Hi James, tell us about yourself and your background. How did you get to the CX space? –
I used to be an actual, real-life, legitimate, award-winning rockstar! I played guitar in a heavy metal band, we toured the world, released, albums were on TV and in magazines….after the end of my music career, I took the next logical step…and joined an insurance company. I excelled there because I didn’t think like an insurance expert, I thought like a customer. That made me fall in love with CX and I realized that putting on a show for your fans is exactly the same as delivering an experience to your customers.
Online commerce was booming in 2020; how did it affect brands’ approach to customer experience? – What should be their main this year?
It forced many brands to take the leap to more digital delivery which for some has been great, for others not so. But all in all, if these companies were doing CX right in the first place they should really have had a problem because CX isn’t what about you do it’s about what you think. So if these companies had a solid customer focus before hand they will have adapted with little disruption.
James’ checklist for CX strategy
In your POV – What is the ultimate checklist for a good customer experience strategy?
Understand your customer. Define their needs. Build experiences that deliver them.
What was the biggest lesson you learned in 2020?
We’re all capable of a lot more than we ever thought.
2020 was the year of webinars and online events. What was your favorite one?
Probably the ones that I hosted lmao 😂
It looks like working from home is going to stay with us for the foreseeable future; how should CX Executives gear up to the changing times?
I think working hard to keep connections alive and meaningful is a good thing to focus on, with both fellow employees and customers.
Last but not least, what is your favorite CX metric?
Sales.