Shows
Crack the Customer CodeNew Podcast Introduction: Experience Action with Jeannie WaltersWelcome everyone to our very first episode of Experience Action! A customer experience podcast where we turn ideas into action. We hope that you are as excited to be here as Jeannie is!With over 20 years investigating the best and worst in customer experience, Jeannie Walters has heard A LOT of questions. In DMs, emails and voicemails, Jeannie has heard it all... and now she's here to give you the answers you need!So... how do we do this CX thing anyway?Join Jeannie as she gives real answers to real questions in...
2022-12-1204 min
Crack the Customer Code493: Special AnnouncementCrack the Customer Code has been with you for countless years, but all good things must end. After meticulous consideration, Jeannie and Adam have decided that the podcast will end with this season. It's been around for almost a decade, but it has become hard for both Jeannie and Adam to get enough time to serve you, the listeners, in the best way they know how. However, this is certainly not the end. Adam and Jeannie are not going anywhere; they will remain in the CX sphere, and we still have a few more episodes of Crack t...
2022-10-1113 min
Crack the Customer Code362: Bourbon Cast #2One of the comments that Adam and Jeannie receive the most about the podcast is that people like the banter, the personal stories and the fun! We thought the customer experience and customer service wisdom was the draw. Nope! It’s when Adam and Jeannie mess around! So they’ve decided that once a quarter, unless we get hate mail, they’re going to do a Bourbon Summit, in honor of the story that some of you may know, in which bourbon played a huge part in the birth of the podcast itself! As well as dis...
2019-03-2626 min
Crack the Customer Code358: Customer Service Blueprinting: Jeannie's New CourseJeannie and Adam discuss how to use Customer Service Blueprinting to optimize all the working parts of your overall customer experience, and how Jeannie can train you on this amazing skill today! Fine-tune your customer experience delivery with customer service blueprinting We’ve talked a lot about customer journey mapping and other amazing tools on this show, so it’s time to talk about the next tool in your customer experience toolbox: Customer Service Blueprinting. Taking stock of your behind-the-scenes operations as they relate to the experience delivered is a powerful way to unde...
2019-02-2614 min
Crack the Customer Code356: Will Chatbots Be Everywhere?Adam and Jeannie discuss the rapid evolution of chatbots across industries and how to make the best decisions around existing and emerging chatbot technology. Chatbots are the new black Chatbots are taking the world by storm! They’ve made their way into foodservice, retail, SaaS, and more. Typically, we catch on pretty fast when interacting with a chatbot. But with Artificial Intelligence making leaps and bounds every day, that could be changing soon! “Our human assets are only as good as the intelligence and the information they have.” -Adam Toporek And it won...
2019-02-1215 min
Crack the Customer Code352: Keeping Knowledge When Superstars LeaveAdam and Jeannie discuss how to prevent valuable knowledge from leaving your company along with superstar employees who are ready to move on. Employee turnover is at an all-time high, so there’s lots of advice out there (and in previous episodes of Crack the Customer Code!) about how to keep employees happy and motivated. But whether you like it or not, some of your best people will still leave you. It’s frustrating and sometimes heartbreaking when your superstars resign, but the financial cost of employee turnover can be staggering. In fact, when an empl...
2019-01-1516 min
Crack the Customer Code350: New Year's ResolutionsAdam and Jeannie kick off 2019 with some of the best resolutions you can make to continuously improve customer experience and customer service all year long. Are you ready to kick off a customer-focused new year? We made it to 2019. Yippee! We had a long, much-needed break, but we’re so glad to be back. And what better way is there to start the new year than to make meaningful resolutions? Perhaps you’ve already made your resolutions about eating healthier and actually using that gym membership, but we’re here to talk about improv...
2019-01-0416 min
Crack the Customer Code346: Smaller Bathrooms and Premium Seating: Talking Airline Customer ExperienceJeannie and Adam riff not only on the current state of airline customer experience, but how some airlines are working (or not working) to consider the experience as part of their value proposition. Let's talk about the airline customer experience Our hosts spend LOTS of time on airplanes, so they can’t help but keep an eye on the industry and make observations about the experiences delivered. But even if you don’t travel as much as Adam and Jeannie, the travel industry is loaded with examples of how customer experience is becoming very...
2018-11-1420 min
Crack the Customer Code341: Is Word of Mouse Getting Less Important? Adam and Jeannie discuss the apparent decline in trust of Word of Mouse and how businesses and consumers are navigating the misinformation associated with online reviews. Navigating the new Word of Mouse Positive word of mouth can be very powerful in driving sales and forging loyalty. But because marketers know this, review sites and forums are becoming rife with fake reviews. For example, it’s been said recently that up to one-third of reviews on TripAdvisor are fake. “People are more and more suspect of fake reviews.” -Adam Toporek However, it’s not just TripAdvisor we’re talking about here. Ther...
2018-10-0917 min
Crack the Customer Code337: Is Chat Better than Phone for Customer Service?Adam and Jeannie explore the decline of people using the phone for customer service and how to know if chat is better for you and your customers. Why is chat better than phone for some customers? We all know calling a company for customer service is typically time-consuming and frustrating. So with text-based service options like chat becoming more available, many of us are opting not to pick up the phone. “We all have been trained to not pick up the phone…” -Jeannie Walters But is this really better? While chat offers...
2018-09-1119 min
Crack the Customer Code335: Do You have a Purchase or Usage Brand?Adam and Jeannie discuss the core distinctions between a purchase brand and a usage brand and how that translates to better customer experiences, and ultimately, greater long-term success. Your customer’s journey is not what you think it is It’s one thing to sell a product or service then call it a success and move on to the next customer... But it’s another thing to continue building a mutually rewarding relationship with that first customer. As it turns out, engaging, educating and celebrating existing customers leads to increased loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. “How...
2018-08-2816 min
Crack the Customer Code333: Don't Make Assumptions About Your Customer's JourneyLive from the National Speakers Association’s Influence 2018 conference, Adam and Jeannie take the mic (and camera!) to make 2 strong cases for mapping your customer’s journey more thoroughly. Your customer’s journey is not what you think it is Too often, brands elect not to map the entire customer journey because they think they know all about what happens. Unfortunately, this sense of understanding is typically based on assumptions around the ideal journey, not the actual experience. As a result, customers experience unnecessary friction, frustration, and broken promises. “If someone makes me...
2018-08-1407 min
Crack the Customer Code331: There’s No One Way to Do Customer ExperienceJeannie and Adam report live from the National Speakers Association’s Influence 2018 conference to discuss what it means to do customer experience right. What’s the best way to “do” customer experience? We get this question a lot! In fact, our hosts recently attended the National Speakers Association (NSA) Influence 2018 conference in Dallas, TX, and several of the amazing speakers approached them to ask this same question. “When we introduce this idea of #CX, people ask ‘what does that mean?’ or ‘how do you start?’” -Jeannie Walters Being away from their studios...
2018-07-3104 min
Crack the Customer Code328: Customer Service Phrases that Are a ProblemAdam and Jeannie offer customer-centric alternatives to common customer service phrases that seem innocent but tend to trigger negative emotions. Are these customer service phrases causing unnecessary friction? Communication can be difficult, especially in customer service situations. But we know this, so we try hard to maintain a positive tone for customers. However, there are many words and phrases we hear in customer service situations that may not always be interpreted the way we expect. “Some of these phrases really are hot buttons for people!” -Adam Toporek When you stop to thin...
2018-07-1016 min
Crack the Customer Code326: Succeeding with Difficult CustomersAdam and Jeannie share tips and insights around succeeding with, rather than just dealing with, difficult customers. Plus, we’re introducing Adam’s new course to help you become a pro at this! If you're dealing with difficult customers, that's your first mistake. Dealing with difficult customers properly has always been one of the biggest challenges customer service teams face. In fact, it’s a sensitive issue that vexes leaders and employees throughout many organizations. “This is the area that I see everyone struggle with, from the front lines to the c-suite…” -AdamToporek But wha...
2018-06-2617 min
Crack the Customer Code322: Rise of the Service MachinesAdam and Jeannie discuss facts and insights around emerging customer service tech in the retail and foodservice industries. The service machines are coming to get us! They really are! But maybe it’s not such a bad thing if those machines coming to get us really, well, “get us.” Jeannie and Adam have recently found facts and evidence that new service tech is about to take us by storm. In fact, devices like self-service touchscreen ordering kiosks are popping up all over the place, and that’s just the beginning. “We’re creating o...
2018-05-2918 min
Crack the Customer Code316: Can Toys R Us Survive?Adam and Jeannie discuss the looming demise of Toys R Us and how a focus on customer experience innovation could make all the difference. Toys R Us succumbs to innovative retail experiences Whether you were a child, glaring in wonder at the aisles and aisles of toys, or an adult achieving hero status by scoring the hottest toy at a discount on Black Friday, who doesn’t have fond memories about Toys R Us? Unfortunately, memories may soon be all that’s left, as Toys R Us is on the brink of closing thei...
2018-04-1717 min
Crack the Customer Code314: The Power of Empowerment: What I Wish I KnewAdam Toporek reveals how lack of employee empowerment creates unnecessary challenges for growing businesses and shares how you can empower your staff to deliver better experiences. Empowerment is power! When you were starting out as a business leader, what would have given you more power to succeed? What do you wish you had known then? Adam was recently asked a similar question in an interview, and it has inspired him to share some tips about employee empowerment. You see, Adam started his business in the era of “command and control,” long before employee empo...
2018-04-0306 min
Crack the Customer Code313: Is AmazonGo the Future?Adam and Jeannie discuss the innovative approach of AmazonGo and how it may foreverchange the retail customer experience. Will AmazonGo change retail forever? Have you heard of AmazonGo? It’s an amazing new prototype store for Amazon shoppers in Seattle, Washington. But being an Amazon store is not the what makes it different. Through an intricate system of cameras, a rotating stock and a special footprint, AmazonGo shoppers can pick up what they want and leave without going through a checkout. “If you don't have to stand in a line at #AmazonGo...it's a wi...
2018-03-2723 min
Crack the Customer Code307: It’s Not My Job, AdamSomething important needs to be done and employees say, “It’s not my job!” This happens a lot! In this episode, Jeannie and Adam explore why this happens and how to fix it. “It’s not my job!” Chances are, you’ve heard this refrain from employees when asked to step outside the confines of their job description. And while responsibility creep and role creep are very real issues employees may need to watch out for, it becomes a problem when your team isn’t willing to pitch in for the greater good. This becomes an...
2018-02-1313 min
Crack the Customer Codecustomer, experience, service, training, retail, commerce, business, leadership, strategy, cultureJeannie and Adam discuss ways to inform your team and keep them motivated through the retail apocalypse. Retail apocalypse: Who thinks the end is nigh? Rumor has it we’re in the Retail Apocalypse…have you heard of this? With increased competition and ever-increasing customer expectations, the evidence is all around us. The internet is all abuzz with what this means for businesses on the macro level, but what about the actual people in your organization? Your employees see the evidence too. Stress is at an all-time high for many retailers, and that stre...
2018-01-3015 min
Crack the Customer Code299: Operationalizing New ChannelsAdam and Jeannie share tips for making new channels a seamless part of the overall customer experience from the inside out. Working new channels into your DNA Customers are engaging with brands on more channels that ever before. It’s staggering how quickly a new channel can change the way customers buy, engage, and just live their lives. As a result, smart leaders put a lot into developing those channels quickly to have a presence wherever heir customers are. But in the age of smart watches and virtual assistants, it's a tall order! And who kn...
2017-12-0715 min
Crack the Customer Code297: How to Balance Promises with PerformanceAdam and Jeannie discuss how to balance your performance and resources with the promises you make to customers. Is your brand making meaningful promises? Broken promises chalk up to bad customer experiences. As a result, many brands set low expectations regarding call time, hours of operation, and many other things. On the flip side, brands need to differentiate themselves by making bold promises. And yet many create customer service nightmares and harm their brand image by making promises they can’t always keep. “If you don’t deliver, that’s a bad #custexp…” -Jeannie Wal...
2017-11-3013 min
Crack the Customer Code295: A Leader's Guide to the HolidaysJeannie and Adam share tips and ideas to make the holidays more meaningful and less stressful for customers and employees alike. A quick leadership guide for the holidays The holidays are not only about spreading extra cheer, but also about giving thanks. It's one thing to say "thank you" to customers and employees, but showing them you appreciate them is another. Does your gratitude shine through in the way you do business? This time of year is more stressful for just about everyone. So what can you do to make sure yo...
2017-11-2314 min
Crack the Customer Code293: Are Millennials Killing Your Industry?Adam and Jeannie share updated insights on what and how millennials buy and what that could mean for your industry in the future. Are millennial trends destroying your industry? We discuss millennials quite often on this podcast because new trends are developing so fast! This time, we have fascinating (and scary?) new insights because they’re reaching a new phase of adulthood. As it turns out, millennials are different in more ways than we ever imagined. And it’s not just about skinny jeans and fad diets. For instance, millennials are not buying much...
2017-11-1616 min
Crack the Customer Code285: When to Disclose Bad News to Customers?Adam and Jeannie discuss the Equifax data breach and how to decide when it’s right to disclose issues to customers. To disclose, or not to disclose? Not everything you need to tell customers is good news! Are you prepared to deliver the bad news when the time is right? Take the recent Equifax data breach, where it was months before customers became aware of the problem. As you may know, the news caused quite a panic! Why did Equifax withhold the information for so long, and why did they release it when they did?...
2017-10-1913 min
Crack the Customer Code282: Stephen Shapiro, Innovating Customer ExperienceAdam and Jeannie interview Master of Innovation Stephen Shapiro for a better approach to innovating customer experience and more. A better approach at innovating customer experience Customer needs and expectations change, so it stands to reason that we must continue innovating customer experience. However, too many companies have the wrong idea about what innovation is and how to get game-changing ideas! “People have a confused notion of what innovation is…” -Stephen Shapiro The best innovations solve a problem, and we get there by asking the right questions. But it’s not just wha...
2017-10-1130 min
Crack the Customer Code281: CX Clichés and Overused ExamplesJeannie and Adam break down some common CX clichés and unoriginal thoughts that stifle truly customer-centric thinking and doing. Are CX clichés hampering your progress? For those situations when you couldn’t have said it better yourself, we have clichés. And while they sometimes represent "a fundamental truth” as Adam says, but sometimes these clichés are used as an excuse not to think deeply say what really matters. Sadly, in the customer experience space, we hear a lot of them. “It can become a form of generalization that doesn’t apply, tha...
2017-10-0513 min
Crack the Customer Code279: Is Efficient Customer Service Best?Jeannie and Adam question the meaning of efficiency and uncover hidden and unnecessary challenges to providing efficient customer service. The hidden challenges of efficient customer service When we think of efficient customer service, the emphasis is typically on what’s happening at the front lines. Then we look at things like “time on call” and other specific metrics to gauge efficiency. However, there are many other factors that play into front-line efficiency, and how they affect the actual experience is not always straightforward. So what we see as efficient from our perspective may not be...
2017-09-2813 min
Crack the Customer Code273: (Tip) What Is a Moment of Truth?Adam and Jeannie share tips for defining, finding and optimizing every moment of truth within your customer journey. What exactly is a moment of truth? While every touchpoint in your customer journey deserves attention, some are more critical than others. In short, a moment of truth is a critical touchpoint that can drive your customer to the next level, or chase them away. “Not every piece of the customer experience is AS important…” -Adam Toporek And you may think you already know where these moments of truth are, but that’s how many...
2017-09-0705 min
Crack the Customer Code271: Take It To the Top – Tesla’s New StrategyJeannie and Adam discuss the pros and cons of Tesla’s new strategy for escalating customer service issues. Escalating customer service: Can Tesla’s new strategy work for you? Customers demanding that a service issue or complaint be escalated is often the worst nightmare both for front-line staff and their leaders. While service agents aren’t anxious to admit they couldn’t make the customer happy on their own, team leads and are typically not happy or prepared to take those calls! Now imagine if those calls went straight to the c-suite… “… thing...
2017-08-3116 min
Crack the Customer Code269: We’re ListeningAdam and Jeannie announce exciting changes to our show inspired by feedback from our our fans, friends and listeners. We’re listening to you too! We’d like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for listening, but we want you to know we’re listening too! We thrive on your feedback to continue making Crack the Customer Code better and better, and we get many great ideas from you. As a result, we’ve seen some common themes in what our listeners think would improve the show. Today we’re ann...
2017-08-2406 min
Crack the Customer Code268: Microchipping EmployeesJeannie and Adam discuss microchipping employees with RFID devices and how this tech may affect culture and the customer experience. Microchipping employees RFID tags are everywhere, from the microchips that help deter theft in retail settings to those that help us locate lost pets. But employers are taking this technology to another level by microchipping employees. And although it’s a voluntary procedure (for now?) many employees are opting in for the conveniences that come with having this tiny bundle of circuits injected beneath the skin. “We exchange convenience for privacy all the time...
2017-08-2115 min
Crack the Customer Code265: (Tip) Chatbots and HumansJeannie and Adam share research and expert tips for getting chatbots and humans to work together in harmony. Are chatbots and humans working well together? Chatbots are here to stay, and new research says we love them! However, we have a long way to go before they can fully operate on their own. For instance, bots are great for answering simple questions, but real humans do need to step in to answer the tough ones. “Not all chatbots are created equal not are all humans.” -Adam Toporek Even the best chatbots can...
2017-08-1411 min
Crack the Customer Code264: (Tip) Mobile PotentialAdam and Jeannie share tips to unlock your full mobile potential and deliver what customers need most in the moment. What’s your mobile potential? We talk about mobile a lot on this show, but that’s because capabilities and expectations are always changing! Are you keeping up? Because there are many ways to leverage mobile technology to make it easier to do business with you. “Ask yourself, ‘What does a customer really want via mobile?’” -Jeannie Walters There are many ways mobile can be used to create a more rewarding, seamless and...
2017-08-1011 min
Crack the Customer Code262: Ecommerce Still Not Getting It RightAdam and Jeannie explore recent research about prevailing ecommerce experience pet peeves and offer creative solutions. How does your ecommerce experience stack up? Ecommerce experiences have come a long way since the 90’s, but recent research shows that we still have a long way to go. Customers are still having problems with navigation, personalization, functionality, and just plain poor user experiences. “It’s still not really about the customer at the end of the day…” -Jeannie Walters After great leaps in technology and design, would you believe some of the same pet peeves...
2017-08-0710 min
Crack the Customer Code260: Julie Ann Sullivan, Employee AttitudesJeannie and Adam interview podcaster and employee attitudes expert Julie Ann Sullivan live from the NSA Influence 2017 conference. Employee attitudes vs overall success While you may have a solid business strategy and great employees, you may still struggle with engaging your workforce to deliver the best experiences possible. Do your employees WANT to come to work? Even more important: Is their attitude conducive to a healthy and engaging culture? Because policies and and skill sets aside, a healthy attitude is critical to success in business. “What’s happening with the attitude of their workf...
2017-08-0120 min
Crack the Customer Code258: (Tip) Making Sure Your Team Knows Their Goals Adam and Jeannie share tips for helping employees understand, align, and stay motivated to achieve goals. You’re setting goals, but are they setting in? Everyone sets goals to drive their business forward… But teams, departments, and the individuals within them have goals of their own. Keeping all those smaller goals in tune with the greater mission of an organization is challenging! “We are what we focus on.” -Adam Toporek It’s critical to make sure employees understand what their mission is and what their specific goals have to do with company-wide...
2017-07-2708 min
Crack the Customer Code256: How Not to Hire Idiots When You're DesperateJeannie and Adam know how difficult it is to hire right. Often, organizations feel tremendous pressure to fill open roles, and too often, these rushed hires are poor hires. In this episode, Jeannie and Adam share tips for hiring well you're under the gun. One way to maintain hiring standards when you don't have time is to compress the hiring process. Make sure to not short the process by eliminating steps but to find a way to execute the full hiring process in a shortened window. Check out the full episode for Adam a...
2017-07-2411 min
Crack the Customer Code253: (Tip) Situational Awareness in Customer ServiceJeannie and Adam report live from the National Speakers Association’s Influence 2017 conference to discuss the power of situational awareness in customer service. Employees aren't really empowered without situational awareness Are your employees empowered to provide consistently great customer service, no matter what? Giving employees the freedom to act off-script is great, but without situational awareness, that power is not being utilized to its fullest. “You want to proactively anticipate CS issues and head them off.” -@Adam Toporek Being aware of situations that happen outside of the normal customer journey, or bey...
2017-07-1707 min
Crack the Customer Code251: (Tip) 3 OTHER Customer SegmentsJeannie and Adam explore critical customer segments that typically get ignored when designing customer experiences. Are you overlooking critical customer segments? Creating customer segments is a great way to help deliver an easier, more personalized, and more relevant experience for different groups of customers. But in many cases – especially in B2B – the customer journey is much more complex than it seems, and simplifying it is not always an option. Those moving through your customer journey are not the only people to consider when designing experiences. People who never interact directly with your bran...
2017-07-1107 min
Crack the Customer Code249: How Customer Service Training Goes WrongAdam and Jeannie discuss several ways customer service training goes wrong, how that impacts the customer experience, and what you can do to fix it. Customer service training done right Companies talk or even brag a lot about the ways they train, mentor, and educate their employees. But for all their efforts, many of them are still doing it wrong. It’s easy for leaders to think that dedicating the right amount of time and resources ensures all the right ground is covered... so please don’t fall into this trap! “Great intentions do not...
2017-07-0611 min
Crack the Customer Code248: (Tip) 3 Moments of TruthAdam and Jeannie explore some universal customer tipping points, or moments of truth in the customer journey, for you to examine today. 3 Powerful moments of truth in every customer journey Where are your customers when they decide whether to stay on board or jump ship? When do they decide to explore your competition instead of becoming loyal or advocating for your brand? These are powerful moments of truth, and every customer journey is filled with them. “Any journey has that moment of truth as a point of decision-making.” -Jeannie Walters While you...
2017-07-0407 min
Crack the Customer Code243: How Corporate Myths Hurt CustomersAdam and Jeannie explore how corporate myths affect culture and customer experience, ways to identify them, and what you can do to set things straight. Corporate myths create bad experiences for your customers. It may sound silly, but organizations and the teams within have their own corporate myths and legends. We’re not talking about inside jokes like the goblin that lives inside the copy machine. Employees accept corporate myths as truths and perpetuate them in ways that cause problems internally until they harm the customer experience. “If this one person belie...
2017-06-2212 min
Crack the Customer Code239: Customer Survey MistakesAdam and Jeannie share common customer survey mistakes and how to avoid them to get thoughtful responses. Losing our way with customer survey mistakes Customer surveys are great for getting the feedback we need, learning how to improve our experiences, or finding out where we need to invest. Recent studies show that most customers ignore surveys, most of those who do fill them out don’t do so thoughtfully, and many who start surveys never finish them. And the survey feedback we DO get? It’s only from the customers who felt very stro...
2017-06-1315 min
Crack the Customer Code236: (Tip) Customer Experience SprintsAdam and Jeannie share 3 powerful ideas to make quick progress with customer experience sprints. Streamline your goals with customer experience sprints Have you heard of business sprints? The idea is to put most long-term goals aside, then focus exclusively on one goal for a predetermined period. This concept has been taking off lately in business and in government, because it works! Sprints are a great way to bring departments together to work for a common goal, and get results quickly. Set your calendar for 30, 60, or 90 days, and nip one of those goals in...
2017-06-0607 min
Crack the Customer Code234: Tips for Customer Service BotsAre you using customer service bots? So much can go wrong! With Adam and Jeannie to help, you can use them to save time AND deliver better experiences. Customer service bots create customer service nots! If you’ve been a regular listener, then you know that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay. (Check the related content below to catch up!) One way AI has already entered our daily lives is through customer service bots, or chatbots. Though they’ve recently made some great leaps and actually become helpful, these bots are still desi...
2017-06-0108 min
Crack the Customer Code232: Negative Emotions Have a Bigger Impact on CXAdam and Jeannie discuss neuroscience and new study data to better understand the emotional impact on CX. Understanding your impact on CX We hate to be a downer, but improving customer experience isn’t all about thinking positive. As you push forward, adding moments of delight to the customer journey, are you paying enough attention to those tiny pain points? “As leaders, we have to take the rose-colored glasses off.” -Jeannie Walters A new study from InMoment reveals that negative emotions last longer than positive ones, so those tiny negative moments domina...
2017-05-2914 min
Crack the Customer Code231: (Tip) Undercover BossesJeannie attacks customer experience lip service head-on with tips for turning customer-centricity into action. Undercover bosses in the real world Are you familiar with the CBS television show Undercover Boss? CEOs literally go undercover as employees to discover broken rules and processes, workplace culture issues, and more. (Can you tell why we love this?) “Culture in customer experience has to be bought in at the top.” -Adam Toporek While it’s important for leaders to understand what’s going on behind the scenes, you may not be able to go incognito amongst y...
2017-05-2506 min
Crack the Customer Code228: (Tip) All Customers want These ThingsAdam and Jeannie share three things all customers want from the experience, regardless of what they do or do not ask for. What do customers want from your experience? All customers are different, have different goals, and may run into different issues through their journey. We’ve talked about many great ways to find out what customers want, including social listening, co-creation sessions, and different feedback mechanisms. These are all great ways to uncover opportunities to innovate around their needs. What are those things customers may not be asking for, but still want? -J...
2017-05-1804 min
Crack the Customer Code226: Let's Talk About Airline Customer ServiceAdam and Jeannie share some lessons we can all learn from recent airline customer service disasters. What can we learn from airline customer service? There’s been so much in the news about airline customer service, it’s time we talk about it here on Crack the Customer Code! Including, but not limited to the customer who was dragged off his United flight, we’re not sure any airline has been left unscathed. “This was so visceral that I think people did respond in a very emotional way.” - Jeannie Walters It’s not ne...
2017-05-1518 min
Crack the Customer Code225: (Tip) Signs of CX SuccessAdam and Jeannie share tips for gauging your organization’s CX success. If you’re joining us today, your organization is either customer-focused or taking steps to deliver a better overall experience in the future. But there’s no universal road map, itinerary or outline to get you to true customer-centricity. And while they are certainly a part of it, CX success is about much more than simply eliminating bad experiences, creating better ones, and sprinkling in a few moments of delight. It’s not about creating a catchy mission statement and repeating mantras like “our custom...
2017-05-1106 min
Crack the Customer Code222: (Tip) Instilling Culture Throughout the OrganizationAdam and Jeannie report from Medallia’s Experience-17 conference to discuss common challenges and benefits of instilling culture throughout organizations. Instilling culture throughout big brands Creating or shifting culture is not easy in any company, and in larger organizations, it’s an enormous feat. But as we’ve learned from amazing sessions at the Experience-2017 conference, (for which Adam and Jeannie were provided tickets by Medallia,) this is changing! "Changing the organization to be better for customers is a huge culture shift." - Jeannie Walters Big brands like Delta, Comcast and more, ar...
2017-05-0405 min
Crack the Customer Code219: (Tip) Consistency Across Multiple BrandsAdam and Jeannie report from Medallia’s Experience-17 conference to bring you insights from MGM’s outstanding multi-brand consistency. Multi-brand consistency creates multi-brand loyalty We talk a lot about how to close the gaps between the experiences we offer, but what about the experience gaps we create between connected brands? Each brand may consistently deliver an excellent experience on it own, and that’s great! However, brands like MGM have achieved amazing results from creating consistency across multiple brands. And, thanks to Medallia for providing tickets to Experience-17, Adam and Jeannie are delighted to brin...
2017-04-2705 min
Crack the Customer Code216: The Right Way to ComplainAdam and Jeannie discuss how to get the best results when you complain as a customer. What do you gain when you complain? We talk a lot about how to handle customer complaints, but we’re switching it up a bit today! We’ve all had those experiences that leave us so steamed, we just want to unload a verbal clip on the next employee who comes our way. But there’s a big difference between getting actual support and just getting your way from service reps, managers and supervisors. Though most of...
2017-04-2012 min
Crack the Customer Code213: (Tip) Customer Experience ROI TipsAdam and Jeannie share simple but effective tips for calculating customer experience ROI. The elusive customer experience ROI Calculating the return on any investment can be challenging. And when it comes to the ROI of customer experience, many leaders don’t know where to start. It’s not easy to put a numeric value on the intangible results of a customer experience initiative, but it is possible! “If you churn, your profits burn!” -Adam Toporek How do you know if your investment is paying off- for your organization and your customers? There are...
2017-04-1306 min
Crack the Customer Code210: (Tip) Educating Customers on ProductsAdam and Jeannie share tips for educating customers to increase customer success and reduce support issues. Educated customers are return customers! Have you ever been really excited to try a new product or service, then realized it’s way more complicated than you expected? (For those of us working in the digital world, that can be a daily conundrum!) No matter how useful and robust your product or service is, customers are not likely to make the next purchase, upgrade or renewal if they find it confusing. And while FAQ’s and help desk...
2017-04-0606 min
Crack the Customer Code208: Can You Predict Customer Behavior?Adam and Jeannie share unconventional but powerful ways to predict customer behavior. Can you predict customer behavior? We often look to past behavior to predict customer behavior for the future. However, we often have little past behavior to build from. Can we predict the behavior of new or future customers? The short answer is yes… “Past behavior is no indication of future behavior…or, is it?”- Adam Toporek One way to do this is with predictive analytics. But unless you’re a huge company, predictive analytics is not yet economically feasible...
2017-04-0313 min
Crack the Customer Code207: (Tip) How to Turn Away CustomersAdam and Jeannie share tips and best practices for when you need to turn away customers for the greater good. Have you ever had to turn away customers? Maybe there was a time you really should have! When you’re over capacity or getting dangerously close, the obvious reaction is to think about scaling up and hiring more people. However, these things can take time. So what do you do in the meantime? This is something most of us don’t want to think about, but sometimes it’s just necessary to turn away c...
2017-03-3005 min
Crack the Customer Code202: Customer Service TechAdam and Jeannie look at customer service tech from the past, present and future to help you take the risks out of upgrading. Customer service tech: Helpful or harmful? Businesses of all kinds are implementing artificial intelligence and other cutting edge technology to make customer service faster, more accurate, and more efficient. Customer service tech has taken some great leaps, but is it taking over completely? Not so fast! From chat bots to supermarket self-checkouts and beyond, customer service tech has taken quite a bit of the human element from some of our...
2017-03-2012 min
Crack the Customer Code197: (Tip) Using Customer PersonasGet amazing insights from customer personas by creating and using them better with expert tips from Adam and Jeannie. Getting the most from customer personas Customer personas are typically used as a heuristic to understand customers in a sales funnel. But did you know good ones can help you understand customers throughout the entire journey? There are many great uses beyond the sales phase, if you’re creating and using them properly. “A good #persona is a deep one.” -Jeannie Walters But before you fall in love with the idea of using...
2017-03-0708 min
Crack the Customer Code196: Innovating with CustomersAdam and Jeannie discuss ways of innovating with customers to deliver the experiences they need the most. Are you innovating with customers? When we think of innovation, we generally think of huge product launches and paradigm-shifting technology that gets a lot of attention. We rarely think this way about smaller changes in things we’re already offering. But small changes can have a profound effect on the true experience delivered, and your customers are crying for them. Are you listening? “Not everyone is Steve Jobs," says Adam. "We remember his successes, we don’t reme...
2017-03-0615 min
Crack the Customer Code194: (Tip) Taking Negative Interactions PersonallyAdam and Jeannie share quick tips and a little neuroscience to keep negative interactions from causing poor service and employee burnout. Are your agents emotionally trained to handle negative interactions? From dealing bad tempers to outbursts and emotional meltdowns, our customer-facing employees see the worst in people – sometimes daily. It’s a natural human reaction to take on some of the negative emotions we’re exposed to. For employees, that could lead to lashing out at customers, taking it out on co-workers, and general burnout. And many other issues can stem from employees just b...
2017-02-2806 min
Crack the Customer Code191: (Tip) Outsourcing Customer ServiceAdam and Jeannie share tips for outsourcing customer service without outsourcing your integrity and values. Outsourcing customer service Outsourcing has an ambiguous reputation, often being mentioned in negative context. But whether your company needs to scale quickly or has cost restrictions, sometimes outsourcing customer service just makes sense. How do you connect with an outsourcing partner that delivers the right experience to your customers? Can you make sure your customers are receiving the level of service and care you envision? Putting customer service in someone else’s hands is one thing, bu...
2017-02-2105 min
Crack the Customer Code190: Social Media with ColleaguesAdam and Jeannie share facts and stories to help you decide how and when to engage on social media with colleagues and customers. Social media with colleagues Are you Facebook friends with co-workers? What about clients, or your boss? Should you be? Some companies have rules against it, while others encourage or expect it. But in many cases, it’s left up to the individual to decide. So, what is your policy for social media with colleagues? Whether you’re trying to develop a policy for yourself or for your employees, ther...
2017-02-2019 min
Crack the Customer Code188: (Tip) Show Your Customers The LoveIn this special Valentine's Day edition, Adam and Jeannie share simple ways you can show your customers the love! Show customers some love! If you’re listening today, that must mean you love your customers. Where would you be without them!? A great experience may be baked into your processes, but how about going beyond the usual routine to show your customers the love? Today, Adam and Jeannie have some great tips for surprising customers with a little extra something to show your appreciation. Don’t underestimate the power of these little things you...
2017-02-1406 min
Crack the Customer Code184: (Tip) Warming Up Cold CallsAdam and Jeannie share helpful tips for quickly turning cold calls into opportunities to spark meaningful relationships. Cold calls: Must they be so cold!? Sometimes making cold calls is still necessary. The idea is usually to start a new relationship, but it can be difficult to start anything this way! It doesn’t have to be so hard, and your reps don’t have to strike out so often. A slightly better understanding of the customer journey can make an amazing difference. If you take just a moment before each call, there ar...
2017-02-0704 min
Crack the Customer Code181: (Tip) Handling Outrageous Customer DemandsAdam and Jeannie discuss tips for dealing with outrageous customer demands the right way. I’m sorry, you want what? When!? People are sometimes just irrational… Or, are they? Sooner or later, you’ll eventually be faced with outrageous customer demands. Emotions can run on overdrive in these situations, so it's important to keep yours in check while staying sensitive to your customer's! How do you handle these situations without losing your cool, or without losing a customer? If you haven’t already, soon you will have a situation where it seems impossible to deliv...
2017-01-3104 min
Crack the Customer Code178: (Tip) Non-Financial Employee IncentivesAdam and Jeannie share tips for creating employee incentives that don't break the bank. No budget for employee incentives? You have great employees who need to feel rewarded, but don’t necessarily have a budget for bonuses and pay increases. If you don't do something, engagement and morale could start slipping any time. We have good news for you: Your hands are not tied! What motivates a rock star employee, anyway? Though bonuses and raises certainly do help, it’s not just about the money! There are plenty of ways to make employees feel rec...
2017-01-2405 min
Crack the Customer Code177: The ROI of Customer ExperienceAdam and Jeannie share tips for calculating the ROI of customer experience improvement in your organization. Show us the numbers! Convincing executives to invest in customer experience improvement can be tricky, and you may need some convincing yourself. Is it really worth it? How can you predict the ROI of customer experience for your organization? Today we have tips to not only help you calculate the ROI of investing, but also calculate the loss of not investing. You can use the data you already have to get the answers executives are looking for.
2017-01-2306 min
Crack the Customer Code175: (Tip) How Business Schools Can Add Customer ExperienceAdam and Jeannie are Champions from the customer-centric school of Hard Knocks, and they’re sharing a few things that are missing from the typical curriculum at business schools. What’s missing from business schools? Business schools traditionally do not teach us how to become customer-centric in the real world, so many of today’s business leaders like Adam and Jeannie have had to combine business training, years of real-life experience, and their own tireless research to learn this the hard way. If you’re joining us today, you know your customer service and over...
2017-01-1705 min
Crack the Customer Code172: (Tip) Personalizing the Customer ExperienceAdam and Jeannie share a few valuable tips about personalizing the customer experience. Taking the experience personally With so many great ways to access and leverage customer data, companies are getting creative about personalizing the customer experience. But do customers really want to be where everyone (and every thing) knows their name? Some companies personalize as many parts of the experience as they can, but that’s not always a good thing. Be careful! Personalizing for personalization’s sake can harm some experiences. So what should you know? Are you personalizing too...
2017-01-1003 min
Crack the Customer Code171: This Podcast in 2017Are you ready for 2017? Adam and Jeannie share some announcements about what’s coming to Crack the Customer Code this year. Announcing exciting changes for the new year! We’ve had a long holiday season, but we’re back! And to kick off the new year, we’re announcing some changes to our podcast. Don’t worry - we’re still the same podcast you know and love… but better! We’ve been listening to our fans, and we’ve decided to bring you more of what you like and some new things you've been asking for. A...
2017-01-0906 min
Crack the Customer Code170: What’s Happening NextAdam and Jeannie discuss exciting new changes to make your favorite customer-focused business podcast even better in 2017. What’s happening next for Crack the Customer Code? We’ve had an exciting year on the podcast, and we’re so thankful you’ve been listening to us twice per week. Thank you! As we head into 2017, it’s time for us to look back on the last 169 episodes to see what has worked well and maybe a few things that didn’t. You may see changes in our format, frequency, website, and images. Most importantly...
2016-11-2806 min
Crack the Customer Code139: The Role of Content in Customer ServiceLive from the National Speakers Association’s Influence 2016 conference, Adam and Jeannie discuss ways to use content in customer service and improve the overall experience. Beyond marketing: Content in customer service Sharing valuable content is now an essential part of a successful digital marketing strategy. Companies have had to pick up new skills and tools, or even create new departments to keep up. So now that we’ve got our content hats on, let’s talk about using those resources to improve the customer experience. Forward-thinking companies have used content as an alternative to sen...
2016-08-0407 min
Crack the Customer Code129: TSA Customer ServiceJeannie and Adam discuss recent issues with the TSA check-in process and how many of the customer experience nightmares that emerged around it could have been avoided. TSA Customer Service Customer service in government security… Dare we use these phrases in the same sentence? In many cases, TSA agents have done an excellent job providing good customer service while staying firm with security regulations. There are many people doing great work in the organization! However, the TSA has been in the news a lot lately due to increasing wait times and ot...
2016-06-2715 min
Crack the Customer Code127: Is Transparency Effective?Jeannie and Adam discuss transparency in business, and what it means for customers, employees and stakeholders. Seeing through the concept of transparency How much information do you really need to share, and with whom? This is an age-old conundrum, but the digital age has brought about new challenges. Transparency has become a hot buzzword in recent years, and with good reason. Customers, employees and stakeholders are demanding more information than ever before. This is especially true for millennials, and they are using the many new tools available for digging up information companies don’t o...
2016-06-2015 min
Crack the Customer Code125: How Environment Impacts ExperienceAdam and Jeannie discuss how the Cleveland Clinic uses environmental design as an integral part of the experience. Environmental design: An integral part of the experience The Cleveland clinic is world renowned as a pioneer in improving the patient experience. But aside from focusing on patient empathy and access, they are also using art and design to help create an environment that’s conducive to the experience they want to deliver. In this episode, Jeannie and Adam share observations from their visits to the Cleveland Clinic, and how they use structural and artistic ele...
2016-06-1310 min
Crack the Customer Code121: CXPA Live, Healthcare Experience ObservationsIn the third episode of a series of live reports from the CXPA Insight Exchange, Jeannie and Adam discuss new challenges and opportunities around the healthcare experience. Decoding the healthcare experience At this year’s CXPA Insight Exchange, our co-host Jeannie Walters took to the stage with Jackie McAtee to share and evaluate a personal journey through the healthcare system. But they weren’t alone! Healthcare experience was a more prevalent theme than ever at this year’s event. Leaders in the healthcare industry are realizing the experience is not just about appointments and ex...
2016-05-3007 min
Crack the Customer Code087: The Next Generation of Customer Experience LeadersAre you pursuing a customer experience leadership role? Maybe you’ve found yourself defaulted to a customer-focused role within your organization… Now what? Adam and Jeannie share expert advice for emerging leaders in the field.
What do emerging customer experience leaders need to know?
Adam and Jeannie discuss how they came into their customer experience and customer service leadership roles. Did they dream of becoming experts in these fields in their youths? We’re guessing this was not your first choice of career paths but have found yourself fascinated and excited by the idea. Or maybe y...
2016-02-0117 min
Crack the Customer Code079: 2016 Customer Experience Predictions2016 is going to be a wild but shaky ride. Hold on tight! Where’s the next hairpin turn for your organization? Adam and Jeannie have some customer experience predictions to help keep you in your seat.
Customer Experience Predictions
The landscape of customer experience improvement has changed a lot over the past year. New tech means more robust service solutions and new ways to connect with customers. Hooray!
But be warned: It’s a two-way street. Better tech also means greater expectations from customers. They will put that new tech to the test, expe...
2016-01-0414 min
Crack the Customer Code053: Preparing for Worst Case Customer ScenariosIntelligent and compassionate entrepreneurs often get caught in the magical world of the ideal customer experience. But what happens when things go wrong? Join Adam and Jeannie as they discuss how to be prepared for worst case customer scenarios.
Fewer Ruined Days
You’ve created the ideal customer experience, your business is ready to roll. Suddenly something happens: your technology fails, a child gets lost in your store, someone vomits on your roller coaster.
Do you have a plan? What do you spend your time and resources preparing for? It sounds like a de...
2015-09-2814 min
Crack the Customer Code039: Does Employee Empowerment Work?SPONSOR MESSAGE
Customer Experience is hot… but are you taking advantage of its huge potential to make your services business more prominent and profitable? Join Service Strategies for an informative Customer Experience Workshop in San Diego on October 27th. You’ll learn how to create customer success while generating profitable revenue for your services business. The workshop is part of the Service Industry Summit event, which bring together leaders from companies like Cisco, Dell and others to discuss the challenges of a changing service landscape. Visit servicestrategies.com to learn more.
Employee Empowerment: Is it a Fad or a Winni...
2015-08-1020 min
Crack the Customer Code032: Cable Customer Service and Luis Serpa
Thanks to our sponsor, Touchpoint Dashboard!
Does customer experience trump brand in acquisition?
Luis Serpa UL (Underwriter Laboratories) Principal, Digital Experience at Underwriters Laboratories
Customer Zero: The Cable Industry!
Does customer experience trump brand in acquisition?
Is customer experience more important than brands for long-term success?
A study about what’s more important, customer relationships or brands, reveals customer relationships became more important in the last decade.
Jeanni...
2015-06-2533 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 029: Insights from Top Customer Experience Pros
Thanks to our sponsor, the Customer Experience Professionals Association! Please find more details about the CXPA for individual or corporate members.
What’s the Future of Customer Experience?
Before sharing the insights gathered from the customer experience leaders at the CXPA Insight Exchange, Jeannie challenged Adam with the same questions.
What is the future of customer experience?
And why, after so many years of discussing customer experience as a priority, are so many organizations still getting it so wron...
2015-06-0424 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 026: Uber and Chicago Cabbie
Uber Disrupts and Chicago Cabbie
Uber and Lyft disrupt a long-standing and regulated industry
How Rashid Temuri, aka @chicagocabbie, has earned loyalty through providing exceptionally great service!
Rashid, Adam and Jeannie discuss big questions around safety, regulation and experience
How Did Uber and Lyft Disrupt the Long-Standing Taxi Industry?
Adam and Jeannie discuss how services like Uber have completely disrupted an entire industry. They argue how the customer service bar was too low (and sti...
2015-05-1428 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 025: Customer Journey Maps, Justin Zacks, and Amazon 2-Hour Delivery
Customer journey maps
How Citrix’s Justin Zacks uses design thinking in customer experience
How Amazon Prime Now is changing the game (again)
Customer Journey Mapping Pros and Cons
Jeannie lays out what customer journey mapping is, and Adam and Jeannie discuss the ways this important tool can be used to better understand your customers.
Asking what the customer goes through today in reality versus the ideal journey you’d like them to have can be enlightening! But creating a beautiful and compelling visual rep...
2015-05-0728 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 017: Customer Feedback, Mohamed Latib, and Progressive Insurance
In this episode…
Gathering Customer Feedback Can Be More Than Difficult Than It Seems!
Mohamed Latib, COO of PeriscopeIQ
Customer Hero? Letting Your Auto Insurer Follow You Around
Gathering Customer Feedback: Why Is It So Difficult?
There are so many ways to gather customer feedback, but do any of them work better than others?
Adam and Jeannie discuss how each organization needs to understand their goals in gathering feedback and how to best leverage the resources...
2015-03-1218 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 016: Digital Deniers, Blagica Bottigliero, and Discontinuing Products
In this episode…
Phase 2.0 of Digital Deniers: Your Customers’ Digital Lives
An Interview With Blagica Bottigliero of Metaverse Mod Squad
A Product Discontinuation Becomes a Customer Problem
Phase 2.0 of Digital Deniers: Your Customers’ Digital Lives
Are there still people who don’t believe their customers are truly digital?
Adam and Jeannie discuss how leaders need to understand their customers’ digital lives – social, mobile, etc. And how there’s no point in denying it!
2015-03-0517 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 015: Bad Customer Service, Matt Ward, and Maximizing Shareholder Value
In this episode…
When Bad Customer Service Can Still Yield Good Business Results
An Interview With Matt Ward of E&J Gallo Winery
An NFL Team Makes an Impact with One Customer
Can Bad Customer Service Still Deliver Good Business Results?
Adam and Jeannie discuss how certain industries without as much competition don’t have to deliver great customer service but may need to change that in the near future.
Discussion begins at 1:37.
2015-02-2620 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 014: Handling Pressure, Jeff Toister, and The Customer as Hero
In this episode…
Handling Pressure in Customer Service
An Interview With Jeff Toister of Toister Solutions
The Customers are the Heroes
Handling Pressure in Customer Service
Jeannie and Adam discuss why the ability to handle pressure is so important for frontline customer service reps. Jeannie tells a story of a problem flight that was handled well by the team at Southwest Air.
Adam recalls a story about his wife’s experience with a frontline rep who complete...
2015-02-1922 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 012: Millennial Consumers, Anna Bell, and NFL Customer ExperienceIn this episode…
The Millennial Customer
An Interview With Anna Bell of E&J Gallo Winery
An NFL Team Makes an Impact with One Customer
The Millennial Customer
Adam and Jeannie discuss how Millennials are different (and aren’t) and how customer experience needs to take into account some of their unique behaviors.
Discussion begins at 1:25.
Anna Bell at E&J Gallo Winery
Anna is a marketing director with E&J Gallo Winery, managing a number of spirits brands. Anna talks to Jeannie and Adam about how to manage a customer experience when you sell a product but don’t direc...
2015-02-1520 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 013: Cognitive Dissonance, Mike Wittenstein, and Meet Me at Starbucks
In this episode…
How Our Brains Work Against Us
An Interview With Mike Wittenstein of Storyminers
Meet Me at Starbucks
How Our Brains Work Against Us
Jeannie and Adam discuss why it is often hard for people to accept feedback. They explore cognitive dissonance and how it is difficult for people to accept evidence that is contrary to their beliefs.
Adam mentions that confirmation bias is a similar principle in reverse.
...
2015-02-1221 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 011: Customer Service Greatness, Mafia Hairdresser, and Not TippingIn this episode…
Should We Emulate the Service Greats?
An Interview With Jon-David aka Mafia Hairdresser
People Who Don’t Tip
Should We Emulate the Service Greats?
Jeannie and Adam discuss the service greats and if others should emulate them. Jeannie says this kind of imitation can be a false way to present your organization. Instead, she thinks an organization should follow the path service greats like Zappo’s take and evolve with the marketplace and the customer.
Listen in to hear Adam discuss how The Ritz-Carlton $2,000 principle, not the number, can be useful.
Discussion begins at 1:12.
Interview with the Ma...
2015-01-2921 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 009: Paper Bag Quotations, Rachel Happe, and Abusing Olive GardenIn this episode…
Chipotle puts quotations on cups and bags
Interview with Rachel Happe
A good Samaritan abuses the Olive Garden Pasta Pass
Chipotle’s Cup and Bag Quotations
Jeannie shares with us an interesting set of microinteractions Chipotle has invested in. She says that Chipotle has paid really good writers to write very short stories on their paper cups and paper bags.
Listen in to hear Adam and Jeannie weigh in on whether the ROI is worth the cost of the microinteraction.
Discussion begins at 1:01.
Interview with R...
2015-01-1519 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 008: Stalking the Customer, Joni Williams, and Office Space
In this episode…
Stalking the Customer
Interview with Joni Williams
Customer Hero, Customer Zero: A Tale of Office Space
Stalking the Customer
Adam shares that he has an entire chapter in his upcoming book Be Your Customer’s Hero based on the idea of being a ‘helicopter rep’.
Listen in to hear some of the tips Adam and Jeannie share to avoid stalking the customer.
Discussion begins at 1:23.
Intervi...
2015-01-1318 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 005: Wearables, Gini Dietrich, and CEO Non-BelieversIn this episode…
Wearables and the future of customer experience
Interview with Gini Dietrich
What to do when your CEO does not believe in customer experience
Wearables and the Future of Customer Experience
Adam and Jeannie share what wearables they are currently using—or not using, the future of Wearables, and how they will affect our experiences as customers.
Jeannie and Adam agree that the future of customer experience includes these gadgets!
Discussion begins at 1:27.
Interview: Gini Dietrich
Founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, lead blogger at Spins Sucks and author of Spin Sucks the book. Gini discus...
2014-12-1819 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 003: Crazy Customers, Mari Luangrath, and Southwest AirlinesIn this episode…
Dealing with crazy customers
Interview with Mari Luangrath, owner of Foiled Cupcakes
How Southwest Airlines is listening to customers
Crazy Customers
Adam and Jeannie talk about crazy customers and how to work with them. Adam says one of the things you need to look out for is making it worse. Don’t say the wrong thing, listen to what is really bothering the customer, figure out what really matters, and then depersonalize.
Listen in to hear why Jeannie thinks customers are crazy to begin with and the rest of Adam’s tips for handling these customers.
Discussion...
2014-12-0424 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 002: Graeme Newell & When Good Customer Service is Bad ExperienceIn this episode…
An interview with Graeme Newell, expert in emotional marketing and President of 602 Communications.
Can you have great customer service but still have a bad customer experience? And what about the opposite?
Interview: Graeme Newell
Graeme is an expert in emotional marketing. Graeme looks at the best advertisements being done all over the world and indexes those ads by emotional drivers that move people to love brands. In the interview, he shares some samples from his extensive library of advertising clips and analyzes how and why they work.
Listen in to hear the samples Graeme shared with us...
2014-12-0422 min
Crack the Customer CodeEpisode 000: Should We Start a Podcast?In this episode…
Listen in to Adam and Jeannie’s discussion of why they should start a new podcast – or not. It takes some wrangling, but Jeannie eventually convinces Adam to start a podcast with her. (Not exactly a spoiler – you already knew that!)
What makes this podcast different?
Adam and Jeannie bring unique lenses to the idea of customer service and customer experience. The blend of Adam’s real-world focus and Jeannie’s big picture view will prove a potent combination for listeners.
Jeannie and Adam decide that the podcast will…
Provide actionable content.
Be fun! No 19 point checklists.
Incl...
2014-12-0304 min