Customer Perspective: An Ipsos Podcast

On this episode, we are sharing the audio from our latest LinkedInLive presentation on CX Global Insights 2025: A sneak peek into Ipsos' newglobal benchmark of Customer Experience. During our Live event, we explored key findings, such as the surprising “Onaverage, around the world, 70% of customers say they choose to use a brandbecause they know the experience will be good”, the impact of these surveyresults on your CX strategy, and the trends shaping the future of CX. We alsocovered topics such as the growing importance of emotional attachment, keydrivers of CX, personalisation, best and worst performing sectors.  ◼ Host:Sara Pike,Head of CX, Ipsos in Singapore◼ Guests:Jean-FrancoisDamais, Global Chief Research Officer, IpsosFrancisco AgustínAcuña Bachmann, Head of CX, Ipsos in Latam The video presentation can be found by following this link!  #CX#CustomerExperience#GlobalInsights#Benchmark#Performance#Business

In this month's podcast, Helen is joined by Jeremy Todd, Head of Research & Insight at Air New Zealand, Trish Roberts, Experience Management Director, and Tom Magill, Associate Director of Ipsos New Zealand.This episode celebrates the success of the Air New Zealand CX programme, delivered by Ipsos with Medallia. At the 2024 Research Association Awards NZ, our exceptional Ipsos team won the 'Most Effective Agency' award among 10 nominations, winning in 7 awards. Alongside Air New Zealand, we jointly received the Gold Award. Tune in to learn about the award and discover the insights from our experience of how the teams collaborated to deliver an impactful CX programme. Air New Zealand, one of the nation's most loved brands, identified Customer Experience as the Number 1 driver of Corporate Reputation. The challenges brought on by COVID-19 grounded airlines, and when the world began to reopen, customer expectations rebounded to pre-COVID levels, while the airline was still rebuilding. Performance scores were not meeting the anticipated standards. The Ipsos team was commissioned to "look under the hood" of the programme at the wealth of data collected, to pinpoint exactly where the business needs to invest to meet and exceed expectations, ensuring the maintenance of their loyal customer base. Our Global data science and analytics team modelled the data to identify the key drivers of the experience and developed a simulator to demonstrate the Return on CX Investment (ROCXI) if changes were implemented. This shifted the research from a retrospective view to a forward-focused, fact-based programme that identified where Experience Design investments were required. Tune in to discover how the team designed an award-winning programme which tuned into stakeholders' needs to reorient the business around the customer once again.#ipsos #airnewzealand #cx #medallia #researchassociationNZ

This month, podcast host Danielle Doran is joined by Kendra Jones, Head of Client Success at Ipsos Channel Performance UK, and Andy Firth, Head of Advisory and Analytics Mystery Shopping at Ipsos Channel Performance UK, and Jean-Francois Damais, Global Chief Research office at Ipsos Customer Experience, who delve into the unique advantages of Mystery Shopping in assessing employee behaviours and internal processes, and how it complements Voice of the Customer (VoC) research as part of your Customer Experience measurement strategy.The podcast discusses the relevance and importance of Mystery Shopping in today's business landscape, particularly its role in enhancing customer experience. It highlights that Mystery Shopping, when used in conjunction with Voice of the Customer research, provides a comprehensive understanding of customer experience by evaluating both the emotional aspect and the effectiveness of operational processes. Kendra and Andy emphasize the need for businesses to align Mystery Shopping programmes with their specific goals, whether it's improving customer service, ensuring compliance, boosting product recommendations, or increasing sales conversion rates. They illustrate how Mystery Shopping provides valuable data that allows businesses to identify areas for improvement, enhance employee training, and ultimately, create a customer-centric culture that fosters loyalty and drives business growth.This podcast follows on from our thought-leadership release earlier this year ‘Demystifying Mystery Shopping', which you can read here.

In this episode, join Danielle Doran as she chats with Erika Terblenche and Andy Firth about the Channel Performance Benchmark. Erika and Andy give us everything we need to know about the Benchmark; what it is, why it was created, the channel and sectors it covers, and how clients can put it to work to uncover hidden insights that leads to improved business and channel performance in our onmichannel world. As the largest Mystery Shopping agency in the world, we know the importance of data, data and more data. But knowing what to do with it and how to put it to work is rarely optimised. Erika shares with us how Benchmark data and additional sales data can be used in tandem to achieve greater insight which can have a huge effect on the bottom line through effective mystery shopping programmes. Get ready to uncover how the Channel Performance Benchmark is the competitive advantage your clients need to compare their performance against competitors and wider industry standards, identify performance gaps, uncover best practices, set realistic goals, and make informed strategic decisions. What to learn more about the Channel Performance Benchmark? Head to Ipsos.com. There you can also find previous episodes of this podcast, for more thought leadership on Channel Performance and CX!

In this episode of Ipsos' Customer Perspective podcast, host Helen Bywater-Smith is joined by Zaheed Thawer, Director of Global Customer Centricity at leading insurance provider Manulife, and Vik Sood, EVP and Service Line Leader of CX Canada at Ipsos. Zaheed shares how Manulife is transforming the Customer Experience and redefining the role of insurance in customers' lives. Through innovative products, digital engagement, and human-centred design, Manulife is building deep, emotional connections that go far beyond the typical transactional relationship that most people associate with insurance. By harnessing technologies like gamification and leveraging partnerships that enable proactive health management, Manulife is interacting with customers dozens of times per month rather than just once or twice per year. This allows them to better understand and meet customers' evolving needs and expectations across different life stages and cultural contexts. We discuss the critical importance of empathy, both for customers dealing with challenging life events and for the frontline employees who engage with them. By equipping and supporting employees with the right mindset, capabilities, and wellbeing resources, insurers can drive better customer and business outcomes. If you're interested in learning how a customer-obsessed culture, creative use of digital tools, and human touch can breathe new life into a traditional industry, this is a must-listen episode. Check out our latest Customer Perspective LinkedIn Live event - The Experience Beyond The Product, and more of our CX and Channel Performance thought leadership.

We open the new season of Ipsos' Customer Perspective welcoming Katrina Haby, Director of Customer Experience at Melbourne & Olympic Parks - Australia's heart of sports and entertainment, along with Lance Webb, CX lead for Ipsos New Zealand and head of CX Advisory for Asia Pacific. Katrina and Lance join Helen Bywater-Smith, Ipsos' Global Head of Experience and one of the new hosts of Ipsos' Customer Perspective, to discuss how to design Customer Experiences in the events space. In this episode, we delve into the power of belonging and inclusivity, exploring how Melbourne & Olympic Parks design events that cater to diverse audiences, and leave a lasting impact. We also discuss the power of immersive customer journeys, the importance of drawing inspiration from unexpected places, and the enduring power of personalized human connection. Tune in to discover actionable insights and practical tips that you can apply to elevate customer experiences in any industry. We finish with a new book club feature - where our guests recommend their favourite books to elevate your experiences.

Ipsos' Channel Performance teams partner with clients across the world to understand and measure channels and shoppers, to drive sales conversion.  In our world of ‘convergent commerce', they help improve performance across all sales and service channels – physical, contact centre, and digital – to deliver profitable growth. We're joined by Craig Bradley, who leads Channel Performance, and Stuart Wood, product leader for ‘Shopper'. At the start of 2023, Ipsos' Shopper Insights and Virtual Testing teams joined our Channel Performance business.  Virtual Testing offers simulated physical and digital retail environments to measure shopper decision making, and test different activation scenarios.  Craig and Stuart tell us why these businesses came together, focusing on the benefits for clients, the business challenges addressed and, of course, the impact of so doing – with plenty of example cases. They delve into each aspect of Channel Performance: Channel Sizing, including Retail Census, Retail Audit and Illicit Trade Assessment, to inform channel entry and growth strategy; Execution Measurement to ensure compliance; Mystery Shopping with the end goal of driving the right customer behaviours; as well as Shopper Insights, with a behavioural science lens, to optimise marketing ROI; and Virtual Testing to win at the point of purchase. Craig and Stuart give a shout out to best practice organisations and share their predictions for the future. Check out Ipsos' latest Channel Performance, CX and omnichannel/convergent commerce thinking.

Many financial services businesses deploy external intermediaries in one form or another. These B2B (business to business) relationships are typically between the financial institution and external salespeople, advisors, agents, brokers, wholesalers and such like.   In many cases, these businesses are then selling to other businesses, rather than the end consumer. Unfortunately, it can be easy to overlook people who don't work directly for your firm, because you may not ‘see' or have regular contact with them. However, as an extension of your firm, they represent your brand, products, and services. More importantly, their success has a significant impact on the success of your firm during challenging economic times. Mary DeBisschop and Jeff Repace, Senior Vice Presidents in our Ipsos US Customer Experience team, have recently published a paper called ‘Why empowering intermediaries can help financial services companies in a challenging economy'.  They join us on our Customer Perspective podcast to talk about helping businesses understand what it takes to maintain successful B2B relationships with their intermediaries. And if you'd like to hear more from Mary and Jeff, sign-up for their upcoming webinar on 7th June: [WEBINAR] Empowering B2B Intermediaries through Customer Experience | Ipsos. Ipsos' latest CX and Channel Performance thinking may be found via these links.

We're delighted to welcome Emma Dark, Director of Customer Service at Estée Lauder, along with one of our favourite podcast co-hosts, Jamie Thorpe, Head of Experience Management at Ipsos in the UK.  Emma and her team have recently been crowned the Best Small Customer Contact Centre of the year, in the highly prestigious European Contact Centre and Customer Service Awards (ECCCSAs).  Our own Helen Wilson, CX and Channel Performance CXO and Customer Perspective host, is the ECCCSAs' Chair of Judges, and she certainly knows a great gold winner when she sees one!  Emma takes us on her career journey, with signs of success evident early on; at just 17 years old, she opened her first store as a manager.  She moved up the customer service ladder in leading global brands and start-ups, but with CX and EX always at the heart of her roles.   As such, she's exceptionally well-placed to share her take on some of our top topics including the role of Customer Experience measurement and management in CPG organisations, the importance of embedding ESG in experience, challenges when operating in our convergent commerce world, and, of course, delivering that Return on CX Investment (ROCXI). If you're new to CX or looking to improve your CX focus, be sure to listen to Emma's guidance on the three CX ‘must dos'! If you want to hear more from Estée Lauder, take a trip back to Season 2, Episode 9, when we were joined by Kate Fannin, Executive Director, Retail Experience & Insights, North America Corporate Marketing. For more information about Ipsos' point of view, check out our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking. Read ‘Embedding ESG in Experience' to find out how organisations can derive value from ESG.

In some of our Customer Perspective podcasts over the past year or so, you may have heard us talking about Convergent Commerce – the blurring of physical and digital commerce environments and touchpoints. In this episode, we're continuing our Convergent Commerce journey, but from the angle of the bricks and mortar store. You'd be forgiven for thinking that with all the talk about digital channels, the physical store is dead. Nothing could be further from the truth. Its roles are expanding not contracting. And depending on the category, often a majority of shopping task time and purchases are made in physical stores. We're joined by Norrelle Goldring, one of the authors of our recently published paper, ‘The Morphing Store: bricks and mortar evolution in a convergent commerce world'. We're discussing how the physical store is changing, how its roles are expanding, and, of course, what this means in terms of designing for, delivering, and measuring success. Ipsos' latest CX and Channel Performance and thinking may be found via these links, along with ways in which our CX – including Service Design, Shopper Insights, Mystery Shopping, and  Execution Measurement experts can support organisations as they face the challenges and opportunities posed by the ‘morphing store'.

We're delighted to welcome Sybil Nicolson and Kristian Green to the first episode of our sixth season of Customer Perspective. Sybil is an Insights Executive for Transport for London, which many of you will know as TfL. Kristian is a Director in Ipsos' UK Channel Performance – Mystery Shopping team, and a transport and tourism sector expert. For those of you not familiar with TfL, this is the organisation which runs the operation of London's public transport network and manages London's main roads – no small task given we're talking the likes of 1.4bn tube travellers every year, 2.3 bn bus passengers – when every journey matters… that's quite the organisational challenge! Sybil and Kristian describe some of TfL's research activities, including their large-scale, long-term Mystery Shopping programme: London Underground Customer Care Monitor (CCM). They explain how it remains fresh after more than 10 years, the research and logistical challenges associated with such a major initiative and how to overcome, and, most importantly, how TfL puts this to work, to drive positive change across the organisation and improvements for customers. For more information about how to build a successful mystery shopping programme, head to Designing a ‘Smarter' Mystery Shopping Programme | Ipsos. And do check out our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

We live in volatile times that are influencing customers' expectations, needs and opinions. Understanding and empathising with customers and the context of ‘their world' needs to be at the heart of experience design. We welcome experience design experts, Helen Bywater-Smith, Ipsos' Global Head of CX Service Design and author of our latest Ipsos whitepaper, CX Service Design: Creating emotional attachment and driving brand growth, and Jean-Francois (JF) Damais, Global CX Chief Research Officer. Helen and JF share best practice and service design guidelines for brands to create emotional attachment and drive the right behaviours, leading to increased retention, share of spend, advocacy, operational efficiency, and, ultimately, an improved Return on CX Investment: ROCXI … and, yes, the line “designers of memories, expressers of brands, impacters of bottom lines” may have been uttered! Check out the paper for a more in-depth look at CX Service Design case studies and actionable frameworks. And when you're reading it, think about a specific journey or experience that you would like to design, refresh or repair, to improve your relationship with your customers. Consider it a ‘mini CX design clinic'! Head to these links to find out about more Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

We welcome Alison Chaltas, Ipsos' Global Head of Shopper and Omnichannel, and Norrelle Goldring, global consultant, co-authors of a recently published Ipsos whitepaper, ‘Beyond omnichannel to convergent commerce ecosystems'. Last season (S4, Ep5), Alison joined us to speak about convergent commerce, including what this actually means, those emerging channels where convergent commerce is evident, and the impact on the consumer/customer journey. In this episode, we take the conversation to the next level, to discuss convergent commerce ecosystems, including what that looks like, what this means for means for brands and retailers, including what they need to do to align themselves to consumers' ecosystems, whilst keep the customer at the heart of such a move (always!) and not developing ‘things' for their own sake. We'll be inviting Alison and Norrelle back to speak about another new paper in our series, but head here if you simply cannot wait to know more about ‘The Morphing Store: bricks and mortar evolution in a convergent commerce world'. Ipsos' latest CX, Channel Performance and Omnichannel specific thinking may be found via these links.

We welcome Kate McLaren, General Manager - Customer Quality at Kia Motors UK to our Customer Perspective podcast. David Hart, Kia Customer Experience Manager, joined us back in Season 3, speaking about some of the drivers of Kia's success, and we're delighted to share the next episode of that story, and to provide a glimpse of what the future holds for Kia. We welcome back Jo Causon, CEO of The Institute of Customer Service, another season 3 favourite, as well as regular guest and host, Ipsos' very own Jamie Thorpe, Head of Experience Management. The conversation between these three true CX experts is enlightening and wide-ranging, with topics including how Ipsos, The ICS and clients work together and the benefits that brings. They discuss how, in these challenging times, Customer Experience has never been more important, along with the associated challenges, and what really makes a difference when driving those desired business outcomes. They dive into trust, authenticity, empathy and the value and ways of creating emotional attachment with a brand. But, of course, it's all about the impact, with ROCXI (Return on CX Investment), all important. Jo points to data that shows how companies that succeed in achieving higher than average customer satisfaction results over a sustained period of 5-8 years, deliver 10% higher than average levels of EBITDA. And as Jamie says, if you cannot tell that story for your own organisation, identifying that financial return on the back of improving employee engagement and the Customer Experience, then there's work to be done! Head to Money talks or budget walks | Ipsos, co-authored by Jamie, for some advice. Check out our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

We are delighted to welcome Attila Szabo, who is Managing Director at Ford of Poland, leading the national sales company. We're also joined by Annamária Földes, who leads our Ipsos Customer Experience and Channel Performance business in Hungary. Attila speaks to us about Ford's electric future and what that means for the future Ford Customer Experience, including the opportunities afforded by the electric CX journey to further strengthen the customer relationship. He describes some of the learnings from the pandemic and those new digital, and subsequently phygital, touchpoints which were introduced by necessity, but which have been retained and enhanced the experience, and so driving better customer outcomes. Attila is a big fan of mystery shopping, describing it as the “moment of truth … irreplaceable”, along with Voice of the Customer (VoC) research. Of course, as a CX savvy organisation, the importance of CX is recognised throughout Ford, with the ‘Chairman's Award', the top award for dealerships, having CX as the primary measure. The future is bright, the future is partially here … Customer Experience is ever more important – we agree, Attila, and look forward to welcoming you back to share the next instalment of Ford's story. Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

We are delighted to welcome Yvette Steyn who focuses on growth and innovation at Distell, Africa's leading producer and marketer of alcoholic drinks, which are sold across the world. We're also joined by Zibusiso Ngulube who heads up Ipsos' Channel Performance business in South Africa. Zibs is one of our experts in retail measurement, including within the indirect/informal channel. Distell's purpose is ‘Creating memorable moments. Crafting a better future', and in this episode Yvette and Zibs tell us about the industry coming together in an incredible sustainability initiative, in South Africa, to drive a better future for the industry as a whole, advancing licensing in particular and a reduction in alcohol abuse, contributing to an upliftment of society, in a meaningful way. They discuss the challenges faced, the practical aspects of mapping the size of the market, including the number of independent retailers – licensed and unlicensed – and gaining a deep understanding of this unique alcohol landscape, which has been hit hard by Covid lockdowns. They uncovered some surprises, so settle in and be prepared to be inspired by what they've achieved and the impact this initiative is having. Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

We're dishing up a ‘mash-up', between our Customer Perspective and Educated Conjecture Ipsos podcasts, to give a customer and citizen perspective on the world. We're joined by Mike Colledge, giving us the ‘citizen lens', and Ray Kong, with the ‘customer lens'. Ray and Mike talk to us about what matters to today's citizens – what's keeping them awake at night, of course recognising that customers are citizens too. Among the topics covered are: customers' expectations of brands in helping them address pressing concerns – cost of living and sustainability among them; liquid expectations, including those crossing from the private into public sectors; executives' challenges, including staffing; and, on a positive note, disruption breeding innovation. As a flavour of the conversations they're hearing: “ … when my income hasn't risen as fast as my cost of living … the expectations (of organisations) are not that they are going to solve the root causes, (but) … how do you help me navigate these times?” “I vote every four years, but I spend every day, and I'd like my money to have a similar impact to my vote on those broad social issues” And from a business leader: “I know that this (staffing) is a problem. I know that we need to find ways to do better, but I just have no tools to solve this, because I cannot get people … and I cannot develop alternate tools fast enough”. Mike leads Ipsos Public Affairs in Canada, and is co-host of Educated Conjecture, our podcast that examines a current or emerging issue – what's happening today, the future impact, and steps that might need to be taken to generate a better outcome for tomorrow. Ray Kong is a President in our Ipsos Client Organisation and has previously led Ipsos CX business in both South Africa and Canada. Ray is representing Customer Perspective, which our loyal listeners will know is aimed at all of you who are concerned with helping your organisation deliver on its Brand Promise to customers. If you'd like to add another podcast to your favourites list, head to Educated Conjecture. And, yes, we'll be inviting Darrell Bricker to educate us, but if you cannot wait and would like to read his book, Empty Planet, head here for details. Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

We are delighted to welcome Jasper Lam from TD, which serves 24 million customers around the globe, and is the sixth largest bank in North America, by branches. TD's mission is to give clients the best banking experience possible, every day. Jasper's team is responsible for Customer Experience Strategy, Customer Experience Measurement and Analytics, CX Metric Operations and Transformation, and the Customer Journey Framework. We're also joined by Ray Kong, a President in our IpsosClient Organisation, and he's previously led our CX business in South Africa and Canada – so also a man who knows a thing or two about CX! Jasper and Ray share their views on how customers' needs and expectations have changed over the past few years, great examples of organisations who are ‘getting it right' (Shaun at buybuy Baby, please tell us you've heard Jasper's story about the great experience you delivered!), and how TD Bank creates the culture that enables their staff to deliver that ‘legendary service'. We know Ben Page will certainly appreciate the ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast' (Drucker) reference! Jasper and Ray also give the lowdown on customers' changing relationships with money and their banks, how the ‘value equation' is evolving, and what that means for brands. We're already looking forward to Jasper coming back to talk more about CX and EX. There are so many quotes I could pluck from this interview – enjoy! Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

New Ipsos research shows men having expressed increased interest in purchasing male cosmetics in recent years, exposing an opening for brands to target this cohort, and signaling a likely evolution in the definition of masculinity. Overall, 15% of heterosexual men aged 18–65 in the U.S. currently use male cosmetics and makeup; an additional 17% would consider using it in the future. We're joined by two expert guests, both from Ipsos in the U.S.: Carlos Aragon, a Vice President, in our Channel Performance business and Kristy Click, Senior Client Officer – and they're co-authors of our recently published PoV, ‘There's a market for men's cosmetics – and a generation gap'. Carlos and Kristy share a brief history of men's grooming, skincare and cosmetics products, describe how expectations and behaviours have changed, tell us about the products that are being added to routines and benefits sought, conversations that are taking place on social media and what's/who's topping the social media chats, and give advice to brands wanting to reach men searching for skincare and cosmetics products, and tap into the massive growth potential in this area. Head here to read their paper, or here to watch Carlos' and Kristy's recent webinar. Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

The goal of regulators around the world is to ensure that the markets they regulate are functioning well, that the companies they oversee abide by the law, and that consumers do not suffer the consequences of malpractice. It is mandatory for compliance teams to ensure their organisations comply with regulatory requirements – and prove it. If organisations do not perform in line with regulatory expectations, and consumers suffer as a result, the commercial impact can be significant. The scale of regulator fines and consumer claims over the past decade is testament to the fact that too many organisations have failed. This week, we are joined by Ipsos' Andy Firth, Head of Analytics and Insight in our UK Channel Performance team, mystery shopping expert, and author of our recently published Driving compliance at the frontline paper. Andy talks about the ways to mitigate such risk, and the tools to measure and drive compliance, including Mystery Shopping, a key methodology in the toolkit. This podcast is recommended listening for any organisation – regulators and the regulated – interested in ensuring that frontline staff are adhering to regulatory standards and treating customers fairly. Head here to read the paper. Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

We are delighted to welcome Helen Campbell-Watt, a woman of many firsts, from Coutts, and Jamie Thorpe, our Ipsos UK Head of XM. Helen shares the genuinely fascinating story of Coutts, which was set up in 1692, and became one of the best-known private banks in the world. Serving the likes of royalty, politicians, business leaders…indeed, “history makers to penalty takers”, an incredibly diverse, high net worth customer base, with high expectations, brings, of course, unique challenges. But Coutts is an organisation where client focus comes from the top, has “culture embedded in the client”, and “the client is always on the agenda”; it has “3 metrics and client is one of them”. Helen tells the story of Coutts' incredible history, highlighting philanthropy and innovation (in 1963, for example, Coutts became the first British bank to use computerised accounts). But the story continues and we hear about Helen's futures desires … with the metaverse firmly on that list. There's no doubt about it, you will love listening to Helen and Jamie – and as a man who's seem more than his fair share of exceptional Customer Experience, when Jamie's impressed, you know it's got to be special. And thank you, Helen, for those lovely comments about Ipsos! Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

We are delighted to welcome Aimie Chapple, CEO of Capita Experience, to our opening episode of Season 5 of Customer Perspective; our first episode in 2022. Aimie's team at Capita, a consultation, transformation and digital services business, supports clients in creating frictionless experiences for their customers and stakeholders in the UK, and internationally. Jamie Thorpe, our Ipsos MORI Head of Experience Management, closed out Season 4, and he's back to kick off the New Year. Jamie grills Aimie, in the nicest possible way, on what CX means to Capita, customer expectations, empowering staff on the front line to deliver on those expectations, linking CX to financial return (ROCXI – delivering a Return on CX Investment, always a great topic of conversation!), the ‘one CX thing that she wishes everyone knew' (how would you answer that?), and, of course, about the work the work that Capita is doing with Ipsos to deliver even greater CX. Happy New Year to all our Customer Perspective listeners. Here's to a happy, healthy and successful 2022! Thanks for getting us off to a great start, Aimie and Jamie. Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

Welcome to our final episode of Season 4, and 2021. Never fear, we'll be back with Season 5 next year, in January (another great episode already lined-up). In this episode, we're joined by Mark Billingham, Group Customer Operations & CX Director for The Very Group, with The Very Group being the UK's largest integrated retail and financial services provider – it's the home of Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com. We're also delighted to be joined by Ipsos MORI's head of XM, Jamie Thorpe. Mark takes time away from his very busy schedule (it's Christmas time in retail …) to discuss some of our very favourite Customer Perspective topics, including the importance of getting CX ‘right' and why, successfully delivering that all important omnichannel experience, where CX is going, and the challenges that lie ahead. The last time I saw Mark was at the ECCCSA | European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards, where I presented his customer care team with the gold award for the best customer service team in Europe – and, in fact, his team scooped three awards … an amazing achievement (and an amazing night)! Congratulations, again, Mark – and thanks for the interview. Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

The last few years have seen channels and consumer engagement touchpoints mushroom. At the same time, digital and physical environments are converging. Today's environment is all about channels that are simultaneously fragmented and coming together: convergent commerce. We are delighted to welcome Alison Chaltas, Ipsos' global lead of Omnichannel, and co-author of recently published thought leadership paper, ‘Beyond omnichannel retail to convergent commerce'. In our podcast, Alison ensures we are all clear on what convergent commerce means, and then explores some of the emerging channels where convergent commerce is evident, their impacts on consumer/customer journeys, touchpoints, and what this means for brands, including those operating in the Direct to Consumer (DtC) space. We get channel geeky … phases likes de-averaging, bifurcation and replication of sensorial experiences may pass our lips … but there's something for everyone here; these changes are impacting us all. To hear more from Alison, sign up for our Ipsos KEYS webinar on 18th November: [WEBINAR] KEYS: Convergent Commerce | Ipsos. Alison's paper is here, as is the Ipsos Omnichannel resource website. Check out the new Channel Performance Management paper we mention, which features several sector-based case studies, and sets out to support those charged with measuring and managing the performance of the channels in their organisation – physical, contact centre, and digital – to drive brand growth. Head to this link to find out more about the ECCCSAs | European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards. Ipsos' latest CX, Channel Performance and Omnichannel specific thinking may be found via these links.

Our world is undergoing digital transformation and the Customer Experience is changing – from offline to online, from real life to virtual, from aided to self-administered, and so on. Understanding the changing UX requirements, moments, pain points and areas of delight, are key. Our Ipsos UX teams have been working on many areas where UX can drive a more positive Customer Experience, for all members of society. Katharine Davis, Head of UX, and Damian Rees, UX Director, both from our Europe team, are here to highlight a few of them, covering: what is UX, where it's come from, and why it's so relevant to the CX agenda right now; how Customer Experience and expectations are changing with the move to a digital world; the areas that need to be considered to ensure that experiences are just as good as, if not better than, ‘before'; the key components of good User Experience; inclusive UX and compassionate design, and the benefits to both users and organisations; plus a few predictions thrown in for good measure. To hear more from Katharine and Damian, head to their on-demand webinar: User Experience (UX): what makes the difference between success or failure?. Our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking may be found here.

We are delighted to welcome globe-trotting, mobility expert, Dominik Brinkmann of Stellantis, and Amrutha Murthy, who leads our Ipsos Channel Performance and Customer Experience business in Australia. Stellantis is a leading global mobility player, formed from the merger of PSA and FCA, with an iconic brand portfolio, including Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroen, Fiat, Jeep, to name but a few. Dominik, wearing one of his 14 tops (one for each brand), and using the language of (organisation) ‘families' and ‘fans', shares his take on changing customer expectations and channel usage, the recipe for success in delivering personalised experiences across channels, working closely with the dealership network to deliver brilliant experiences, a peek into the future, and, of course, driving results on the back of his Ipsos Channel Performance Mystery Shopping programme; driving better impact. Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

Brand and experience are becoming increasingly intertwined, creating a powerful intersection to which organisations must pay attention. An explicit understanding of the role of Customer Experience (CX) and its impact on brand equity and growth is needed to build strong brands. This week, we are joined by Ipsos' Catherine Burton, Global Equity Lead, Brand Health Tracking, and Jean-Francois Damais (JF), Global Chief Research Officer, Customer Experience, authors of our recently published Bridging the Brand Experience Gap paper. In this podcast Catherine and JF introduce Brand CX Forces, which enables organisations to bridge any gap that may exist between what a brand promises to deliver and how people interact with the brand through CX – allowing organisations to ensure their brand building and CX activities are working harmoniously to drive the critically important business goal of achieving and maintaining brand growth. Head here to read their paper, or watch the webinarmentioned. Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

We are delighted to welcome our first Ipsos Customer Perspective podcast guests from Kuwait to open Season 4. Meet Hormuzda Davar, Managing Director, responsible for Trading, Manufacturing & Financial Services at Al Mulla Group, and Joel Fernandes, from our Ipsos CX business. Al Mulla Group is a leading diversified privately held business group based in the State of Kuwait, and represents over 200 internationally renowned brands. Al Mulla Exchange was recently ranked 3rd in the entire Middle East and top in Kuwait, by Forbes magazine, as a Fintech, for its remittance and money transfer app. Kuwait's first remittance app, which enables customers to transfer money in Kuwait and abroad, has processed transactions valued at over $1 billion. We cover a great deal in 30 minutes, including an overview of Kuwait of today, how the remittance business has transformed, the story behind the success of Al Mulla Group, and, of course, the role of CX in that success, across physical and digital channels, including that leading app! Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking

During the pandemic, Ipsos research indicated US consumers were spending more at grocery stores, with 4 out of 10 spending $200 or more per month. However, as the pandemic subsides, nearly half (49%) expect to decrease their grocery store spend for meals. At the onset of COVID-19, grocers and big-box players implemented or expanded delivery and pickup services, to adapt to the pandemic environment, meet customers' needs and grow meal spend. But winning space in consumers' refrigerators and tables for meal occasions requires more than that … This week, we are joined by Ipsos' Jaime Tarud, who claims never to have missed an episode of Customer Perspective! He's a Director in our US Channel Performance team. He co-authored, with Mike Murphy, a recent paper Grocers Face Renewed Competitive Challenge as Consumers Return to Old Habits, addressing the question of what will influence consumers to continue to spend their meal dollars with their grocery store in a post-pandemic world. Episode 17 brings us to the end of Season 3. Thank you for joining us and hope you enjoyed listening. We'll be back with Season 4 in September, and already have some amazing guests lined up. We look forward to talking you again, then. In the meantime if you have any guest/content suggestions, do get in touch with us at CustomerPerspective@Ipsos.com. Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

We are delighted to welcome David Hart, Customer Experience Manager for Kia, along with our very own Jamie Thorpe, Head of XM. David, with his wealth of auto and CX experience, speaks to us on the back of yet another record sales month at Kia, with market share now topping 5%. He describes some of the keys to that success, with an unrelenting focus on the customer/employee and CX, of course, sitting at the very heart. Inspired business foresight, brilliant product, super-strong partnerships with dealer networks, empowered dealers, bridging the gap between physical and digital, and the power of CX social all play a role … But those of you who know Jamie, won't be surprised to learn that' it's Kia's ‘double closed loop' driving improved results that really warms his ‘CX geek heart'. And, apparently, there's even better to come. Yes, we've invited David back to share. Enjoy! Find out more about our latest Ipsos CX and Channel Performance thinking.

Our ‘around the world Customer Perspective trip' continues. This week, we're in South Africa with renowned CX experts, Nic Callegari and Ipsos' very own Kendall Rynders. As well as being a CX master, including 10 years at MultiChoice Group where he was Senior Manager for CX, and CX Design Lead at Nedbank, Nic's had a stint in journalism and PR, so knows how to put his point across. And check out his LinkedIn profile – this man has some interesting hobbies! Nic describes himself as an Employee Experience Advocate and that's where this podcast takes us – focusing on the importance of the employee in delivering brilliant CX. Ask yourself, are you/your employees ready to answer Nic's three non-negotiable questions: 1) who are you?; 2) what do you stand for – your purpose, values …?; 3) what battles do you choose to fight? To learn about our Ipsos CX Global Voices research – 1,000+ CX professionals interviewed across 50+ markets – head to our on demand webinar: Webinar Recording | CX GLOBAL VOICES | Ipsos Find out more about Customer Experience, and Channel Performance: Mystery Shopping, Retail Performance and Retail and Consumer Intelligence at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.

We are thrilled to welcome our first Ipsos Customer Perspective podcast guests from Vietnam, and what a first: meet Luu Ky Nam, who dedicated 25 years to the life insurance industry, with his latest role being Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer of AIA Vietnam (the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group); and Rakesh Dayal, of Ipsos Vietnam, our CX expert, focusing on Banking & Financial Services. We cover a lot in 30 minutes, so get up to speed with an overview of Vietnam, how the insurance sector has grown and evolved, noting the transformative impact of Customer Experience. As Mr Nam embarks upon his ‘gap year', he shares some advice for leaders, including his success formula for growth, and how companies should leverage CX to differentiate and lead their industry – head to Coachagy.com for more. To learn about our Ipsos CX Global Voices research – 1,000+ CX professionals interviewed across 50+ markets – head to our on demand webinar: Webinar Recording | CX GLOBAL VOICES | Ipsos Find out more about Customer Experience, and Channel Performance: Mystery Shopping, Retail Performance and Retail and Consumer Intelligence at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are central to customer experience measurement and management, serving to drive customer-focused action and improved business performance. This week, we are joined by Ipsos' Fiona Moss, author of our latest CX whitepaper, The Key To Your CX Success. Fiona, Head of our Global CX Analytics team, explores how organisations can determine the right CX KPIs to drive business performance, with a specific focus on: the key ingredients of a good KPI; how organisations can validate their CX KPIs; linking KPIs and real-life business outcomes – ‘Delivering a Return on CX Investment (ROCXI)'; and how to drive action through the right diagnostics. It boils down to one central question: which commercial outcome matters most to your business and does your CX KPI reflect it? Head here to read the other whitepapers mentioned: When Difference doesn't mean Different: Understanding cultural bias in global CX programmes | Ipsos; Money talks or budget walks | Ipsos; The Forces of Customer Experience | Ipsos. Find out more about Customer Experience, and Channel Performance: Mystery Shopping, Retail Performance and Retail and Consumer Intelligence at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.

We are delighted to welcome Darren George of Samsung, along with our most loyal Customer Perspective Ipsos guest, Jamie Thorpe, Head of Experience Management. We're always glad to have Jamie back, as he brings with him such great guests! Darren packs an enormous amount into this week's podcast, including, but not limited to, the role of CX at Samsung, renowned for the fast pace at which it operates – and the resultant rewards of focussing on CX, expectations of Samsung's customers and how the organisation delivers on their brand promise – via the front line and back office – and how brand and experience come together. Plus, there's lots of discussion about the importance of a single view of the customer across channels – physical, digital and contact centre – and along the customer journey. Of course, we cover how CV has evolved and what's coming down the tracks. Read more about a couple of points covered: When Difference doesn't mean Different: Understanding cultural bias in global CX programmes | Ipsos and hot off the press: The Key To Your CX Success | Ipsos: Finding the right Customer Experience KPI for your business. Find out more about Customer Experience, and Channel Performance: Mystery Shopping, Retail Performance and Retail and Consumer Intelligence at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.

We are delighted to welcome Gergely Román, Digital Director at Decathlon, the largest sporting goods retailer in the world. Gergely is based in Budapest, as is our Ipsos guest, Annamária Földes, who leads our Customer Experience and Channel Performance business in Hungary. Of course, no CX discussion is complete these days without a focus on the omnichannel experience and Gergely tells us how he and his team deliver that ‘Decathlon Experience'. Listen in to also hear about their customers' changing needs, expectations and behaviours, and how they are supporting staff to deliver, whilst adapting to the ‘new normal'. There's much to be proud of at Decathlon in terms of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives, and sounds like they have a lot of fun along the way! Find out more about Customer Experience, and Channel Performance: Mystery Shopping, Retail Performance and Retail and Consumer Intelligence at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.

This week we are delighted to welcome Stuart Bluck, Senior Insight Manager at Whitbread. Whitbread are hospitality experts, running some of the UK's most-loved brands and operating over 800 hotels across the UK and Germany, as well as some of the nation's favourite restaurant chains. In the face of major challenges to the sector over the past year, Whitbread has continued with an unfaltering commitment towards CX. Stuart shares the thinking behind this and the business benefits they are deriving from such a focus. He tells us how he puts his team to work – across CX, research and insight – including building a leading CX measurement ecosystem to drive decision-making. Find out more about Customer Experience, and Channel Performance: Mystery Shopping, Retail Performance and Retail and Consumer Intelligence at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.

This week we are delighted to welcome Andrew Stephenson of EQ, international specialists in payments and technology-led services, and our very own, Jamie Thorpe, Head of Experience Management (XM). Andrew specialises in developing customer focussed cultures in organisations. He has a long history in retail leadership, plus his non-exec. roles include being an advisor to the board committee for CX at HMRC. If anyone can talk about the relationship between Employee, Customer and Brand Experience – and, of course, financial impact, it's Andrew! Listen in to also hear Andrew's take on how CX has evolved, how to get it right, including at that point when ‘normal service' resumes, and what's next for the CX profession. We discuss ROCXI (Return on CX Investment), of course! Check out ‘Money Talk or Budget Walks' for more information. Find out more about Customer Experience, and Channel Performance: Mystery Shopping, Retail Performance and Retail and Consumer Intelligence at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.

This week we are delighted to welcome Jennifer Deutsch, Chief Marketing Officer, and Nicola Buckley, Executive Vice President, of Park Place Technologies, and Helen Bywater-Smith, our Ipsos Global Head of CX Service Design. Park Place empowers businesses to improve operational speed and maximise uptime across their digital infrastructures. Jennifer and Nicola talk to us about the secrets behind the organisation's 30 years of employee growth, technology innovation and company success. You won't be surprised to learn that a relentless focus on Customer Experience plays a major role! B2B CX-ers, we guarantee you will be quoting chunks from this podcast. For those who you who tuned into Matthias Kraus' episode last week (Ep. 7), about what makes for great CX measurement and management, this week you'll hear those factors brought to life. Thanks Jennifer and Nicola – and happy anniversary! We mention Ipsos' B2B CX Sessions, our series of roundtable discussions with CX practitioners and experts who work in B2B. Check out the latest reports. If you'd like to hear more from Helen, head to Ep. 3 (Season 3) for her ‘what, when and how' of CX Service Design. Find out more about Customer Experience, and Channel Performance: Mystery Shopping, Retail Performance and Retail and Consumer Intelligence at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.

This week we are joined by Matthias Kraus, who leads our Customer Experience business in Germany. He joined Ipsos last year, and we were delighted that he did! He brings with him incredible CX experience, from E.ON where he was VP Customer Insights and Experience, McKinsey, IBM … and just in case, in the words of Shania Twain, that don't impress you much, he's an endurance athlete, into ultra-marathons, and long-distance triathlons. So when Matthias describes great CX as a marathon, not a sprint, we reckon he knows what he's talking about. Join us to learn more about what makes for truly great CX measurement and management. And just when we thought he could not impress us more, turns out he's a big Customer Perspective podcast fan. Find out more about Customer Experience, and Channel Performance: Mystery Shopping, Retail Performance and Retail and Consumer Intelligence at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.

How can companies best capitalise on the troves of mystery shopping performance management and strategic data they gather? Three overarching factors are critical. The first two are vital and well-understood by many companies, if not always realised. The third is what can truly elevate a programme, and separate a company from its competition. This week, we are joined by the author of a recently published Ipsos paper, ‘Take Mystery Shopping Results to the Next Level': Mike Murphy, VP, Client Success in our US Channel Performance business. Mike shares his take on those three factors, including that ‘last mile' of turning data into a better experience for customers, and improved business results. Read the paper here, Find out more about Customer Experience, and Channel Performance: Mystery Shopping, Retail Performance and Retail and Consumer Intelligence at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.

Governments across the world have mandated a host of health and safety measures, including the wearing of face masks, to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Many of these regulations mean that customer experiences have fundamentally changed, putting customers and businesses into an unprecedented state of uncertainty. This week of 1st March, we are joined by authors of a new Ipsos whitepaper: ‘Service with a smile? Delivering customer experience in the face of mask wearing': Jean-Francois Damais, Manuel Garcia-Garcia and Fiona Moss. In this paper, the Ipsos team investigates the extent to which wearing face masks impacts our ability to foster human rapport and build strong relationships, and provides guidance for organisations charged with designing and delivering positive customer experiences within these constraints. With mask wearing likely here to stay, and for some considerable time yet, how do organisations create meaningful ‘masked moments' that encourage customers to return, spend and recommend, while also ensuring that customers and staff stay safe? Read the paper here, and click here for other recent CX thinking. Find out more about Customer Experience at Ipsos.

This week of 15th February, we are delighted to welcome Jo Causon, CEO of The Institute of Customer Service, along with Jamie Thorpe, our Ipsos MORI Head of Experience Management. Their conversation covers a whole host of subjects dear to our CX heart, among them: the power of CX in delivering financial return, what it takes to deliver great experiences, delivering on your brand promise, going beyond meeting functional needs to create emotional attachment, closing the loop, the digital and human angle, what happens post lockdown, and what's next for CX. A genuinely fascinating conversation around the topics that matter to anyone with even a passing interest in the CX space, let alone to those of us who are passionate about Customer Experience! Read a recent paper co-authored by Jamie: Money talks or budget walks – Delivering a Return on Customer Experience Investment: ROCXI. Find out more about Customer Experience at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.

This week of 8th February, we welcome Helen Bywater-Smith, Ipsos Global Head of CX Service Design. Helen gives us the ‘what, when and how' of CX Service Design, including her take on what makes for great experiences to drive that business impact – increased retention, share of spend, advocacy and operational efficiency, leading to a Return on CX Investment: ROCXI. Of course, Customer Perspective wouldn't be complete without those all-important real-life case stories to bring the subject to life. And thanks for your reading recommendations, Helen – ghosts and memorable moments covered! Find out more about Customer Experience, and Channel Performance: Mystery Shopping, Retail Performance and Retail and Consumer Intelligence at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.

This week of 1st February, we welcome Craig Bradley, Ipsos Global Head of Channel Performance. Craig takes us on a ‘whistle-stop tour' of Channel Performance, describing how we: size channel opportunities and share; measure brand promises and execution, and drive compliance and sales conversion … to improve performance across all sales and service channels – physical, contact centre, and digital – and help deliver profitable growth​. He updates us on how the business has evolved over the past year, and plans going forward, as we address our clients' changing business questions. Get to know Craig, as he shares his passions, including reducing single-use plastic, and driving gender equality #betterbalanceforbetterbusiness. Of course, we're always up for podcast recommendations (his favourites – just behind Customer Perspective, of course). Find out more about Channel Performance: Mystery Shopping, Retail Performance and Retail and Consumer Intelligence at Ipsos, and read about our latest thinking.