Fireside chats without the fires
By Fireside Chats Without The Fire
Join your host, and customer experience advocate, Neal Topf, for a discussion around customer experience. Neal, and his guests, will guide you through the latest happenings within the customer experience space, what is hot, what is not, and what is coming down the pipeline.
Learn how a great customer experience not only leaves customers and employees happy but also has a positive impact on the companies revenue.
Fireside chats without the firesSep 20, 2021
Season 3: Episode 2, Built To Win, with Annette Franz
Neal Topf is proud, and a little bit fanboying, to welcome back to the podcast the esteemed author Annette Franz.
Following on from the success of Annette's first book, "Customer Understanding", Annette's second book, "Built To Win", promises to reshape how companies and individuals look at employee experience and the difference between customer-centric vs customer focus.
Annette takes Neal on a whirlwind tour of the book, she touches on the 10 principles that help change the culture, why changing culture is hard and how can you measure culture.
We also get to hear a bit about what drives Annette, why did she want to write this book, what was her why.
All of the above, and more, are discussed in the podcast. Download to find out more!
Season 3 : Episode 1 - ”Punk XL” with Adrian Swinscoe
Happy New Year to all our listeners at Fireside Chats Without The Fires, and thank you all for the support for the podcast. As we enter our second year (yes, second!!), we are amazed to be starting the year with a simply outstanding guest.
Adrian Swinscoe, the author of Punk CX, joins Neal to talk about his latest book, Punk XL.
Punk XL does the entire CX community a solid by creating this creative masterpiece (yes, masterpiece) of tracks that make us think/re-think how we set our customer-facing organizations up to succeed. Ever heard of rEcIpe? HIPPO? Proto-WTF-col? Each of these explained on video and sound by author extraordinaire, Adrian Swinscoe
Spotlight on the Business of CX with Amanda Malach
Amanda Malach joins Neal Topf on today’s episode of #spotlightonthebusinessofcx. In the limited podcast series, Fireside side chats without the fires brings together thought leaders and experts from the world of investment and finance to share their knowledge on how important it is to align any CX projects to the company’s bottom-line.
Amanda Malach is one such expert. She shares her thoughts on how you can make the CFO your BFF. Through some simple to use strategies that anyone can put in place today, Amanda demonstrates what are CFO’s looking for when it comes to CX. Amanda shares what annoys CFO’s and how to get into their minds, so that you know what they are thinking. This technique is extremely helpful when you are thinking about pitching your latest and greatest CX idea! Amanda discusses with Neal which metrics the CFO cares about (we won’t spoil this), what time to cash means and why that is important to the CFOs. As the podcast draws to a close, Amanda takes a look into her crystal ball for 2022, and gives some thoughts as to what may be happening in the very near futu
Spotlight on the Business of CX with David Koning and Robert Bamberger from Baird
David Koning and Robert Bamberger from Baird are back from a third episode focusing on the business side of CX.
Hosted by Neal Topf, the limited podcast series aims to bring a clearer understanding of the impacts that positive CX has on business, from an investment and financial standpoint.
On this episode, David and Robert talk about the insights from Bairds Q3 survey results about 2022 in the BPO space, and the potential impact that wage inflation may have on pricing. They also discuss the performance of TaskUs, TELUS and Accenture, and how these three companies are bucking the trend and showing growth in Q3 and what that means for 2022.
The panel also discuss digital channels, pre and post COVID, the difference between value and value companies and Robby shares his experience of Curb Mobility.
Spotlight on the Business of CX - Featuring Jessica Noble
Jessica Noble, MBA, CCXP, a long-time friend and supporter of Fireside Chats Without The Fires, joins Neal Topf today’s episode of “Spotlight on The Business Of CX”.
In this limited series of podcasts, Neal is joined by CX experts who look at how CX impacts the bottom line. Today, Jess and Neal talk candidly about a myriad of different topics related to this area.
Some of the questions that they answer include Is CX at a crisis point right now?, should businesses be focusing on niceness right now? and is does the person who is leading your CX have a strong business acumen? If not, is that really the right person to lead CX?
Jess shares her thoughts on how the return of CX must be seen in the bottom line, otherwise, what is the point of doing CX? What problem is CX solving and does that solve have a financial impact on the company? Jess also confronts the frequently asked question about adding new channels to the business. Her standard reply is, quite simply “Is it seamless and will they talk to each other?”.
Insightful, maybe a touch controversial but, ultimately, educational, this is a podcast that you do not want to miss!
Season 2 : Episode 35 - ”Customer Experience of the Rich and Famous” with Dr. Phil Klaus
Prof. Dr. Phil Klaus from the International University of Monaco is today's guest on the podcast.
Prof. Dr. Phil Klaus joins Neal to talk about his recently published article "What matters most to ultra-high-net-worth individuals?" The article, which is included on this link, explores what really does matter to those individuals who have everything? Do they have the same wants and needs as us mere mortals?
Dr. Klaus, with a passion that is very seldom seen, answers the above question, and more, in today's podcast. He explains what really matters to the uber-rich, why it matters and that a company's focus should be on post-purchase, rather than purchase itself, whether that's a yacht, airplane, assistance with financial wealth or a super-car.
One of the major take-aways from the podcast is Dr. Klaus's 4 Step framework for improving #CX, including such items as the importance of personal relationships and achieving consistency and saving time. As Dr. Klaus puts it, time is the currency of the future of CX and , while you can't delight a customer, you most certainly can delight your company to bankruptcy (you heard those two golden nuggets here first!.)
Dr. Klaus also has a special call out for Christopher Brooks, and his world with the #CXWG2021.
Prof. Dr. Phil Klaus's studies: https://bit.ly/3pGQipM
Season 2 : Episode 34 - ”It Depends Trap” with Jessica Noble
Fireside Chats Without the Fires is thrilled to welcome back to the podcast, the talented Jessica Noble to talk about her chapter from the CX 3 book, “It Depends Trap”.
Jessica chats to Neal about how a cooperate event several years ago highlighted an issue of inconsistency, or, as Jessica likes to call it, “It Depends Trap”. The Trap, as Jessica tells it, is when a customer receives poor experience because they “called in on a Monday”, therefore, IT DEPENDS when a customer calls in to receive good experience.
Hear from Jessica about tackling “It Depends Trap” can have a positive impact on customer retention, employee experience, reduce costs and have a positive impact on the bottom line. One of the tools that Jessica uses to do this very thing is something called “The 5 Why’s”, how by asking WHY 5 times can help identify issues that are causing pain for the customer. As always, Jessica’s enthusiasm for this topic knows no bounds, and, if you or your business find yourselves in the “It Depends Trap”, then give this a listen.
Season 2 : Episode 33 - ”Seeing through the CX Smoke” with David Wales
David Wales, author the chapter “Seeing Through the Smoke” from the CX3 book, is the guest on the podcast.
David’s fire service background may not be one that people usually associate with customer experience, however, as he explains to Neal, his experience in this field has given David and unique view into CX.
David shares how the Fire Service is learning to include cx in their roles, and that there is a place for voice of the customer, honestly, who would have thought that? Through his stories, David shines a light on how, on occasion, what we think people will do vs what they will actual do is poles apart (not that it’s a bad thing at all), and, in one story, how listening to a fire victim opened a whole different avenue in dealing with the public. To end the podcast, David poses the question as to whether the fact that streaming services, such as Netflix (please tag) is a good thing? Does it allow companies to see us as individuals or as pigeonholed into certain boxes?
Spotlight on the Business of CX Episode 2 : Featuring David Koning and Robert Bamberger
Episode 2 of the spotlight on the business of CX see David Koning and Robby Bamberger from Baird share their knowledge and expertise regarding how CX impacts investment opportunities for customers and revenue for brands and companies.
Today, they talk about three large events that have happened since the first episode. These events are the acquisition of Sykes by Sitel, Task Us performance since their IPO, and the second offering of Telus.
David and Robby discuss with Neal the acceleration of growth within CX, especially on A.I, where such things as content moderation are playing a more significant role. The projection is that AI will grow by 20% over the upcoming years, and stats, such as 70% of consumers under 25 prefer A.I. back up that protection. To learn more, please click on the link and download the PDF. Do not forget to sign up for the Baird monthly newsletter, where you will find out more about what is happening in this space.
Pdf link: https://baird.bluematrix.com/docs/pdf/f0928985-1695-4927-8822-4da1384ccb04.pdf
Season 2 : Episode 32 - ”Customer Experience 3: The Author of Authors” with Naeem Arif
Naeem shares how the customer experience books series (now up to 3, with number 4 in the works), started. He explains how he was able to pull together an amazing list of CX thought leaders and visionaries together and have them all share their stories and insights on how CX can be improved, regardless of the industry.
This is an insightful listen, regardless if you have read the Customer Experience 3 book or not, for anyone who is looking to make a change in CX, for the better. Naeem, we salute you!
Season 2 : Episode 31 - ”CX Poetry” with Adrian Swinscoe
Adrian Swinscoe, the author of PUNK CX, is today’s guest on the podcast.
Adrian shines a light on the backstory of the PUNK CX book, and how, over a few drinks in a bar, the idea came to him. He passionately explains what being a CX Punk in today’s CX World means and why it’s important to “shake the tree”.
Adrian is very clear that the book is not the answer is all the challenges that exist within CX today, more so that the whole premise of the book is to encourage people to do better work. As Adrian puts it, “Following the crowd won’t get you to number 1. Are you an artist, or are you colouring in”
Lastly, Adrian points out how being brilliant at the basics will have a profound impact on your customers, that they will feel safe and sound with you and your company.
There is so much insight and intelligence that Adrian shares on this episode, it will get you and your company thinking about how CX is being run in your company.
”Emerging Horizons” with Lt. Col. Waldo Waldman
Season 2 : Episode 30 - ”We‘re Doing CX Wrong, and How to Get it Right” with Nicholas Zeisler
Nicholas starts by sharing why it's important to question everything, even starting by asking "what do you mean, we are doing CX wrong?" "what does it mean to be a customer-centric company?"
We also hear why aligning data to numbers is fraught with peril and that certain CX KPIs do not have a direct impact on the business and its bottom line. To help address this disconnect, Nicholas gives his insights and thoughts a new metric that should help close these gaps.
The metric is called "Brand Alignment Score and aims to improve the customer experience vs the companies brand values. in essence, this will help measure how well the business is doing vs what the business said it would be doing! Powerful stuff from Nicholas, and, to be honest, would you expect anything less?
Spotlight on the Business of CX Episode 1 : Featuring David Koning and Robert Bamberger
Joining Neal in these sessions will be David Koning and Robby Bamberger, two investment managers who specialize in the impact that CX has on businesses and then, using their knowledge, make suggestions on where companies and private investors should put their money.
On today's show, Dave and Robby share some current market trends that they are seeing, the story of TaskUs and some hints and tips on what to look at when considering investing.
www.surveymonkey.com/r/YSH9Q3C - Enter the link to become a part of the Baird BPO Distribution and get involved in our quarterly survey!
Season 2 : Episode 29 - ”CX Turds on the Table” with Rishad Tobaccowala
Season 2 : Episode 28 - ”CX Fandom” with James Dodkins
James takes us on his ongoing journey into this world. He shares what is meant by a proximity zone, and how the internet has changed this. James also talks about what is CX, really. Is a bundling of moments that then become memories for customers, and those memories create the relationship that companies have with their customers.
Insightful, knowledgeable, and entertaining, what more would you expect from #CXrockstar? There is so much to unpack in this episode that we have invited James back to spend more time with us!!
Season 2 : Episode 27 - "Why Diversify your CX Strategy" with Mandisa Makubalo
Season 2 : Episode 26 - "CX Stakeholder Buy-in" with Katie Stabler
Katie starts with how to improve CX Stakeholder buy-in and that one of the very first steps to take is to get everyone aligned on what CX means to the business. The whole business needs to focus and agree on what CX looks like across the board and, by having that as a starting point, it reduces the chances of traction and enthusiasm for CX waning over time. Katie also discusses how important it is to have the right people and the right team in place to drive this through. Lastly, in Katie's words, you have to "make your own bed" first before you start this journey.
To find out more about CX Stakeholder buy-in and how you and your business can improve on it, download this podcast from your usual podcast platforms and let us know what you think of Katie's comments.
Season 2 : Episode 25 - "The Past, Present, Future of CX Part 2" with Megan Burns
In today's episode, Megan discusses how companies "can suck less", and, with a degree of clarity rarely heard, explains the stages of CX that she has witnessed since 2006. Megan explains why in today's CX world, it's important for companies to "major in experience, minor in products" (sounds counterintuitive, right?), aim to be consistently good and strategically excellent and, how, when done correctly, customers cannot tell the difference between real-life agents and AI.
Strap yourself in for a thrilling, insightful and, emotive listen.
Season 2 : Episode 24 - "Why Do Bonuses for NPS Scores Seem Wise?" with Jim Tincher
Neal and Paul are thrilled to welcome back Jim Tincher onto the Fireside Chats Without The Fires podcast. Jim recently published an article here (https://bit.ly/3rsQKHa) focusing on whether incentives to drive NPS are good or bad. Jim shares stories on how some companies have used incentives to drive performance and behaviors so that they do “suck less”. Jim explains when is a good time to ask for a survey, does an NPS score actually predicts anything, and do “golden questions” to measure NPS exist and, please, do not miss the story about the “5 ballons…” Engaging, thoughtful, and passionate, Jim’s a true expert in his field. If you want to learn more about NPS and when is a good time to use QA scores and when is not, then tune in and learn more.
Season 2 : Episode 21 - CX Quality Management with Marc Karschies
Marc shares his in-depth knowledge and passion for quality and explains how quality has a different meaning for different people and departments. Marc discusses what is the definition of quality (is it defined by the user?) and what really is "good" quality?
Neal and Marc also discuss how quality service management is equal to customer experience management because customer experience is what the customer feels...
Insightful, passionate, and knowledgeable, Marc Karschies enthusiasm of quality is second to none.
CX World Games with Professor Dr. Phil Klaus
Christopher Brooks gives his weekly update on The Games, along with the fact that there are still some last-minute places available for players and the unique news regarding two teams. You need to tune in to hear more!!
CX Games with Adrian Swinscoe
On today's podcast hear from Adrian Swinscoe. Adrian will share how and why he got involved in the CXWG, what they mean to him, and what he expects to see from the teams involved.
Tune in to find out more!
Season 2 : Episode 20 - Agile CX Implementation with Olga Potaptseva
One of the most commonly used (yet maybe little understood) phrases in today's business world is "Let's use Agile project management", however, how many of us out there really know what it means?
Olga, in her very humble and down-to-earth manner, walks and talks Neal and Paul through exactly what Agile is, how it works, what it isn't (it's not 9 women giving birth to one baby in 1 month) and the 4 skills needed. Without going into too much detail here (you have to tune in to find out more), Olga' explains how using Agile focuses on the ability to move quickly and easily, the ability to transform by doing small things in short phases, ensuring that projects are linked to companies goals and employee experience, and, possibly more importantly, turning CX protects into reality.
Season 2 : Episode 22 - "So Long for Now" with Steve Sedlak
Steve also discusses how, since the 1980s, the CX world has been on a journey of self-discovery, with key metrics being labeled differently and how now, as businesses start to come out of the pandemic, is the best time to be involved in CX.
In a highly personal interview, Steve explains the important role that SOCAP played in his professional and personal journey. With deal feeling, Steve shares how the relationships he built in SOCAP and the ability to give back to the community really shaped him as a person.
Season 2 Episode 19 - "Are you LISTENING to the whole picture?" with Nick Lygo-Baker
Nick, or the CX Mechanic as he is also known by, shares his experience with CX and how he came to understand the need for business to use and adhere to something that he calls "Listening Posts". There are five different types of "Listening Posts", each performing a different function within the business.
They are:-
Voice of the employee
Voice of the customer
Voice of the service
Voice of the process
Voice of the market
And Nick shares the functions that each of these performs, and why it's important for companies to have all 5.
CX Games with Mandisa Makubalo
Mandisa Makubalo is nothing short of an inspiration. From her tireless efforts to help women in South Africa getting back into work, to being a Founder Member of Women in CX, anything that Mandisa touches turns to gold!
Mandisa shares her story of a CXWG2021 captain, why she got involved, and what the games mean to her. As well as Mandisa, Christopher Brooks joins Neal to share provide the most up-to-date information regarding the Games. You know you should tune in to find out more...
Season 2 : Episode 18 - "Experiences don't matter, Memories do" with Gustavo Imhof
Discussing his chapter for the book, Gustavo talks about what the 15 memorable variables are, the 6 quick wins, and actually, what matters the most is the outcome for customers rather than the experience.
As you can tell, Gustavo is not scared to go against popular opinion, which makes today's podcast a must-listen.
CX Games with Annika Björck
Annika also shares why she thinks her team will win.....(Justin Robbins, James Dodkins, Sharon Boyd, are you listening?.
Annika and Neal were both surprised when a special guest joined them with a special announcement. Tune in to find out more...
Season 2 : Episode 16.9 - CX Goalkeeper - Enablers, Irritants, and Value with Gregorio Uglioni
As he is also known, Gregorio, or "CX Goalkeeper" talks about his chapter in the book that focuses on a matrix called "Value/Irritant Matrix". Gregorio explains how the matrix (made famous in the Bill Price book, "The best service is no service"), should be used by companies to create a frictionless experience for their customers.
We also hear about the 3 enablers, Data, Technology, and Human Beings, and the roles that each of these plays in creating customer experience.
CX Games with Justin Robbins
As captain of the CX Distributors, Justin shares his Captain's story. What the games mean to him, why he is involved in the games, and what he expects to see (and is getting), from his team.
Season 2 : Episode 14 - Leading the Customer Experience with Brad Cleveland (PART 2)
(PART 2)
Best-selling author, Brad Cleveland joins the podcast today to discuss his new book, "Leading The Customer Experience".
During today's podcast with Neal Topf and Paul Catherall, listen to Brad as he explains who (in his opinion) owns customer experience (will this came as a surprise that it's everyone?), how important having a vision is and why making the mundane interesting is the latest "buzz phrase" but carries weight and importance.
Brad provides some refreshing insights regarding how a longer AHT may actually improve customer experience (yes, how many contact center people are turning away right now?), the need to culture a business culture around customer experience, and why more and more business are understanding that employee engagement is the foundation of customer experience.
In summary, as Brad says "Get the principles in place, and the rest will go away.
Season 2 Episode 15 - "Experience the experience!" with Bob Azman
Bob's chapter in the book is all about the experience and, during the podcast, Bob shares some real-life ideas and suggestions on how to improve the experience as well as common pitfalls to avoid. Using the mantra "stable yourself to the ticket", Bob explains how powerful it is to put yourself in the customers' shoes and explains why trying to understand what it's like to do business with yourself forms the cornerstone for a successful customer experience. With his usual insights and skill, Bob delivers a series of stories (from someone asking if they should build a bulldozer to understanding that there is no difference between B2C and B2C customer experience) that takes what could be a complex topic into an easy to follow guide.
CX Games with Sharon Boyd and James Dodkins
Today, Neal and Paul are thrilled to welcoming returning captain James Dodkins and returning, not as a player this time, but as a captain, Sharon Boyd.
Both Sharon and James share what the game means to them, why they are returning this year, and what to expect from the games themselves
CX Games with Jessica Noble
Fireside Chats WIthout The Fires is thrilled to be part of the amazing #CXWG2021. Over the course of the games, Neal and Paul will be joined by judges, captains, and players of the teams.
Today's guest is Judge (drum roll please....) Jessica Noble. Jessica explains what the CX games mean to her, why one of the challenges is very close to her heart and, also, shares some top tips for the players taking part...(I think I have said too much already, tune in to find out more...)
LinkedIn Live Event to Support AMA Ignite Conference with Megan Burns
Fireside Chats without the fires is extremely proud to be able to support AMA Ignite conference. In a limited series of podcasts, the team and keynote speakers from the conference share their CX expertise and give a little taste of what they will be talking about. On our last episode for this feature, please welcome Megan Burns!
Season 2 : Episode 14 - Leading the Customer Experience with Brad Cleveland
Best-selling author, Brad Cleveland joins the podcast today to discuss his new book, "Leading The Customer Experience". During today's podcast, listen to Brad as he explains who (in his opinion) owns customer experience (will this came as a surprise that it's everyone?), how important having a vision is and why making the mundane interesting is the latest "buzz phrase" but carries weight and importance. Brad provides some refreshing insights regarding how a longer AHT may actually improve customer experience (yes, how many contact center people are turning away right now?), the need to culture a business culture around customer experience, and why more and more business are understanding that employee engagement is the foundation of customer experience. In summary, as Brad says "Get the principles in place, and the rest will go away.
Season 2 : Episode 13 -4 Tools for Successful Employee Engagement with Francesca Tempestini
Fireside Chats Without The Fires continues its focus on CX 3 with Francesca Tempestini joining Neal and Paul for today's recording. Francesca's chapter in the book focused on tools that should be used for employee engagement. These tools are:- Set Rules Provide Tools Lead by examples Reward. - NOT CASH!! Francesca, who really is the living embodiment of employee engagement, explains, in detail, what each of the tools means and provides helpful, real-life tips on how to implement them in your business today.
CX World Games with Christopher Brooks
Season 2 : Episode 12 - Platforms, Communities and Customer Experience with Anna Noakes Schulze
In today's podcast, Anne explains how the likes of Amazon, Uber, Airbnb, and BlaBlaCar, platform companies, continue to grow in the current environment, resulting in nearly 60% of all unicorn companies being platform companies.
Anna talks about these type of companies are building different "pillars" of trust, such as drivers and passengers ratings, how the only three choices left for companies today when it comes to platforms, is to build/buy or join, you cannot ignore and that the factors that make a platform successful are value/usability and trust.
LinkedIn Live Event to Support AMA Ignite Conference with Jim Tincher
In a limited series of podcasts, the team and keynote speakers from the conference share their CX expertise and give a little taste of what they will be talking about. Next up is Jim Tincher!
Season 2 : Episode 11 - Psychological Safety in CX with Sheri Kendall
Sheri shares the work of Dr. Timothy Clark and his book "The 4 stages of Psychological safety", and how each stage is needed so that employees feel safe and cared for. As Sheri says "We won't get an agent to care for our customers if they don't feel cared for". In this poignant podcast, Neal, Paul, and Sheri discuss how customer service agents are actually "agents of peace", how being "banished from a tribe can feel worse than a death penalty and why, above all else, kindness really matters.
LinkedIn Live Event to Support AMA Ignite Conference with Rishad Tobaccowala
In a limited series of podcasts, the team and keynote speakers from the conference share their CX expertise and give a little taste of what they will be talking about. First up is Rishad Tobaccowala.
Season 2 : Episode 10 - "Customer Experience Guarantees - Jeff Toister, Author of The Guaranteed Customer Experience"
Season 2 : Episode 9 - "Unlocking Creativity Through CX Play" with Sirte Pihlaja
Sirte explains the huge benefits of LSP, how using LSP correctly is like putting money in the bank, achieving more with less, and the benefit of giving your brain a hand (all of these real quotes from the podcast). The best way to sum up today's podcast is "Play is not the opposite of work, boredom is".
Don't forget to go purchase your copy of the Customer Experience 3 book that was launched today, to gather more insights and knowledge from Sirte and her co-authors.
Season 2 : Episode 8 - "It's Like This...Stop NPS, Stop KPIs" with Nicholas Zeisler
Nicholas, with great enthusiasm and passion, shares why companies shouldn't be using score data, rather, should be using something called "amplification data", and why asking the customers "What do we suck at?" is far more powerful than an NPS score.
If you are ready to enter the new world of CX, then this podcast is most definitely for you!
Season 2 : Episode 7 - "Customer Rage" with John Goodman
Insightful, packed with relevant information, and easy to understand, John (and the report) shares with Neal and Paul how factors impacting customer rage have changed over the years and what opportunities currently exist to minimize these pain-points.
To read and download the report, please click on this link: www.customercaremc.com/insights/national-customer-rage-study/
Season 2 : Episode 6 - "Mapping Experiences for CX" with Jim Kilbach
With real passion and enthusiasm, Jim explains the importance that mapping plays in today's world, how important it is that all departments are involved in creating maps and how it is possible to map employment engagement to customer engagement, driving up both key metrics.
Season 2 : Episode 5 - "“CX Disruption; The Disruption Mindset” with Charlene Li
Charlene will share how the famous Wayne Gretzky saying "Don't stake to where the puck is, stake to where the puck is going to be" is fast becoming the "motto" of the companies who want to love their current and, as well as their future customers as well as the importance of creating, implementing and using a customer empathy map.
Season 2 : Episode 4 - "Jenny has another Question" with Jenny Dempsey
The second part of the podcast focus on the recent explosion of CX-related jobs, Jenny, in her own unique way, lifts the lid on why this is happening and possible future impacts.
Energetic, caring and just a great person, tune in to Jenny Dempsey on Fireside Chats without the fires and you will not be disappointed
Season 2 : Episode 3 - “Learning to tell CX stories with Grace”
After this, the next part of the journey is even more awe-inspiring. Kate, with real gusto, shares how story-telling is needed to enhance CX, the power of allowing the customers to "choose their own ending" and how grace is a requirement in CX, no longer a nice to have.
If you only listen to one of our podcasts for the rest of 2021, make sure it's this one.
Season 2 : Episode 2 - "CX Emotional Intelligence (EI)" with Sandra Thompson
The guest on today's Fireside Chats Without The Fires podcast is the amazing Sandra Thompson. Sandra is PASSIONATE (yes, in capital letter) about how improving emotional intelligence has a huge impact on CX. Sandra shares the 12 elements that make up EI, her experiences of great CX as a result of better EI (Four Season Hotel), and how EI can move agents away from reacting and to responding.
Sandra also shares how, in this day and age, everyone needs a Steve, even if it does involve a 3-hour round trip and how the sheer brilliance of Matt Watkinson, author of The Grid, has encouraged her to increase her knowledge and not to simply accept the status quo.
And please don't forget to vote for Sandra! https://cxm.co.uk/cxm-vote-poll/cx-stars-2021-influencers/?fbclid=IwAR3H7xb0xLRVBmGAg0e55zCsP__YmzIt-9NiVrjaYEc9ta-G-gI2bnjIzIU
Check out Sandra's Deck: https://exceedallexpectations.box.com/s/und6npve072bhyn0wz3z8qzvoab5nqq3
Sandra's CX Myth: Empathy is something that front line staff should ‘do’ with during customer interactions. MYTH.
Sandra's CX Quote: Matt Watkinson: The Grid.2017. pg272. ‘The growth potential from acquiring new customers is typically much larger than from improving retention’
Season 2 : Episode 1 - "Customer Experience Intelligence"
For the first Fireside Chats podcast of 2021, Neal and Paul are joined by esteemed author and CX thought leader, Jeofery Bean.
A passionate and insightful CX warrior, Jeof shares his definition of customer experience intelligence and the role that plays in today's world. He also talks about CX4 (or it is 5) of interactions and, this is a goodie, The Out Of The Box customer experience.
Charming, knowledgeable, and authentic, Jeof encapsulates exactly what it means to be a CX Champion in this day and age. His drive for advocacy over satisfaction is one that is likely to be the new phrase for CX in 2021. As Jeof says #adovacyiseverything."
Jeof's Books:
Book 1: The Customer Experience Revolution (2012) Book 2: Customer Experience Rules! (2015) ( https://www.amazon.com/Jeofrey-Bean/e/B006K2L0XI?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1568408844&sr=8-1 )Jeof's CX Myths:
“That customer satisfaction is the goal.”
Jeof's CX Quotes:
“Measure what matters to customers” Dr. Joely Gardner, CEO, Human Factors Research
“Whether it was positioning in the marketing message, or customer service and support, or upgrades and repairs, Steve Jobs usually said, ‘delay the product so you can fix it.’” Larry Tesler, --former Vice President and Chief Scientist, Apple Computer
Jeof's CX Heroes:
Larry Tesler Don Norman LL Bean Jeff Bezos Scott Cook Jack Dorsey Richard Thaler
Season 1 : Episode 38 - "CX Cajon Tab" with Jason Robbins
Down-to-earth, thought leader and a CX Hero, it was a joy to be able to have Justin on. His wit, desire, and downright want to do the right thing is something that money cannot buy. Pour yourself a drink and listen to this amazing person share his thoughts on CX.
Season 1 : Episode 37 - "Building your Multi-Faceted, Multi-Skilled CX team" with Annette Franz
For anyone remotely involved in any part of CX, regardless of the industry, Annette is a thought leader, passionate, insightful and someone that you should be following and listening to!
CXPerts Live in Action! - Live Troubleshooting of an actual Customer Experience Case Study with Becky Roemen, Andrew Gilliam & Mike Aoki
Listen to how Mike Aoki, Andrew Gilliam and Becky Roeman would solve a real-life performance issue around CX. It's a wide ride!
Season 1 : Episode 36 - "CX - Where, Why & How" with Vicky Cherne
Humble, insightful and dedicated, Vicky is an absolute gem of a guest. Pour yourself a hot drink and settle down to enjoy this podcast. Vicky smashed it!
Season 1 : Episode 35 - "CX Altruism - To be or not to be, that is the question" with Jessica Noble
Brilliant, talented and so knowledgeable, Jessica is shining star in the CX world and is coming at it from a different view, the impact on the bottom line.
Season 1 : Episode 34 - "Are out-dated Policies & Systems the Cause of Bad Customer Experience?" with Bryan Horn
Season 1 : Episode 33 - "Customer Effort - How do we Keep it Simple?" with Christopher Drury
Chris shared his thoughts and expertise on how important it is to make things as simple for customers as possible. Chris talks about the evolution of customer effort score and how making things easy or K.I.S.S can and should lead to long term loyalty from customers. Chris summarizes his approach to customer effort in a simple way: ”People of emotional beings, not logical".
Season 1 : Episode 32 - "CV vs CX, and Lessons Learned from the IT Service Desks" with Roy Atkinson
Roy is a highly respected keynote speaker, author and general all-ground good guy. It was a pleasure beyond words to have Roy on as a guest.
Season 1 : Episode 31 - "Helping People Help People" with THE Jeannie Walters
Jeannie is one of the most passionate CX leaders out there and it is a huge privilege and honour to be able to have Jeannie on as a guest. In a first for Fireside Chats Without The Fires podcast, Jeannie shares some free online tools that will be accessible to anyone who is involved in CX. Tune in to find out more
Season 1 : Episode 30 - "Why the CX World Game Exists" with Christopher Brooks
Christopher leads by example, has a very clear and defined sense of what his "Why" is, and, ultimately, is a man of his word. It really was an honour to be able to have him as a guest and hear the story of the CX games. How it started, how it has grown and all the human interest stories that came out of such a brilliant event. Mr Brooks, stand up and take a bow. It is the very least you deserve.
Season 1 : Episode 29 - "Experience Matters" with Dan Gingiss
Dan shares his passion regarding the positive changes that some companies have taken by using technology to support CX , kerb-side delivery being one, and how he hopes that these positive changes will continue as companies start to return to a "normal". Dan's heartfelt story about CapriSun and the brilliant work they have done during COVID is one for the ages.
Download, tune in and be inspired by a true leader in their field.
Season 1 :Episode 28 - "Opportunities that can be taken different from the norm in the CX World"
Matt Watkinson, author of "The Grid" and "The Ten Principles Behind Great Customer Experience" and CEO/Co-founder of Methodical is the guest on today's Fireside Chats Without The Fires Podcast. Matt talks with great detail about his take on CX and which companies, such as Patagonia, have got it right and why they have got it right.
Matt's rare talent and expert insights allow him to look at opportunities for companies to improve in a slightly different way than the norm. Charming and down-to-earth, Matt has the ability to peel back the layers of the onion and then to pinpoint areas of improvement in simplistic terms.
Season 1 : Episode 27 -"Ignore your Customers (and they will go away)" with Micah Solomon
Micah’s bestselling books have been translated in more than a half-dozen languages and are the recipients of multiple awards. Micah’s a Senior Contributor to Forbes and his expertise has been featured in Inc. Magazine, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNBC, the Harvard Business Review, the New York Times, and the Washington Post..
On the podcast, we discuss his new book, "Ignore your customers (and they'll go away): the simple playbook for delivering the ultimate customer service experience, a new bestseller
from HarperCollins Leadership.
Tune in and listen to Micah's insights and experience on everything CX related.
Season 1 : Episode 26 - "How the tables have turned" with Andrew Gilliam
We are privileged to welcome Andrew Gilliam on today's podcast. Andrew is a well-known face within the CX industry and is a regular interviewer, so it was great to be able to turn the tables on Andrew and have him as an interviewee. Andrew shares that ICMI will be releasing a report that focuses on the results of the actions taken by companies on front line employees due to COVID. It's a slightly different tack on COVID as we tend to steer away from the C-word, however, ICMI's report is based on insights and comments from real-life employees, rather than just want people "think". Highly recommended listening for anyone in CX fields, regardless of the industry.
Season 1 : Episode 25 - Employee Engagement 2.0 with the Amazing Mike Aoki!
Mike Aoki joins Neal and Paul for an in-depth and passionate discussion about all things of employee engagement. Mike shares, with gusto, his thoughts and insights on real-life actionable tasks that people that undertake TODAY that will improve employee engagement in a remote world. Fun, expert insights and passion, what more could you ask for from a podcast. You will want to listen to this, folks!
Season 1 : Episode 24 - Employee Experience with Becky Roemen
Listen to the force of nature that is Becky Roemen and her #beckisms as she talks with great passion about the importance of employee experience. Becky shares who the traditional thinking of "Pizza Party Friday" and the ping-pong table in the office is out-dated. --- #CXHero #chatsfires #cxconvos #podcast #BPOindustry #BPO #podcastlife #podcastdaily #workfromhome #CXDoneRight
Season 1 : Episode 23 - "What do customers want in the Financial Services industry?" with Hugh Hessing
Hugh Hessing joins Neal and Paul in today's podcast to talk about customers expectations in the Financial Services industry. Share in Hugh's passion and drive about making things easy for customers and how his 99/3 strategy helped him shape the customer experience (even though he stole the strategy from Bezos...). Neal and Hugh also get into who is the leader when it comes to CX; US or UK? Thank you Hugh for sharing your enthusiasm and insights on all things related to CX!
Season 1 : Episode 22 - We have had who on?!
Join Neal and Paul on today's Fireside Chat as they recall the amazing guests that they have appeared on the podcast these past 5 weeks. They share the knowledge from the guests and which ones stayed with them.
Season 1 : Episode 21 - Next Generation CX Metrics
The inspiring Nate Brown joins Neal and Paul for a podcast that focuses on next-generation CX metrics. Listen to Nate share his enthusiasm for CX and how, right now, some companies may be looking at the wrong metrics to truly understand CX impact on their business.
Nate is direct, passionate and, above all, authentic. He speaks from the heart on what CX means to him and how he lives and breathes it, every day. Simply put, a podcast that should not be missed by anyone in CX. We cannot wait to have Nate back. Thank you, Mr Brown, you smashed it!
Season 1 : Episode 20 - On-boarding (customers and employees) - First Impressions Matter
The simply amazing Stacy Sherman joins the podcast to share her passion for how important on-boarding customers AND employees are. Stacy simply crackles during the podcast and you get drawn into how much she cares about doing the right thing This is unlike any podcast that we have done in past. Sit down, tune in and get ready to be motivated by Stacy.
Season 1 : Episode 19 - Come Fly with Me, with Jeremy Hyde!
Listen to the wonderful Jeremy Hyde as he discusses all things customer experience related in the airlines industry with Neal and Paul. Jeremy shares his expert knowledge and passion about the industry with keen insight and some quotes that will make you stand up and notice. A must-listen for anyone in the airline industry or customer experience industry. Thank you Jeremy, you made our day!
Season 1 : Episode 18 - The Customer Service Vision with Jeff Toister
In today's episode, author and CX expert, Jeff Toister, joins Neal and Paul to discuss the importance that a customer service vision plays in any organization. Jeff busts wide open a popular myth and shares his CX heroes. This is a must-listen for anyone involved in customer experience. Thank you, Jeff!
Season 1 : Episode 17 - What do you do when the consumer solution is right in front of your face?
Lisa Diehl from Blue Diamond Growers joins Neal and Paul to discuss what to do with all that consumer information. Lisa takes us on her 4-year journey with Blue Diamond Growers and how she has built up a centre of excellence. Lisa shares her thoughts on Chatbots and how this new channel didn't deflect call volume, rather it opened up a new channel for customers who may have otherwise left the company. A superb listen and made even more powerful with all of Lisa's CX heroes being women.
As Lisa says herself "Power to the CX women heroes:
Marie Shubin
Beth Ziff
Leslie O’Flahavan
Susan Baranowsky
Mary Ann Kerr
Kim McMiller
Marjorie Bynum
Victoria Cherne
Cyndee Simmons
---
#CXHero
#chatsfires
#cxconvos
#podcast
#BPOindustry
#BPO
#podcastlife
#podcastdaily #workfromhome
Season 1 : Episode 16 - A call is a call is a call? Or no?
Join Neal and Paul on today’s podcast as they bust some CX/BPO myths, share their CX heroes and discuss the benefits (or otherwise) of not using QA scoring. Is CSAT a good enough indicator on its own? A call is a call is a call, question mark or not?
Season 1 : Episode 15 - Lions, Tigers and Bears - O My!! More on agent engagement and work from home v2.0
Neal and Paul continue their discussion on WFM v2.0 in Lions, Tigers and Bears Oh My!! Should members of the senior leadership team spend time with the front line agents? Should tools be created with the customer or the agent in mind? Tune in to hear the discussion, share on some myths that are busted and applaud the CX heroes of the week.
Season 1 : Episode 14 - Work from Home v2.0
Nick Glimsdahl joins us tonight as we talk about everything related to working from home, and a lot more!
Season 1 : Episode 13 - QA and QM with Jeremy Watkin
Tune in to this weeks episode and listen to Jeremy Watkin share his passion and insights about all this QA and QM related.
Season 1 : Episode 12 - CX Glue - What is the glue that holds customer experience in the BPO World with Leslie O'Flahavan
Leslie O'Flahavan joins us to discuss all things written in the BPO World. Listen to Leslie share her passion and insights, a MUST listen for anyone involved in customer support.
Season 1 : Episode 11 - Customer Advocacy 101 with Jon Cox
Jon Cox works for Well Pet as their customer advocacy manager, and we discuss all things related to customer advocacy and how that differs from customer care and what best practices can be shared between the two disciplines.
Season 1 : Episode 10 - Fly on the wall....(And No COVID talk)
**A Warning..This Podcast Contains NO COVID DISCUSSIONS**
If you were a fly on the wall in a Contact Centre, what would you like to see? Tune in to hear a very unique discussion.
Season 1 : Episode 9 - Neal shares his thoughts on QA and Training in the Contact Centre
An interesting discussion for any QA/Training leaders. Neal shares his insights on how to get the best from QA and Training within the Contact Centre. A valuable listen for anyone in these fields.
Season 1 : Episode 8 - Cost savings and this weeks CX Heroes!
Neal and Paul discuss a recent cost savings article published by Brad Cleveland as well as sharing their #CXHeroes of the week.
Season 1 : Episode 7 - What should the contact centre of today look like?
Over the past weeks, Neal and Paul have discussed what the future looks like. On this podcast, they take a view on what should the contact centre of today look like.
Hear from Neal as he shares what he has learned from a vendor viewpoint and the changes he is implementing already, while Paul shares how clients can and should support vendors in achieving common goals.
Season 1 : Episode 6 - Top three things learned during COVID. Best and worst customer experience through COVID
On this week's podcast, Neal and Paul discuss lessons learnt by CX/BPO's and ourselves during COVID, also, Neal shares the brands that have provided him with a great customer experience during COVID and those that could have done a better job.
Thumbs Up During COVID:-
8X8
Insta Cart
At&T
Morgan Stanley
Dollar Shave Club
American Airlines
NFL
Thumbs Down during COVID:-
Pitney Bowes
Forbes (Nick Glimsdahl)
Season 1 : Episode 5 with Eppie Titong
On this week's podcast, we welcome Eppie Titong, VXI Country Manager to the podcast and discuss how The Phillippines is holding its own in the current climate and what the future is shaping up as.
Neal shares a report on how The Philippines is staking up globally from The Site Selection Group, which is available from https://siteselection.com/ Please subscribe to the podcast.
@ChatsFires
#CXConvos
Season 1 : Episode 4 of Fireside Chats - CX Heroes!
In this week's episode, Neal and Paul discuss who are the people that they consider to be CX heroes and leaders in the customer service world.
People such as:-
Nate Brown, Brad Cleveland and Ryan Bicknell (to name but a few).
Season 1 : Episode 3 sees Joe Doherty be our first ever guest!
In today's podcast, Neal and Paul are joined by Joe Doherty from Five9.
Joe is an expert in his field and talks about gamification and how the Cloud is helping companies in the new norm.
Neal shares some recent insights he found worthwhile from Al Hopper.
It would mean the world to us if you would leave a comment or even share the podcast.
Neal - @nealtopf (t)
Paul - @paulcat72 (t)
Joe -@joedohertyusa (t)
Al - @AlHopper_ (t)
Season 1 : Episode 2 of our weekly chats regarding all things BPO/Contact Centre
This week, we discuss QA and the role that function plays within the BPO world and how it will change in the future.
Please get in touch if you have any topics that you would like us to discuss.
Neal Topf - @nealtopf on twitter
Paul Catherall - @paulcat72 on twitter
It would mean the world to us both if you could give some comments on what you think of the podcast so far, good and bad!!
Thanks
