Crack The Customer Code

Jeannie and Adam discuss how lack of transparent pricing harms your business and what you can do to stop feeding into the “norm” of hidden fees without jeopardizing your sales. Better customer experiences through transparent pricing Have you ever paid way more than you expected at the end of an online purchase? Or perhaps you’ve received an invoice with vague or unexplained fees that blew your budget to shreds. Doesn’t this drive you bananas? Well, we’ve got news for you: Your customers don’t feel any better about it than you do. “They keep it from you because it makes it look like they have the lowest price available…” -Kelsey Brown While we all know hidden fees make for a terrible (and costly!) experience, misleading practices around pricing are everywhere. In fact, customers resent these sales tactics, and they’ve had enough.  “What most people want in most areas of their life is to be told the truth.” -Kelsey Brown So we’re delighted to bring Kelsey Brown to the mic! The Outreach Manager for Peo

Adam tells a customer experience horror story about a good product surrounded by a nightmarish customer journey. The scary part is that your brand could be doing this to customers! Your good product won’t save the day Your product is an absolute dream. Bravo! But what about the experience around it? Is your really good product or service good enough to forge loyalty on its own? Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Perhaps in the old days of having limited choices, a new choice that saves a few dollars or a few minutes would have had customers sold for life. But nowadays, customers typically have lots of choices. As a result, they’re demanding better experiences from the brands that deliver these products and services. “Nowadays, a great product simply isn’t enough.” - Adam Toporek But don’t take my word for it! Adam has a special story to share with you, and you’re not going to believe the horrible experience surrounding the great product that was delivered. In fact, this experience left him wishing

Jeannie and Adam interview Neen James, global speaker and bestselling author, to expose the difference between intentional and transactional attentions, and how that difference is vital to your success. Are you paying attention where it really counts? Tracking attention is big business these days. In fact, companies are investing a lot into learning how customers scan web pages, walk through stores, and more.  But what is your attention worth? Moreover, what is your attention worth to customers? We like to think we give our customers the attention they need and deserve, but are we really giving them the attention that makes them want to come back and bring friends? “Many businesses are getting left behind because they're not realizing the value of attention.” -Neen James It’s not quite as simple as making sure the customer journey is smooth and enjoyable, so Author and Speaker Neen James is here to help us understand the difference between transactional attention and intentional attention. And more imp

Adam and Jeannie discuss facts and insights around emerging customer service tech in the retail and foodservice industries. The service machines are coming to get us! They really are! But maybe it’s not such a bad thing if those machines coming to get us really, well, “get us.” Jeannie and Adam have recently found facts and evidence that new service tech is about to take us by storm. In fact, devices like self-service touchscreen ordering kiosks are popping up all over the place, and that’s just the beginning.   “We’re creating our own disruption…” -Adam Toporek Brands like McDonald’s and Wendy’s are making huge investments in this kind of tech, along with many others. As a result, many worries are coming to the surface. For example, a large portion of the American workforce is worried big companies will eliminate their jobs. Then smaller brands are worried they won’t be able to keep up with the latest technology or rising labor costs. In addition, consumers are worried the less tech-savvy among them

Jeannie and Adam interview Savannah Bananas owner Jesse Cole, whose transformation of the ballpark experience has turned an underdog sports team into a booming business. What can you learn from this amazing ballpark experience? Have you ever felt like the underdog in your industry, having a smaller brand that barely gets noticed?  Then we have an inspiring interview that proves you can still be the underdog while building a loyal following of customers and fans. In fact, our guest is living testimony that HUGE things do come out of small packages. Meet Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas. What, you’ve never heard of them? Well, most people haven’t… but that’s not stopping them from breaking records with ticket and merchandise sales! The Savannah Bananas often sell out tickets to their seasonal games and have a fan base that’s engaged year-round. So how do they do it? “Baseball is long, slow and boring…but can we be the BEST experience for the fans?” –Jesse Cole Jesse has found amazing ways to bui

Jeannie and Adam explore the innovative retail experience created by STORY and how you can surprise your own customers with unexpected value in the real-life shopping experience. Is your retail experience a welcome surprise? As we’ve mentioned before in this show, retail as we once knew it is in peril. Shoppers enjoy 2-day shipping and the ability to browse a colossal selection from wherever they are, so it’s no surprise retailers like Kmart and Toys R Us are nearing the end of their days.   But what is a surprise is that brick-and-mortar retail is not truly dead for innovative companies that find ways to add extra value for those who are still willing to gas up and make the trip. “Retail is not necessarily completely dying…”-Adam Toporek This kind of shopping is full of surprises like “Oh, my…These lines are long” or “Oh, snap! This is the last one and it’s broken!” But what if we add surprises that really make customers WANT to come see us in person? That’s what brands like STORY are doing, and the

Jeannie and Adam interview 35-year customer experience pro Jeanne Bliss about her new book “Would You Do That To Your Mother? The ‘Make Mom Proud’ Standard For How To Treat Your Customers.” Does the way you do business make mom proud? If it doesn’t, then 35-year customer experience pioneer Jeanne Bliss, (or as co-host Jeannie Walters calls her, “the Fairy Godmother of Customer Experience,”) says you have a lot to think about! “There are still things we do that make customers nuts.” -@JeanneBliss As Jeanne explains in this fun and enlightening interview, we’ve come so far with customer experience, having added many new practices and technologies, we’ve actually lost our way. So she wrote a book to use as a guide for getting back to the heart of the matter by doing things your mother would be proud of. It makes a lot of sense! We’re giving you exclusive highlights from Jeanne’s book, which is not only a fun, enlightening read, but a set of tools you can keep and share. She covers surprisingly simple ways

Jeannie Walters CCXP shares expert tips for engaging former customers and insights on how to treat those who are leaving you. How can your brand flourish by focusing on these parts of the journey? Do you choose to have former customers, or lifetime friends? We’ve mentioned before on this show that the true customer journey extends well beyond the actual time they spend as customers, from the time they realize they need your product or service to when they leave you and beyond. So, have you ever considered the experience of former customers? It’s more important than you think! “We need to rethink not only what it means to lose a customer, but how to win them back.” -Jeannie Walters CCXP Too often, brands think of former customers as “lost prospects” they’ll never hear from again. But even when they know there’s a chance to win them back, marketing campaigns are sent offering special deals but don’t properly acknowledge the existing relationship. Simply put, treating former customers like strangers and

Jeannie and Adam discuss the concept of social responsibility with Anne Bahr Thompson, author of Do Good: Embracing Brand Citizenship to Fuel Both Purpose and Profit. Customers today expect a lot more from brands, but it’s not just about transparency and great service. Brands are now expected to be socially responsible when it comes to social, political and moral issues. But being socially responsible is much more complicated and sensitive than you may think. Although it’s great for a brand to say they support a certain cause or take a stance on a political issue, customers can easily access information that contradicts what the brand has said publicly. “In a social world, declaring your position really places you in control of your own reputation.” -Anne Bahr Thompson It’s easy to alienate customers by taking a stand, but when we don’t, customers will do their homework to find out what’s going behind the scenes then fill in the blanks for themselves. In fact, they will even judge your brand based on t

Adam and Jeannie discuss the looming demise of Toys R Us and how a focus on customer experience innovation could make all the difference. Toys R Us succumbs to innovative retail experiences Whether you were a child, glaring in wonder at the aisles and aisles of toys, or an adult achieving hero status by scoring the hottest toy at a discount on Black Friday, who doesn’t have fond memories about Toys R Us? Unfortunately, memories may soon be all that’s left, as Toys R Us is on the brink of closing their 735 stores and putting 30,000 people out of work. It’s sad news for pretty much everyone, but where the customer experience is concerned, this sadness points to nostalgia more than anything else. “They didn’t really innovate…until it was almost too late” -Jeannie Walters With Amazon selling at a loss and other online retailers stepping up their game with shipping, who wants to fight the crowds these days, only to find out the item they needed happens to be out of stock? While some may say the demise of T

Jeannie and Adam interview award winning speaker and author Joey Coleman to discuss how the first 100 days is critical to increase customer retention and ultimately, lifetime profit. The untold truth about customer retention You may know that just a 5% increase in customer retention leads to a 25% - 100% increase in profits, but did you know the first 100 days of a customer’s lifecycle is when the magic really happens? Unfortunately, this first 100 days is typically filled with paperwork, payments, and other boring, company-focused “onboarding” experiences. “It’s the most important time period of the entire relationship.” –Joey Coleman If this phase in the customer lifecycle is so critical, then there’s got to be a better way. And there is! In fact, we know there are at least 46. Meet Joey Coleman, whose latest book is packed with 46 case studies and loads of research about companies who have turned onboarding (yawn) into a customer-centric “welcoming” experience, leading to amazing, measurable results.

Adam Toporek reveals how lack of employee empowerment creates unnecessary challenges for growing businesses and shares how you can empower your staff to deliver better experiences. Empowerment is power! When you were starting out as a business leader, what would have given you more power to succeed? What do you wish you had known then? Adam was recently asked a similar question in an interview, and it has inspired him to share some tips about employee empowerment. You see, Adam started his business in the era of “command and control,” long before employee empowerment became the buzzworthy concept it is today. But while there’s something to be said for running a tight ship, this level of control led to unnecessary friction both in the employee and customer experiences. “We’re causing bad employee AND customer experiences, and for what!?” -Adam Toporek Don’t get me wrong… Rules and processes exist for good reasons! But when customers and employees fret and squabble over trivial things for the sake of st

Adam and Jeannie discuss the innovative approach of AmazonGo and how it may foreverchange the retail customer experience. Will AmazonGo change retail forever? Have you heard of AmazonGo? It’s an amazing new prototype store for Amazon shoppers in Seattle, Washington. But being an Amazon store is not the what makes it different. Through an intricate system of cameras, a rotating stock and a special footprint, AmazonGo shoppers can pick up what they want and leave without going through a checkout. “If you don't have to stand in a line at #AmazonGo...it's a win.” -Adam Toporek It’s not just about being cashier-less. If fact, everything a shopper picks up (and puts back) at the AmazonGo store is tracked in real-time through a mobile app and charged to their Amazon account accordingly. But don’t let the absence of cashiers fool you. Eliminating the need to fill this role means AmazonGo employees are present where customers need them the most. This technology could signify an amazing leap in the retail custo

Jeannie and Adam discuss the Green Apple concept and how personal interests make us better professionals with Green Apple podcast host and CPA turned comedian, John Garrett. John Garrett, the Green Apple concept, and… Furbies!? Okay, maybe Furbies don’t have a whole lot to do with this podcast, but they make some of us happier and more interesting, and that’s the point! We’re often told to keep personal interests out of the workplace. In fact, this idea is so ingrained into our culture that most of us don’t even need to be told. So as we strive for success, we focus more and more on our jobs and less on the things that make us happy as people. “You weren’t this shell of yourself when you were 20-22 years old. What happened!?” -John Garrett While this may demonstrate a dedication to our jobs and our professions, letting go of our hobbies and interests, or just leaving them out of our professional lives, actually works against us. That’s why we’re delighted to welcome fellow podcaster, Recovering CPA and

Adam Toporek shares research and expert insights for discovering which retail touchpoints are most important to your customers. How to prioritize your retail touchpoints In retail, we’re told that every touchpoint matters. And although that may be true, it’s not very helpful when you need prioritize and make a difference your customers will applaud today. In that case, you need to discover which retail touchpoints matter the most. “We simply are always in triage." - Adam Toporek But that’s a tall order when you consider how all customers are different. What’s more, the most profitable of your customers may have different priorities than the majority. So, how do you look for touchpoints that bring you the most ROI? These decisions will never be easy to make, but you’ve got some help! Today, Adam has some surprising data to share about retail customers and which touchpoints they say matter most to them. As it turns out, they don’t care as much about some of the touchpoints you might rank high on the list

Jeannie and Adam discuss the shifting landscape of storytelling in journalism with L.A. Times VP of Strategy and Development Clint Schaff. The L.A. Times and the shifting landscape of storytelling in journalism Today’s consumer demands high quality content, delivered where they want it, when they want it, and with context that suits their personality. As a result, brands are constantly pushing to tell their stories in different ways on many platforms. With the rise of social media, blogging, artificial intelligence, storytelling in journalism has taken on staggering complexity in terms of serving different kinds of consumers. Gone are the days when the newest stories were only delivered via newspaper or TV. Consumers get their news through text messages, social media, blogs, YouTube videos, and more. What’s more, they are now able to engage with the stories – sharing their own opinions and sparking debates amongst themselves. “If Mark Twain were born today, he may not be an author. He’d probably have a Y

Jeannie Walters CCXP shares tips to help you recognize and overcome some of the most common and counterproductive leadership biases. Check your leadership biases! As humans we all have biases. Things like where we’re from, what we’ve been through and what has worked (or not worked) in the past all shape the lens through which we view the world. But when these biases affect the way we lead customer service teams and customer experience initiatives, employees suffer, and customers suffer along with them! “It’s too easy to lean on the success of the past.” -@jeanniecw In business, leadership biases have a negative impact on every layer of your organization. In fact, they create an illusion of well-being in every aspect of your business – from your internal culture to your content marketing strategy, and everything in between – sometimes even when the experiences delivered are clearly defunct! “If we’re creating something beautiful, it has to serve the customer.” -@jeanniecw In this episode, Jeannie exp

Adam and Jeannie explore the Future of Work with Futurist, Keynote Speaker, & Best-Selling Author Jacob Morgan. What is the Future of Your Work? The what, when, why and how behind work itself used to be dictated by business owners, but this is changing quickly! In fact, developments in technology, social media and generational values are creating new behaviors every day that will indeed affect the way we and our employees work in the future. Are you in control? More importantly, what should you still be in control of? “…a lot of this power is shifting to employees.” -Jacob Morgan Tied directly to the customer experience, providing a frictionless and rewarding employee experience is now more important than ever. We’ve discovered that employees communicate differently than before – sometimes in ways we used to prohibit within the workplace. “I’m a big believer in as much flexibility as you can give employees.”  -Jacob Morgan So with all these new behaviors and more on the way, how should we perceive a

Something important needs to be done and employees say, “It’s not my job!” This happens a lot! In this episode, Jeannie and Adam explore why this happens and how to fix it. “It’s not my job!” Chances are, you’ve heard this refrain from employees when asked to step outside the confines of their job description. And while responsibility creep and role creep are very real issues employees may need to watch out for, it becomes a problem when your team isn’t willing to pitch in for the greater good. This becomes an even bigger problem during times of change. When leaders need their teams to pull together for the sake of creating better experiences, then receive nothing but pushback or even outright refusal to cooperate, the notion of positive change can seem like a pipe dream. After all, it’s not written into their job descriptions! As a leader, what can you do!? “You have to be the most #customer-centric person in the building.” -Adam Toporek It’s great to have superstars who love to jump in and help with

Adam and Jeannie interview Eric Porres to discuss the new age of personalized video and how personal data is rolled in to drive serious engagement. What IS a personalized video experience? What is video anymore? Video used to be a “one-to-many” medium for communication, but brands have discovered the power of creating personalized “one-to-one” video. I know, you may be thinking of a video you’ve received from a brand where your name was plopped in at the beginning or end… But what we’re talking about here is quite different. “There’s a distinct difference between #personalization and BEING personal.” -Eric Porres As marketers, many of us have accustomed to using merge tags and placeholders to personalize content and communications. But as Eric Porres explains, this is not true personalization. In fact, recent advances in video technology allow us to create “smart videos,” where rich customer data can easily be used to create content that drives the customer’s next best action. As we can see from some o