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HomeInterviewsCXBuzz Interview With Nick Glimsdahl, Director of Contact Center Solutions at VDS

CXBuzz Interview With Nick Glimsdahl, Director of Contact Center Solutions at VDS

Hi Nick, tell us about yourself, your background?

I’ve only been in “CX” officially for the past three and a half years; however, the more I’ve gotten into CX, the more I realized that I have always been in a role to serve customers. Regardless of my roles in construction, retail, non-profits, fundraising, IT, and now at VDS as the Director of Contact Center solutions, it was (is) my role to serve my customer. I just didn’t know it was called CX.

Online commerce was booming in 2020, and so did consumer reviews. – How can brands better utilize this data to improve their customers’ experience?  

Data is the key to improving the Customers Experience. Every company wants to have 5-star reviews, but you cannot learn and change when every customer is telling you how awesome you are. Data provide your company to learn what the customer is saying and not saying. Brands can better utilize data by bringing it all together because if every department has its own information about the customer, it isn’t the customer’s holistic view.

Nick’s tips for personalization

What tips do you have for companies that want to improve their personalization strategies?

Personalization can mean a lot of things, but personalization to me as a customer is a company who truly understands my preferred channel, past interactions, habits, and needs (current and future). It is the feeling like Nick and not a number.

Do you think personalization and customer-centricity are going to become increasingly more relevant in the coming year? How so?

100%. Studies have shown customer experience will become more important than product and price. If you at not meeting or exceeding your customers’ needs, they will begin to stop complaining and just leave for your competition. I love the Albert Einstein quote that says, “The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them.” The organization that is unwilling to change will either fall behind or no longer exist.

Social media pages have become crucial for companies in most industries, especially in eCommerce. What’s the most common mistake you see in a company’s social media strategy?

The biggest mistake I see is companies are not monitoring their social and/or not handling it well. It doesn’t matter if you are a Fortune 50 or a start-up; if you have a social media presence, you need to have someone or a department own it.  The worst thing could happen if one of your customers is unsatisfied with your product or service, they no longer tell their friends and family, but instead, they complain to their 5,000 closest friends. If your company doesn’t have a plan to acknowledge the complaint at the initial strike, the result could be deadly; you could suffer long-term consequences.

What’s the most insightful book you read in 2020?

They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan. It is a marketing strategy book, but it also addresses how to build trust with buyers and how to transform your current customer base into loyal brand advocates for your company. I highly recommend it!

It looks like working from home is going to stay with us for the foreseeable future. How should Executives gear up to the changing times?

You will not have a one size fits all approach to your employees when it comes to working from home vs. in the office, especially if your organizations are national or even international. Executives should offer options to their employees to flex as needed, as long as they get their work done because there needs to be a work-life balance. Trust your employees until they prove you otherwise; don’t micromanage them just because you can’t “see” them.

Last, make time for the “water cooler” moments, whether it is five minutes before a meeting or even a virtual happy hour. Take care of your employees, and they will take care of your customers.

Last but not least, what is your favorite CX metric?
I enjoy a lot of metrics, but it all depends on what you are trying to solve. Regardless of what metric you choose, do something with it. Don’t just observe the CSAT, NPS, CES, or FCR, but make sure you also as the WHY behind your questions, and then align your metrics to business objectives and then take action.

About Nick

Nick Glimsdahl, a Director of Contact Center Solutions at VDS, besides that Nick also hosts a bi-weekly customer service and customer experience podcast, Press 1 for Nick. The podcast is both educational and engaging, and each episode offers listeners a dynamic blend of insightful stories, best practices, and invaluable lessons. Listen to an episode here.

About the author

Efrat Vulfsons
Efrat Vulfsonshttps://www.prsoprano.com/
Efrat Vulfsons is the CEO & Co-Founder of PR Soprano and the editor of CXBuzz parallel to her soprano opera singing career. Efrat holds a B.F.A from the Jerusalem Music Academy in Opera Performance.

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