Hi Johan, tell us about yourself and your background.
Always an awkward one for me to answer, but let me give it my best shot.
I like to describe myself as a polymath. I have an academic background in Anthropology, Sociology, Industrial Psychology, and Cellar Technology. I have worked as a lecturer in Business Studies, Commercial Photographer, winemaker, and as a facilitator and service designer at Brand love Customer Experience for the last six years. I am passionate about customers and employees alike. For me, you cannot deliver unique experiences without having employees engaged and finding both purpose and passion in what they do.
How did you first start working in the CX space?
I joined Brand love shortly after our CEO, Chantel, founded the company in 2005. As a consumer anthropologist at heart, I quickly found that my passion for customer experiences enabled me to lobby more and more on behalf of consumers across the globe.
What are some of the common misunderstandings related to customer experience?
The biggest misconception out there is that technology is the CX silver bullet. Extraordinary experiences are delivered by human beings supported by tech. Employees who are passionate about what they do and that do it because they want to and not because they have to.
Have you seen any interesting new trends in eCommerce this year?
eCommerce boomed in 2020, and consumers started leaving more product reviews online. How can we make the most out of this momentum?
My advice would be that these businesses do not start chasing only profits now but focus on delivering good value and exceptional experiences. The profits will follow as a result.
What are some CX companies/solutions you’re keeping your eyes on right now?
So many things changed in 2020. While some things will return to “normal,” what are new trends and habits you think will stay with us in the long term?
- Hybrid work and work from home are here to stay.
- Cleaner living and eating.
- Zionsville – moving out of the city and work from rural areas. I am now a proud citizen as well.
- (One can only hope) less egotistical, self-serving, and environmentally destructive behavior.
Do you believe focus groups are still relevant in the era of eCommerce? Why?
Yes, but not to collect data to increase sales, but instead collect data to deliver better value and experiences to customers.
Last but not least, what is your favorite CX metric?
I don’t believe in using isolated data sets to indicate customer satisfaction. The best matric is still the one you don’t measure but painfully feel. The metric of loyalty. What does your customer say about your brand when they are standing chatting around a barbecue fire.
