Bold stories. Future focused.

Between advanced AI-driven solutions, low-code capabilities, and self-service options, there are plenty of new customer service technologies to be excited about. But striking the right balance between your existing tech stack and the latest advancements could mean the difference between high customer satisfaction and high technical debt. Listen as service tech experts Sean Callahan, Chris Contreras, and Stuart Chandler talk the best approach to going modern, strategically. Key Takeaways: [3:31] While many of us are generally understanding and personable as customers, that’s not always the case. CS agents are confronted with difficult situations, and new digital technologies can serve to make the lives of agents much easier. [4:02] Chris shares that Mountain is providing an almost entirely self-service platform for their customers, and how tech touch enablement is a natural evolution of where the platform is headed. [4:50] At Mountain, there are still humans interacting at each stage of the customer journey, and it does not minimize the human touch point but maximizes the input that real humans provide. [5:44] We should be looking at how quickly our systems and workflow can support what our customers need to do. [8:35] After you figure out how you’re going to execute the interaction and simplify it, then comes the technical underpinning, where you start building your tech stack. [8:51] We can’t bypass our existing tech infrastructures if we want to create smoother customer service experiences. [10:12] An explosion of CS channels has made it easier for customers to be in touch with businesses, but only if organizations correctly integrate those channels into their overall strategy. [13:19] Great customer service leaders milestone map the experience of their customers at every step. [14:48] It’s not just AI that’s changing the shape of the CS tech stack - low code is also opening the door for quick solutioning without the need for a more seasoned engineer. [20:30] The younger generations are geared towards more interactivity online, and organizations will get smarter about how they build the interactions. [24:24] Investing upfront in smoothing out your tech stack can pay off big time in the future, and optimizing your customer service to incorporate tech touches like self-service can make a big difference when it comes to winning over the Zoomer generation AND your bottom line. Quotes: * [1:58] “I think you're going to see and we already are seeing greater customer autonomy, self-service channels that work a little bit better, that are more reliable, that are more available universally in different channels.” - Sean * [4:02] “The tech touch enablement of our solution is almost a natural evolution of where the platform is headed.” - Chris * [4:11] “We want not to minimize the human touch point, but maximize the input that the human provides.” - Chris * [6:04] “Now you flip it upside down and say, ‘Who is the customer? What do I need to do for him or her? And I need to work those processes around them’?”  - Stuart * [8:51] “We can't just bypass our existing tech infrastructures if we want to create smoother customer service experiences.” - James * [10:12 - “An explosion of customer service channels has made it easier for customers to be in touch with the businesses they buy from, but only if organizations integrate those channels into their CS strategy.” - James * [13:19] “You should be milestone mapping the experience of your customer from the handoff and sales all the way through the renewal and everything in between.”  - Chris * [2:56] “A lot of these companies do have legacy tools that just don't work quite as well as they could and should, and as a result, it's affecting their bottom line. Frankly, it's affecting their ability to deliver the service that they want to deliver.” - Sean * [24:54] “If we focus the strategy on the customer first, the tech will always follow.”  - James Continue on your journey: * pega.com/podcast [http://pega.com/podcast] Mentioned: * Sean Callahan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-callahan-slu] * Chris Contreras [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherjcontreras/] * MNTN [https://mountain.com/] * Stuart Chandler [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-chandler-0597133/] * Coforge [https://www.coforge.com/]

Healthcare makes a huge difference in people’s lives – and so should its customer service. Customer-centric service that better cares for policyholders, doesn’t waste their time, and gives them more options can all add up to greater satisfaction and – with the right technology – even identifying symptoms over the phone. Just ask Ingrid Lindberg and Steve Decker, an unlikely duo who worked together to overhaul the customer service at a leading health insurance company. Listen to their story of transformation and how they used customer insights, operations data, and more to discover what really matter in healthcare service. Key Takeaways: [5:02] Taking advantage of automated services can mean big financial gains, but fast service doesn’t always mean good service. [5:12] While self-service options might help reduce some call time, it’s not a one-size fits all option for customers. [9:25] In many cases, customers were looking for a live agent to speak to, and having a customer service representative at the right moment can have a huge impact on their lives. [12:34] When it comes to healthcare, contact centers are responsible for some very sensitive conversations. It’s important that those conversations are handled in the least invasive and most appropriate ways. [15:21] Customers need the option to opt out of self-service and to get the human touch they desire. [15:55] Ingrid’s analysis shows that on average, a consumer touches their healthcare company only once a year, in the form of a phone call. [18:53] The technology has changed tremendously and in good ways, but we still need the human touch and true empathy for the customer. With tools such as sentiment analysis, we can recognize what’s going on with the person at the moment and weave it elegantly into the conversation. [21:54] Earning trust is an investment, and customer service reps must be repeatable and reliable. [22:37] We have to stop treating customer service and especially contact centers as empty investments. If there are no members (at healthcare contact centers), there is no money and no CFOs. Quotes: * [3:39] "This belief structure that I have had my entire career has always been wrapped around the fact that if we don't have customers, none of us deserve to have our jobs." - Ingrid [11:14] "in some cases, customers don't want to be bounced around and transferred. Every time you transfer a customer, you lose seven points of customer satisfaction. So what we piloted and tested was, let's cross-train some people. Let's just test it and see what happens." - Steve * [12:12] "In health care, contact centers are responsible for some very sensitive conversations. And it's important those conversations are handled in the least invasive and most appropriate ways." - James * [12:48] “The sanctity around the calls is different from any other industry I have been in other than finance. People don't want to talk about their money, or their health care.” - Ingrid * [13:43] "In healthcare, digital is becoming a major component of that experience, not only to help people understand their benefits and how to maneuver them but also to help them get some things transactionally solved. Automation, I think can play a big role in that." - Steve * [14:51] “Technology has just changed tremendously in very, very good ways.” - Steve * [15:21] “Regardless of the channel that you're talking about,  it’s not about knowing when to opt them out, but it’s about giving the option to just opt out.” - Ingrid Continue on your journey: * pega.com/podcast [http://pega.com/podcast] Mentioned: * Ingrid Lindberg [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingridlindberg/]

As the options in customer service expand, opening self-service channels through email, text, and web, it might seem like the role of the service agent is becoming less necessary. Think again. According to customer experience strategist Adam Toporek and customer service expert Nate Brown, the value of human interaction is higher than ever – if it’s used strategically. Listen as our guests discuss the right blend of automaton and human contact, getting creative when attracting talent, the importance of soft skills, evolved ways to capture insights, and more. Key Takeaways: [2:04] We are learning that the right blend of AI automation and human contact can get the customer exactly what they need. [2:29] Digital transformation is going to take a lot of the easy customer service interactions and automate them. This is going to leave time and hopefully give more opportunity for better, richer human interactions. [3;27] Call centers are becoming less central to customer service operations as contact centers become the new norm, but the human element is as important as ever. [3:39] Nate discusses how he starts in two places when trying to help a team accelerate their CX results: voice of employee, and then voice of customer. [6:07] Instead of trying to find the technology to create shortcuts, we need to find great and capable leadership to engage our workers to do their jobs to the best of their ability. [10:43] Leaders need to empower their agents so they can offer the right solution at the right moment, while understanding the limits of the agent role. [12:32] Customer feedback is a beautiful opportunity for us to step up and be the guide in a really fun and unique way. [19:48] You have to let the person know you're being empathetic, which is a little bit different than just having the empathy internally. [23:48]  The seamless interaction between customer agent and tech is the future of customer service, but we have to create opportunities for our humans to shine. This means listening to the voice of the customer, and the employee, and it means training agents on human centered skills every bit as much as we train them on our tech. Quotes: * [2:04] “We are learning that the right blend of AI automation and human contact can get the customer exactly what they need.” - James * [2:29] “Digital transformation is going to take a lot of the easy customer service interactions and automate them. This is going to leave time and hopefully give more opportunity for better, richer human interactions.” - Adam * [6:33] “Transforming the role of customer service employees can't depend on quick fixes and shortcuts.” - James * [10:43] “I will tell you right now that empowerment is simply a risk reward decision. There are limits to empowerment, and there is always the question of where those limits are.” - Adam * [12:04] “We should value those opportunities so much where we actually get to speak to our customers, and personally interact with them. What a gift that is.” - Nate * [19:48] “You have to let the person know you're being empathetic, which is a little bit different than just having the empathy internally.” - James Continue on your journey: * pega.com/podcast [http://pega.com/podcast] Mentioned: * Adam Toporek [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtoporek] * Nate Brown [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cxaccelerator/] * Officevibe [https://officevibe.com/]

Let’s face it: Customer service is going through an overhaul. The days of sidelining real human needs and playing catch-up to the latest advancements in service technology are over. Listen as Jeannie Walters, a customer service expert and consultant, dives deep into how far service has come and where it’s headed now that we have the tools and insights to deliver efficient, empathetic experiences across the board. Key Takeaways: [02:42] Jeannie didn’t start out as a customer service expert, but her experience in one company changed her trajectory when she noticed a major oversight in their strategy. She developed her own ideas about how businesses needed to rebuild their customer service strategies to become more customer centric. [4:48] Customer service is not magic, but it’s smart management, and we should be thinking about the customer journey from the beginning to the end. [6:18] We often have people in customer service that want to help, but they aren’t given the right tools or leadership to do their job well. We create a monster of people with bad attitudes, when they really just need guidance. [6:18] Customer Service has needed a paradigm shift for quite some time, and brands are beginning to realize that our old tactics need to be thrown out and reinvented. The reactive model of the  service strategy is the first one to go. [7:34] Robots and AI can help us create more human focused experiences if they’re used correctly, and if we marry the right technology and tools with the right kind of attitude around the humans who are serving. [10:13] Every organization should take a step back and become clear on their strategy for customer  service success. If they don’t, everything then just becomes a tactic. [11:48] When implemented thoughtfully, automated engagements can feel seamless and can provide a more satisfying experience for the customer by proactively offering all the resources they may need. [16:33] We need to explain our expectations around empathy to our team. Otherwise, it can seem like it’s just a mysterious thing instead of a skill that can be sharpened. We have to figure out what that means for customers instead of having a vague interaction. [19:19] In automated responses, one of the first things to do is look for words that are vague. [24:29] When businesses augment their human talent with thoughtful automation and take advantage of opportunities for self service and build empathy into their processes, everyone from the call center to the CEO wins. Quotes: * [2:48] “I literally looked around the table at one of these meetings and thought, ‘there is nobody here for the customer’.” - Jeannie * [4:47] “It’s not really magic, but smart management.” - Jeannie * [5:18] “We have to think of the customer journey from end to end.” - Jeannie * [6:13] “The people that are showing up to do this are showing up because they want to help because they want to lead in this way. They want to show up for customers.” - Jeannie * [7:34] “We have all these amazing tools, technology, AI and machine learning. There are tools now that actually can help us actually create more human focused experiences if they are used correctly.” - Jeannie * [7:56] “The robots can actually help us because part of what we want when we are in those situations as customers is that we want fast, efficient service that recognizes us for where we are.” - Jeannie * [10:13] “It comes back to what are you trying to do and who are you trying to be.” - Jeannie * [23:17] “When people are happy and when customers are happy, employees are happy, and they will tell other people to work for you.” - Jeannie Continue on your journey: * pega.com/podcast [http://pega.com/podcast] Mentioned: * Jeannie Walters LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters] * Experience Investigators [https://experienceinvestigators.com/]

Blockchain. NFTs. The Metaverse. There’s a good chance you’ve heard these terms thrown around recently – and for good reason. These all make up what is quickly becoming Web 3.0, a more immersive, community-centric internet where you can build and sell in entirely new ways. Listen as Emily Rose Dallara, CMO at SL2 Capital, and Bridget Greenwood, founder of Bigger Pie, dive into all the ways the internet is evolving, and the many opportunities brands have to capitalize on this new virtual territory. Key Takeaways: [3:00] Web 3.0 is a way of describing the newest iteration of the internet that is built on new technologies like blockchain, and ideas like decentralization. [3:45] Web 3.0 also is changing our marketing opportunities and tactics. We still need all the marketing fundamentals, but people entering the world today will need to be steeped in Web 3.0, and also keep in mind that it’s all about serving people and communities. [4:27] With any new market that uses social media as a force to amplify it, there’s always the possibility for hype marketing. Web 3.0 technologies are at the beginning and end of hype marketing. [11:12] Gen Zers want to be online and experience the Metaverse, as they enjoy being in a space where they can be accepted for whoever they want to be as opposed to the judgment that often occurs in real life. [12:28] The Nitro League [https://www.nitroleague.com/] is a racing Metaverse where people can raise and earn credits. In turn, they can buy land, and rent that land out to make money. [20:20] For businesses entering the Web 3.0 space, more transparency may mean more public support, but it also means more accountability. [23:16] Blockchain technology cryptocurrency could create unique solutions to global issues, but we must build with democratization at the forefront. Quotes: * “Web3 marketing is really about community building. It’s about ownership.” — Emily [3:12] * “Hype marketing has got a short shelf life. People are just looking for genuine communities and genuine products and transparency.” — Emily [5:07] * “This is why we market Metaverse to the GenZs because this is actually what they want. They enjoy being this person online, and can be accepted for whoever they want to be.” — Emily [11:12] * “The opportunity for brands to market themselves on virtual territory is proliferating, whether we’re ready for it or not.” — Jo [14:29] * “For businesses entering the Web3 space, more transparency may mean more public support, but it also means more accountability.” — Jo [20:20] * “I find it really exciting because you can be borderless and permissionless, peer-to-peer choose who you want to share and exchange value with. I find that really innovative.” — Emily [21:53] * “Technology can only go so far; what we choose to do with that technology is really going to be whether or not we are building for a few or rebuilding to democratize access to many more people.” — Bridget [23:07] * “Web3 brings the possibility of communities built on transparency, utility, and a common good, where a decentralized democratic web is possible and practical.” — Jo [24:46] Continue on your journey: * pega.com/podcast [http://pega.com/podcast] Mentioned: * Bridget Greenwood [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetgreenwood/] * The Bigger Pie [https://www.thebiggerpie.io/] * Emily Rose Dallara [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilydallara?originalSubdomain=uk] * Sl2Capital [https://sl2.capital/]