Improving Customer Experience

I'm astonished by how many entrepreneurs overlook the most impactful tool in their arsenal: The art of listening. In a world where everyone is so eager to speak, you can stand out simply by listening. But it's not just about hearing words — it's about understanding the meaning behind them. Here's how to get better at it: 1. Active engagement: When you're in a conversation, focus entirely on the speaker. Put away your phone, avoid distractions, and make eye contact. 2. Empathy, not ego: Stop trying to impress people with your knowledge, and instead try to understand the other person's perspective. 3. Ask, don't assume: Don't just wait for the pause and start talking. Follow up with questions that show you're actually engaged. 4. Reflect and respond: Instead of having an immediate reaction, make sure you ingest what the person said. Then respond thoughtfully. Remember: In a world of talk-talk-talk, you can stand out by simply opening your ears and being interested in new perspectives. ~~~ If you found this helpful, consider resharing ♻️ and follow me Justin Welsh for more content like this.

Came back from vacation Monday. Inbox? On fire.🔥 Buried in the chaos: a customer story that stopped me in my tracks (and made me so happy). A Customer Support leader at a fast-growing financial services company used AI to transform his team - in just a few weeks. This leader works for a financial services company that’s in high-growth mode. Great news, right? Yes! For everyone except his Customer Support team… As the business grew faster, they were bombarded with repetitive questions about simple things like loan statuses and document requirements. Reps were overwhelmed. Customers faced longer response times. The company has been a HubSpot customer for nearly 10 years. They turned to Customer Agent, HubSpot’s AI Agent, and got to work: - Connected it to their knowledge base → accurate, fast answers - Set smart handoff rules → AI handles the simple, reps handle the complex - Customized the tone → sounds like them, not a generic bot (you know the type) In a short space of time, things changed dramatically: - Customer Agent now resolves more tickets than any rep - 94.9% of customers report being happy with the experience - For the first time, the team can prioritize complex issues and provide proactive support to high-value customers It’s exciting to see leaders using Customer Agent to not just respond to more tickets, but to increase CSAT and empower their teams to drive more impact. 2025 is the year of AI transformed Customer Support. I am stunned by how quickly that transformation is playing out!

In 2012, when I joined ZoomInfo as the VP Product, Growth & Strategy, they were stuck at $9M ARR. When I left 5 years later, we were at over $80M ARR. Here’s the 5-step GTM playbook we used to get unstuck and build the foundation to scale: Step 1: Develop contrarian products that satisfy unmet demand - Most companies can't convince themselves to radically innovate - In 2012, data companies were selling CSVs, no one was investing in product - We took massive risk and doubled down on building products to streamline data delivery - We started to "look different" from the space - Sometimes it's better to "look different" than "be better" Step 2: Focus on SMB or lower end of the market - Market disruption always happens at the low end - As a small company, it’s difficult to compete for your competitor’s best customers - Instead aim your efforts at the customers your competitors would give up without a fight - We focused on the SMB and lower mid market with a self-serve product at a low price - Everyone else was fighting for the more lucrative enterprise customers Step 3: Increase Prices, Decrease Churn, Add Features Rapidly - We rapidly developed features that gave GTM teams ammo for upgrades - With new products, we could add a new line item in the invoice and post growth with relative ease - New features also gave us the reason to reach out to customers to talk about upsell - All this was predicated on our ability to develop a sustained product roadmap with a strong understanding of the impact on GTM and our ability to attach growth initiatives to every small feature release Step 4: Intentionally Design Market Expansion for Virality - Nonlinear growth comes from getting the inbound engine started early - At first, we went after the spray and pray approach with some automation, which worked well - However, our revenues exploded when we started getting strategic with TAM and went after market niches, especially the ones that were ignored by other B2B data vendors - This allowed us to dominate multiple small verticals and as we got popular within those verticals it resulted in word of mouth - virality, inbound inquiries and increased retention contributing to the non linear growth Step 5: Cultivate a Leader's Mindset - Startups are often fighting just to stay afloat - this creates chaos, panic & unrest in organizations - By switching the mental model from a survival mindset to a leader's mindset, you can switch from a perpetual struggle for revenue growth to attempting to decimate competitors - You switch from being a price follower to becoming a price setter in the long run - This mindset provides a purpose, a better decision making framework, and results in a much healthier business and work culture TAKEAWAY: Markets are always evolving, and every market can be disrupted. Any business can get unstuck. The specific plays required to disrupt the B2B data market would be different today, but the ZoomInfo playbook's principles are timeless.

Raise your hand 🙋🏽♀️ if you’ve jumped into a #CustomerSuccess executive role where everything was already working? No one? Bueller? Bueller? 🤷🏼♀️ I speak to at least 10 CS leaders each week 📆 in my role at Gainsight. Often, when faced with a new role, they describe it as a “turnaround.” This brings to my most frequent advice to new exec: “If everything was working, they probably wouldn’t have hired you!” 🤪 So if you just took a job where you seem to finding skeletons 🗝️ in the closet, the good news is that you’re not alone. But what do you do about it? Here are 5 tactics I’ve seen CS leaders use in turnarounds to make a quick impact, beyond the obvious (meet the team, talk to clients, define goals, clarify roles, optimize compensation, resegment, etc.): ✅ Listen to call recordings: Many companies record client calls today. But for the majority of those, the focus is on sales enablement. They are just as valuable, if not more, for Customer Success. I’d consider setting a goal - eg listen to 2 calls per day. Play them in your daily routine (e.g., during a workout). Take notes and send kudos and feedback to the team. There is no substitute for hearing the customer experience in their words. ✅ Conduct churn interviews: In that vein, we have used win-loss-churn-renewal surveys for 11 years at Gainsight (led by our friend Natashana Narayan at IcebergIQ). These calls are gold. They let you hear in the clients’ own words why they decided to stay or go. ✅ Build a customer journey map: One-off calls are great. Sometimes, it’s helpful to take a step back and understand the current experience and what customers would prefer. Third-party journey mapping consultants like Method Garage can help facilitate a discussion with your team around the current state versus desired state. ✅ Launch a Product-CS council: One of the most important relationships for CS execs is with their Product counterparts. In many companies, the cross-team dialog is unstructured and sometimes frustrating. Consider building a regular process between Product and CS with a detailed methodology for ranking requests from the CS team. Move the discussion from a random list of opinions to structured set of data. ✅ Go on Sales calls: The other critical partner for CS is Sales. There are many things you do with Sales - talk about incentives, define segmentation, clarify policies, etc. But what I would do early on is go on a bunch of Sales calls (virtual or in-person). First of all, you’ll learn about customer expectations. Second and equally-important - you’ll build new and important allies in Sales. If you’ve jumped into a “turnaround” in the past, what are some non-obvious quick wins you’d recommend in the first 90 days?

In customer experience (CX), the closed-loop feedback (CLF) model has been a cornerstone for over two decades, originally designed to ensure responsiveness and adaptation. It's time for a change. With the advent of artificial intelligence, it's clear that merely adapting this model isn't enough. It's old tapes. It needs to evolve. Here's what's next: Real-time Interaction Management: Traditional CLF reacts to feedback after the fact. And, traditionally, closing the "inner loop" requires a human to follow up. AI turns this on its head. Imagine a system that adjusts the customer journey in real-time based on predictive analytics, reducing friction points before they affect the customer experience. Large Action Models: We all know that AI can dive deep into data lakes to instantly identify patterns and root causes of customer dissatisfaction. This rapid analysis allows companies to not only close the feedback loop faster, but also implement more effective solutions. This will come in the evolution of Large Language Models, or LLMs, to LAMs, or Large Action Models. Continuous Learning Systems: AI transforms CLF from a loop that ends into continuous cycle of improvement. These systems learn from each interaction, constantly updating and refining strategies to enhance the customer experience. This means that the feedback loop is ever-evolving, driven by AI's ability to adapt to new information and complex variables, seamlessly. CX leaders have to embrace AI's potential to redefine our foundational practices. It's time to innovate beyond the traditional CLF and leverage AI to deliver personalized experiences, and at scale. How are you thinking about adaptive, predictive, and personalized CX strategies? Your answer can't be to hire more people to close more loops. #customerexperience #ai #journeymanagement #survey #CLF

"The answer does not lie in data, but in the stores."  - Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks At first glance, this quote from the CEO who built Starbucks into a #CustomerExperience powerhouse might seem contradictory, but it is not. We live in a world awash with data, and although the solution to being #CustomerCentric may demand better uses of customer data, you can't merely data your way to a better #CX. One of the key problems I see with client CX programs is not that they lack data. They often have voluminous amounts of customer feedback, digital signals, purchase data, and other customer data, but they don't make good use of it. I've grown to hate the term "customer 360" when it comes to data topics because it focuses attention more on adding ever more data sources and less on what data is most useful and how to use it. If you can't use the data you have today, chances are the solution to improving your CX isn't to find yet more sources of data. I think the Pareto principle is a great one to apply here--what is the 80% of value you can deliver from 20% of the "360-degree view of the customer"? Instead of pretending your organization is able to collect, analyze, and use more data, why not identify the 72 degrees (20% of 360 degrees) of data that is most useful and powerful? Which brings us back to Schultz's comments about Starbuck's disappointing results. He said, "The stores require a maniacal focus on the customer experience." That doesn't mean ignoring data, but it means starting with the customer experience and then figuring out what data you most need to understand and deliver the CX. Schultz also said that "senior leaders—including board members—need to spend more time with those who wear the green apron." Seeing the CX from the perspective of both customers and frontline employees is vital. Data is a part of the answer, but so is being willing to spend time observing, listening to, and acting as a customer and a frontline employee. Data is essential, but in my experience, few brands need MORE data to improve their CX. Instead, they simply need to make better use of the data they have, and that means starting with the customer (and not the bottom line), understanding the customer and employee experience, and leading with customer-centric strategies. https://lnkd.in/gHqHxWqB

Mastercard's recent integration of GenAI into its Fraud platform, Decision Intelligence Pro, has caught my attention. The results are impressive and shows the potential of “GenAI in Advanced Business Applications”. As someone who follows AI advancements in Fraud across the FSI industry, this news is genuinely exciting. The transformative capabilities of GenAI in fortifying consumer protection against evolving financial fraud threats showcase the potential impact of this integration for improving the robustness of AI models detecting fraud. The financial services sector faces an escalating threat from fraud, including evolving cyber threats that pose significant challenges. A recent study by Juniper Research forecasts global cumulative merchant losses exceeding $343 billion due to online payment fraud between 2023 and 2027. Mastercard's groundbreaking approach to fraud prevention with GenAI integrated Decision Intelligence Pro is revolutionary. - Processing a staggering 143 billion transactions annually, DI Pro conducts real-time scrutiny of an unprecedented one trillion data points, enabling rapid fraud detection in just 50 milliseconds. - This innovation results in an average 20% increase in fraud detection rates, reaching up to 300% improvement in specific instances. As we consider strategic imperatives for AI advancement in fraud, this news suggests what future AI models must prioritize: - Rapid analysis of vast datasets in real-time, maintain agility to counter emerging fraudulent tactics effectively, and assess relationships between entities in a transaction. - By adopting a proactive approach, AI systems should anticipate and deflect potential fraudulent events, evolving and learning from emerging threats to bolster security. - Addressing the challenge of false positives by evolving AI models capable of accurately distinguishing legitimate transactions from fraudulent ones is vital to enhancing overall security accuracy. - Committing to continuous innovation embracing AI is essential to maintaining a secure and trustworthy financial ecosystem. #artificialintelligence #technology #innovation

Whether you have known me for years or maybe just a few minutes, you are likely already aware that I believe the greatest investment a business can make is in its people. That’s because everything comes down to our employees. Their success is our success, and where we go in the future and how we get there depends on their engagement and commitment. That’s why I was surprised and frankly baffled after reading a recent piece in Fortune’s CHRO newsletter - Employee Experience Takes a Back Seat - predicting a downward investment in employee culture based on recent Forrester research. A downward investment?! You might as well start slicing and dicing your revenue, productivity and performance while you’re at it. According to the research, three trends will fuel the EX recession: (1) Reduction in DEI investments  (2) Reduction in employee engagement and culture  (3) How AI will negatively disrupt the HR process Here’s why you can’t afford to backburner EX: Your employee experience is intrinsically linked to your customer experience. You can’t deliver on your customer’s needs and expectations if you’re not delivering on your employees’ needs and expectations – they go hand-in-hand. And – if “investments in employee wellbeing are taking a back seat,” as the article suggests – then this means that the individuals responsible for driving the business are also ‘in the back seat.’ How can a company continue to be successful in this scenario? The answer is that - they can’t.  That’s why I am proud to be on the front lines of making Verizon a great place to work alongside the best HR team. We are continuously analyzing, evolving and augmenting our V Team experience to ensure our people feel valued and have the resources they need to thrive at work and in life. As employers, we must keep the employee experience at the center of everything we do and operate with that as a lens to measure our impact and success. Because we know the difference between a good organization and a great one always comes down to its people. I am proud to be an outlier and buck this trend because nothing is more important than supporting our #VTeam. Check out the research and share your thoughts below: https://lnkd.in/eSK7aXhR #PostItForPositivity #mondaymotivation #employeeengagement #peoplefirst #employeeexperience #lovewhereyouwork

Are you listening to understand...or just to reply? Listening isn't just hearing. It's the cornerstone of leadership. When leaders truly listen, they gain more than information. They earn their team's respect, trust & loyalty. Improve your listening skills with these techniques: 1. The 3 A's of Active Listening: • Attitude: Bring an open mind to every conversation. • Attention: Give the speaker your undivided focus. • Adjustment: Be willing to change your perspective. 2. The SOLER Technique: • Squarely face the person. • Open your posture. • Lean in. • Eye contact is key. • Remain relaxed while listening. 3. Confirm You Understand: • Reflect back what was said in your own words. • Ask the person if you got it right. The best leaders are the best listeners. And it's a skill anyone can learn. Transform your leadership, one conversation at a time. Find this helpful? Repost ♻️ to share the learning. Thanks! And follow Nihar Chhaya, MBA, MCC for daily leadership tips. P.S. What's your go-to tip for active listening?

As an analyst, I was intrigued to read an article about Instacart's innovative "Ask Instacart" feature integrating chatbots and chatgpt, allowing customers to create and refine shopping lists by asking questions like, 'What is a healthy lunch option for my kids?' Ask Instacart then provides potential options based on user's past buying habits and provides recipes and a shopping list once users have selected the option they want to try! This tool not only provides a personalized shopping experience but also offers a gold mine of customer insights that can inform various aspects of a business strategy. Here's what I inferred as an analyst : 1️⃣ Customer Preferences Uncovered: By analyzing the questions and options selected, we can understand what products, recipes, and meal ideas resonate with different customer segments, enabling better product assortment and personalized marketing. 2️⃣ Personalization Opportunities: The tool leverages past buying habits to make recommendations, presenting opportunities to tailor the shopping experience based on individual preferences. 3️⃣ Trend Identification: Tracking the types of questions and preferences expressed through the tool can help identify emerging trends in areas like healthy eating, dietary restrictions, or cuisine preferences, allowing businesses to stay ahead of the curve. 4️⃣ Shopping List Insights: Analyzing the generated shopping lists can reveal common item combinations, complementary products, and opportunities for bundle deals or cross-selling recommendations. 5️⃣ Recipe and Meal Planning: The tool's integration with recipes and meal planning provides valuable insights into customers' cooking habits, preferred ingredients, and meal types, informing content creation and potential partnerships. The "Ask Instacart" tool is a prime example of how innovative technologies can not only enhance the customer experience but also generate valuable data-driven insights that can drive strategic business decisions. A great way to extract meaningful insights from such data sources and translate them into actionable strategies that create value for customers and businesses alike. Article to refer : https://lnkd.in/gAW4A2db #DataAnalytics #CustomerInsights #Innovation #ECommerce #GroceryRetail