights – some of which are too new to learn in school. So it’s a great way to stay on the cutting edge, no matter what your brain is thirsty for. But it gets better! Our co-host Jeannie Walters has a new LinkedIn Learning course, called Creating a Positive Customer Experience. She has worked tirelessly over several months to develop this course, which includes tips and exercises for journey mapping, setting the right expectations with marketing, building trust, retooling your sales proce

Adam and Jeannie interview global customer experience professional Ian Golding to conquer the challenges of operationalizing customer experience. Turning CX wisdom into action with Ian Golding Leaders all over the world are making the connection between customer experience and business success. While that’s a good thing, just talking the talk is not enough! If you read the right blogs and know the right people, all the wisdom and best practices are there for the taking. But few know how to put all that wisdom to work. “Too few organizations are aligning customer perception with operational performance.” -Ian Golding So what’s missing? How can leaders embed customer-centric thinking into business processes, ultimately turning that enthusiasm into action? Today’s guest is a world-renowned customer experience professional, and he’s here to share some of his best ideas for operationalizing customer experience. Drawing from his experience working with CX professionals all over the world, Ian gives us a sna

Jeannie exposes unexpected gaps in CX created by transition processes and procedures within the customer journey. Are you creating unnecessary gaps in CX? Who has not had a great experience do a complete 180 somewhere along the way? This often happens during transitions in the customer journey. In fact, experience gaps in these transitions are often invisible from within the organization. Do you know where they are? A great overall experience means not only delivering excellence during every phase in the customer journey, but also zeroing in on the transitions. But don’t make the mistake of thinking you have them all tightened up! This is where gaps in CX are often only visible from the customer’s perspective. “I bet there’s a #CX transition YOU control that you can fix quickly!” -Jeannie Walters Whether transitioning from freemium to premium or sales to usage, happy prospects find themselves scratching their heads and having second thoughts at critical moments. That said, it’s important to understand

Adam and Jeannie interview creativity and innovation expert Amy Climer, Ph.D. to discover how to foster creativity in your team. Creativity is not just for “creatives” Creativity is a necessary trait for teams from the c-suite on out to customer service. Much of what we do in business requires creativity- from innovation to general problem-solving. But many of us don’t think of it this way! When we’re not prepared for the creative process in these situations, we get bad ideas, push-back from some team members, and the silent treatment from others. So, how can we put a process around creativity? Today’s guest, Amy Climer Ph.D., is here to help us develop a solid creative process for our teams, no matter what they do!  You’ll learn about creative techniques, tools, and ways to foster creativity in many kinds of environments. Amy outlines amazingly simple ways to create strong team dynamics, encourage honesty, build trust, and ultimately, create the best ideas possible. Learn to manage conflict, give your

Jeannie and Adam discuss today’s multi-device customer journey and share tips and ideas for optimizing your omnichannel experience. What’s your multi-device customer journey really like? Offering a multi-channel customer experience is nothing new. In fact, it’s now expected. So we test our websites on iPhones, Android tablets, and different operating systems. We develop what we think is the best experience for PC users, for Mac users, etc. Then, when we determine the experiences are optimal for each of those channels or devices, we cut the ribbon and call it a win. However, today’s tech-savvy customers continue to drop out of the journey. Freemium customers never upgrade. Paid customers don’t renew. Customers who once reported being satisfied jump ship. So what is going on here? “It’s not really about ONE mobile journey.” -Jeannie Walters Too often, journey mapping becomes an exercise in channels, not the entire experience. Today’s tech-savvy customers use multiple channels to get things done. So what h

Adam and Jeannie interview bestselling author and leading sales expert Anthony Iannarino. Closing in on meaningful relationships with Anthony Iannarino Automation is great, but it makes creating lasting relationships with sales prospects much harder. What’s more, dated sales tactics drive what we don't automate. So that personal attention we’re giving often chalks up to wasted energy where both salespeople and customers are concerned. While automation and dated closing tactics may lead to better sales for the short-term, they lack the Customers today are smarter, busier, and demand more meaningful engagement from the companies they do business with. “You only need 2 things to be a trusted advisor: You need trust, and you need advice.” -Anthony Iannarino Not only to close more sales, but to create better long-term value from clients and prospects, we need to become “trusted advisors” to our customers, not just salespeople. So in this ever-connected, fast-moving world, that means finding the right balanc