Hi Star, tell us about yourself and your background.
I have been fortunate to work my entire professional career in tech start-ups. I am currently at my 5th tech start-up, where I continue to do what I absolutely love: building teams with purpose. I have worked every function after the initial sale and loved every element of it. I feel honored to have built three CS organizations and two from scratch, and boy did I learn a lot. When I am not working, I am grabbing my shoes and exploring new places on foot.
What is the biggest misunderstanding about customer experience, in your opinion?
Just one, eh? Hmm, I think the biggest misunderstanding is that Customer Success and Customer Experience are the same. Customer Success is all about the value they are getting from the platform, and the experience is all about how they feel and perceive the product.
What are some of the newer CX companies/solutions you’re keeping your eyes on right now?
- Qualtrics
- Medallia
- Acoustic
What can companies do to improve customer loyalty and retention?
This might sound too simple, solve the biggest problem the customer is facing and likely why they purchased your software in the first place. Then continue to help them mature over time.
What do you think is most relevant and why: CSAT (customer satisfaction score), NPS (net promoter score), or CES (customer effort score)?
Oh, that might be hard to answer without more context. The maturity of an organization comes into play when talking about what is most relevant, in my opinion. Combining the three metrics can provide some great insight. CES is great to tell you how much friction there was for the customer to get the answer they needed. CSAT tells you how they enjoyed the experience, and NPS recommends you to someone else. The three metrics have their place; it is all about how you action the most relevant data, in my opinion.
How can companies better use social media in the era of customer-centricity and personalization?
Celebrations are a way we can better use social media. When a customer hits a key milestone, shout about it on social media (provided you have the permission, of course). I could list a few more there too.
What is your opinion on AI-based chatbots to handle customer support?
Chatbots can be a helpful tool but should never replace customer support, in my opinion. The chatbot can help customers find the answers they are looking for quickly – hopefully – and help them resolve their own answers. The chatbot can also help identify gaps you have in your documentation too.
What was the best movie you saw that has come out during this past year?
I can’t say I have seen too many movies this past year other than Hallmark movies. I would have to say Cruella.
Last but not least, what is your favorite CX metric?
I would have to say a CSAT Response rate. It is all in who is not replying that tells me the story.
