Hi Jeremy, tell us about yourself and your background
I’m 2nd to oldest of 7 kids raised by a single father. I’ve worked since I was in Jr High. No formal college education because I worked straight out of high school to help my Dad take care of my younger siblings. I stumbled into Telecommunications back in 1997 and have been here ever since. I worked through the technical ranks until I was given a Manager position and got the bug for technical management and leading others. I started in service assurance (break/fix) and then led teams within service delivery (customer turn up) and eventually was given an opportunity to get into Customer Experience as they wanted someone with a tech ops background to be able to relate the CX data to operations KPI’s, align that data and goals and effectively relate it to and communicate it to ops teams. I eventually started my own CX Advisory company (not a super great plan during a pandemic) and its been an interesting, stressful yet rewarding journey thus far.
What is the biggest misunderstanding about customer experience, in your opinion?
This biggest misunderstanding about “customer experience” in my opinion is that its all about the NPS/CSAT numbers and the illusion that BAU processes without CX correlation will work to improve. I see executives so sure of the NPS and watching that number like a hawk, but not really paying enough attention to the CSATs and even more importantly, the proper identification of the root cause and what leaders are doing to mitigate customer pain points in the future. NPS will improve once you fully understand the CSATs and create a solid improvement strategy.
What are some of the newer CX companies/solutions you’re keeping your eyes on right now?
Video and voice survey responses.
What can companies do to improve customer loyalty and retention?
Companies can improve their brand loyalty and retention by having legit CX programs woven into the fabric of their company. A hyper focused team that knows CX and how to tie it to operational KPIs and goals and can partner with leaders to fine tune the business using the voice of the customer. Competition is tough and it only takes ONE bad experience. Pay attention to the CSATs and don’t just message CX buzz words, but create a REAL, GENUINE customer centric culture, starting with EMPLOYEES FIRST. Happy employees lead to happy customers that lead to a strong brand and revenue growth.
What do you think is most relevant and why: CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score), NPS (Net Promoter Score), or CES (Customer Effort Score)?
CSAT… CES can be baked into CSAT and NPS will improve when all customer touch points, transactions and engagements have been improved.
How can companies better use social media in the era of customer-centricity and personalization?
Any company not putting stock into social media to stay connected to their customer base and their potential customers is missing out. Have a marketing team that updates your social media constantly. Announcing sweepstakes winners for customer incentive programs, ways their feedback has helped you fine tune your business, new products, etc. Not just sharing HBR articles and tech trends. Make it genuine. Make it personal… be a PART of your community.
Jeremy’s opinion on AI-based chatbots
What is your opinion on AI-based chatbots to handle customer support?
They irritate me… but they can convenient if done right.
What was the best movie you saw that has come out during this past year?
Hamilton… or The Croods (A New Age)
Last but not least, what is your favorite CX metric?
CSAT (Do you feel like a Valued Customer?)
