Peers Over Beers - Community Experts Podcast

In this engaging episode of CX Nexus, hosts Nicole Saunders and Chris Detzel explore the fascinating intersection between personal and professional community building. The conversation weaves between Chris's experience growing a 10,000-member running community in Dallas-Fort Worth and Nicole's decade-long "Odd Tuesday Potluck" tradition, revealing how the fundamental principles of community building manifest in their personal lives.The hosts unpack key community-building elements that work across both personal and professional contexts:- The critical role of consistency in building lasting communities- How shared challenges and interests naturally bring people together- The importance of creating regular touchpoints and traditions- The value of organic growth and patience in community development- Ways to maintain engagement while allowing for natural ebb and flow of participationThrough personal anecdotes about running groups, potluck dinners, choir performances, and holiday traditions, Nicole and Chris demonstrate how the strategies they use in professional community management often mirror the natural ways humans connect in their personal lives. The episode offers valuable insights for both professional community managers and anyone interested in building stronger personal networks and communities.The discussion culminates with reflections on how genuine human connection remains at the heart of all successful communities, whether they're focused on professional development or personal interests. This episode is particularly relevant for community professionals seeking to ground their work in authentic human experience, as well as individuals looking to build stronger personal communities in their own lives.Hosts: Nicole Saunders and Chris Detzel

This episode of the CX Nexus podcast features co-hosts Nicole Saunders and Chris Detzel discussing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on community management and customer experience. Here's a detailed description of the episode's content:1. Introduction and Context:   - Both hosts are about six weeks into new jobs, providing fresh perspectives on their roles.   - Chris has been thinking a lot about AI and new technologies in his new role.2. AI Integration in Customer Experience:   - Discussion on the importance of thinking "AI-first" in community and customer experience strategies.   - Examples of AI integration, such as chatbots for self-help and sentiment analysis tools.3. Practical Applications of AI:   - Use of AI for content creation, including blog posts and webinar summaries.   - AI's role in data analysis, such as understanding customer needs and preferences.   - Utilizing AI for routine tasks like meeting note-taking and creating event descriptions.4. Impact on Support Communities:   - How AI is changing the nature of questions in support communities.   - The shift towards more complex, experience-based queries that AI can't easily answer.   - The increasing importance of user-generated content for SEO.5. AI in Community Platforms:   - Discussion on the lack of innovation in community platform space.   - The need for community platforms to integrate AI features.   - Potential for AI in matchmaking community members with similar interests or needs.6. Challenges and Opportunities:   - Balancing AI use with maintaining authentic, authoritative content.   - The importance of open, searchable communities for SEO benefits.   - How AI might disrupt current community management practices.7. Future Outlook:   - Anticipation of upcoming innovations in community platform technologies.   - The need for community managers to adapt to AI-first approaches.   - Potential for AI to assist community managers in various aspects of their roles.8. Closing Remarks:   - Mention of upcoming presentations at the Refocus virtual community conference.   - Encouragement for listeners to attend or watch recordings of the conference.Throughout the episode, the hosts share personal experiences and industry insights, providing a mix of practical advice and forward-looking perspectives on the role of AI in community management and customer experience.

This podcast episode of CX Nexus features hosts Nicole Saunders and Chris Detzel discussing the intersection of community management and sales strategies, particularly focusing on how community professionals can integrate their work with sales plays. Here's a detailed description of the episode:Introduction to the topic: The hosts introduce the challenge many community leaders face in connecting their work to the rest of the organization, especially sales.They emphasize the importance of finding ways to integrate community efforts with sales motions without being overly "salesy" in community spaces.Focus on expansion opportunities: Chris suggests that community plays a significant role in customer expansion rather than net new sales.He discusses how community programs, such as webinars, can be connected to sales pipelines and influence revenue.Defining sales plays: The hosts explain the concept of sales plays, distinguishing them from marketing campaigns.They describe sales plays as repeatable actions that can be tracked and followed up on systematically.Learning about sales processes: Chris shares his experience of learning about sales plays and campaigns within his organization.He emphasizes the importance of building relationships with sales teams and understanding their language and goals.Strategies for integration: The hosts discuss the value of co-planning events with other teams to ensure community initiatives align with broader sales and marketing strategies.They stress the importance of approaching other teams with a "how can I help?" mindset rather than asking for inclusion.Building internal relationships: Nicole highlights the importance of relationship-building skills for community professionals, not just with community members but also with internal teams.They discuss strategies for gaining buy-in from executives and demonstrating the value of community to the business.Data and metrics: The hosts talk about the importance of tracking data to demonstrate community impact on sales.They caution against over-relying on metrics and stress the need for balancing data with practical field experience.Challenges and encouragement: Chris acknowledges that integrating community with sales can be challenging but encourages community leaders to push themselves in new directions.They emphasize the need for creativity in showing how community efforts contribute to business outcomes.Closing thoughts: The hosts summarize the key takeaways and encourage listeners to continue exploring ways to connect community efforts with broader business strategies.Throughout the episode, Nicole and Chris draw from their personal experiences, offering practical advice and insights for community professionals looking to demonstrate their value to the sales organization and the broader business.

In this enlightening episode of CXNexus, hosts Nicole Saunders and Chris Detzel share their recent experiences transitioning to new roles in the customer experience and community management space. Both having just made significant career moves, they offer valuable insights and practical advice for professionals navigating job changes in the tech industry.Nicole discusses her move from Zendesk, where she spent seven and a half years, to Coupa as the new Senior Director of Customer Experience Marketing. She shares her approach to entering a new organization, including how she prepared for the role and her strategy for the first few weeks on the job. Nicole emphasizes the importance of listening, asking key questions, and quickly identifying patterns and priorities within the new company.Chris reveals his transition from Reltio to ZoomInfo, where he'll be starting as a Senior Community Manager. He details his proactive job search strategies after his position at Reltio was eliminated, highlighting the crucial role of networking and personal branding on LinkedIn. Chris offers creative tips for standing out in the job application process, including creating personalized presentations and leveraging existing connections.The hosts dive deep into several key topics:The importance of personal branding and "working out loud" on platforms like LinkedIn to attract opportunities.Strategies for networking effectively, including reaching out to connections and asking for help.Techniques for preparing for a new role, such as researching the company and creating preliminary strategies.The emotional aspects of leaving a long-term position and starting fresh in a new organization.Practical advice for the first few weeks in a new job, including meeting key stakeholders and identifying quick wins.The value of bringing ideas and potential roadmaps to a new position, especially when building programs from the ground up.Throughout the episode, Nicole and Chris share personal anecdotes, challenges they've faced, and lessons they've learned during their recent transitions. They offer encouragement to listeners who may be considering a job change or find themselves unexpectedly in the job market.This episode provides valuable insights for professionals at all stages of their careers, particularly those in customer experience, community management, and related fields in the tech industry. Listeners will come away with practical strategies for job searching, interviewing, and starting strong in a new role, as well as a renewed appreciation for the power of professional networks and personal branding in career advancement.

In this episode of CX Nexus, hosts Nicole Saunders and Chris Detzel are joined by Luke Austin, Director of Analytics and Insights at Reltio, to delve into the critical role of data analytics in modern marketing and sales strategies. Luke provides an in-depth explanation of essential concepts such as pipeline and bookings, and how these metrics are vital for predicting business performance and setting revenue targets.The discussion transitions to the impact of community engagement on business outcomes, highlighting the importance of Account-Based Experience (ABX) strategies. Luke shares valuable insights on how Reltio leverages ABX to enhance their sales process, particularly by identifying and engaging multiple stakeholders within target accounts.A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the impressive influence of community shows, hosted by Chris, on customer engagement and pipeline creation. Luke reveals how these shows have become a primary driver of engagement, accounting for a substantial portion of customer interactions, and how this engagement correlates with increased pipeline and expansion opportunities.Listeners will gain a comprehensive understanding of how integrating community activities with data-driven marketing and sales efforts can lead to significant business growth. Nicole and Chris also emphasize the importance of community professionals building strong relationships with their marketing intelligence teams to harness the full potential of data insights.Join us for a detailed exploration of the intersections between community engagement, data analytics, and business strategy, and learn how to translate community interactions into measurable business outcomes.

This episode explores the interconnections between various aspects of the customer experience and emphasizes the importance of breaking down organizational silos to deliver better outcomes for customers and businesses alike.The discussion revolves around strategies for expanding revenue within existing customer accounts through cross-selling and upselling. The guest, Jay Nathan, Chief Operating Officer at Churnkey, shares insights on how focusing on customer expansion is crucial for driving growth, especially in the current economic climate where efficiency and profitability are paramount.The conversation delves into the roles and responsibilities of different teams, such as sales, customer success, and support, in identifying and operationalizing expansion opportunities. The speakers underscore the significance of providing exceptional customer support and argue that investing in a strong support function can pay dividends in terms of customer retention and growth.Throughout the podcast, the theme of cross-functional collaboration emerges as a key driver of success. The participants discuss how breaking down silos and fostering cooperation among departments can lead to more seamless customer experiences and more effective expansion strategies. They also explore the role of customer communities in this context, suggesting that community managers should act as facilitators who bring together expertise from across the organization to deliver value to customers.The speakers also touch on the importance of data and analytics in identifying expansion opportunities and segmenting the customer base. They emphasize the need to understand customer needs and tailor outreach and offerings accordingly.Overall, the podcast offers a wealth of insights and practical advice for organizations looking to optimize their customer experience and drive growth through expansion strategies. The discussion is relevant to a wide range of functions, from community management and customer success to sales and support, and underscores the importance of a holistic, customer-centric approach to business growth.

This podcast episode of CX Nexus features hosts Nicole Saunders and Chris Detzel discussing the intricacies of planning and executing successful business events, particularly in the context of customer experience and community building. The episode provides a comprehensive overview of event management, drawing from Chris's recent experience organizing a customer event for his company.Key points covered in the episode include:Setting clear goals and objectives for the event, including business outcomes like expansion opportunities and pipeline influence.The importance of proper planning, including creating a high-level agenda and identifying key team members and their responsibilities (using a RACI model).Logistics considerations, such as choosing an appropriate venue, organizing catering, managing registration, and preparing event materials like name badges and swag.Strategies for promoting the event, including leveraging various communication channels like email campaigns, personal outreach from sales and customer success teams, and community platforms.Content planning, including selecting and preparing speakers, organizing panel discussions, and ensuring presentations align with the event's objectives.The value of networking opportunities and how to structure the event to facilitate meaningful connections among attendees.Challenges and potential pitfalls in event planning, such as last-minute changes, technical issues, and the need for flexibility and quick problem-solving.The importance of balancing different attendee groups, such as customers, prospects, partners, and employees.Post-event considerations, including measuring success against set goals and gathering feedback.Throughout the discussion, Chris and Nicole share personal experiences and practical tips, emphasizing the complexity of event planning but also highlighting the significant value that well-executed events can bring to a business. They stress the importance of attention to detail, effective communication, and the ability to adapt to unexpected situations.The episode provides valuable insights for professionals involved in customer experience, community management, and event planning, offering a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create impactful business events. They also touch on the differences between small, intimate events and larger conferences, noting that while the scale may change, many of the fundamental principles remain the same.

CX Nexus" features hosts Nicole Saunders and Chris Detzel discussing the integration of community efforts with sales and marketing strategies in their respective companies, Reltio and Zendesk. They explore how community engagement can drive business growth through targeted strategies like ABX (account-based experience) and expansion opportunities. The conversation highlights the importance of aligning community activities with business outcomes, the challenge of maintaining authentic community connections while contributing to sales efforts, and the necessity of cross-functional collaboration to achieve these goals. They emphasize the evolving role of community management in supporting business objectives and the need for community leaders to adapt and innovate within this dynamic landscape.

In the debut episode of "CX Nexus," hosts Nicole and Chris warmly welcome their audience into the fold of an innovative podcast series dedicated to exploring the intricate world of customer experience (CX) and its pivotal role in business success. Nicole, with her profound background as the director of community at Zendesk, brings to the table a wealth of knowledge gleaned from her extensive experience in community management across a diverse range of industries and company sizes. Chris Detzel complements this expertise with his invaluable insights from spearheading online communities and engagement initiatives at Reltio, making them a formidable duo in the realm of CX.As they introduce themselves and the vision behind "CX Nexus," Nicole and Chris share their personal journeys in community management, shedding light on the unique challenges and triumphs they've encountered. Their narratives set the stage for the podcast's mission: to unravel the complexities of cross-functional collaboration within businesses and highlight the indispensable role of community in fostering synergy across various departments.The hosts outline an ambitious plan for the podcast, aiming to invite guests from a myriad of roles—ranging from customer success and sales to product marketing and customer experience. These conversations are designed to offer listeners a panoramic view of how community engagement not only bridges gaps between different business functions but also enhances collective efforts towards achieving common goals."CX Nexus" positions itself as a treasure trove of insights for professionals entrenched in the spheres of customer experience, go-to-market strategies, marketing, customer support, product management, and leadership. Nicole and Chris are committed to delivering content that not only informs but also inspires professional growth and encourages a culture of collaboration and innovation within product companies.The essence of the podcast is encapsulated in its goal to showcase the interconnectedness of roles within organizations and how these connections contribute to strategic decision-making and business success. Nicole and Chris emphasize the importance of listener engagement, inviting the audience to actively participate by subscribing across various platforms, suggesting topics, posing questions, and recommending guests through cxnexuspodcast@gmail.com As "CX Nexus" embarks on its journey, Nicole and Chris stand at the helm, ready to guide their listeners through the evolving landscape of customer experience, armed with their expertise, vision, and an open invitation for everyone to join the conversation.

As the year comes to an end, Chris and Nicole discuss best practices for community professionals to reflect on their accomplishments, communicate value to stakeholders, and set goals for the new year.Key topics covered: The importance of end-of-year reporting to benchmark progress, justify budget/resources, and set goals. Nicole explains how quantifying community ROI helps secure leadership support. Conducting quarterly reviews to zoom out from day-to-day tasks and ensure you're focused on the right priorities. Tips for end-of-year people management like giving timely feedback and documenting personal achievements. Recognizing community members' contributions through year-end impact reports and tokens of appreciation. Nicole shares examples like infographics, swag gifts, and social events. Collaborating cross-functionally and articulating community impact on business goals like product adoption, customer retention, etc. The episode ends with a recap of key takeaways to help community builders reflect on the past year and prepare for the new year ahead.

In this episode of Peers Over Beers, Christopher Detzel interviews Nicole Saunders, Senior Manager of Global Community Programs at Zendesk, about Zendesk's user group program.Nicole explains how the user group program got started based on feedback from Zendesk customers who wanted more opportunities to connect with each other. The goal of the program is to drive customer retention by building meaningful relationships between Zendesk, its users, and partners.She discusses how the user groups are structured, including interest-based and role-based virtual groups rather than geographic locations which was not what they initially expected. Nicole also talks about how they recruit and train volunteer chapter leaders, provide them with resources and assets, and help promote their groups.Key learnings from the first year include the importance of regular cadence for meetups, starting small and letting groups grow organically, and transitioning leaders from active community participants. Ongoing challenges include sharing insights with customer-facing teams and automating qualitative data.Overall, the user group program aims to provide a scalable way for customers to connect with Zendesk and each other, strengthening relationships and loyalty. Nicole reflects on the exciting growth after just one year, and opportunities still ahead to continue improving the customer experience.

This podcast episode is a discussion between Christopher Detzel and Nicole Saunders, two community professionals, about trends, strategies, and best practices for community management in 2024.Some of the main topics covered include: How community teams are adapting to doing more with smaller teams by prioritizing programs, leveraging cross-functional partnerships, and using technology like AI. Strategies for consistently engaging community members through innovative formats like "thought leader" sessions and getting customer feedback on new features. Optimizing virtual and in-person events to drive value, including hybrid models and facilitation techniques. Unifying data across platforms to get a holistic view of community metrics and tie back to business objectives. Leveraging community insights for product innovation by facilitating small group customer feedback sessions. Tips for community professionals like starting small by focusing on 1-2 metrics or partnerships to showcase value. Overall, Christopher and Nicole have an insightful discussion about community management best practices, especially around engagement, measurement, and showcasing value.

In this episode of Peers Over Beers, hosts Chris Detzel and Nicole Saunders are joined by special guest Jono Bacon, an expert in building online communities, to discuss how artificial intelligence and new technologies like large language models will impact the future of community building.They explore how AI chatbots may take over some routine community management tasks like answering common support questions, allowing community managers to focus more on building relationships and delivering personalized experiences. However, they acknowledge the need to pivot community roles to focus less on simplistic Q&A and more on engaging users in diverse ways like facilitating thought leadership and fostering connections.The hosts also dive into the influx of AI-generated content and how it may clutter community discussions. They debate whether the onus is on community managers to moderate bot-created content or if search engines will adapt algorithms to surface high-quality human-created content. Overall, they agree community builders need to embrace AI as an accelerator for engagement but must skill up on leveraging these tools to avoid disruption.With his extensive experience across various online communities, Jono provides thoughtful perspectives on AI's potential benefits and pitfalls for community professionals. His insights help paint a nuanced picture of how to prepare communities for an AI-driven future.

Partnerships play a critical role in building successful online communities. But how can you effectively engage partners without them simply using your community as a marketing channel? In this episode, hosts Chris Detzel and Nicole Saunders dive into creative tactics for leveraging partners as community advocates.Drawing from their extensive expertise running online communities, Chris and Nicole discuss the value partners can bring by sharing expertise, creating content, leading community groups, and more. However, they also acknowledge the common concerns around partner self-promotion and emphasize the need for clear guidelines.A major focus of the episode is around measuring the impact of partner participation through goal-setting, data analysis, and surveying partners directly. Chris and Nicole stress the importance of collaborating across teams to quantify the value of partners as part of the broader customer experience.With insightful stories and actionable advice, this episode explores how partners can become co-creators and advocates for community when given the right framework for engagement. Tune in to hear Chris and Nicole's guidance on maximizing partners' contributions while avoiding potential pitfalls.

In this episode, Christopher and Nicole discuss the idea that community exists everywhere, not just on a company's own branded community platform. They talk about how community management is evolving to be more cross-functional, with community professionals embedding in other teams like social media and customer success. Inspired by FeverBee: The ‘Community Everywhere' Era Has Arrived: Don't Waste This OpportunityCheck out the blog: The End of Walled-Garden CommunitiesKey points they cover: Community happens across social channels, forums like Reddit, and other informal spaces online. Companies need to think about how to participate in these spaces, not just drive people back to their own community platform. It's important for community managers to align strategies and data across all community touchpoints, though this requires breaking down silos and working cross-functionally. No technology alone can solve the problem of managing community everywhere. Human insight is still critical to connect the dots. At its core, community professionals love building relationships and connections. The challenge is balancing that with showing business value. To understand your customers, you need to know them as whole people, not just their interactions on your community platform. They conclude that managing community everywhere is complex but critical for the evolution of community management. More collaboration across the organization is key.

In this episode of Peers over Beers, Nicole Saunders and Christopher Detzel have an insightful discussion about building relationships between community and customer success teams in order to drive greater customer engagement. They discuss tactics for integrating community into the customer journey from the outset, including onboarding new customers to the community. They also talk about creating aligned goals and metrics to demonstrate the business impact of community on customer success KPIs. Other topics covered include enabling customer success teams through content sharing, facilitating community events for customers, and optimizing program offerings based on data and impact. Overall, Saunders and Detzel provide a wealth of practical tips for leveraging community to enhance customer success initiatives and foster collaboration between the two teams. Their conversation offers valuable lessons for community leaders looking to strengthen cross-functional partnerships within their organizations.

"Peers Over Beers," hosted by seasoned community experts Chris Detzel and Nicole Saunders, is a podcast that dives deep into the world of online communities. In this particular episode, the duo explores the challenging topic of navigating change and maintaining stability as a community manager amidst management turnover and significant organizational changes.Nicole opens up about her experiences at various startups and at Zendesk, sharing insights from a roller-coaster career where she had to adapt to five different managers over a span of 6.5 years. The conversation centers around the crucial importance of adaptability in a community manager's skill set.Chris and Nicole discuss several essential strategies for managing change and uncertainty, beginning with the necessity of a clear vision for your community. They emphasize that the vision should remain constant, regardless of the organization's changes. It should inherently drive value for both the business and the end-users, being independent of any single organization.They further elaborate on the importance of documenting your community programs and their impact, along with building cross-functional relationships as internal advocates within the organization. They advocate for showing urgency, delivering results, and welcoming change rather than dreading it.Nicole's quote, "Your community should have an objective that is kind of agnostic to all of that. It should be something that drives value for both the business and the end users that is not dependent on a single organization," encapsulates their philosophy.Chris concurs, adding that community managers must consistently show the value they bring to the business. He says, "I think people do to some degree, right? I think we have to continue to build out the programs, build out the value and act as every other department does to show what value we bring to the business."They further discuss how a community manager can smoothly transition knowledge and programs through organizational changes. For instance, Nicole recommends having quarterly reports to track and showcase community progress and impact.Lastly, Chris emphasizes the importance of forging cross-functional relationships and nurturing champions within the organization, thus amplifying the influence and reach of the community manager.The episode is a treasure trove of wisdom and practical advice, offering community managers the tools and mindset they need to thrive, even in the face of constant leadership and strategic changes.

Welcome to this in-depth analysis of the podcast "Peers over Beers," hosted by two seasoned professionals, Nicole Saunders and Christopher Detzel. The engaging discourse revolves around the transformative role and significance of community in today's organizations, offering invaluable insights and perspectives for both veterans and newcomers in the field of community management. Understanding the Community Role Community Integration: The Embedded Approach The Shift to Decentralization Role of Community in Feedback Management Business Alignment and Trust in Community The Evolution of Community Roles The "Peers over Beers" podcast offers a refreshing perspective on the value of community in an organizational setup. As Saunders and Detzel articulate, incorporating a community-led model into business strategies can revolutionize traditional structures, enhance customer interactions, and drive sustainable growth. It's an eye-opening conversation that invites us all to rethink the way we understand and integrate the community within our own organizations.

In this insightful episode of "Peers Over Beers", Christopher Detzel converses with Nicole Saunders from Zendesk about community building and user group management in a business setting. The episode commences with a light-hearted discussion about personal exercise routines in the summer before shifting gears to Nicole's extensive experience in fostering communities at Zendesk.Nicole outlines her journey from managing Q&A topics to orchestrating an all-encompassing community strategy at Zendesk. The strategy entailed merging the five product communities into a singular one to facilitate user experience. Additionally, Nicole shares her success with Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions and webinars, which were introduced as tools for community engagement.These webinars eventually paved the way for the creation of the digital events team at Zendesk. The team hosts deep-dive sessions following product announcements, helping users understand new features better. However, the growth and popularity of these events led to the challenge of scaling, with resources being stretched thin due to increasing requests for specialized topics. To navigate this issue, Nicole and her team initiated user groups.The user groups, designed to empower end-users to host meetups, experienced enthusiastic participation. From starting with five groups, they soon grew to eleven, with some groups boasting over 150 regular attendees. The global pandemic led to these gatherings transitioning to a virtual format, yielding groups arranged around job titles or industries rather than geographical locations.Nicole discusses how these user groups were promoted using community events, forums, and even paid social media. To maintain engagement, a Customer Advocacy Program was launched to recruit volunteers desiring to be more involved with the community.On the subject of data management, Nicole emphasizes the company's responsibility in using data strictly for user groups, prioritizing trust-building with customers. The conversation culminates with a discussion on the business value of these community engagement efforts. Nicole argues that user groups significantly contribute to customer retention, revenue generation, and account expansion.This episode of "Peers Over Beers" offers a comprehensive look at the intricate process of community building, user group management, and their impact on business outcomes. It serves as an enriching resource for professionals interested in community engagement, user group operations, and the balance between customer satisfaction and business objectives.

This podcast originated and is a copy from Data Hurdles episode Leveraging Online Communities for Business Growth: Insights from Burke and Detzel.  In their conversation, Michael Burke and Chris Detzel explore the crucial role online communities play in the modern digital business environment. Detzel, an expert in building these communities, outlines how they offer spaces for users to connect, collaborate, and resolve product-related issues. From a business standpoint, these communities can reduce support costs, generate marketing leads, and encourage product adoption, boosting upselling and cross-selling opportunities.The discussion delves into why customers often prefer peer support from community members over professional services or support tickets. Detzel explains this preference arises from the ease of access online communities provide, creating an environment conducive to knowledge sharing and swift problem resolution.Interestingly, Burke shares his personal experience with online community participation, underlining the emotional connection it can foster towards the product and the company. Detzel builds on this point by detailing how communities allow users to share their expertise and ideas, enabling the development of long-term customer relationships.The conversation also touches on the more analytical aspect of community management. Detzel suggests that the metrics used to measure a community's success should align with its maturity level, with more established communities tracking marketing, product adoption, and customer success metrics.Burke and Detzel both stress the importance of fostering network effects within communities and discuss strategies to achieve this, such as automated emails, reward systems, and recognition.Overall, the conversation underlines the pivotal role online communities can play in business growth, providing platforms for customer feedback and idea generation, while also building trust and empathy. Despite the potential challenges in managing these communities, especially on a global scale, Burke and Detzel highlight the substantial benefits and strategies for successful management.

Welcome to the Peers Over Beers podcast, "Behind the Scenes of Community Management: Metrics Matter". Nicole Saunders and Chris Detzel give their thoughts about Community Metrics: As the world grows more interconnected and businesses strive to build authentic relationships with their audiences, community management emerges as a critical element of organizational success. But how do we measure its impact and effectively communicate this to various stakeholders? This podcast unravels the mystery and shows you the art of telling your community's story using data-driven insights.Check out: The Power of Community Metrics for Data-Driven StorytellingJoin our industry experts as they share their vast experiences and dive deep into the nuts and bolts of community management. They will explore how to collect and analyze relevant data, identify key metrics, and weave a compelling narrative to highlight the community's impact. From newer community managers to veterans in the field, there's a lot to learn about building relationships, securing funding, and raising awareness about the value of community management.Moreover, we'll highlight the importance of visuals in enhancing your narrative and the channels you can utilize to share your story. In essence, this podcast will equip you with the tools and knowledge to transform raw data into an engaging, comprehensible story that amplifies the value of your community management efforts.Whether you're a community manager eager to demonstrate your impact or a business leader seeking to understand how community engagement drives success, this podcast is your roadmap. Tune in for enlightening discussions, expert insights, and actionable advice on harnessing the power of community management!

This Peers Over Beers discusses the potential benefits and drawbacks of artificial intelligence (AI) in online communities and customer support, as explored in a recent episode of the Peers Over Beers podcast featuring Nicole Saunders and Chris Detzel. In a recent episode of the Peers Over Beers podcast, community management professional Nicole Saunders and host Chris Detzel delved into the intriguing topic of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential impact on online communities and customer support. Their engaging conversation touched on various aspects of AI, such as its challenges, possible advantages in content generation, and the impact on community management. This blog post will explore the key insights from their discussion, highlighting the benefits and drawbacks of AI in the realm of online communities.Challenges: AI Limitations and Historical Data DependencySaunders began by discussing one of the main limitations of AI: its reliance on historical data. AI language models, like ChatGPT, depend on data sets that may not include the most up-to-date information. Consequently, AI-generated content could contain errors or be out of touch with current events. For community managers, this limitation necessitates staying informed and verifying AI-generated content to prevent the spread of misinformation.Potential Benefits: AI-Generated Content for CommunitiesDespite the limitations, AI-generated content offers several advantages for online communities. Saunders and Detzel discussed how AI could assist community managers by summarizing conversations, generating show or webinar summaries, writing descriptions, and even crafting tweets. Such assistance could free up valuable time for community managers to focus on other essential tasks.However, Saunders and Detzel also emphasized the importance of caution when using AI-generated content. Community managers must validate the output to prevent the spread of errors or misinformation. AI-generated content can be a powerful tool, but it should not replace human engagement in online communities.Impact on Community Management: New Roles and Future DevelopmentsAs AI and generative technologies continue to advance, Saunders suggested that new roles specializing in these technologies could emerge within community management. Detzel compared this potential development to the early days of social media when new roles like social media managers were created. The growth of AI in online communities may bring about significant changes in the field, necessitating adaptability and a keen awareness of technological advancements.Integrating AI ResponsiblyThe insightful discussion between Nicole Saunders and Chris Detzel sheds light on the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI in online communities and customer support. AI offers promising advantages, but it also has limitations that community managers must consider. Staying informed about technological developments and being prepared for the potential impact of AI is crucial for community managers. By responsibly integrating AI and maintaining human engagement, online communities can harness the power of AI to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency.Check out Revolutionizing Online Community Platforms with AI and ChatGPT

Join Chris Detzel and Morgan Wood, Head of Community at Hivebrite. Hivebrite had the chance to interview me about metrics and story telling. A powerful online community platform, Hivebrite provides top organizations with all the tools they need to build, manage, and engage their community. Enjoy!  Community building is an essential part of any business, and measuring the success of community building activities is crucial to understanding the impact of these efforts. Metrics help tell an overarching community story to members and stakeholders. Basic metrics, such as registrations, page views, and organic SEO, are good starting points for tracking the health of a community. Different communities have unique stories, and identifying metrics that align with the community's goals and challenges is crucial to successful community building.When selecting metrics, it's important to understand the goals of the customer success or customer service management organization. Building a collaborative process and involving different teams will help to create metrics that resonate with executives. Creating a metric dashboard that covers the Who, What, and Why of each metric will help to tell a story that resonates with executives.Capturing and showcasing community moments is an essential aspect of community management. Using social media platforms such as LinkedIn and creating a "brag folder" are effective ways to capture positive feedback and interactions. Webinars and online events also provide opportunities to capture and showcase community moments by collecting feedback and testimonials from attendees. Balancing the hard metrics that contribute to business value with the softer, qualitative aspects of community management is key to capturing and showcasing community moments effectively.Check out the blog to learn more: The Power of Community Metrics for Data-Driven StorytellingCheck out the Video here: [Webinar] How to Create a Member-Centric Community

In this episode of Peers Over Beers, Chris Detzel and Scott Wilder discuss a range of topics related to the technology industry. They talk about coffee, upcoming conferences, community resources, promoting webinars and events, organic SEO, and master data management. They cover various aspects of these topics, including the importance of good governance programs and clearly defined data ownership in master data management, and creating industry-specific content to attract more visitors to a website. Additionally, they provide insights into promoting events, including word of mouth campaigns on social media platforms like LinkedIn, and the resources available on the Academy site, including podcasts, discussion forums, and learning paths. Overall, this episode offers valuable information for anyone interested in the technology industry.

Check out the YouTube Video:  Episode 114: Women in TechHere are some of the questions asked:  Introduce yourself by telling us why you decided on a career in tech and how you found your way into your role. What are your aspirations? Why don't we see more female leaders as CEO's and in leadership roles within Tech?  What is your reaction to a male hiring in the tech space: “I'm having a hard time hiring women who are qualified SAs. Should I lower the bar in order to meet our target of hiring females?”  What would you tell women who are thinking about a career in tech that might be hesitant due to the stereotype that it's a man's world?  We have all heard the assumptions that define women differently than men. Sometimes bad (women don't negotiate well, women lack confidence, women are risk-averse, or women take themselves out of the game because they value family more than careers). Other times, we differentiate women as a rationale to hire more women - we are more caring, cooperative, organized, or - my pet peeve - we're better note-takers.  Do these things differentiate women in a productive way? Or are they things that need to be “fixed” or “accommodated”?  How do these assumptions play out in the world of tech? Any examples? What one thing should a hiring manager in a tech field do or change to recruit more women or keep the women they have?

Check out the YouTube Channel episode: Episode 113 - How Community Can work with Product TeamsGet to know Lauren Clevenger, Global Head of Seller Community at Square

Check out Adrian's WebsiteAmazon: The Accidental Community ManagerCheck out the YouTube Video

Find David, (Historian), DeWald here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/historian/Check out his page here: https://thecommunitymanager.com/

In this Peers Over Beers, we talk about the operations of communities. It is kind of a rare role within a community, but very much needed. We talk about her role and what community operation is and how it helps provide value to the community.

Nicole Saunders, Director of Community at Zendesk and Chris Detzel, Director of Customer Community and Engagement at Reltio talk about how taking vacations is SO important. We also talk about going beyond a support community. We believe that support communities are core and super important. We also think that building communities for practitioners could be important too. Nicole also tells a story about relaunching a community and a Google SEO story.

In this episode of Peers Over Beers, CEO and Founder John Thomas Connor at Faktura walks us through what NFT's are, how it fits into Web 3.0 and what communities look like for NFT's. Check out Faktura here: https://faktura.art/

In this episode, Chris Detzel and Elizabeth Kinsey, Director of Slack Communities, talk about how you should think about building out your Community Team. So many times this question has been asked and we hear it all the time. Elizabeth has had some success in this area and we talk in detail about how to think about it.

Nicole Sunders, Director of Community at Zendesk and Chris Detzel, Director of Customer Community and Engagement at Reltio talk a lot on this episode about how to build your own brand. We believe that doing the work is just half the battle. You must go out and build your own brand. There are tons of ways to do this without “bragging” about how awesome you are, and we talk about many ways of how we do it. If you don't do it, no one else will.

Authors and Community advocates Jephtah Abu, Ronald Williams and Jay Elango talk about their new book coming out. It's actually version 2. They focus on communities outside of the US. Jephtah mentions there are over 4000 community managers in Nigeria alone. It is also for people that want to become community managers. They also highlight pressing issues around the time of the layoff and a guide that will help community managers. Take a listen! Sign up if you want to see version 2 here: https://mailchi.mp/8bb2ad9d8cd7/versi...

Scott Wilder, VP of Customer Engagement, Community and Partnerships at Base (Base.ai) talks about how you should copilot or partner with your community members to help you get stuff done with your community. If you are a one man show, you need to identify the champions and consider them as your external team. Figure our how to get the members to be all stars. Community has always wrestled with resources. It will continue to be difficult. Internal alignment and working with the organization will also be key.

In this episode, Chris and Eni dive deep into a current event that Mind Valley held for their customers including the community. We talk about user groups, a technology called Bevy and how they might use that for Community-Led Growth and more.

We have to level up our business knowledge and tie community to how it ties into helping these business problems. Chris and Nicole talk about how it is so important to drive business outcomes from the community. If you want to be a leader in community, get close to the CMO, CCO, CRO, etc. Talk about how the community is solving problems for their point of view. We give some examples of how to dot hat.

Director of Slack Communities, Elizabeth Kinsey talks about the role that community plays in big events, user conferences and more. She gives us some examples of how slack and previous community roles played these events. Some of these smaller events gets you thinking about a speaker bench, relationships and intimacy.

Chris and Dani had a discussion around Community-Led Growth. Is it just a buzzword? We think it is a buzzword, because companies have been doing "Community-Led Growth" for a long time. With that said, we do think it's important that organizations focus on this for the future. Chris goes over some of his ideas and shares it with Dani. Checkout the YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/eBzm4gtSRpg

At Calix, Customer Success Managers owns peer to peer networking in the Community called Circles. Circles is a small group, of about 10 of their customers, meeting together and helping each other solve problems. Allison Boudreau, Director, Digital Programs, Education, and Community talks about combining the digital networking and Academy into "one". There is always a learning path within the digital journey on the Calix community. Allison also talks about in-person events. This is a huge team effort at Calix and she talks about how learning and community chips in.

In this episode, Nicole Saunders, Director of Community at Zendesk, talk about the connections and the cross-functional teams need to run events. Nicole is a genius when it comes to inserting her and the community team into brilliant situations. The Community team volunteers to help with events and created a great place for their users to engage

In this episode Fran Murphy, VP of Community at Upwork talks a little bit about his background. He goes deep around what he is doing at Upwork. He also talks about Talent builder at Anaplan. At Upwork, they literally have millions of users. They use community platform, Khoros. They use groups, forums and want to let people be part of smaller groups. He goes deep into these areas and more!

Creating connections and being trusted advisors are the key to a successful. This leads to Community Led-Growth. Sammy talks about some ways on how he thinks we should do this. Here is how to start. Name the podcast / video on the core (industry) topic, not the company. Invite core customers on your show and talk about what these customers are smart about. It's not a company podcast, but more around the industry. Invite your core customer that you want as a customer, and talk about topics to get insights. Giving back to the community is key. Repurpose the content on LinkedIn with snackable content. Invite folks to a local meet-up. Fill it up with customers and people you don't know yet. Find a cool location with wine, beer and cheese. Connect with Sammy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammygebele/

Automation Wolf: https://automationwolf.com/Matthew Hunt LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewhuntme/

In this episode Erica Moss, Principal Marketing Manager, Community, at HubSpot joins Peers Over Beers and talks about her new role at HubSpot. We also dive in and talk about events, industry communities and more. Check out Erica's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamoss/ Erica Moss Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericajmoss

In this episode, Dani Weinstein talk about his experience at the CLIX event that had a ton of great Communality Leaders and speakers there. It was one of the first onsite meetings that was in person and he said he was a blast. Chris and Dani also get into a discussion around how Chris is thinking about thought leadership in his community and thinking big picture. Listen in!

Special guest, Jephtah Abu mentions that there are over 4000 Community Managers in Nigeria. Did you know this? I didn't. Jephtah talks a lot about Inclusive, Diversity, and Equity within Community and opens up Chris' eyes. What makes you diverse? Let's talk about some of the real opportunities within community. Enjoy!

Events through Personal Transformation space and costume parties! In this episode Eni talks about how many languages she can speak, which is super impressive, and how events can bring amazing memories. Eni talks about during the event to create ROI they create content, great speakers, social media. They way they track is through retention, active users and more.

In this episode, Chris Detzel asks for some advice from Scott Wilder around what it means to have a Community-Led Event strategy. Chris has been tasked with, at Reltio, to think big when it comes to being a Marketing Machine and having 100's of Community-Led events with thousands of users per year not including employees.

Maria Ogneva, Director of Community and Customer Marketing LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themaria/ 

Check out Allison's LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonboudreau12/