Ode to the Boombox’s Buttons

After seeing a client in Chinatown a couple of years ago, a window display full of boomboxes at an old-school electronics store on Canal Street stopped me cold.   

Then it hit me, like hearing LL Cool J’s Mama Said Knock You Out for the first time - that the boombox’s buttons - Record, Rewind, Play, Fast Forward, Stop and Pause - represent the toggled states of where my mind tends to uncontrollably wander and cycle through daily.  

My mind’s boombox buttons shifted to rewind and to April 12th, 2019, the last day with my company I called home for over a decade. And a place that reliably directly deposited my check bi-weekly. It was the same day that we - the company and I - celebrated birthdays. And, it also was the day that the AARP packet came in the mail.

The next month, I started my own shop. Since then, pushing play is where life needs to be. But sometimes moving forward is hard to reach.

Looking through the window

of a vintage electronics store

Tending to the moment at hand, with focus and precision, can become tenuous or fleeting.  

Sometimes, it’s hard to zero in on the task at hand. Your mind drifts and races and backpedals.

But life doesn’t have a rewind button.  Hitting it, and becoming regretful about what you should have done, doesn’t always turn out so well. 

Nor does too much fast forwarding, where extending too far out to plan for what may never come. 

Maybe if we could regulate the fast forward button to slow it down some, in order roll out or adapt to things more thoughtfully or intentionally.

Now, pause, record and stop have its merits - and applications. 

Take a well-deserved time out and pause the action.  Or stop altogether and take a longer, more intentional break.  

Life does not have a rewind button.

Only rewind if you’re going to hit record and playback what has occurred.  At your own speed, and dissect, like game film, what has taken place so you can anticipate the next play. 

If I were to associate a word for each boombox button, it would be: 

Play - Focus

Pause - Break 

Stop - Regroup

Record  - Learn  

Fast Forward - Plan 

Rewind - Regret 

If you need to prioritize Pause and Stop more than Play and Fast Forward, then do so. The key is, to restart, do next [something my dad used to say a lot] and continue to hit play. Four years later, I’m doing just that.

The High-Five: 5 Questions with Kevin Whitmer, President of Whitmer Consulting, LLC

For this High-Five, where we interview someone who is a close connection and who has expertise about a particular topic of industry and ask them five questions related to their sphere of influence, we welcome Kevin Whitmer.

Whitmer served as the top editor at The Star-Ledger and NJ.com from 2009-2021 before founding Whitmer Consulting with his wife, Regina. Whitmer’s career in daily journalism spanned 36 years — 30 of them in New Jersey.

Most recently, he served as Advance Local’s lead editor in New Jersey, responsible for all content on NJ.com. When he retired from daily journalism at the end of 2021, NJ.com was averaging 21 million unique visitors a month, easily making it one of the largest local news and information sites in the country.

Q: When it comes to storytelling, how can utilizing the Inverted Pyramid draw in a reader quickly, particularly as it relates to today’s digital delivery?

A: Digital journalism, it turns out, is a lot like fashion – wait long enough and those baggy jeans and velvet boots come back again and again.

A lot of people in our industry kept the inverted pyramid in the back of our closets during the narrative and long-form booms, and the ill-conceived pivot to video, but look at what happened: Digital has forced us to go back to the first thing we learned in Newswriting 101.

And that’s a good thing. Here’s why: Digital is infinitely more competitive than print. It’s no longer Newsroom A vs. Newsroom B in your city. Today, we’re competing with anything and everything a user can do on their phone, laptop or iPad. That’s the truth. So if we’re good, we might steal a few minutes between scrolling TikTok, setting fantasy football lineups or doing Wordle. And if you can’t position your content as timely, relevant and digitally intentionally, you’re screwed.

Of course, the inverted pyramid isn’t the only way to win a few minutes here and there, but I would argue it’s the best starting point for at least three reasons:

• Aggregators and search engines love it. Winning there is everything – unless you don’t want the free audience multipliers.

• Readers love it. There are people I trust and respect who will say we’re dumbing down society, but digital has trained readers to graze and graze quickly. That means you better show your cards before they move on and keep doing it to win trust and return visits.

• Bosses love it. Writing fast, clean and smart is hugely in demand right now. And going back to the basics is a great way for writers to develop and sharpen digital skills because it forces them to quickly assess the most important elements of a story and then clearly communicate those points. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a skill the dinosaurs also recognize.

Q: You partnered with your wife to form Whitmer Consulting in January. Now that you are business owners, what have you learned about yourself, each other and any lessons you may have taken from leading a newsroom that can be applied to running your own shop?

A: First off, we enjoy working with each other and being able to really share, appreciate and understand the good, bad and absurd. We haven’t had that on this level since we last worked together in a newsroom, back in 1989. Regina also happens to be a great editor and she, of course, has a special gift for … let’s just say keeping me grounded.

“Newsrooms, including the one I led for 13 years, have failed to represent their readership and the markets they cover, while also failing the journalists of color
on their staffs.”

— Whitmer

Making the transition from running the largest news organization in the state to working for clients and partners hasn’t always been easy, especially in the early days. But we’ve generally had good clients and even better teachers, who have helped us learn and navigate the world.

One big surprise? You can really connect with a client, tell them how you can help and lay out a plan for each engagement. But there are detours that put you in situations you never imagined, doing work you never imagined

Those detours have become something I look forward to – it’s kind of like journalism in that you never know what’s around the next corner.

Q: In a recent Pew Research Center survey, it asked nearly 12,000 US-based journalists in a pair of open-ended questions to write down the one thing the news industry does the best job of these days and what it does worst. Journalists most commonly say the industry is the best at getting the news out, the worst at getting the story right and issues related to bias.

In an effort to get the news out, and compete for a share of audience, are we in a rush to get it right?

A: Sure, but journalists understand competition and the industry attracts people who thrive on the pressure to be first. Bigger picture, it’s true that we make more mistakes than ever – often silly mistakes – but that’s been part of a digital transformation that has piled more and more responsibilities on front-line reporters and photographers. Twenty years ago, a reporter was a reporter and an overwhelming majority of time was spent on reporting, writing and source development. Today, they still do all that while also being copy editors, photographers, videographers, SEO specialists, travel agents, mentors, public speakers, comment moderators, social media specialists, event hosts, their own IT specialists, digital researchers and about 83 other things. So, yeah, there’s a lot going on!

Q: Some news outlets now have dedicated staff positions devoted to diversity and inclusion. What were some of the ways in which you dealt with the DEI challenges in your newsroom, in terms of assigning, covering and reporting the news? Do you get a sense that journalists of color feel like these efforts have become box-checking exercises of the news outlets’ decision- makers?

A: Newsrooms, including the one I led for 13 years, have failed to represent their readership and the markets they cover, while also failing the journalists of color on their staffs. There are no excuses here; facts are facts. So the momentum behind these changes is long overdue and there must be structural changes that do more in recruiting, hiring and, especially, developing the next generation of editors and newsroom leaders.

And I certainly do not view this as a box-checking exercise.

Q: Our last question, which is a constant I share with all my guests is around the notion of daily growth. Allow me to tee-it up. Life in perpetual BETA is essentially the notion that you are constantly and continually in the state of becoming. You’re never quite there and always are striving to improve. This concept is one I introduce when I speak about rapid organizational change and individual development and growth, particularly in a current environment where it’s been hard for some folks to acclimate to their realities.

I have introduced BETA as a mnemonic to explore ways in which one could bring about positive change in one’s life or organization.  The mnemonic begins with B for Belief, E for Empathy, T for Trust, and A for Advocacy. Would you share how you would apply these words as it relates to your personal or professional life?

A: Belief: I can’t say I woke up today expecting Fun with Mnemonics, but there are similarities running an organization and working with clients. Both require believing in yourself, your experiences and the ability to connect with people and put them in the position they can be most successful. And, yes, I do believe everyone in every organization has a perfect spot where they can be their best.

Empathy: Empathy and understanding are things I wish I had more of as a younger manager. But as you grow older and get your fill of the technical work, you learn what a difference you can make when you care and show compassion for people outside of their work lives.

Trust: This might sound a bit like my belief answer, but I wish people would trust themselves more. We all make mistakes and we can all grow to trust in ourselves to learn from those mistakes and not repeat them. We all fail. So it’s important we trust ourselves to keep getting up.

Advocacy: –We all need to be advocates for ourselves and the people closest to us, right? Those are the table stakes. The next level is working to elevate people on the next ring out – people who know and know you. Maybe that’s a former colleague or acquaintance you can help without them expecting it. That feels less expected and less transactional. As a result, they can be pretty rewarding experiences.

Living in Perpetual BETA: Blogcast with Stephanie Battaglino

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“What was great about this year’s Pride Month, is that it was celebrated in the White House.”

— Battaglino

The High-Five: 5 Questions with Stacey Finkelstein, Associate Professor and Area Head of Marketing at the University of Stony Brook

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Q.. As the area head of marketing for Stony Brook's marketing department, what advice have you given to your students who just graduated, as they look to brand, market and differentiate themselves in this challenging job market?

A. This is such a great question - I have so much empathy for what my students are experiencing. I was first on the job market during the last recession and I remember seeing job postings disappear and hearing stories of hiring freezes. My advice was that students just need a job so that they can pay the bills, and, ideally, they find a boss and team that will mentor them and offer professional coaching so that they can build skills in whatever facet of marketing or business they find themselves in.

This might mean following a different career path than what the student initially envisioned, but finding the right company culture and fit is so much more important than what job title they have. While the economy struggles and businesses pivot or, sadly, close, students should build their skills in the area they eventually want to end up in. For instance, if a student wants to end up in digital marketing, they can take free courses through Google Academy and earn certifications and there are other places offering free education as well, including HubSpot. If a student wants to end up in advertising, now is the time to boost their written communication and consider MOOCs in journalism. So, generally, my advice is to find a good company culture and if it's not in the industry they want to end up in, to use their time to boost skills using free coursework or MOOCs so that when the economy DOES recover, they can transition with relative ease. 

Q. Flash forward to September: What do you believe the classroom experience looks like?  What learnings from the tail-end of this year are you currently bringing forward in conversations with your peers and colleagues to help shape and inform those experiences this Fall?

A. I wish I had a crystal ball as this question is on everyone's minds. I am not sure what Fall will look like. My own experience and discussions at SBU have focused on readiness and experience with technology. Many of us had experience teaching online and had time to work with instructional designers to build over months - or even years - well thought out online courses. Some of us had less experience. I've been happy to see the faculty and staff come together to promote the best outcomes during a tough time - students still learned so much in our courses and made progress towards their degrees.

As face to face instruction resumes, it will probably look very different. We might be wearing masks or be in distanced classrooms and we might rely on some of the same tools we used this Spring to promote experiential learning (such as group break out rooms in Zoom when groups can't meet face to face). There are other potential apps that can boost engagement - i've heard from some faculty at other universities that Slack channels limited to class registrants can allow for a robust real-time discussion. It's encouraging to see innovation that solves the need to connect and promote experiential learning.  

“I have so much empathy for what my students are experiencing. I was first on the job market during the last recession and I remember seeing job postings disappear and hearing stories of hiring freezes. My advice was that students just need a job so that they can pay the bills, and, ideally, they find a boss and team that will mentor them and offer professional coaching so that they can build skills in whatever facet of marketing or business they find themselves in. ”

— Finkelstein

Q. As the world shifts to a new way of life in the midst of a global pandemic, marketers are facing new challenges, scrambling to adapt to changing consumer needs and experiences. What do marketers and brands need to do now to adjust their strategy in order to help ensure they will be viable in the future?

A. I think many businesses are seeing the way they do business undergo a massive revolution. The restaurant industry has to figure out how to still turn a profit when businesses reopen to reduced capacity and the retail space will certainly see massive shifts. There's certainly much room for improvement in website development, social media efforts and how to manage effective campaigns and identify new customers and messaging tactics to reach them, and to use incoming data to understand how business decisions are impacting profitability. Many small businesses in particular will grapple with all of these considerations under uncertainty and messages related to hope and community will probably resonate and cut through the cluttered media space. 

Q. Healthcare decision-making and consumer behavior are just a couple of your research specialities. In the wake of COVID-19, the delivery of healthcare, and the decisions affecting it, will likely prompt an increase in virtual health platforms and tele-medicine models. Against that potential eventuality, what roles do you believe marketing and technology will play related to the shift in consumer behavior and experiences in this emerging space?

A. Funny you ask since I just spent 90 minutes today in a roundtable at the Marketing and Public Policy conference talking about exactly this! I think telehealth poses unique opportunities and challenges for consumers (in this case, the consumers are patients) and providers. Of course people might be concerned about privacy, but there are also differences and disparities in access to technology and internet service and comfort with technology and this will shape a lot of when and how patients decide to access care. Additionally, many consumers are engaging in decisions about when to see a doctor and whether or not seeing a doctor or receiving care at an ER or Urgent Care Center for something non COVID related poses so great a risk that they decide not to seek care at this time. While telemedicine can help, many physicians find that they are unable to offer diagnostic tests and so some in-person visits might be required for labs, testing etc and how risky this in person exposure is varies as a function of cases in the area, medical capacity, and individual patient risk. Privacy and how information is kept confidential is also probably top of mind for consumers. 

Q. Life in perpetual BETA is essentially the notion that you are constantly and continually in the state of becoming. You’re never quite there and always are striving to improve. This concept is one I introduce when I speak about rapid organizational change and individual development and growth. I have introduced BETA as a mnemonic to explore ways in which one could bring about positive change in one’s life or organization. The mnemonic is below. Would you indulge me and share how you would apply these words as it relates to your personal or professional life?

1. Belief - I think people who have the ability to update their opinions and change their mind will go far in life, especially during this time of societal polarization

2. Empathy – I often speak to my students about what's called the fundamental attribution error or the tendency for people to under-emphasize situational explanations for an individual's observed behavior while over-emphasizing dispositional and personality-based explanations for their behavior. What this means is that if someone lets you down, instead of thinking of them as being a "mean" or "bad" person, ask what in the environment might have prompted them to act that way. Thinking more broadly about the environment and situational factors that shape behavior allows space for empathy - to put oneself in another's shoes and consider how you would react if you were in their situation. This relates to how negative rumors are spread through organizations, professional assessments/evaluations, and any number of other interpersonal issues in the workplace. 

3. Trust – I firmly believe (and research supports) the role of authenticity in building trust. 

4. Advocacy – I think of this in two ways. The first involves advocating for junior talent when you are in a position of power and lifting up voices that are traditionally marginalized. The second relates to advocacy in that business plays a large role in societal well-being and collectively organizations can shift to more sustainable and equitable practices as relates to how they treat their employees and also the products/services they offer to consumers. 

The High-Five: 5 Questions with Client Solutions Manager Carmen Shum

Q. You recently joined LinkedIn as a client solutions manager from JP Morgan Chase, where you specialized in social media content strategy and marketing. In the wake of COVID-19, in what ways has your prior experience in digital helped you pivot to working remotely while, at the same time, staying connected to your colleagues, who you have only known a relatively short time?

A. It’s definitely an interesting time for all of us in the workforce, and working from home is a fairly new experience for me since it wasn’t something that I did often in my previous job. But my prior job did require me to be on video calls daily because the people I worked with were located in different offices all around the world. As a result, I’m quite comfortable with being on camera and staying engaged through a virtual format! Because my team wasn’t always in the same office as me, I understood that communication was very important early on in helping to build relationships and trust. Always take time to check in on others on how they are doing to see how you can help and share what you’re working on to advocate for yourself because people can’t always see what you’re doing. 

Q. As a client success manager, how are you setting your clients, both existing and new, for success? How and what does that look like today?

“Always take time to check in on others on how they are doing to see how you can help and share what you’re working on to advocate for yourself because people can’t always see what you’re doing. ”

— Shum

A. My first step is understanding what success means for the client because that’s different for everyone. It’s also important for me to get a deep understanding of their business to understand how they can grow. It’s not about overnight success, but instead about progress and helping them to build a plan that can help them scale and grow. Success with a client looks like a strong partnership where there’s trust between us and they know that I have their back when they need help.  

Q. Eight-graders and high school seniors recently received their acceptance letters for high school and colleges and universities, respectively. You went to Stuyvesant High School in New York City, and are not too far removed from that period in your life. As a way of still providing meaning and a connection to the special moments outgoing seniors have collectively, some students are building replicas of their schools in Minecraft to host proms and graduations virtually. If you were an incoming freshman or a graduating senior, what experiences would you want to create for your former self, to help bridge this unprecedented transition in your life and in the lives of your fellow classmates?

A. I love how students are making the big milestones in their lives happen in creative ways. When I was in high school, I was on the Yearbook committee and was very excited to help create something memorable that would serve as a time capsule for our future selves to revel in. If I were a graduating senior again, I would love to create a yearbook where everyone had the chance to collaborate on to help everyone feel more connected to each other by sharing their stories, positive messages, and shout outs. 

Q. You have served as a member, patrol leader and adult advisor for the Girl Scouts for nearly a decade. The Coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected their cookie sales and the way in which they connect with their community. Drawing upon your own experiences, what guidance would you give the Girl Scouts themselves and its organization, as it moves through this period of separation and isolation from themselves and the communities in which they count on?

A. When I was a member, I always looked forward to seeing my friends and getting together as a troop to do a new activity every week. So although scouts and troops might be isolated at home during this time, they should still try and gather together through virtual meetings to keep the excitement alive. This is a time more than ever where it’s important to have a community that can support each other and also come together to think of ways we can help those around us who are in need. Part of the Girl Scouts promise is to help people at all times and I don’t doubt that troops across the nation are gathering together right now thinking about way they can help their communities. The values and skills that I gained from being a Girl Scout are something that I still carry with me and have shaped me to be who I am today. I would hate to see any girls be left behind because they don’t have access to the invaluable resources that Girl Scouts provide.

Q. Life in perpetual BETA is essentially the notion that you are constantly and continually in the state of becoming. You’re never quite there and always are striving to improve. I have introduced B.E.T.A. as a mnemonic to explore ways in which one could bring about positive change in one’s life, or organization.  Against what humanity is facing today and how we’re going to pull through it together, belief, empathy, trust and advocacy take on new and more significant meaning. Would you indulge me and share how you would apply these words as it relates to your personal or professional life?

A. Belief: Don’t dwell. There are no mistakes in life, only lessons.

Empathy: Always be kind, you never know what others are going through. 

Trust: Trust the timing of your life. You are where you need to be right now. 

Advocacy:  Bring the people around you up with you.

The High-Five: 5 Questions with Customer Experience Leader Augie Ray

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Each month, Warm Name will visit with someone who has expertise about a particular topic or industry.  This month, we welcome Augie Ray.  Ray is a Vice President Analyst at Gartner, a research and advisory firm. He covers customer experience for marketing and CX leaders and helps them launch and manage successful CX programs.

The High-Five:

5 Questions with Augie Ray

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Q. “We are not what we say we are. We are the experience we provide to customers and what they say we are.”  That quote from you really resonated with me. Which brands or organizations truly embody that quote and why?  

A. So many organizations strive to craft a brand that inspires customers or a purpose statement to engage employees, but in the end, if they don’t change what they do, how they do it, and what they reward, then they’re still just a company focused on short-term quarterly results like everyone else. The brands that we all tend to respect are the ones that weigh their short- and long-term outcomes, balancing their financial metrics with measures of customer relationship, such as satisfaction, loyalty intent, and brand advocacy. 

I’m biased since I worked at this company, but USAA comes to mind. In a vertical not known for strong, differentiated, customer-centric brands, USAA continues to get some of the highest NPS scores of any brand in any category. That doesn’t happen by accident. That company measures and rewards leading customer outcomes, such as positive survey scores and retention, not just short-term profitability. This leads employees to make decisions that prioritize time and care for the customer over efficiency. USAA is known for what it is and does for customers, not just what it says in its ads or PR. 

Amazon comes to mind, as well. Everyone wishes to emulate Amazon’s adoption of technology or its specific strategies, like Prime, but few seek to understand and emulate the leadership and organizational principles that created these success stories. Amazon didn’t just create a brand or purpose statement but then operate in the same manner as everyone else; they start by recognizing customer needs and wants first, and then work backward to understand the technology, services and products that satisfy those needs. And, while its bricks-and-mortar competitors remained focused on quarterly financial performance, Amazon made clear to investors it intended to prioritize investment in innovation, customer experience, and growth over short-term return for shareholders. 

I believe these examples are instructive because they demonstrate that changing what you do takes tough decisions, effort, and commitment. What you do has to match what you say, and that isn’t easy in today’s high-pressure, ROI-driven, dollars-and-cents world

Q. You just assumed the reins of the customer experience department for.a major company. What CX program questions would you want explored or answered in the first 90 days at the helm?

A. It probably goes without saying, but preparation would start before day one on the job. I think a new CX leader must use the time before starting in their new position to experience the brand as customers do. We all quickly lose the ability to be objective the longer we’re in a company, so those precious weeks before starting can be very valuable to provide some of the stories you use to convey your vision and what it means to the company and customers. 

Once I started, my first order of business would be to gauge the level of understanding of CX within the organization. CX is widely misunderstood, so recognizing the various definitions and expectations within your new organization is vital to prevent missteps that can occur with mismatched visions.

I’d also want to establish how my success will be measured, and I’d think of this is as much reactive (what does my boss want) as proactive (how can I shape their expectations). If we do not establish the right metrics from the start, then my direction as a CX Leader can be compromised from day one. 

Finally, I’d want to understand the state of CX efforts and assets. Who has CX responsibilities? What efforts are underway within the organization? How coordinated or aligned are they? What is the state of the organization’s Voice of the Customer (VoC) and customer research programs? Have personas been established and are they used commonly? Has the organization attempted to understand the customers’ preferred journeys from end-to-end—from the buy cycle to the own cycle to the loyalty cycle? 

We have a report published at Gartner on the first 100 days of a new CX leader in marketing, so if your readers are Gartner subscribers, they find this report worthwhile to learn more. 

Q. In a previous story I interviewed you for, there was no debate in your mind about measuring customer metrics only through the “Holy Trinity” of loyalty, satisfaction and advocacy.  It is only then you will begin to identify and create ease-of-use, value and trust on behalf of the customer. This is a two-part question. In what ways can we tangibly measure customer loyalty, satisfaction and advocacy?  And, how do we begin to apply that same paradigm for the employee?  It feels to me that customer experience and employee experience are inextricably linked and, that, without a good employee experience the customer experience suffers.  What are your thoughts?

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“We are not what we say we are. We are the experience we provide to customers and what they say we are.” -Ray

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A. I work with Gartner’s clients to help them understand how to establish the relationship between customer satisfaction (as measured through surveys and other means) and the desired customer behaviors that drive the top and bottom lines—loyalty and advocacy. 

There are two broad ways to measure customer loyalty: Attitudinal measures and behavioral measures. Too often, CX leaders lean on one or the other, but delivering reliable CX results requires both. Behavioral measures are the easiest and also the closest to financial results. These measures vary depending on vertical, but they tend to measure if customers are buying with increasing frequency and greater average order value or if they are renewing versus churning? The problem of behavioral measures is that they don’t tell you what customers are feeling or intend, so these are lagging indicators and are not instructive—we can tell if the brand is failing to retain and grow customers after the fact, but we do not know why. This is why attitudinal measures of loyalty are some important—when we ask people what they feel or plan to do, it is both a leading indicator but also helps understand the “why.” What is working and what isn’t? What drives up loyalty or what dissatisfiers are increasing the likelihood of churn? 

Advocacy can be more difficult to measure on a customer-by-customer basis, and the methods vary considerably from one category and brand to another. Some organizations have referral programs, which provide a direct way to measure customers’ advocacy behaviors and impact. Other brands will seek to measure customers’ willingness to complete online ratings and the scores they share with others. Some B2B companies create scoring mechanisms to evaluate individual customers’ advocacy, such as their willingness to allow logos to be shared, to create case studies, to speak at user conferences or to act as a reference for prospects. While the measures vary, they all share the same goal of measuring not just what people say they might do to recommend you (such as their Net Promoter Score) but also what actions they take to increase your brand’s reputation, awareness, and consideration.

Q. Enhancing our human intelligence with artificial intelligence has the potential of improving our individual and collective existences  - as long as manage to keep the technology beneficial  to our experiences and their outcomes. What should be the role of AI in customer experience?  And can you share some use-cases of delivering better customer experience with AI?

A. I recognize that AI will help CX leaders to do a better job of understanding customer perception and executing customer-centric programs, but I also tend not to concentrate on AI in CX. To me, AI is HOW we do something, not WHAT we do.  I sometimes joke with CX vendors who wish to discuss their new AI capabilities that I don’t care if their platform is powered by gerbils in exercise wheels or is powered by AI—my focus is on the outcomes the platform produces, not how it does so. This also suggests another belief I have about AI in CX, and that is that vendors will bake AI into their platforms and tools rather than AI being something we go out and purchase. I don’t expect CX leaders will need to acquire AI tools but should instead seek to understand how their VoC platforms, digital analytic programs, and journey optimization platforms are utilizing AI to improve results. 

AI is a multiplier. If a company is too focused on short-term, company-centric, financial results, then it will put AI to use accelerating results that put the company first and ignore customer needs. Meanwhile, if a company has established the right customer-centric goals and measures, then AI can multiply CX outcomes. But, in the end, I see CX as being primarily about priorities, culture, goals, decisions and actions, not just about technology and automation. AI won’t make the tough decisions we discussed above—only leaders can do that. 

Q. Life in perpetual BETA is essentially the notion that you are constantly and continually in the state of becoming. You’re never quite there and always are striving to improve. This concept is one I introduce when I speak about rapid organizational change and individual development and growth. I have introduced BETA as a mnemonic to explore ways in which one could bring about positive change in one’s life or organization.  The mnemonic is below. Would you indulge me and share how you would apply these words as it relates to your personal life or your life as a customer experience professional? 

• Belief

• Empathy

• Trust

• Advocacy

A. I like your BETA concept. In some ways, it encapsulates everything we’ve discussed. It starts with Belief, which forces leaders to ask what they believe—who do we put first, how do we measure success, and what difference do we want to make in the world (and not just to our stock price)?

Next, we have to put action to those beliefs—empathy is important to achieve that. The only caution I offer to my clients about empathy is that we must focus on creating and measuring empathy, not merely counting empathy actions. There is a terrible trend in customer service these days to hold CSRs responsible for expressing empathy. But saying you’re sorry or that you understand the customer’s frustration is not the same as actually being empathic. We cannot simply write scripts and expect our employees to mime empathy but must consider how our policies, staffing level, tools, expectations and rewards encourage or discourage true empathy for our customers. 

And if you get your beliefs and actions right, then your brand will create trust and advocacy. Trust is a component of loyalty, and as previously mentioned, we must ensure customers don’t just trust the brand but that they act on that trust. (That’s the difference between attitudinal and behavioral measures of loyalty).  And, advocacy is what increases our reputation, builds inbound traffic and referrals, and improves our acquisition, conversion and close rates.

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How I Grow Good Relationships

In Social Media, everyone has something to say, but few are actually listening - that is, first trying to understand before responding. Social media has changed how and where many people do their listening and fact-finding, but not the fundamental need to listen.

Listening is an art that requires daily dedication, discipline and skill-honing. It is the subtle half of a meaningful conversation. For many today, with earbuds tucked into their ears, the art of listening has taken on a different meaning. Fewer conversations, it seems, take place face-to-face. For those that do, it feels like the art of listening has evaporated, and we’re left with a series of one-way exchanges.

If you’re tuned in and genuinely interested, you’ll want to visit, in-person, with [warm] social media contacts to see whether there is an opportunity to help each other.

The practice of connecting on social media can give the appearance of creating something that, on the surface is genuine, but in reality is hollow and meaningless. For many, it’s simply a cold way to name-pile, without truly knowing or understanding who the connections are, and what value or needs you can provide or satisfy - on their terms.

I created a learning mnemonic — C.R.O.P. — which helps me grow good relationships, both digitally, and in-person.

1. Commonality — What is the thread that unites you and the person you’re engaging - fellow alumni, shared values?

2. Reciprocity — Once you have the thread established, how do you provide and give, without expecting anything in return?

3. Opportunity — What are the ways in which you can visit with the person, either face-to-face or, if need be, via Skype or Zoom, for example, and see what it is you can offer?

4. Purpose — What is the underlying nature of the relationship? What does the follow-up look like? What are you trying to nurture?

Give this learning aid a go; you’ll be surprised to see how effective it could be provided you’re listening and giving first, and often.