Hi Esteban, tell us about yourself and your background.
I went through many departments in different agencies until I found my haven in data. When I was younger (I already reached that stage), I discovered that I had an immense curiosity for what surrounded me… I was curious about everything. That defined me as a professional. Thanks to that, and to a series of fortunate events, I ended up working in the marketing industry for more than 7 years in tow.
How did you start working in the customer experience space?
Sooner or later, there’s a conversion between planning and expectations on the market-side, leading to understanding customer needs first-hand every step. After many years doing planning and research, it was a natural transition to start working with behavioral data.
Can you tell us a little bit about your current role?
It is an amazing role because it is the fusion between a data analyst and a CX specialist. I’m responsible for researching and analyzing market data in order to improve customer relationships, especially in digital assets. To put it simply, I gather data, and the next step is converting it into relevant insights for big brands in Colombia and the Latin America region.
How can companies better listen and understand their customer base?
Nowadays, you actually don’t have to make a lot of effort to know how your customer behaves (leaving the intrusion aside). Information and opinions are at your fingertips: just go to social networks or look at the concordances of a term in the browser bar, or even simply ask your customer base. It’s that simple. Companies already have the information, what they do not have is two things: a data approach and an analytics expert to interpret the flow of information, which eventually results in a market opportunity and business growth.
My advice is to draw up a business plan whose center is the relationship with your market and the tools to achieve it.
What are some companies that you think are doing an excellent job at customer experience, and why?
Coca-Cola has always been monitoring what are the expectations of its market, what drives them, what matters to them. If something doesn’t work or is controversial (like the rise of the healthy movement), they analyze its omnichannel impact and make data-driven decisions. They have made a global strategy whose focus is to understand their challenging market every second.
The second one is Netflix. They are primarily an entertainment-related data company, and whoever says otherwise has not been paying attention. They constantly test the behavior of their consumers with interactive covers, adaptive menus, and tailored recommendations. And if that wasn’t enough, they nurture through a mailing to notify their user base of content that might interest them or asking how they feel about what they ended up seeing. Customer experience is what makes their business an efficient market retention machine.
Many companies are currently undergoing digital transformation processes, what are your tips on a successful digital transformation?
- A progressive omnichannel mindset. If you continue to believe that your business is going to be more profitable cause you made an app, it is because you have a short-term vision. E-wallets and e-commerce are already displacing cash… let that sink in.
- Hearing constantly. Audiences nowadays like to tell you how they feel, and how they think. You just have to sit down and listen.
- Try to see the possibilities of your market. Keep doing what you are best at, what you are good at… but never stop seeing the horizon ahead.
- And finally, this business is about establishing connections, building bridges. It’s hard to overstate how much building an emotional connection with customers matters.
What are some CX solutions or tools that you’re keeping your eyes on right now?
The tools that most attract my attention today have to do with digital listening and the capture of behavioral information. I cannot recommend one in particular, because they must always respond to the objective and not the other way around.
Keep an eye on Hubspot, RD Station, Global Web Index, or BI tools such as DataStudio, Power BI, and DOMO.
Did you read any interesting books this past summer that you’d like to recommend?
I have one in mind: Who controls the future? by Jaron Lanier.
As put by Foxsize: Jaron is considered by the Encyclopedia Britannica as one of the 300 most important inventors in history. He presents a reflection on current digital businesses: “The people of Google would have gotten rich with their algorithm without having to create a private spy agency.”
Dedicated especially to critical minds with digital concerns.
What is your favorite CX metric?
Regardless of the methodology, I would say the sentiment. A survey tells me about intention and choice, a database tells me about behavior, but the sentiment tells me if something is working or not. Puts in three dimensions what our consumers are embracing or rejecting.
