Hi Howard, Tell us about yourself and your background.
My background is in Law ( recovering attorney) and in commercial media production. 5 years ago I changed careers to marketing and sales working with an agency and with Lightico the last 3 years.
How did you first start working in the CX space?
Ranging from demanding corporate law to personal injury and even immigration, the legal profession is very customer-focused, so early in my career, I was intimately focused on caring for my customers. My focus on the fundamentals of CX and call center style CX really began in earnest when working in marketing with a quality assurance solution.
What are some of the common misunderstandings related to customer experience?
Many people think CX is about delight only; sending birthday cards, and sending gifts and coupons. What people fail to miss is that most customers want a seamless complete experience when they engage with a brand. That means shorter wait times, attentive agents, complete processes, and higher FCR ( first call resolution).
Have you seen any interesting new trends in eCommerce this year?
From a marketing perspective, I’ve actually seen a move from strict performance marketing basics to more complex funnels. Brands recognize that buying journeys are multi-channel.
eCommerce boomed in 2020, and consumers started leaving more product reviews online. How can we make the most out of this momentum?
One thing that comes to mind is to leverage the reviews in advertising and marketing material, and give the reviews a prominent spot on your website. This helps create social proof and FOMO.
What are some CX companies/solutions you’re keeping your eyes on right now?
Oh, I’m definitely biased here. Lightico of course. Lightico is taking basic solutions, like eSign, and ID verification, for complex customer journeys, and making it about the customer experience, not just internal efficiencies, and regulatory compliance. To provide better CX and EX, businesses need to complete digital journeys and not leave their customers bouncing from channel to channel. Another cool tech I saw was Snaps acquisition of Voca.ai enabling consumers to use voice commands with Snapchat like a changing room mirror to virtually try on clothing.
So many things changed in 2020. While some things are going to return to “normal,” what are new trends and habits you think will stay with us in the long term?
100% digial interactions. With solutions like video chat, eSignatures, ID Verification and digital document collection, even things that used to require face to face meetings, like going to a bank or getting life insurance, will happen all digitally.
Do you believe focus groups are still relevant in the era of eCommerce? Why?
This is a good question. Anthropologically, and sociologically, I think in-person focus groups will remain. Nothing can replace actual human observation of attitudes and feelings. Data can only take market and business researchers so far.
Last but not least, what is your favorite CX metric?
NPS. While I might be “satisfied” (CSAT) with an interaction with a brand, a truer measure is NPS, i.e. how highly I would recommend the brand to a friend. This means that my interaction transcended “satisfaction” and that I am so happy with my experience that I would recommend the brand to a friend. I might even want to leave a review.
