My Curious Colleague

In the latest podcast episode (#120), we explore how replacing static web forms with an interactive bot Contact Us form can transform consumer engagement and streamline contact center operations. My colleague, @john Calhoun, Consumer Services Manager, at @McKee Foods Corp is here to help me with this topic.

This week, I continue my deep dive into “knowledge in the contact center”—but this time, we're exploring a crucial aspect: Knowledge Operations.  Joining me for the 2nd episode (#119) in this series is my colleague @Greg DeVore, co-founder of @ScreenSteps, who shares his expertise on how we can rethink training and knowledge transfer for contact center agents.

This week I'm Curious About… Retention & CX in the DTC CX Space.  In this new episode (#117) of the @my curious colleague podcast I chat with @Eli Weiss- a Retention & CX Thought Leader - about the dynamic world of consumer care and retention in the direct-to-consumer arena..!

I'm thrilled to share the latest episode (#113) of the @My Curious Colleague podcast…. Join me for my (5) “Musings” where I look back and reflect forward on consumer engagement..! • The Importance of a Seat at the Table: Why consumer focus is now non-negotiable for brands.• The Rise of New Channels: Exploring the impact of ratings and reviews as the new frontier in consumer engagement.• Trends Tracking: Being aware of the macro and micro trends that could affect your operations in the contact center.• Evolving Reporting Structures: How the reporting landscape has shifted towards a more consumer-centric model.• Consumer Insights: What the future may look like ie more holistic. Tune in for thoughts IMHO may give you something to chew on as you plan your approach to consumer care in 2025!

I'm thrilled to dedicate my first podcast episode of 2025 of the My Curious Colleague Podcast to Front Line Agents in the Contact Center.  

Hello, My Curious Colleagues...! In this week's “Curiously Quick” episode (#111) on the @My Curious Colleague podcast, I share my thoughts on AI in consumer relations and the contact center. My thoughts, albeit brief, are covered in three key areas. Listen to today's episode for more details and in these past episodes noted here:1. Helping the Agent—exploring Voice AI, Agent Assist, and Reason Codes (Ep. #82, Speech Analytics with CalZilla).2. Helping the Consumer—from chatbots to virtual assistants (Ep. #95 with Joe Mazer, Michelin Tires).3. Brand & Quality Insights—insights via sentiment analysis and trend identification (Ep. @91 with Gotham at Yogi).Listen in to get a worker bee's perspective on AI's potential for smaller teams and more.

 In this BONUS episode of the My Curious Colleague - #cpgcx Podcast, Denise and @Ibrahiem Atshan (Abe) discuss a Sneak Peek of the upcoming SOCAP/Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals' Data and Analytics Workshop. Abe provides a line of sight into the workshop sharing insights into the event's structure, key sessions and the generous event sponsors.Abe also reflects on his journey to becoming the President of the Northeast Regional chapter of SOCAP, emphasizing the value of volunteering and leadership. The conversation also delves into the significance of AI in customer experience and the role of data analytics in driving business decisions. Chapters00:00 Introduction to SOCAP and the Data & Analytics Workshop04:14 Abe's Journey to Leadership in SOCAP07:48 Details of the Upcoming Data & Analytics Workshop11:55 Exploring AI in Customer Experience14:48 Benchmarking and Data Analytics Insights SponsorshipsThis episode is sponsored by @SOCAP – the industry group for Consumer Affairs Professionals. “Come for the knowledge, Stay for the network.”  Check out all the benefits of becoming a member at socap.org#socapinternational

In Episode 110 of the My Curious Colleague Podcast...Denise Venneri (host/creator of the pod) discusses the importance of effectively reviewing packaging artwork in the consumer relations role. Denise emphasizes the need to approve and create artwork that can reach consumers, And provides guidance on specific information to focus on, such as contact details, hours of operation, and language support. She also highlights the importance of checking nutrition facts, ingredient statements, allergen information, and preparation instructions. Thoughts:Effectively reviewing packaging artwork is important in the consumer relations role to ensure it can reach consumers.,,!Focus on specific information like contact details, hours of operation, and language support.Check nutrition facts, ingredient statements, allergen information, and preparation instructions for accuracy and clarity.Be close to the brand and consumers to identify potential issues and improve the product's appeal and avoid confusionChapters00:00 Introduction: The Importance of Reviewing Packaging Artwork in Consumer Relations02:49 Checking Specific Information in Packaging Artwork04:10 Ensuring Accuracy and Clarity in Nutrition Facts and Ingredient Statements05:36 The Significance of Preparation Instructions and Allergen Information06:34 Being a Second Pair of Eyes for Consumer-Friendly Packaging07:03 Considering Romance Language, Recycling Information, and Front-of-Pack Design 

In this episode, #107, Denise and Nicole Nutile of Wiley discuss how to incorporate sustainability or "going green" into daily life and the workplace, emphasizing the importance of small, impactful changes. Nicole Nutile shares her journey from working in operations to becoming the global co-chair of the Wiley Green Group, driven by her passion for eco-friendly practices. She highlights surprising statistics about plastic pollution and other types of litter, emphasizing the urgency of environmental action. Additionally, Nicole offers a free PDF on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, inviting listeners to DM her or Denise on LinkedIn to get a copy and start making a difference today.

Hello My Curious Colleagues! This Tuesday 6/11/24, on Episode #106 of the My Curious Colleague Podcast, I'm Curious about…Creating FAQs that Boost your Agent's Confidence & Your Consumers' Experience. 

In this week's episode, I'm Curious about…”Supporting the Food Service side of the business in the Contact Center .” My guest, @Victoria Cherne, is a true Pioneer in this area. Vicky is Manager of Consumer Affairs and Customer Concerns at Land O'Lakes and active on the Board of Directors of our industry group, @SOCAP (Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals) as VP, Member Services. Links here to Episode #105: Apple Podcast: https://lnkd.in/eg8CASqSpotify: https://lnkd.in/eqSQKJx Here's some highlights of what we discussed:

This week on Ep #104 I'm Curious About...On-Shoring to Blended Shoring & Everything in Between: Contact Center Operations Set-up Options w/Michael Ferrari, Chief Client Officer - Avantive Solutions

In this episode (#101), I'm diving into the world of digital coupons in the CPG contact center. I had the pleasure of speaking with George Patilis, Managing Director at TPG Rewards, to learn all about barcode-based digital coupons (aka Barcode Bucks) and how they're transforming the way brands engage with customers.Here are some highlights from our conversation:

This week I'm Curious about… how contact centers track consumer response to reformulated products. Check out this week's episode, where we dive into the nuances of tracking CPG reformulations in the contact center. Here's what you'll learn:

This week on Episode 99 I'm curious about... Coupon Reimbursement in the CPG Contact Center...      

Hey there, My Curious Colleagues!

 This week on the @My Curious Colleague podcast (Ep 95), I'm CURIOUS about… chatbots/virtual assistants…! To help me with this is my guest and colleague @Joe Mazur, Director Consumer Care at @Michelin North America. We're digging in to Michelin's online chatbot/virtual assistant named "Mitch."  So fun… so don't miss out listening

You know about Recycling, right…? but how about “UP-Cycled Ingredients”…? Listen in to a quick primer and tangible tips from my returning colleague, Susan Mayer, regarding UP-cycled Ingredients & its potential impact for food & beverage labels, Consumer Relations and ultimately your consumers. Susan will be speaking on this topic and more at this month's @IFTFirst conference in Chicago, July 16th thru July 18th. She is a former Innovation Lead at RTI Innovation Advisers and R&D/Quality leader at several CPG companies, including Campbell Soup Company. 

Here's another great REPLAY (Ep 86) related to the topic of RECALLs. In this episode, my colleagues, Jon Cox (Sr. Mgr Consumer Affairs) & Richard Wakeanda (R&D) at Blount Fine Foods episode on the @My Curious Colleague podcast.  We'll talking Mock RECALLs from both Consumer Affairs AND Food Saftey/Quality's POV....AND...this month, I continue to celebrate my colleagues' service to the CX industry group known as ⁠SOCAP International⁠. As you may be aware, Jon is current President of the Board of Directors for SOCAP (Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals). Links here:

⚙️Here's a great REPLAY (Ep 85) of my colleague, Christopher Drury's episode on RECALL Technology. AND...this month, I continue to celebrate my colleagues' service to the CX industry group known as SOCAP International. Chris is President-Elect of the Board of Directors for SOCAP (Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals). Links here:

Hello My Curious Colleagues. This week on the @My Curious Colleague Podcast (Ep#84) is my colleague @Carla Baynard. Carla has over 25 years creating strategic customer care solutions for the consumer-packaged goods, food and beverage, non-profit, healthcare, and pharmaceutical industries. Currently, Carla is a Director in Client Services at @Knipper Health. We discuss leadership and the qualities of an effective leader. Among other topics, one of the most important transferable skillsacross industries is Leadership, according to Carla. Carla also shared some fantastic insights on what it takes to be a successful leader using an acronym she created. Are you ready for it? L-L-I-I-F-F-T-T ·       “L”   The first attribute of a great leader is the ability to listen. Listening is crucial to understanding the needs of your team and clients. Learning is the second attribute. It's important for leaders to always seek knowledge and develop new skills. Taking the time to think, make plans, and focus on tasks at hand is also crucial to success. ·       “I”    Next up, we have inspiring your team. A great leader should inspire their team through encouragement and positive role modeling. Leaders also have the power to influence, so it's important to use that power for good and positively impact those around you. ·       “F”    The final two attributes are focus and fulfilling obligations. Leaders should always keep their eyes on the company's objectives and take steps to achieve them. Fulfilling promises and obligations is essential for building trust and credibility with team members and clients alike. ·       “T” – We teach others and tell them our feedback. Carla's volunteer shout-out goes to the United Way, especially because they “have their tentacles in everything.” www.unitedway.org   #leadership #mycuriouscolleague #CPGCX #businesspodcasts

Hello My Curious Colleagues—-It's SOCAP Sweeps Weeks...! Last week my guest was SOCAP member Stephanie Fritz of Callzilla (Ep82). And this week --As a thanks to SOCAP member Jon Cox 's leadership as CHAIRPERSON of SOCAP (Society of Consumer Affairs Professional), I've decided to post a [REPLAY] of his episode with me re: A Recall 101... of Sorts. (REPLAY is Ep 83]. ************************************

This week on the My Curious Colleague

I wanted to share with you all a [REPLAY] episode this week. This episode with Beth Ziff, EVP at Premier Response topped the list of the My Curious Colleague Podcasts so a good choice. Enjoy! Links here:

Welcome my colleague @Ronna Caras to the My Curious Colleague

⚖Hello My Curious Colleagues..! This week on the @My Curious Colleague podcast my guest is my colleague Michele Shuster, Esq., Partner, MacMurray and Shuster LLP. Since World Consumer Rights Day which many countries around the world celebrates on March 15th is here… AND Michele being a Consumer Protection Expert, we thought we'd talk U.S. Consumer Rights past, present and future. Our goal is to ensure you have an understanding of the Consumer Protection & Privacy rights and legislation in play --so companies and contact centers can be at the ready to comply and care for their consumers. And thank you to our sponsor for this episode, SOCAP (society of consumer affairs professionals).. .! We appreciate your support and cutting edge resources. www.socapinternational.org Topics include: Brief homage to the Consumer Bill of Rights and it's impact on today's thinking - Did you know it was President John F. Kennedy who introduced what was eventually to be called the Consumer Bill of Rights in the early 1960's…? A Quick Game…I ask Michele what would she would have added to the Consumer Bill of Rights … Let's see if you can predict Michele's answer…and why.

Hello My Curious Colleagues…! This week on the 75th episode of the @my curious colleague podcast my guest is my colleague, Leslie O'Flahavan, Owner of @E-Write, LLC. Leslie O is a “Plain Language Expert” and has a wonderful understanding of the needs of today's contact center when it comes to communication and writing skills, among other industries.

This week on S4 E74, my guest is my colleague - the self-proclaimed "Classification Guru" - Susan Walsh. She's from "across the pond" and is uber cheeky on LinkedIn while getting her point across (think: lip-syncing, boas and cardboard cut outs..!) One aspect of Data Integrity we both agreed on is that no matter what the industry, "dirty data" must be addressed to minimize numerous impacts downstream.  Susan takes us thru her handy acronym C.O.A.T. which serves as a checklist to keep in mind when it comes to ultimately building trust around the use of your data. So do listen out for those elements she shares.!!   And Susan shares tips on how you can clean your data using scrappy basic Excel as your tool...and she shares the higher-end tool her team uses to clean data. Her team has cleaned and classified data for many large organizations we've heard of -- but she can't share with us...! Susan's non-profit organization shout-out goes to the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (www.RNLI.org) which is at the ready to provide safety & assistance 24/7 in the event of peril at sea. Susan's an original and savvy businesswoman. Thanks again, Susan! #mycuriouscolleague #CPGCX #theclassificationguru #customerservice

This week my guest is my Colleague, Craig Antonucci who is back on the podcast for his DSBQ (Double Secret Bonus Question). 

Welcome my colleague Adrienne C. Valpyto the My Curious Colleague

This week on S4 E71 of the My Curious Colleague podcast my guest is my colleague, Anna Marie LaVenia, General Manager of Consumer Care - the Emerson Group. Anna Marie and her colleagues embraced the concept of Employee Experience even before “EX” was an acronym on LinkedIn – THINK 15 years ago. She credits the company's owner and her BPO partners for supporting their mission to make all employees, including Agents, feel like… “this is the best place to work.” She was also kind enough to help me understand the org structure of the Emerson Group – they provide much more in addition to customer service support for their brand partners. And we get into what their tagline… “a consumer equity organization” means and the benefit this framework provides. I'll share link to the episode later in the comments for your convenience!

This week on S4 E70 of the My Curious Colleague podcast my guest is my colleague, Jessi Freitag, @Startup CPG Podcast Host & Operations Consultant. Jessi has pieced together quite a career and we get into what's she's heard about consumer care for Emerging Brands in the @Startup CPG Slack community, as well as from her experience as one of the first hires at a CPG (LivBar). ⚡On the Productivity front (another passion of hers), Jessi shares her thoughts on the topics consumer care folks might consider to keep energy AND empathy high.