Podcasts about Customer experience

Hear how PagerDuty and Zoom built successful AI products using Amazon Q-Index to solve real customer problems like incident response and meeting intelligence, while sharing practical lessons from their early adoption journey.Topics Include:David Gordon introduces AWS Q-Business partnerships with PagerDuty and ZoomMeet Everaldo Aguiar: PagerDuty's Applied AI leader with academia and enterprise backgroundPaul Magnaghi from Zoom brings AI platform scaling experience from SeattleQ-Business launched over a year ago as managed generative AI servicePlatform enables agentic experiences: content discovery, analysis, and process automationBuilt on AWS Bedrock with enterprise guardrails and data source integrationPartners wanted backend capabilities but preferred their own UI and modelsQ-Index provides vector database functionality for ISV partner integrationsEveraldo explains PagerDuty's evolution from traditional ML to generative AI solutionsHistorical challenges: alert fatigue, noise reduction using machine learning approachesNew gen AI opportunities: incident context, relevant data surfacing, automated postmortemsEngineering teams faced learning curve with agents and high-latency user experiencesPaul discusses Zoom's existing AI: virtual backgrounds and voice isolation technologyAI Companion strategy focused on simplicity during complex generative AI adoptionProblem identified: valuable meeting conversations disappear after Zoom calls endCustomer feedback revealed need for enterprise data integration beyond basic summariesGoal: combine unstructured conversations with structured enterprise data seamlesslyPagerDuty Advanced provides agentic AI for on-call engineers during incidentsQ-Index integration accesses internal documentation: Confluence pages, runbooks, proceduresDemo shows Slack integration pulling relevant incident response documentation automaticallyAccess control lists ensure users see only data they're authorized to accessZoom's AI companion panel enables real-time meeting questions and summariesExample use cases: decision tracking, incident analysis, action item identificationAdvice for starting: standardize practices and create internal development templatesSingle data access point reduces legal and security evaluation overheadCenter of excellence approach helps teams move quickly across product divisionsCut through generative AI buzzwords to focus on real user valueFederated AWS Bedrock architecture provides model choice and flexibility meeting customersCustomer trust alignment between Zoom conversations and AWS data handlingGetting started: PagerDuty Advance available now, Zoom AI free with paid add-onsParticipants:Everaldo Aguiar – Senior Engineering Manager, Applied AI, PagerDutyPaul Magnaghi – Head of AI & ISV Go To Market, ZoomDavid Gordon - Global Business Development, Amazon Q for Business. Amazon Web ServicesFurther Links:PagerDuty Website, LinkedIn & AWS MarketplaceZoom Website, LinkedIn & AWS MarketplaceSee how Amazon Web Services gives you the freedom to migrate, innovate, and scale your software company at https://aws.amazon.com/isv/

This episode is brought to you by Commerce.Resale has officially moved from the margins to the mainstream. As economic pressures push consumers to seek value and sustainability gains steam, resale marketplaces like ThredUp are poised for massive growth.In this episode of Retail Remix, host Nicole Silberstein sits down with Alon Rotem, Chief Strategy Officer at ThredUp, to discuss the company's impressive recent growth and what it says about the broader retail landscape. They dive into:Why economic headwinds like tariffs and the removal of de minimis have been tailwinds for resale;How ThredUp has finally been able to achieve profitability in the U.S. and what it plans to do with that capital;Why AI advancements are poised to "disproportionately benefit” secondhand retail;Details of the company's forthcoming peer-to-peer offering;PLUS what everyone gets wrong about lawyers. Whether you're a retail exec or a resale-curious consumer, this episode breaks down why the resale model is no longer a trend — it's the future.RELATED LINKSCheck out what ThredUp is up toRelated reading: ThredUp Makes Resale Technology Free for All, Plans New Peer-to-Peer OfferingRelated reading: Tariffs, AI, Social Trends Create ‘Powerful New Pathways' for ResaleRelated reading: ThredUp Nixes Rewards Points as Struggle to ‘Improve Unit Economics' ContinuesExplore more episodes of Retail Remix -----How to Win Customers Across Every ChannelThis guide from BigCommerce brings you expert insights on data, branding, and marketing to help you grow sales across every major channel. Read the Guide.

In this milestone episode, The Intuitive Customer undergoes a transformation. Colin Shaw announces a step back from the regular hosting role, prompting a fresh chapter in the podcast's evolution. Hosts Colin Shaw and Professor Ryan Hamilton introduce two new expert contributors — Dr. Morgan Ward, a consumer psychologist, and Ben Shaw, a brand strategist — to bring fresh perspectives on customer behavior, brand experience, and the future of CX. Together, the four hosts discuss the state of customer experience today, particularly in light of the stagnant growth in the American Customer Satisfaction Index over the past three decades. They debate metrics versus meaning, the enduring value of physical retail, and the coming wave of non-visual AI-driven brand interactions. The episode sets the stage for a broader, more dynamic take on what it means to truly understand and serve customers in the modern age. Quote of the Episode "We're using metrics that are more relevant to the business than to the person actually experiencing the brand." — Dr. Morgan Ward Key Takeaways Customer satisfaction has plateaued: The American Customer Satisfaction Index has barely moved in 30 years, despite huge investments in CX. This calls into question the effectiveness of current CX strategies. ROI needs to be central: CX professionals must link experience improvements directly to financial returns if they want continued investment. Metrics can be misleading: Overly relying on simplified metrics like NPS can lead organizations astray, especially when they're gamed or don't reflect real consumer emotions. Retail is making a comeback: Resurgence in physical retail's emotional power especially among younger consumers who crave tactile experiences. The future is voice-first: How AI-driven, non-visual brand experiences will redefine customer interaction demanding new forms of design thinking. Dual focus is key: Brands must balance operational improvements today with strategic planning for a fast-approaching future filled with disruptive technologies. Resources Mentioned American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI): www.acsi.org — Independent benchmark of customer satisfaction in the U.S. since 1994. About the Hosts: Colin Shaw is a LinkedIn 'Top Voice' with a massive 284,000 followers and 87,000 subscribers to his 'Why Customers Buy' newsletter. Shaw is named one of the world's 'Top 150 Business Influencers' by LinkedIn. His company, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been selected four times by the Financial Times as a top management consultancy. Shaw is co-host of the top 1.5% podcast 'The Intuitive Customer'—with over 600,000 downloads—and author of eight best-sellers on customer experience, Shaw is a sought-after keynote speaker. Follow Colin on LinkedIn. Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World's Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book called “The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things” Harvard Business Press 2025  Follow Ryan on LinkedIn. Ben Shaw Ben Shaw is Chief Strategy Officer at MullenLowe UK, having also led strategy at BBH and worked client-side with fast-growth start-ups Wheely and Unmind. He's passionate about how brands can challenge culture convention and create ideas people want to spend time with, working on brands like Audi, Google and Burger King.  Beyond advertising, Ben champions mental health awareness and rare disease research, drawing on both personal experience and professional curiosity. Follow Ben Shaw Morgan Ward Morgan Ward, Ph.D. is a marketing scholar and former professor at Emory University and Southern Methodist University, with over two decades of expertise in consumer behavior and branding. She's worked with clients ranging from start-ups to global brands, helping them translate behavioral science into strategies that resonate in culture and drive growth. Her academic research explores status, symbolism, and the psychology of consumption, and she has served as an expert witness in federal trademark and trade dress cases. Beyond her academic and consulting work, Morgan is fascinated by how cultural shifts shape what people desire, and how brands can both reflect and influence those desires. Follow Morgan on LinkedIn Subscribe & Follow Apple Podcasts Spotify  

Did you know that there is a whole industry around the concept of helping deserving people and organizations to receive recognition through winning awards? In this episode we meet and get to know one of the foremost experts in this industry, Donna O'Toole. Donna grew up in the South of England in a real castle. At the age of 16 her family conditions changed, and she had to go to a home with four other girls who also lost their family arrangements. Donna had to go to work although she had wanted to go to university. Eventually she did get to earn her degree.   Donna studied linguistics and found ways to use her growing knowledge of the field. Eventually she discovered the value of recognition and how helping people and companies gain recognition made them better for the experience. She began working to help people and companies earn awards. She will tell us about this fascinating subject and why earning awards is important. She gives us statistics about how after working to win awards and the subsequent recognition sales and overall exposure usually grows.     About the Guest:   Donna O'Toole is an award-winning entrepreneur, international awards judge, and bestselling author of WIN! – the ultimate guide to winning awards. She's also the founder of August Recognition, a global leader in awards strategy and part of the Dent Global group, helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs stand out, scale up, and make a meaningful impact.   Named one of the Top 25 Customer Experience Influencers in the world, Donna has transformed the visibility and credibility of hundreds of businesses - from start-ups to FTSE 100 giants - by helping them win the recognition they deserve. Her clients span global brands, high-growth entrepreneurs, and inspirational leaders across every industry.   Donna is renowned for her outstanding success rate in the most prestigious awards in the world, including The King's Awards for Enterprise. She's passionate about the true value of awards - not just the trophy, but the trust, authority, and growth they generate.   Now, Donna is taking her mission even further. Together with her business partner and Dent Global co-founder Daniel Priestley, she's launching a pioneering new AI venture that's transforming the awards industry - making it safer, simpler, and smarter than ever for people to find, enter, and achieve the awards and recognition that matters.   Ways to connect with Donna:   https://www.augustawards.com/ - to get a free copy of my book: Win! and to get a Free awards list LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnaotoole/ Instagram: @donnaot     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:17 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. I am your host, Michael Hingson, and I think we'll have some fun today. We get to talk to Donna O'Toole, who is over in England, and she has a very interesting story to tell and a profession that she works at regarding awards. We'll get to all that in a bit. I don't want to give it all away, because it's more fun to listen to Donna tell it than it is to listen to me tell it. No one has ever said that I'm boring, but nevertheless, I always think that the people who come on the podcast are much more fun and interesting than I so I can't I can't argue with that, and of course, that's my job to make sure that happens. But anyway, here we are once again with unstoppable mindset. And Donna, I want to welcome you and thank you for being here.   Donna O'Toole ** 02:09 Thank you. It's great to be here with you. Michael, thank you.   Michael Hingson ** 02:13 And it's what about 930 in the evening? Or no, it's up 737   **Donna O'Toole ** 02:17 Well, it's   Michael Hingson ** 02:19 after dinner. Yeah. Well, thank you for being here. And we're, we're really glad to have the opportunity to do this. And so I'd like to start, it's so fun to always start this way. Tell us sort of about the early Donna growing up and all that. Ah, okay.   Donna O'Toole ** 02:35 Um, okay. So, well, I don't tell very many people this actually so secret. One for you, Michael, I actually grew up in a castle, which makes me sound like I lived in a fairy tale, but I didn't. It was definitely not a fairy tale, and I'm not a princess, so I'm sorry to disappoint anybody.   Michael Hingson ** 02:54 Well, what was it like growing up at a castle?   Donna O'Toole ** 02:59 It was, you know what? It's one of those things that when you're an adult, and you look back, you realize how amazing you were, it was, and how lucky you were. But when you're a child, it's just all, you know, isn't it? So, yeah, we were very lucky. I grew up in a town called Arundel, which is in the south of the UK. It's a very historic town, and the reason that I lived there was because my stepdad was the head groundsman at the castle, so he looked after all of the grounds for the Duke of Norfolk. And yeah, it was a it was a wonderful place to live. We used to be naughty and run around and go hiding in nooks and crannies that we shouldn't be. However, I was permanently petrified that there was ghosts and bats and all sorts of things like that.   Michael Hingson ** 03:48 So were there ghosts?   Donna O'Toole ** 03:49 Yes, definitely, certainly, they were making noises like ghosts, and we couldn't identify what they were. So, yeah, there's a few stories around that castle. Actually around I think there's a ghost of a lady in one in the library, and there is a ghost of a Labrador, actually, that people talk about seeing there as well. So I'm sure they were friendly.   Michael Hingson ** 04:14 Did you ever see any ghosts?   Donna O'Toole ** 04:16 I think I convinced myself that I did. On many occasion, my bedroom window looked out over Arundel Cathedral, which is was lit up at night, which looks very spooky. I used to be terrified to look out of the window at night, in case I saw something I didn't want to see.   Michael Hingson ** 04:36 So was the castle drafty and cold in the winter?   Donna O'Toole ** 04:40 Yes, definitely very stone and cold. And we had a ray burn. It's called, it's like an auger type thing where you just, you sort of heat up the kitchen by heating up this oven thing. Yeah, I remember putting wood in it. I remember that,   Michael Hingson ** 04:56 wow. Well, that was kind of fun. So how long did you. Live in the castle.   Donna O'Toole ** 05:00 So I lived in the castle until I was 16, and then her life took a bit of an unexpected turn at that point, and we had a difficult family breakdown that resulted in myself being actually taken into care for a while, so I didn't get to I did. I did finish school and finished my GCSEs exams as they were, but it did mean that I didn't get to continue on my education at that point, as I needed to earn some money and learn how to look after myself. So at 16, I was living in a home with four other girls who were in similar situations to me, which is girls who's through no fault of their own, their families couldn't look after them anymore. And we learned to, you know, live and survive and get through life together. And it was a great adventure. There was ups and downs, for sure, but actually at that point, I needed to get some work, and I also wanted to continue studying, so I ended up becoming an apprentice dental nurse, and that is where I started. And I never expected to go there. Wow.   Michael Hingson ** 06:24 I guess, I guess it is an adventure, though. Yeah,   Donna O'Toole ** 06:27 Life is an adventure, and you've got to be ready for whatever it throws at you. That's what I say. And   Michael Hingson ** 06:31 I think that's a good way to put it. I think that life's an adventure, and I think that we can choose how to look at life no matter what happens, and either we can think things are positive and grow with whatever occurs or not. Yeah, 100% 100% and   Donna O'Toole ** 06:46 actually, if it wasn't for that part of my life, I don't think I would be here today, doing what I'm doing now. So it's, it's incredible how you can't predict where life's going to take you, but you do go on a journey. So I actually became a dental nurse. And then I got bit bored of that, and my brain was always active, trying to think of something new to do. And I spotted a gap in the market for at the time dentists had there was just this legislation that changed that meant that dentists always had to have a nurse or a chaperone in the surgery with them, whereas before they hadn't had to have that. And so what was happening was you had all these small dental practices whereby the the dentist couldn't work if their nurse was on holiday or off sick or on maternity leave or something. So I spotted this gap in the market to be to start a dental nurse agency to fill those gaps, if you pardon the pun, and and to actually go all over Sussex and support the practices that needed help. So that was at the age of 19, I started my first business, and yeah, it was a great   Michael Hingson ** 08:00 success. I was just going to ask how successful it was.   Donna O'Toole ** 08:03 Yeah, it was great, and I really enjoyed it. And I got to know so many people. I trained nurses, which I really enjoyed as well. So I developed myself whilst I was developing them, which was great and and then after that, I I stopped that business and handed it over to some good friends who were brilliant nurses to have my children and to take a little break while I have my two daughters.   Michael Hingson ** 08:27 Now, did you ever get to university or college?   Donna O'Toole ** 08:31 Yeah, so then had my girls, and still I've got a very busy brain that needs a lot of occupying. So I thought, right, what can I do now? I've got two children under the age of four or five. I know I must need something else to do, so I decided to go back, finally, to university, and I studied linguistics, so English language linguistics at the University of Sussex in in the UK. And interestingly, it's incredible, because during that part of my life, I absolutely loved every part of it. I was really passionate about English, and as a child, I'd wanted to be an English teacher, but because my life had gone on a different path, it wasn't something that I'd been able to do. But actually, during that time, I studied large language models and computer mediated communication. And it just absolutely blows my mind that through making that decision and then further decisions later down the road, I'm actually now launching a company that is AI based that is containing large language models. So it's really, like, amazing how you can connect the dots in your in your journey.   Michael Hingson ** 09:45 And of course, you're calling it Donna GPT, right? I had to. I   Donna O'Toole ** 09:51 love it. I'm Michael. I am definitely calling it that now.   Michael Hingson ** 09:56 Well, that's, that is cool though.   Donna O'Toole ** 09:58 Yeah. So when I. Actually completed my degree. I came out of that and thought, right, well, I need to do some work now. And I started writing for businesses. I'm quite a business writer. I'm a real aura of people who can write fiction. I think that's incredible, yeah, but I'm definitely on the factual side. So I started business writing. Then I started, just by coincidence, started writing award entries for some businesses. I then started working with another awards agency, and I really saw, then the power of how awards and recognition helped people to reach their potential in business and in life, and so that then took me on my next journey.   Michael Hingson ** 10:47 Well, awards are, are interesting. And of course, we hear about awards for all sorts of things, but tell me more about the power of awards and where they where they can fit into society.   Donna O'Toole ** 11:00 Yeah. So, so we work from I work with business awards, so generally speaking, so even back then, it was sort of working with entrepreneurs, or entrepreneurial businesses, or even big brands, whereby they wanted to recognize their achievement and they wanted to raise their profile, so they needed to raise brand awareness, perhaps around what they do, their services, their products, and what's always quite I find quite interesting about awards is people who've never been involved in awards tend to come into them with quite skepticism, which is understandable. It's not a regulated industry, so you do have to be a bit skeptical and do due diligence around what awards you're entering. But they come into them with skepticism about themselves and actually whether they have what it takes to win. And very often, what I found was they did have what it takes to win, they just didn't have know how to communicate it in a way that others could understand that they had what it took to win. So my job, as I see it, is to really support them, to communicate their story, their data, their evidence, everything that they're doing, and turn that into a proposition that demonstrates why they would be exceptional at what they do, or their team is exceptional, their brand is exceptional, so that They can stand out in awards.   Michael Hingson ** 12:21 So it's almost like you're helping to train potential award recipients to respect what the awards are and what they do. Yeah,   Donna O'Toole ** 12:31 it is always understanding what they're looking for, what the criteria is, and how they can stand out against it. But also, you know, most people who are involved in a business, whether you're running a business or whether you're a part of a team or you're a manager, we don't have the time to stop and look back and think, wow, what have we done over the last year? What have we achieved? What you know, what's really standing out about us? We just don't give ourselves that time. So recognition and awards is a really good opportunity to stop and look back and celebrate together the development journey that you've been on in your business and and motivate your team and the people around you to do even more because you're recognizing it   Michael Hingson ** 13:13 well. So how did you actually get involved in doing awards in the first place? What that's a pretty unique sort of thing to take on.   Donna O'Toole ** 13:23 Yeah. So it was kind of a journey from starting out in business writing and then moving through into doing a few award entries, and then that became more and more, and then I worked for another organization. And then in 2016 I decided the time was right to launch my own company and to start supporting more people with awards. I was, had already been involved with the industry, so I was very well supported by some great awards in the industry. And so yeah, I I started my new business, and that was called August recognition. And because I'm a linguist, I like words that have extra meanings. And August actually means in its second sense of the word, when you're not using it as the month actually means respected and admired. So in my mind, I had started an agency that enabled people to be respected and admired for what they did, and help them raise their profile that way. So   Michael Hingson ** 14:24 you don't really hear a lot about the industry of helping people get awards, but I gather it's probably a fairly substantial industry around the world.   Donna O'Toole ** 14:35 Yeah, it's 10 billion pound industry in the awards industry in itself. It's 2 billion just in the UK. So yeah, it's a big, big industry. There's so many events connected to awards. There's so many different processes. So yeah, and there's, if you imagine, every different industry there is in the world there's awards for it. I dare you to find an industry where there's not an award. Yeah. Even,   Michael Hingson ** 15:02 I'm sorry, even, even AI. And that's pretty even AI, yeah, yeah. And so when AI starts generating its own awards, then we can probably worry a little bit,   Donna O'Toole ** 15:13 yeah, we're eating ourselves, yeah?   Michael Hingson ** 15:17 But still, it's, it's a fascinating, well, topic and industry to talk about, because I'm sure there's a lot to it. Of course, like with anything, there's also a lot of politics and all that sort of stuff, but, but it must be a fascinating industry to to be a part of and to see when you help somebody get an award. How does all that work? Yeah, so   Donna O'Toole ** 15:42 usually, well, we work with businesses from the smallest business in the world right through to the biggest business in the world, literally. And what I really love about the whole process is you, you as a small business, you can use the same strategies, you can enter the same awards as the biggest businesses can and you can win. So what I really love is that you you don't have to be a certain size, you don't have to be a certain type of business. You just need to be having an impact in some way on something, and then be able to tell It and Prove It, essentially.   Michael Hingson ** 16:19 So how do you as a person in the industry make your money or earn your money as part of all of this? So   Donna O'Toole ** 16:26 we work with clients who are looking for recognition. So for example, a brand may come to us and say, you know, over the last couple of years, we've done some great learning and development projects. We've trained our teams, we've digitized our processes, we've done all of these great things. We'd love to recognize the people that have worked so hard and really, you know, give them the recognition that they deserve. So we will then look at their project, look at their business. You know, what kind of impact has that had on it might be internally. It might be that it's had a great impact for their customers. It might be it's had a great impact for the impact. For the employees. And then we'll look at all of the data around that, and we will create, we will research which are going to be the best awards to recognize them, which criteria they match, which categories they match, and then essentially, we'll support them to execute all of the work that needs to go together to go into the awards process. Someone's once said to me, did you ever think you'd be running a business where you're basically writing exams every single day? Yeah, it's a bit like that. Fortunately, I don't do the writing anymore so, but yeah, I kind of love it.   Michael Hingson ** 17:36 Yeah. Well, it seems like it would be sort of your your writing exams every day, or you're involved in helping to prepare people for the exams.   Donna O'Toole ** 17:45 Yeah, it's very analytical from looking at what's been achieved, but then it's all about communication and how you're going to deliver that to the awards process. And it's all about finding the right awards that are going to give them the right recognition, that's going to really have a return on investment for the motivation of the team, for the brand awareness, whatever it is that their goals are, that they're hoping to get to.   Michael Hingson ** 18:06 Well, so awards in general, it seems to me, create a lot of recognition. And you say that recognition has the power to make people unstoppable? Tell me a little bit more about them. What that means to you? Yeah,   Donna O'Toole ** 18:24 absolutely. Um, something I call awards imposter syndrome, which is where, you know, often, and this typically is with entrepreneurs and smaller businesses. They they'll come to us and say, you know, I'd really love to get some recognition of my brand, but I really, I think we we're doing enough, or don't know if we're worth it or we could really stand out. And actually, you know, what we want to do is make them unstoppable. We we want them to see where all the power is in what they're doing and how they can make a difference in the world. So we will go and discover all of that about their business, and then help them to communicate it in a way that even now they can see what they're doing is brilliant. And then through that recognition, there's a lot of research to show the amount of motivation that awards bring to people, even more so than even a pay rise, you know. So through that recognition, it makes them feel more able. I always say to people you know, don't think about business awards right now. Think about the awards that you won when you were a child. Think about when you were at school and you entered awards in the swimming competitions or dancing competitions. Someone want someone told me today they won a competition for the best recorder player. I said I thought, I thought we had to ban recorders. But you know, when you got that recognition as a child, we didn't think, Oh, my goodness, I'm you know, do I really deserve it? I'm so shy. Let's not tell anyone about this recognition. We loved it, and it enabled us to go on and do more. So we want to do okay, we won that swimming competition. Let's do another swimming competition. Let's really learn our craft and do more and more of what we do better and better. Her and I liked people to try and think of that feeling that they had then and bring that into now with their business. You know, don't be humble about what you're doing, because the more that you can shout about your success, the more that you can help other people to achieve success through what you're doing, and the more you've got a platform to shine a spotlight on something that you believe in and that you want to make a difference in the world about. So, you know it, I call that, I say to people, you know, if you're feeling like a bit of an imposter about awards, one of the best things you can do is to create what we call a who wins when you win campaign. And what that is, is sort of putting a stake in the ground and making a pledge to say, when we win this award, we are going to go and do this great thing, and it might be we're going to go and do a team beach clean together. We're going to mentor some people. We're going to celebrate as a team and go out for the day, or we're going to plant some trees. You know, it could be anything that means something to you, but it's a really good opportunity to seal that recognition with something that reminds you that you are worth it and really helps you get over that imposter syndrome and celebrate your achievement.   Michael Hingson ** 21:14 I assume you also run into the other side of that, which are the people who just think by definition, because they are, whoever they are, they must deserve awards, whether, yeah, must be a lot of that. Yes. So   Donna O'Toole ** 21:27 a while back, because I'm a linguist, I interrogate language all the time. I can't help it. And I would look at, I judge a lot of award entries all from around the world. Judge the leading competitions in many countries. And I would look at these award entries, and I could tell what the person was thinking when they're writing the entry, as they're coming as you're reading it. And I developed these 10 personas of different types of people that enter awards. And so we've got everything from the imposter to the ostrich who wants to hide their head in the sand to the bridesmaid who's always the always, never quite makes it to the podium. And one of those actually is the peacock. And the peacock is the one who thinks they're going to win everything, and does come across like that, but isn't great about taking the feedback when they don't win.   Michael Hingson ** 22:20 Yeah, that's really the issue, isn't it? Right? It's they don't take the feedback, and they don't change what they do and why they do it and how they do it, to be a little bit more humble in what they're all about.   Donna O'Toole ** 22:33 Absolutely, absolutely. We've also got an awards persona called the politician, and that's somebody who doesn't answer any of the questions, and all their numbers don't add up.   Michael Hingson ** 22:46 Now, I wonder what my cat would think about awards. I wonder dogs are humble, but I don't know that cats are necessarily,   Donna O'Toole ** 22:56 yeah, they've definitely got a bit more persona going on, haven't they? I don't   Michael Hingson ** 23:01 know if they necessarily would be interested in awards, because they tend not to want to stand up in front of public and do stuff. That's   Donna O'Toole ** 23:07 true, that's true. Yeah, they're kind of yeah, they're their own creature, aren't they? They are, aren't they? I don't think they think they need awards, actually,   Michael Hingson ** 23:15 yeah, that's right. They don't think they need awards. They think that everybody should just recognize them for who they are,   Donna O'Toole ** 23:20 I might have to add a new persona to my league now.   Michael Hingson ** 23:26 Well, you know, there's, there's value in that, but, but still, so you've, you've helped a lot of people with awards. I wonder if you have a story that you could share where they've received recognition and it just completely changed their lives and what they did and what they do. Oh,   Donna O'Toole ** 23:49 so many, so many of those. Yeah. So, I mean, let's think of an example. So a few years ago, I was working, actually, it was interesting. I was I was introduced by on email, just to a gentleman called Andrew, who I was introduced by the Department of Trade and Industry here in the UK, who said he's got a great story. He's got a great business. He's growing fast. We think he should win some awards. We should talk to you. And so I was like, great. Let's get on a call, Andrew. And every time we booked a call, he didn't turn up to the call. And I thought, oh goodness, you know, it's like three attempts at this call and it's just not happening. And I just emailed him and said, look, it looks like you. Maybe you're not interested in winning awards, so, you know, catch up with me if you ever get the chance. And he emailed me back, actually, this is in the introduction of my books. And he emailed me back, and he said, Donna, I'm so so sorry. I'm going through a really difficult time at the moment. His wife had cancer. His son was being bullied at school, and he was really struggling, and he'd started a business that would have grown very quickly, whilst also as a side hustle, while. Also doing the job, and he was quite overwhelmed. And I said, he said, you know, and he actually said, so if I can't even turn up for a call, how could I possibly win an award? So I said, Oh, my goodness, okay, let me, let's get together, and I'll let you know whether you can win an award or not. But this is a big award we're talking about, because he'd actually been recommended to enter what was the Queen's Awards for Enterprise. It's now the king's Awards, which is the biggest and most prestigious business award in the UK, if not in the world. And I said, let's, you know, you've been recommended for this. Let's, let's at least explore it. So I went over to his house. We had a coffee, I went through everything of his business, and I said, You know what I do? Think you've got what it takes, but I don't think you're in the right mindset to be able to manage so let us help you. So he agreed, we worked on that project, and a year later, because that's how long it takes, I was absolutely delighted. He won the Queen's awards for innovation, and it was game changing for him. And what I really loved about it was, it's a couple of things. So one is because he's a techie person, and he had launched it was a software product that he'd developed. He'd put the logo for the award on his website, and he measured the impact that that was making on his website, which is really useful for me to know, because often people don't do that. And he got came back to me in a couple of months later, and he said, in three months, his sales have gone up by 30% because of the impact of winning this award. And you know, when you're running a business and you're trying to run a family and you've got other things going on that are really important, you need your sales to go up without you having to work harder, because it gives you the free time. It gives you the ability to employ people to support you. It gives you then the time back with your family when they need you most. So I was absolutely delighted for him that it had an impact on him and his business that would enable him to actually have the time that he needed with his family and help them and support them. So that was something that was game changing in my mind, for, you know, for a really personal reason. And I was delighted he was happy to share that in in my book. Yeah, so that that was a lovely one.   Michael Hingson ** 27:14 So what is kind of the common thread? Or, how do you what is it you see in someone that makes them award winning, that that genuinely makes them award winning, as opposed to the politicians and peacock   Donna O'Toole ** 27:28 Okay, so what it is is they need to be making an impact in some way. And I think people tend to be quite fixated on on measuring or looking at their customer service, but I'm looking at their customer impact. So what their customer impact is that's something customer service is transactional, right? Customer impact is transformational. So what is it that you're doing that is making a difference or making life easier in some way for your customers? Or it is could be internal as well. So it could be your employees, for example, but generally it's impact. Now, with Andrew's story, the software that he developed, it was the first software that had the biggest ability to, I mean, I'm not a techie, so I'm probably describing this in the wrong way, the ability to display charts and graphs with the biggest amount of numbers. So we think, Okay, well, why is that important? Well, these are the graphs and the charts that are going into ECG machines in hospitals. These are going into universities to do research. You know? These are going into all sorts of things, stocks and shares. They're going into Formula One racing cars. There's so many, there's so much impact coming out from having designed that software that it's having an impact on us as humanity, and that's the kind of golden thread that you want in your award, is, what is the impact that you're having, and where can you show and prove that it's making a difference to someone, somehow, somewhere?   Michael Hingson ** 28:56 And I assume there are, we've talked about it, but I assume that there are a lot of people who are award winners who never, just never thought they would be, even though they're, they're perfectly capable and, oh yeah, they're deserving, but they, they don't, they're not doing it to seek the award. They're doing it to do what they want to do.   Donna O'Toole ** 29:18 Yeah, and they need, they need the recognition to shine that you know, 90% of businesses are small businesses now, and it's a very noisy world out there when you're trying to sell your products and services, you need to be able to do something that helps you to cut through and to get into customers minds and build trust. 85 Nielsen did a study 85% of customers now want to see credible awards on your website, on your products, before they will have the trust layer there to buy from you. What's really interesting is, years ago, we had, you remember when reviews came out? So Amazon was one of the first organizations to do reviews. I actually studied. Reviews and the mechanisms and language structures in them. And we all trusted reviews at the beginning, because, oh, great, you know, someone's going to tell us what their experience was of this thing, and we love it. And then as time went on and as the decades have progressed, we then learned not trust reviews, because it was like, Oh, hang on, they might be fake reviews, or, you know, that could be a competitor, putting a bad review on a competitor. So there's lots of reasons then not to trust reviews. So then we go, oh, well, what do we trust? Then we can't just trust what the business is telling us. We need something that's external, that's third party, and that's going to enable us to trust that brand. And then what we saw then is the pandemic happened, and we all went to shopping online. We all went to living online, and we all saw businesses fall apart and lose money who we never expected to because they didn't have the digital transformation turn around quick enough, or for whatever reason, there was a lot of businesses that suffered in the pandemic, and a lot thrived, and since that then, it was almost like awards and reviews together became even more important to all of us, because we needed something to help us to trust the brands other than, you know, the strongest referral, which is a word of mouth referral. So if you haven't had a word of mouth referral and you've gone online and you found something through a search, how do you know whether you can trust putting your money into that business to buy its products or services? So this is really where we come back to recognition, to say, Well, no, this is a this brand gives excellent customer service, or this brand is a great place to work. It really looks after its employees. So there's a huge amount of reasons now why businesses do awards to demonstrate they are trustworthy in so many ways like nowadays. You know, we live in a world where employees want to work for organizations that will look after them and that will treat them well, so that employees looking for jobs will go out looking for the businesses that have got a great place to work accreditation or award because it makes them trust that they're going to be looked after. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 32:08 it's interesting. Nielsen did a study back in 2016 regarding brand brand loyalty and disabilities, and what they found was that people with disabilities are at least 35% more likely to stay with an organization and buy from an organization that has done things like really taken the Time to make their websites accessible and to make their their environment welcoming to people with disabilities, because it is so hard to oftentimes deal with companies they're they're companies that that I deal with their websites. They're just not accessible, and they don't want to change, and it's not magic to make them accessible, but they don't, and then there are other companies that do, and I agree with the Nielsen study. It makes perfect sense, because the reality is, you're going to steal with companies that that really take the time to show that they value you being there, yeah,   Donna O'Toole ** 33:17 well, it's interesting, actually, because I've been looking at this in the awards industry and accessibility, and it's something that I'm passionate about as well. And so we've just written a white paper, we've just done some research, commissioned some research, and we've just written a white paper on accessibility and awards, because we want people to be recognized, whatever, whoever, whatever they do, it shouldn't be saved for anyone who isn't, you know, doesn't have a disability or can't access their forms. You know, it should be open to absolutely everybody. So we've been looking into that now and seeing, you know, what is it that we can do to influence the industry to be more accessible and to really share recognition for all?   Michael Hingson ** 33:59 Yeah, well, and, and it's important, I think, to do that, because there have been enough statistics to show that roughly 25% of the population has some sort of a disability in the traditional sense of the word. Now, I have a different view than that. I believe that everyone on the planet has a disability, and for most people, their disability is you're light dependent. You don't do well in the dark, and if suddenly you're in a building and the power goes out or whatever, you scramble around trying to find a light source or a smartphone or a flashlight or whatever. But the reality is that all those light sources do is cover up your disability. On the other hand, I do recognize that there are people. We're in a minority by any standard, because we are, we are not the traditional, if you will, person. We do tend to be blind, or we tend to be deaf or hard of hearing, or we tend to be low vision, or we don't walk, and there are fewer of. Less than there are of the rest of you light dependent people, and so you don't recognize the disability that's there. But it's, it's important, I think, for people to recognize it. Because in reality, when people suddenly realize, Oh, I've got my own challenges, then you get to be more aware of and want to, at least a lot of times, think about ways to make the world a more inclusive place overall.   Donna O'Toole ** 35:27 I think that's such a great way of looking at it, and it really helps immediately. I couldn't see exactly what you you're saying is, yeah, 100% as soon as the lights go out, I'm completely incapable of knowing what to do next. So, yeah, you're absolutely right.   Michael Hingson ** 35:44 Yeah, it is. It is one of those things that we just don't deal with enough. But nevertheless, it's, it's there. So there, there are a lot of reasons to to deal with access, and that's why I work with a company called accessibe that has been they started smaller and narrower in scope, but they have become very robust in doing things to make the internet a more inclusive place. And so one of the things that they've learned is you can't do it all with AI, although AI can help. And so there are so many things to be done, but the reality is, there are a lot of different kinds of disabilities that really need the Internet to and website creators to pay attention to their needs, to make sure that they, in fact, do what's necessary to make the web accessible to those people. It's a challenge.   Donna O'Toole ** 36:40 It is, and we're going through that challenge at the moment, actually. So I'm just launching a new business, and it's called, it's an AI platform that's going to enable people to do exactly what we do as an agency, find, enter and win awards, but on a platform that is accessible to everybody. So it's aI enabled. But obviously, as you exactly say, that's not the end of the story. So there's a lot of work to do, and we're doing lots of research to find out what we need to do to make sure that that is accessible to everybody, because we want to enable more people to have a good chance of getting the recognition they deserve through a platform that enables them to do that, rather than perhaps miss out on really vital recognition that could help to promote what they do just because they can't access it.   Michael Hingson ** 37:31 Yeah, well, and it happens way too, way too often. Yeah. And it's not like it's magical to make the web more inclusive. It's just that a lot of people don't know how to do it. Although the information is readily available, they just don't consider it a priority.   Donna O'Toole ** 37:48 Yeah, absolutely. So yeah, we're really putting this front and center. My business partner is Daniel Priestley. He's just been on the driver CEO actually talking about the AI side of it. So together, we're really working at trying to join all the dots so that we get all the right technologies in there and ways of working. So I'll be getting you beta testing that. Michael,   Michael Hingson ** 38:14 absolutely. And if there's any way to help, I am very happy to help. Thank you. So Don't, don't hesitate to reach out. So we will. We've now said that publicly for the whole world, that's all right. So what do you say to the person who says winning an award is just not for   Donna O'Toole ** 38:33 me? I think often, you know, I was thinking about this earlier, actually, and I was thinking, you know, there's different things that we're all in favor of and all not in favor of most of the time, when I come across people who say a winning awards is not, for me, is they either haven't been involved in an awards process before, or they feel a bit shy of it and like a bit of an imposter. And, you know, it's a risk, isn't it? You're putting yourself up to be judged, ultimately. So it does take a bit of courage, and it takes a bit of reflection. So, you know, I say, Look at what impact you're having, you know, go away and see, have you got impact on your customers? Somehow, have you got impact on your community? Somehow? It doesn't all have to be about transactional business. It could be that actually you're doing something great for the environment or sustainability or for a community source or for charity, you know, so what are you doing that's making a difference, and it could recognition help you to do more of that? Could it give you the spotlight to enable you to do more of that purpose? Because if it could, then why not, you know, why not do it and get some recognition?   Michael Hingson ** 39:36 Yeah, well, and that makes sense. And but some people may still just continue to say, well, I don't really think I've done that much, and so it isn't for me.   Donna O'Toole ** 39:47 Yeah, absolutely. And you'll always have people who don't want to do everything at the end of the day, you know, it's probably, realistically, it's probably, you know, the top 10% of businesses that are looking to win awards because they're already in that zone or. Where they're, you know, they're growing, they're they're trying to transform. They're always jumping on the next best thing. So, you know, it's a good way to benchmark ourselves as well, and to say, you know, how can I progress this year? Well, what would it take for me to win this particular award? Let's say, let's have a look at what it would take, and let's see if we can get to the business, to that stage, because that way you can develop the business first, before you even think of entering the award, so that you have got the impact, and you have got, you know, all the right things to show that you're making a difference.   Michael Hingson ** 40:31 Yeah, and you brought up a point earlier, which I think is extremely interesting, the whole issue of awards and reviews, one of the things that I do when I'm looking at buying a product that I'm not overly familiar with is I love to look at the worst reviews for the product. Yeah, they're the most fun, because you find out really quickly. If you look at those reviews, you find out whether the person really knows what they're talking about or not and whether they really got good arguments. And I find that the people who give the bad reviews generally are, are not, are not necessarily, really giving you substantive information that you can use.   Donna O'Toole ** 41:15 Yeah, exactly. That's often the way I am. I actually studied reviews, and I looked at the different language structures and reviews of different retail stores, and how, how the the language that the people used in their reviews influenced the buyers. And it was really funny, because this is back in the days. This is just when I was at university. I was doing my dissertation, and it was what we were looking for. What I was looking for was what represent, what people felt represented good value for money. Because no matter how much money you've got, whether you've got a pound to spend or 1000 pounds to spend, you just want to get good value for money for what you're spending. So it doesn't really matter how pricey the product is. It matters your perception of good value for money, and that's essentially what tends to come across in a review, even if people don't say it is whether they think it's good value for money or not, whether it's the brand or the actual product. And it was really funny, because I did this whole study, and I came up with a structure that retailers should use to give to their reviewers to then put the review in in the most helpful way possible for the people then looking at the reviews who want to purchase the product, and I it was great, and I was really happy with it, and got first class and all of that. Anyway, a while later, I bought a coat from a store called Debenhams in the UK, which is now only online. But I bought this coat, I wrote a review and put it on their website. And it was quite the early days of reviews. Still, two days later, Debenhams called me, and I couldn't believe it, because when you had to leave your review, you had to leave your name and number, and it was like, I said, it's a very new thing then. And they actually telephoned me, and they said, Hello, we want to say thank you for your review that you left about this coat, and I still have the coat. And because, because of your review, we sold out the product. And so we want to say thank you. So we're sending you a voucher. And I got this voucher through the post. And I mean, you wouldn't get that, I don't think nowadays, no, but it really showed me the difference that a review could make on a product back then, you know, and how writing the right type of review, not just saying it's great, but why it's great, why I considered it good value for money about the material and the sizing and the shape and all of the quality and that kind of thing. It gave people reassurance to buy, and that's what we're looking for when we're looking at reviews. And that's where awards can come in and kind of secure that trust as well. I don't know about you, but I get down rabbit holes with reviews on things like trip,   Michael Hingson ** 43:52 oh yeah. Well, what I found is, if I look at the positive, the best reviews, I get more good technical information, and I got and I get more good product knowledge, but then I look at the bad reviews, and the reason I look at those is I want to see if they truly are giving me the same information the other way, and they don't. They're it's totally emotional, and a lot of times it is just not, in fact, what I or others find with the products, and that the bad reviews tend not to really give you nearly the information that the bad reviewers think they're giving you if you if you read them carefully. And I think that gets back to your whole issue of studying language, but still, they're not giving you the information that they really ought to be giving you. And, you know, I've had some where somebody gave a bad review to a product because the box arrived and it was open or wasn't sealed. Well, yeah, all right, so what   Donna O'Toole ** 44:55 exactly I know it's ridiculous. I mean, I think we're as consumers a bit more. Pragmatic about it nowadays, but as businesses, we need to be able to demonstrate to our customers in every way possible, you know. And that's why social media now and user generated content is so popular. Because we don't want to see what it looks like on a model anymore. We want to see what it looks like on a real life, personal we want to hear someone's like real life, day to day experience of something, as opposed to a polished article on it, right,   Michael Hingson ** 45:26 which, which is, is the way it ought to be. And again, that gets back to substance. And the the people who give really good reviews are generally the ones that are giving you substance. I've had some bad reviewers that had very good reasons for why they feel the way they do. And then you look at it and you go, Well, maybe it doesn't fit in their situation or, aha, they really know what they're talking about. I'm going to take that into consideration when I look at buying this product or not. But a lot of them   Donna O'Toole ** 45:57 don't. Absolutely, no, absolutely, yeah, I could do this for days.   Michael Hingson ** 46:04 Yeah. Well, it is. It is fascinating, but it's part of human nature   Donna O'Toole ** 46:09 psychology, isn't I tell you when else it comes up and it's quite interesting. So often we make companies may approach us and say, Leo, we want to win awards to be the best place to work. And we'll say, okay, great, you know, tell us about the workplace, and we'll go through all these different criteria with them, and they tell us all this great stuff. And then we go and do our own research as well, because we need to verify this, right? And we go on to glass door, and then we see some horrendous reviews from employees that have left. I think, okay, maybe this is, maybe this is not quite all the story we're getting here. Yeah. So, you know, the thing with awards is, if you are saying anything about your business, you're going to have to prove it. So reviews from your customers and reviews from your employees are super important for awards. Actually,   Michael Hingson ** 46:59 I find as a speaker that letters of recommendation are extremely important. In fact, I even put it in my contract that if someone likes the talk, then I expect to get a letter of recommendation. And for a good amount of people, they do that, although I've had some people who forget or just don't. But the letters are extremely valuable, especially when they go into detail about not just the talk, but like in my case, I view when I visit a customer, or when I view when I talk about going to speak somewhere, I believe that I'm a guest like anyone who goes, and it's not about me, it's about them. It's about the event. It's about the people who are putting it on. It's about the audience. And I always want to make sure that I do everything I can to be as not a problem as possible. And I know that there are some people that don't do that. I had a I had an event once where I went and spoke, and while there, I talked to the person who brought me in, and I said, What's the most difficult speaker you ever had? Had come here? And I was just curious. I was curious to see what he say without any hesitation. He said, We had a woman who came to speak, and we honored the contract, although still don't know why, but she insisted that in the green room, and so there had to be one, but in the green room there had to be a brand new, never used crystal champagne flute full of pink M M's. Now what does that have to do with being a speaker? Well, I know some people just like to take people through the wringer. They want to try to drive the point home that they're the bosses. Well, I think that, you know, I know what I can do. What I said to the guy, though afterward I said, Well, okay, I hear you. They actually did find peak Eminem. So was interesting. I said, Well, let me just tell you that if you bring cheese and crackers, I'll share them with you.   49:10 They brought you that we had fun, yes,   Michael Hingson ** 49:13 but, you know, but, but he, he understood that there were no demands. I wouldn't do that. I just think that that's not what I'm supposed to do as a speaker. My job is to in a well, inspire and motivate and and to educate. But it's not my job to be difficult. And I've gotten some wonderful letters that say how easy I made it to work with them, which is great. Yeah, fantastic. I'm sure you did. So it's, it's a lot of fun to to see some of those, and I've gotten some great stories over the years, which is really   Speaker 1 ** 49:46 a lot, and that's why they love to have you. Well, I hope so   Michael Hingson ** 49:53 we still do it, and it's a lot of fun to help and motivate and inspire. But yeah, I. I and by the way, I guess I'd never be interested in pink M M's anyway, so I wouldn't see the colors. So,   Donna O'Toole ** 50:08 yeah, glass of water is just about the thing on my list.   Michael Hingson ** 50:12 Yeah, well, you know, I'll take M M's if they show up. And I'm not going to demand them, that's okay. But you know, people are interesting. So once somebody's won an award, you've talked about this some, but when I once somebody has won an award, what's next?   Donna O'Toole ** 50:28 So next, it's all about, well, sharing it to demonstrate why people often forget to tell people why they've won an award. They just say that they've won an award. I think it's important to say, why? Like, what is it? What is it? What impact are you having? What's the difference that you're making out there in the world? Why have you won and share that on your profile? As I said, you know, people buy from people now as well. If you're winning an award as a leader or as a speaker or as an entrepreneur, you know people want to know about that because it helps to give credibility to what you do and trust like, just like those letters of referral that you're talking about. So, you know, get that on your LinkedIn profile, get it onto your podcast, you know, all of those different things, and take pride in your work and share that   Michael Hingson ** 51:14 I had a salesperson I hired is my favorite sales guy, and when I asked him, as I asked everybody who came to apply for jobs, what are you going to be selling for us? Tell me about that. He is the only person who ever said, The only thing I really have to sell is myself and my word. Your product is stuff, and it's all about trust and it's all about honoring my word. And he said, The only thing I asked from you is that you backed me up. And I said, well, as long as you do a good job, you know, but he understood it, and he's actually the only person that I ever hired that really articulated that, but that was always the answer I was looking for, because it really told me a lot about him. Just that simple answer told me more about him than anything else anyone, even he could say,   Donna O'Toole ** 52:06 yeah, absolutely. So it's so important, and you know, so I'm part of a key person of influence program that Daniel Priestley runs, and it's I do profile coaching for entrepreneurs to help them to become a key person of influence in their in their industry. And now that's not being an influencer. That's being someone who's known for being good at what they do and being a key person in that industry. And you know, work flows to you if people know what you do and know who to come to because you're the expert in that area, if you're a small business, you're an entrepreneur, you're struggling to get leads, then actually maybe you need to make yourself put bit more known. People tend to be bit shy and hide behind their brand. But you know, if you look at people like Richard Branson, you know, we when you trust an entrepreneur, then you will buy from the brand. And there's many more entrepreneurs I could mention, who when the trust is lost with them because of their behavior in some way, then their brand suffers. It's quite clear to see, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 53:09 do you find that most people who win an award do carry on and do positive things as a result, and that their brand and what they do improves, or is some people win and just falls by the wayside.   Donna O'Toole ** 53:27 Generally speaking, if you're the people that are going in for awards, the brands that are going forwards, they're progressive, so they usually progress with it. There's a piece of research that shows that businesses that have won awards are around 77% more valuable than businesses without awards even five years after winning. And that's because when you're going for an award in business, you've got to do a lot of develop. You know, there's got to be some good stuff happening in your business. And so naturally, the businesses that are doing those good things want to keep doing more of those good things internally, and so they tend to keep driving the business forward. And they have that motivation. They have motivated teams who are being recognized for the work that they're doing, and all of that naturally pushes them forward. So in five years time, they're still leagues ahead of their competitors that are not winning awards.   Michael Hingson ** 54:20 So always worth exploring winning awards. Oh, 100% Yeah. If   Donna O'Toole ** 54:27 I always say, I think, quote Nelson Mandela on this, you've got nothing to lose. You'll either win or you'll learn. If you don't win, then you should learn something about what you do need to do to win, and that will bring your business on.   Michael Hingson ** 54:39 Absolutely agree it's like, I also believe there's no such thing as failure. Failure is really it didn't go the way you planned. And so what do you learn in order to make that not happen again?   Donna O'Toole ** 54:51 Yeah, exactly, that exactly. So we need that kind of resilience in business today,   Michael Hingson ** 54:57 if people listening and watching this. Just take away one lesson and get one piece of advice out of this. What should it be?   Donna O'Toole ** 55:04 Understand your impact? I would say people don't often understand their impact. So ask your customers, ask your employees, what's improved since we've been working together? What? What if? What's improved for you since you've been using our product? And then calculate up what is that impact that you're having? You know, if 90% of your customers are saying that since using your product, I don't know, they're they're they're having a better their their accounts are better, or their skin is better. You whatever it is your product or your service is, then you've got impact that you're having. So start investigating what that impact is, and then that will help to steer you towards which kind of awards you could potentially be winning as well.   Michael Hingson ** 55:47 And of course, if you really think about your impact and whoever you are and whatever business you're doing, and you do monitor that, then that's one of the most important things that you can do about your business anyway, and people should be doing that.   Donna O'Toole ** 56:01 Yeah, exactly. But probably 90% of people that come to me aren't measuring their impact, and so it's a surprise, but I always say, Well, if you don't know what your impact is, how do you know that what your product or your services works? Just because people are buying it, you still need to know what your impact is. How do you measure impact? Oh, you can measure it in so many different ways, and you want in awards to be able to demonstrate it both quantitatively and qualitatively. So typically, in large corporate organizations, they will be measuring impact. So there's something called net promoter scores. So, you know, they'll be asking customers, would they recommend them? They'll ask them what they're enjoying about their products and things. So they tend to have some kind of measurement built into their process, in their customer departments, however, in smaller businesses, often they don't. So I say, you know, draw up a simple survey, ask your customers what's changed since you've been working with us. Let's say you're a service provider. So are you less stressed since you've been working with us? Do you have more revenue coming in since you've been working with us? What is it? And get them to answer a little survey. And then you could go all this collective impact that you can put together to look at the percentages and see what that's telling you. And if you don't want to know what the impact is in your business, then I question why you don't want to why   Michael Hingson ** 57:16 you're in the business in the first place, exactly. Well, tell us about your book. You've mentioned books several times, yeah.   Donna O'Toole ** 57:23 So I wrote a book called Win, of course, raise your profile and grow your business through winning awards. And really, it's a toolkit for for entrepreneurs. I was working with a lot of large businesses, and, you know, I was conscious that small businesses don't always have the resources to win awards or to be able to outsource. So I wrote a book that they could use to follow the toolkit, essentially, of winning awards. So that's developing their strategy, knowing understanding how awards work and which ones would suit their business, setting awards goals, understanding criteria. What does innovation really mean? What do they want to see? What kind of evidence do I need to provide? How do I know if it's the right race for me? All of those things. So it takes you end to end, through the awards journey internationally. You know, no matter where you are, you can follow the same process, and you could nowadays, it's really important to become the most award winning in your sector, so you can follow the process to get there. And that's a hugely valuable tagline.   Michael Hingson ** 58:26 And I appreciate that you sent us a picture of the book cover, and it is in the show notes. I hope people will go get   Donna O'Toole ** 58:31 it absolutely and it is on Audible as well, so that everyone can access it. So yeah, enjoy listening to my voice a lot more.   Michael Hingson ** 58:39 I was just going to ask if you read it. I did read it for you.   Donna O'Toole ** 58:44 Do you know what it was? I was so proud of that I was more proud of the audible recording than I was of writing at the book. But I don't know why. I think it's because I actually really enjoy listening to books on audio. So I'm quite passionate about listening. I like listening to the actual author's voice, though. So I found I was quite interesting, actually, when I found, when I recorded it, that was quite good at recording audio. The studio guy that I was working with was like, Oh, you're really good at this. We could just drop it words back in if there was a mistake.   Michael Hingson ** 59:14 There you are. See, it is so much better to edit today than it used to be, because now it is. It is all electronic, and I, I edit from time to time, just different things and all that I don't we work on not editing the podcast. That is, I don't want to cut out part of a conversation, because it is a conversation, but, but now you can do so many things, like, if there's a lot of noise, you can even filter that out without affecting the camera. It is so cool.   Donna O'Toole ** 59:43 Yeah, very, very clever. So, yeah, get it on Audible. There you   Michael Hingson ** 59:47 go. Well, great. Well, I hope people will Well, I want to thank you for being here. This has been a lot of fun, and you should get an award for doing it. That's all there is to it. But I really appreciate you being here. And. I appreciate all of you out there listening to us and watching us. Love to get your thoughts. How do people reach out to you? Donna, if they'd like to to talk with you,   Donna O'Toole ** 1:00:09 absolutely. So you can con

Darshan Mehta celebrates the 100th episode of Getting to Aha! Be welcoming Anne-Sophie Baret, Head of Product and Trade Marketing at Club Med. Together, they explore how the iconic brand has thrived for 75 years by prioritising meaningful travel experiences and human connection. From the rise of wellness and solo social travel to trends like astrotourism, Anne-Sophie shares powerful insights for marketers and hospitality leaders looking to innovate while staying true to timeless values.

Marielle Bobo is the VP of Content at Shoptalk Spring and Fall, where she curates programming and secures industry-leading speakers to spark the most important conversations in retail and ecommerce. She's spent 25 years in cross-platform media, serving as Editor-in-Chief & SVP of Programming at EBONY, Fashion Director at Essence, and shaping fashion, beauty, and retail narratives at Womenswear Daily, Allure, and Cosmopolitan.Before taking the helm at Shoptalk's content strategy, Marielle built a career telling stories that resonate: across print, digital, video, and live events, earning a reputation for translating trends into actionable insights. That lens now drives how she programs Shoptalk, ensuring attendees walk away with strategies they can implement immediately.Marielle shares what's different about Shoptalk Fall this year compared to year one, the genesis of the brand-new Leadership track, and why now is the moment for retail leaders to think differently about org design, planning, and agility. She also reveals which sessions ecommerce store owners and DTC brands can't afford to miss, plus how her editorial background influences the way she curates content for maximum impact.Whether she's explaining how to navigate a packed agenda or uncovering the most relevant themes for today's volatile retail landscape, Marielle offers a candid look at how great content can transform an industry event into a growth engine.In This Conversation We Discuss: [00:40] Intro[01:01] Exploring global event series for innovators[02:05] Kicking off with immersive retail experiences[04:13] Planning your conference strategy in advance[06:20] Recapping key learnings before the show ends[09:50] Learning from leading retail and DTC brands[11:51] Finding solutions through casual conversations[12:58] Highlighting brick-and-mortar's role in EcommerceResources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on YoutubeOrganizing retail's industry's very best events shoptalk.com/Providing senior execs workshops, strategy sessions, Chicago retail tours, insights from 130+ leaders, and targeted connections fall.shoptalk.com/Follow Marielle Bobo linkedin.com/in/marielle-boboIf you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Why the current backlash to all things Employee Experience is short-sighted, misguided and bad for business. Just because you can bully employees doesn't mean you should.Find Tamar on LinkedInConnect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with questions or ideas for topics.Subscribe to my newsletter, Customer Experience Patterns - I publish a new edition with each episode of the podcast.My LinkedIn Learning courses: Customer Experience: 6 Essential Foundations For Lasting Loyalty, How To Create Great Customer Experiences & Build A Customer-Centric Culture. In-depth video series that teach you how to create great experiences, and build customer-centric cultuers.Thanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for the cover art. Thanks to my friends at Moon Island for the music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Ecommerce Toolbox: Expert Perspectives, Matt Ezyk, Senior Director of Engineering, Ecommerce at Hanna Andersson, shares how heritage brands can modernize ecommerce platforms without sacrificing reliability, performance, or customer experience. Matt reveals the “silent killers” that quietly erode site conversion, from friction-filled checkout flows to cross-team misalignment, and how he's tackling them through selective modernization, API-first architecture, and a disciplined focus on site speed. He also cuts through the AI hype, explaining why clean, connected customer data is the non-negotiable foundation for any meaningful AI adoption. If you want to drive ecommerce growth while keeping your tech stack stable and your customer experience intact, you'll want to hear this conversation.

Send us a textThe digital transformation wave has finally crashed into the shed industry's shores, and it's bringing video technology that could revolutionize how we connect with customers. In this eye-opening conversation with LiveSwitch founder James Hatfield, we journey from his humble beginnings as a painter with a ladder to becoming a tech innovator helping businesses harness the power of real-time video.James shares his fascinating story of unexpected entrepreneurship – from running painting crews to building tech companies valued in the billions. His latest venture, LiveSwitch, solves a surprisingly simple problem with profound implications: how to instantly connect with customers through the cameras everyone already carries in their pockets, without requiring app downloads or complicated setups.For shed builders and dealers, the applications are game-changing. Imagine documenting every stage of delivery with video evidence, creating what James calls an "NFL instant replay" that shows exactly when and where issues might have occurred. This accountability system protects businesses while dramatically improving customer experience. Even more compelling is how video connections are revolutionizing sales – in many industries, video interactions close at rates comparable to or even higher than in-person meetings, while saving time and expanding your effective service area.What resonates throughout this conversation is that digital adoption isn't about abandoning traditional values or craftsmanship – it's about enhancing them. The most successful businesses will blend the reliability of time-tested practices with the efficiency of modern tools. As James puts it, "We're going from ears to eyes," creating connections that build trust faster and solve problems more efficiently than ever before.Ready to see how video technology could transform your shed business? Visit LiveSwitch's website and discover how simple tools can create extraordinary connections with your customers. The future is visual – and it's already here. Book a DEMOFor more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: Shed ProShed Sales SummitIdentiGrowCALCardinal LeasingLuxGuard

Send us a textHow many times has a deal gone sour because of a simple miscommunication about expectations? This week on "The Selling Podcast," Mike and Scott welcome Pete Howland to break down the critical skill of setting and managing client expectations. This isn't just about good manners; it's about building trust, avoiding disappointment, and ensuring a fantastic customer experience.Pete reveals a simple yet powerful tactic: instead of giving a vague timeframe like "it'll be ready in a few hours," give a concrete time of day. "I'll have that to you by 3 PM" is a game-changer that eliminates ambiguity and shows you're in control.But the real secret, Pete argues, is asking the right questions to uncover the expectations your client already has—and you just don't know about yet. We dive into how to have these crucial conversations upfront to align on goals and build a collaborative, transparent relationship from the very start.This episode is your blueprint for moving beyond vague promises and into a world of clear, confident communication. Tune in as Pete breaks down how mastering this skill will not only save you from headaches but also consistently help you deliver an exceptional experience that keeps clients coming back.Support the showScott SchlofmanMike Williams - Cell 801-635-7773 #sales #podcast #customerfirst #relationships #success #pipeline #funnel #sales success #selling #salescoach

What makes a gift feel truly unforgettable? Today I'm joined by Holly Hachman of Little Red Bird Gifts, who joins the show to share her journey of building a joyful, story-driven retail space. Inspired by her mother's love for shopping, Holly chose to focus on meaningful gifts over apparel, creating a warm, inviting shop. She opens up about the power of storytelling in retail, how it shapes customer experience, and the role of signature lines in connecting with shoppers. Resources:  Holly Hachman:  Website | Facebook | Instagram Join The Boutique Hub     Ashley Alderson: Instagram     The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube 

Bluboho grew from kitchen parties to six retail stores through human connection, customer intimacy, and strategic location planning. Today, it's one of Canada's most successful independently owned jewelry companies.For more on Bluboho and show notes click here.  Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

AI adoption is accelerating — and customer expectations are rising just as fast. Enterprises that lead in customer experience will be the ones that scale agentic AI across voice, video, digital, and chatbot channels — without losing accuracy, compliance, or trust. In this sponsored episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, I speak with Rishi Rana, CEO of Cyara, about how Cyara's AI-powered customer experience assurance platform helps enterprises continuously test, monitor, and validate every interaction before it reaches the customer. We cover: ✅ How to scale AI without sacrificing trust ✅ Building guardrails for compliance and transparency from day one ✅ Preventing silent failures that cost millions

Send us a textKen Hughes, known as The King of Customer Experience, joins Lara Schmoisman to share why connection—not product—is the ultimate differentiator in today's AI-driven world, and how brands can design loyalty that lasts.We'll talk about:Why products and services are now commodities—and why connection is your only real differentiatorThe “goldfish moment” every brand should be creating (and how to scale it)How Taylor Swift built one of the most loyal fandoms on earth—and what brands can learn from her playbookThe danger of “one-night-stand marketing” and the shift from transactional to relational thinkingWhy ROI isn't enough—and how to build with “desire to invest” insteadReal-life stories of brands going beyond expectations to create emotional loyaltyThe perfect balance of AI and human touch in customer experienceFor more information, visit Ken Hughes' LinkedIn.Subscribe to Lara's newsletter.Also, follow our host Lara Schmoisman on social media:Instagram: @laraschmoismanFacebook: @LaraSchmoismanSupport the show

On this episode, I welcome Mr. Mike Viane, a certified business and executive coach, to the Customers First Boardroom. With an impressive 30-year career in the movie industry, including roles at major studios like Warner Bros, Mike brings invaluable insights into the intersection of business acumen and storytelling. Currently, he's the owner of Focal Point Coaching, where he helps a range of clients—from executives to entrepreneurs—navigate growth and organizational reinvention. Mike has learned to work with various personality types in high-pressure environments and how to facilitate better communication and understanding among teams. He emphasizes the importance of authenticity and vulnerability in leadership, especially when striving for a positive work culture and improved guest experiences. One of the most striking concepts we discuss is tactical empathy, as popularized by Chris Voss in his book "Never Split the Difference." Mike explains how replacing judgment with curiosity in business interactions can lead to deeper understanding and better resolutions. He illustrates this approach with a real-life example involving movie theatre managers successfully de-escalating a tense situation with an unhappy guest by applying empathetic communication strategies. We dive into actionable insights as well, particularly the idea of Difference-Making Actions (DMAs). Mike passionately advocates for intentionality in our daily routines, urging listeners to set specific, measurable actions that align with their goals rather than simply getting caught up in reactive tasks. He discusses the importance of making these DMAs a priority at the start of each day, highlighting that small, intentional actions can cumulatively lead to significant personal and professional growth over time. Wrapping up our conversation, we touch on the concept of the "marathon mindset"—a theme that Mike encountered at a recent coaching conference. He outlines the four P's: purpose, preparation, pace, and perseverance, emphasizing how breaking down overwhelming goals into manageable steps can foster sustained progress and mitigate feelings of uncertainty. As we close, Mike leaves us with his core message about the power of focusing on our DMAs to set ourselves up for success. He encourages listeners to take actionable steps daily that contribute to a positive workplace culture and customer experience.   Mike's Contact Information: Website: https://michaelviane.focalpointcoaching.com LinkedIn: @michael-viane-105700195/   Tacey's Contact Information: Website: taceyatkinson.com All Socials: @TaceyAtkinson   Thank you for tuning in, and I look forward to having more valuable conversations together in the future. Remember: Customer-Centric Cultures Create Magical Customer Experiences. Now Go, Create the Magic!

Is customer experience (CX) the NEW marketing? Or has it always been? Marketing gets people in the door. Customer experience decides if they stay. Every ad, every touchpoint, every promise—it's all CX. So why do so many companies still treat them as separate? In this episode of Doing CX Right, Stacy Sherman and Nicole Donnelly challenge this outdated mindset. They discuss why great marketing fails without great customer experience, how AI is reshaping market research, and why data alone isn't enough. Plus, hear how one brand drove real growth by putting experience first—and how you can apply the same strategies to your business. Learn more at   Access our FREE Customer Experience Audit Tool:   Grow as a CX Professional with our numerous   Book time with Stacy . 

This episode is brought to you by Commerce.If you've shopped in Europe, chances are you've been to Primark — and if you haven't, you've probably heard someone rave about it. But in the U.S., the value fashion giant is still writing its origin story. This week, Nicole sits down with Kevin Tulip, President of Primark U.S., to talk about the brand's expansion across the states, what makes its business model so unique, and how the company is adapting to American consumers — without abandoning its global blueprint. Listen in to learn:How Primark balances its centralized inventory model with regional flexibility;What makes the brand's no-ecommerce, no-discounting approach work;Why initiatives like repair workshops and sustainable sourcing are priorities — even at a $12 price point; andWhat to expect from the upcoming NYC flagship (Kevin promises it's going to be “unlike anything else”).RELATED LINKSExplore Primark's latest store openingsRelated reading: Primark Pens Contract for Penn District NYC FlagshipRelated reading: Primark Aims to Extend Clothing's Lifecycle by Bringing Repair Workshops to the U.S.Related reading: Inside Primark's Mecca for All Things Disney and MarvelCatch up on all episodes of Retail Remix -----How to Win Customers Across Every ChannelThis guide from BigCommerce brings you expert insights on data, branding, and marketing to help you grow sales across every major channel. Read the Guide.

Send us a textReady to shake up your customer experience approach with some no-fluff, straight-to-the-point wisdom? In this episode, Adrian Swinscoe – author of *Punk CX* and *How to Wow* – joins Roman Trebon to deliver a masterclass on how real, actionable data combined with firsthand customer stories can transform your CX from good to unforgettable. Learn why "going to the gemba" (that's Japanese for “go see where the work happens”) can be the secret weapon in your customer success playbook, and why less complexity often results in more memorable experiences.Adrian Swinscoe dives deep into a pragmatic, almost punk rock philosophy of customer experience that's anything but conventional. His call to action? Don't get lost in the sea of binary data points and over-engineered solutions. Yes, data is king – but raw numbers alone often feel like a monochrome sketch. True customer success leaders bring color and context by blending quantitative insights with rich, qualitative stories. It's these narratives that move teams to act and innovate, bridging the gap between cold metrics and vibrant human emotion.Swinscoe invokes the Toyota-inspired practice of “going to the gemba,” encouraging CX leaders to ditch conference rooms and dashboards for direct observation—whether it's sitting with frontline agents or experiencing the product as a customer would. This boots-on-the-ground approach fosters empathy, reveals friction points invisible in reports, and catalyzes meaningful change.Echoing his punk ethos, Adrian warns against the natural tendency to keep piling on features and processes under the guise of “improvement.” Instead, simplicity should be your compass. If you add one new element to a process, critique what two things you can eliminate. Complexity is easy; elegance and clarity require discipline—and they pay dividends in customer loyalty.Roman's illustrated comic example highlights the paradox: an overcomplicated onboarding and an overly simplified offboarding process reveal where brands lose customers—not because of lack of effort, but too much of the wrong kind of effort.For anyone seeking practical, actionable guidance on staying ahead in the crowded CX arena, this conversation is a treasure trove. Tune in, challenge your assumptions, and enrich your customer success playbook with these hard-earned lessons on observation, storytelling, and ruthless simplicity.Now you can interact with us directly by leaving a voice message at https://www.speakpipe.com/CustomerSuccessPlaybookPlease Like, Comment, Share and Subscribe. You can also find the CS Playbook Podcast:YouTube - @CustomerSuccessPlaybookPodcastTwitter - @CS_PlaybookYou can find Kevin at:Metzgerbusiness.com - Kevin's person web siteKevin Metzger on Linked In.You can find Roman at:Roman Trebon on Linked In.

To get more information about booking a consulting day with Vince, please do one of the following:Send a direct email to Vince to bypass his sales team: vince@gabrielefitness.comClick the link below and fill out the form:https://coaching.vincegabriele.com/ Podcast SummaryIn episode two of the Long Island Gym Tour, Vince visits a gym owner facing one of the toughest challenges in business—having to move his entire operation after 12 years, relocating nearly 600 members on short notice. Despite incomplete renovations and other gyms trying to poach his clients, the owner's strong relational equity has kept members paying, even without access to the facility. Vince breaks down strategies to not only survive such disruptions but also boost revenue by increasing the percentage of higher-paying memberships. He shares specific tactics for upselling current members, improving onboarding processes for new members, and maintaining communication during downtime to keep clients engaged and loyal. Top 5 PointsRelational Equity is Survival Insurance – Build deep relationships with clients and staff so that in times of crisis, members stay committed and supportive.Track Membership Level Ratios – Measure the percentage of clients on higher-value memberships and create goals to increase that share.Upsell Current Clients – Offer existing members upgrades (e.g., from basic to class memberships) through targeted promotions and trial periods.Optimize Onboarding – Give every new member access to your highest-value services for the first month so they experience your best offering upfront.Maintain a Communication Pulse – Regularly update inactive or on-hold members with construction progress, news, and personal touchpoints to keep them connected to your business. To get more information about booking a consulting day with Vince, please do one of the following:Send a direct email to Vince to bypass his sales team: vince@gabrielefitness.comClick the link below and fill out the form:https://coaching.vincegabriele.com/ If you're a gym owner seeking answers on how you can grow your gym, make more money, and have more freedom to do what you love, visit www.vincegabriele.com or book a call by CLICKING HERE!

Technology enabled, people-focused Customer Service With Matt Whitmer. In today's episode, we're thrilled to welcome Matt Whitmer into the studio. Matt is the Chief Revenue Officer and SVP of Marketing at Mosaicx, a conversational AI provider. He has over 15 years of experience in senior leadership focused on CX and enterprise client relationships. What we cover in this episode: It's all about meeting customers where they are in their journey. Customers want to trust the brands they work with. Customers want to feel like they are being helped, not "sold." Build conduits within your organization to ensure open communication and to bust silos.  The best customer experience is enabled by tehcnology and AI but diven by people. Subscribe, review, and share this episode to help more leaders bring passion and purpose to their organizations.   Links & Resources:

How does one Disney insider continue to practice Disney level service in an industry that tends to get a bad rap for its major lack of customer-mindedness? Join Dan Kennedy as he gets a behind-the-scenes look from Vance Morris on Disney management, training and revitalization of the Disney resort experience. Vance also reveals how he's able to continue to train entrepreneurs on providing top-tier, Disney style service in their own businesses. MagneticMarketing.com NoBSLetter.com

I'm Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I've spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter, more successful businesses.In this episode, I dive into the critical aspects of profitability in the restaurant industry. I emphasize the importance of effective sales training that prioritizes emotional engagement over just product knowledge. I also share actionable strategies to help restaurant teams connect with guests and sell more effectively by using storytelling and developing a genuine belief in the food they serve.Takeaways:Most restaurant owners think they need more guests.Profit isn't random, it's engineered.Sales doesn't come from knowledge. It comes from conviction.Guests don't buy facts. They buy feelings.Selling isn't about pressure, it's about believing.The best servers are matchmakers.Curiosity builds connection. Emotion builds belief.Empower storytelling over scripting.If your team isn't trained to feel it, they'll never be able to sell it.Make what's working a daily conversation.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Hospitality Insights01:20 The Importance of Profitability Systems02:45 Transforming Team Sales Training05:42 Empowering Teams for Effective SellingIf you've got a marketing or profitability related question for me, email me directly at josh@joshkopel.com and include Office Hours in the subject line. If you'd like to scale the profitability of your restaurant in only 5 days, sign up for our FREE 5 Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge by visiting https://joshkopel.com.

David Selinger (aka “Selly”) is the founder and CEO of Deep Sentinel, a security company blending AI with live human monitoring to stop crime in real time. From Amazon to Redfin to AI security, Dave Selinger has built a real-time protection system now scaling fast with $15M in Series B funding from top investors.In this episode, Selly breaks down how Deep Sentinel works—from crime prediction models and real-time police calls to training AI to spot danger before it happens. He explains how the company went from idea to reality, how it stacks up against traditional alarms, and why his military mentors shaped his leadership style.This isn't just about cameras. It's about making AI useful, delivering outcomes that matter, and building a team with zero tolerance for compromise. You'll also hear Selly's thoughts on parenting, college, career detours, and how early obsessions with tech led him from Stanford to Jeff Bezos's office to the front lines of crime prevention.Main Topics• How Deep Sentinel stops crime before it happens using AI and live guards• Why traditional alarm systems fail — and what real security should look like• Lessons from military mentors on leadership, discipline, and zero compromise• The challenge of scaling real-time protection for homes and businesses• How Selly's early work at Amazon (with Jeff Bezos) and Redfin shaped his tech mindset• Raising kids with curiosity, independence, and meaningful support• Why the future of security depends on speed, customization, and trustChapters with Timestamps:[00:00:00] Introduction and Initial Scenario[00:00:42] Podcasting and Audience Engagement[00:02:06] AI and Podcasting Insights[00:03:17] Real-Life Security Challenges[00:03:58] Deep Sentinel's Unique Approach[00:04:49] Customer Experiences and Success Stories[00:11:34] Public-Private Partnerships in Security[00:15:52] Advanced Security Solutions and AI Integration[00:27:45] Exploring Security Challenges and Solutions[00:29:27] Military Influence and No Compromise Mentality[00:33:35] Childhood Passions and Career Pathways[00:36:02] Parental Support and Personal Growth[00:41:43] College Education and Career Advice[00:48:14] Amazon Experience and Innovations[00:54:23] Founding Redfin and Its Impact[00:56:29] Deep Sentinel's Growth and FutureDeep SentinelWebsiteLinkedInYouTubeSeries B FundingRelated Episodes:Ankit Somani | From Google to Conifer: Rare-Earth-Free Motors, $20M Seed, and Rethinking CollegeHow AI Is Changing College Counseling and Admissions with Senan Khawaja, CEO of KollegioAI Content Detection & Digital Ethics with Madeleine LambertEntrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios — a modern media network and a KazSource brand.Get in touch with Eric Kasimov:XLinkedInCredits:Music by Jess & Ricky: SoundCloud

Summary In this conversation, Denise Thompson and John DiJulius III explore the evolving landscape of customer experience and consulting. They discuss the challenges faced by young adults in social interactions, the state of customer experience in America, and the importance of co-creation in consulting. The conversation also highlights the need for executive sponsorship in consulting projects and the significance of identifying red flags in consulting relationships. Additionally, they touch on the impact of leadership on community and the importance of making a difference in the lives of others. Takeaways The importance of social interactions for young adults today. Customer experience in America is declining, with a need for improvement. Consulting should focus on co-creation and capability building. Identifying red flags in consulting relationships is crucial for success. Executive sponsorship is vital for the success of consulting projects. The zip code a child is born into is a significant indicator of their future success. Consultants should ask the right questions to uncover real issues. Creating systems for people, not just for companies, is essential. Leaders play a critical role in shaping company culture and customer experience. Making a difference in the community is a responsibility of leaders. Chapters 00:00Weekend Reflections: Family and Connection 03:36The Kindness Recession: A Decline in Happiness 07:14Rethinking Consulting: Beyond Transactional Relationships 10:05The Importance of Industry Knowledge in Consulting 12:10Transactional Relationships vs. True Partnerships in Consulting 16:17Creating Capability Over Dependency in Consulting 21:04The Role of Co-Creation in Consulting Projects 23:30Evaluating Consultants: Red Flags to Watch For 27:46The Customer Experience Executive Academy: Building Internal Expertise 33:16The Role of Leadership in Consulting Success 35:59Living an Extraordinary Life: Making a Difference   Links Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Believe in Dreams: https://believeindreams.org/  Interview Questions: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/resources/ The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Experience Revolution Membership:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors:  tdg.click/claudia Books Contacts:  Lindsey@thedijuliusgroup.com , Claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com Subscribe We talk about topics like this each week; be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.  

The Power Core Concept from Jeanne Bliss, the original Chief Customer Officer.Connect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with questions or ideas for topics.Subscribe to my newsletter, Customer Experience Patterns - I publish a new edition with each episode of the podcast.My LinkedIn Learning courses: Customer Experience: 6 Essential Foundations For Lasting Loyalty, How To Create Great Customer Experiences & Build A Customer-Centric Culture. In-depth video series that teach you how to create great experiences, and build customer-centric cultuers.Thanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for the cover art. Thanks to my friends at Moon Island for the music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dave D'Arcy is the founder of Laughing Leadership. He is based in Tring, close to London in the UK. Laughing Leadership was created to guide business leaders to build the environment to nurture and develop happy engaged employees. The solution is not in bean bags, slides, fruit on Friday or free tea and coffee. It is in culture. And culture is a byproduct of leadership style.  In this conversation with Peter Ryan, Dave talks about some of the 'groundhog day' issues he keeps reading about and seeing in CX. Why do we keep reading about the same CX issues over and over again? Why is the CX business news from years ago just about the same as today? Why do we always see the hype cycle with new technologies - such as AI? https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemdarcy/ https://www.davedarcy.co.uk/ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qbH1R9yDdr4   CX FILES IS TAKING A BREAK FOR THE REST OF AUGUST - WE ARE BACK ON SEPTEMBER 4! Keep tuning in as we plan to repeat some clips from this time exactly five years ago during the Covid pandemic - how did the CX industry cope? CX Files switched to almost daily interviews during the early part of the pandemic, so we will clip a few of the best interviews to share with you again this August... see you again in September!   SUMMARY: Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the final episode of the CX Files podcast before taking a break in August. They introduce Dave D'Arcy, founder of Laughing Leadership, who focuses on leadership and employee engagement. D'Arcy critiques common CX industry issues, such as outcome-based pricing models, lack of investment in training, and the overemphasis on impact sourcing. He argues that AI has not lived up to its hype and has led to employee disengagement. D'Arcy emphasizes the need for businesses to invest in their employees and align strategies with clear business objectives.

Watch on YouTube.In this August edition of the Microsoft Teams Show, hosts Kristian McCann and and Tom Arbuthnot dissect some of the biggest Teams stories from the past month with the panel – from meetings on the move to AI that can see your screen.Mercedes Enables Teams Video Calls While DrivingTeams meetings are now available on the go – but is this the future of mobile collaboration or a serious safety concern?Teams Search Gets SmarterSQL-style search is on its way – finally! But will it actually help users find what they need, or just add more complexity?Threaded Conversations: Teams Borrows from Slack (Again)Another Slack-like feature arrives – is this improving the experience or just Microsoft playing catch-up?SharePoint Servers Under AttackA major breach raises big questions for on-premises customers – and for Teams, which is tightly integrated with SharePoint.Copilot Vision AI Can Now See Your ScreenMicrosoft's AI assistant just got a new set of eyes – but is this a game-changer or a privacy nightmare in the making?Plus, we're joined by special guest Robbie Warwick, UCaaS & CCaaS Transformation Leader at Accenture Song, who shares insights from his 20-year career — including leading a massive Teams transformation at the UK Home Office.Hosted by the UC Today editorial team – tune in for the latest Microsoft Teams updates, expert takes, and real-world insights.Let us know in the comments which stood out to you the most!Thanks for watching, if you'd like more content like this, don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel.You can also join in the conversation on our Twitter and LinkedIn pages.Join our new LinkedIn Community Group. 

In this episode of the Event Industry News Podcast, host James Dixon welcomes Carly Gibbs, recently appointed as the Head of Customer Experience at Olympia Events. Carly shares insights into her new role, discussing her extensive background in the events industry and how it shapes her approach to enhancing guest experiences at the iconic London venue. With exciting developments underway at Olympia, Carly explains the shift towards viewing the venue as a comprehensive cultural destination, complete with new music halls, theaters, dining options, and office spaces. She highlights the importance of understanding and catering to diverse customer demographics to create seamless, memorable journeys for everyone who visits Olympia. Carly emphasises the significance of collaboration among various departments and partners to align with the venue's evolving brand identity and customer expectations. Listen in to discover how Carly plans to integrate both modern and heritage elements to elevate Olympia's unique status while ensuring that every interaction with the brand is exceptional.   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.  

Industrial Talk is talking to Paula Courtney, President and CEO of The Verde Group about "Eliminating Strategic Blind Spots". Scott Mackenzie hosts Paula Courtney from the Verde Group on the Industrial Talk Podcast to discuss customer experience insights and their role in growing and protecting revenue. Paula emphasizes the importance of understanding customer pain points and avoiding vanity metrics like "how much do you love us" surveys. The Verde Group uses AI to analyze unstructured data quickly, helping clients like a large retailer gain $350 million in revenue. Paula highlights the need for effective change management and continuous monitoring to address customer issues and improve business performance. She also discusses the challenges of incentivizing customer participation in surveys and the impact of AI on market research. Action Items [ ] Explore how the Verde Group's approach to voice of customer insights could benefit your organization in protecting and growing revenue. [ ] Reach out to Paula Courtney on LinkedIn or visit the Verde Group website to subscribe to their monthly newsletter. Outline Introduction and Welcome Scott MacKenzie introduces the Industrial Talk Podcast, emphasizing its focus on industry professionals and innovations. Scott welcomes listeners and highlights the importance of celebrating industry professionals who solve problems and innovate. Scott introduces Paula Courtney from the Verde Group, who specializes in eliminating strategic blind spots using customer experience insights. Scott emphasizes the importance of listening to customers and analyzing their feedback to grow and protect revenue. Discussion on Customer Experience and Revenue Protection Scott and Paula discuss the importance of listening to customers and analyzing their feedback to protect and grow revenue. Scott shares his thoughts on the need to inspire the next generation of leaders in the industry. Scott emphasizes the importance of making industry messages more entertaining and engaging to attract younger audiences. Paula explains the Verde Group's approach to helping clients protect and grow revenue through voice of customer insights. Paula's Background and Verde Group Overview Paula provides a brief background on herself and the Verde Group, a global market research consultancy. The Verde Group helps clients protect and grow revenue by identifying blind spots in customer experiences. Paula explains the broad range of industries the Verde Group works with, including financial services, agriculture, and retail. Scott and Paula discuss the importance of understanding customer needs and expectations to improve business performance. Challenges in Customer Research and Data Analysis Paula explains the challenges of conducting customer research and the importance of asking the right questions. The Verde Group avoids vanity metrics like "how much do you love us" surveys and focuses on identifying real customer problems. Paula discusses the importance of using customer language in surveys to get accurate responses. Scott and Paula talk about the declining response rates to customer surveys and the need to incentivize participation. Incentivizing Customer Participation and Data Collection Paula shares various techniques for incentivizing customer participation in surveys, such as financial...

In this episode of Builders Wanted, we're joined by Jon Kennedy, Chief Technology Officer at Quickbase. John discusses how Quickbase is helping businesses innovate through its no-code platform, enabling users to build custom solutions swiftly. He shares insights into the challenges of scaling a global engineering team, the importance of fostering an empowering work culture, and the transformative potential of AI in low-code development.-------------------Key Takeaways:The importance of empowering non-technical users, or "citizen developers," through Quickbase's no-code platform.The critical balance between fostering rapid innovation and maintaining strong governance, security, and reliability standards.Effective leadership and organizational transformation rely heavily on listening and adaptability.-------------------“ It's very empowering, like, I solved this problem. And guess what? You built a computer application and you're not a computer programmer.  I think it's pretty empowering for somebody that is not a technologist to be able to solve a real world problem like that.” – Jon Kennedy-------------------Episode Timestamps:‍*(01:59) - How Quickbase is helping businesses solve complex problems‍*(09:08) - How customers are pushing the boundaries of what's possible ‍*(11:04) - AI's role in transforming the low-code space ‍*(16:01) - Navigating speed and stability at scale‍*(21:24) - Successes and challenges of integrating FastField into Quickbase‍*(28:23) - Quick hits-------------------Links:Connect with Jon on LinkedInConnect with Kailey on LinkedInLearn more about Caspian Studios-------------------SponsorBuilders Wanted is brought to you by Twilio – the Customer Engagement Platform that helps builders turn real-time data into meaningful customer experiences. More than 320,000 businesses trust Twilio to transform signals into connections—and connections into revenue. Ready to build what's next? Learn more at twilio.com.

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Join the VIP Waitlist for RevUP: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/revupIn this episode, Anika Zubair discusses the transition from customer service to customer success with Lena Therese Zimmerman, Head of Customer Experience at Do Instruct. They explore the importance of curiosity, team collaboration, and the need for a strategic approach in customer success. Lena shares her journey in transforming a reactive customer service team into proactive customer success managers, emphasizing the significance of aligning internal goals with customer success metrics. The conversation highlights the shift in mindset required to prioritize customer success over mere customer happiness, and the strategies for educating customers about the role of customer success managers. In this conversation, the speakers delve into the intricacies of customer success, focusing on the challenges faced during onboarding, the importance of empathy, and the need for effective communication. Chapters00:00 Introduction 02:52 Transitioning from Customer Service to Customer Success05:52 Understanding the Role of Customer Experience08:51 The Importance of Team Collaboration in Customer Success12:07 Curiosity as a Key Trait in Customer Success15:02 Transforming Reactive Teams into Strategic Partners18:11 Aligning Internal Goals with Customer Success21:10 The Shift from Customer Happiness to Customer Success23:53 Educating Customers on the Role of Customer Success28:38 Understanding Customer Fears and Onboarding Challenges31:38 Empathy in Customer Success33:02 Overcoming Customer Hesitation34:32 Communicating Effectively During Onboarding36:09 Setting Expectations: The Importance of Honesty39:33 The Balance of Saying No: Guiding Customers to Success41:00 Collaboration Between Sales and Customer Success43:40 Transitioning from Support to Strategic Advisor47:59 Lessons Learned: Shifting from Service to Revenue Focus51:25 The Future of Customer Success: Embracing AI52:59 Changing Perceptions of Customer SuccessConnect with Anika Zubair:Website: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/CSM RevUP Academy: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/revupConnect with Lena Theres Zimmermann:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-theres-zimmermann/Lena Zimmermann is Head of Customer Experience at doinstruct, a fast-growing Compliance Tech startup. With over 7.5 years of experience in SaaS, she has led Customer Success teams across DACH and BENELUX, helping companies create meaningful, long-term customer relationships.Lena is passionate about turning Customer Success into a strategic growth lever — especially in contexts where customer bases are more traditional and starting their digital transformation. Her leadership approach blends structure with empathy, enabling scalable processes that support retention, adoption, and revenue expansion.Send Anika a text :) Want to be our next guest? Apply here: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/podcast-guest Book Anika as a speaker at your next team event: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/team-event

Subscribe to the Inside Commerce newsletter:https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/inside-commerce-7126171854813188096/Episode summary:Imagine walking into a store, stepping onto a scanner, and instantly unlocking a personalised journey that follows you from the shop floor to your phone and beyond. That's the reality Vivobarefoot is building with its MyVivo CRM project - a bold step toward a seamless, omnichannel customer experience.The MyVivo experience begins in-store, where customers are invited to take a foot scan. This isn't just a novelty; it's the foundation for a tailored relationship. The scan captures unique data, helping staff recommend the perfect fit and style. But the magic doesn't stop there.Once the scan is complete, MyVivo connects the dots across every touchpoint. Customers receive personalised recommendations and content through email, the Vivobarefoot app, and even in future store visits. The system remembers preferences, past purchases, and even foot health insights, ensuring every interaction—online or offline—feels connected and relevant.What sets MyVivo apart is the commitment to true omnichannel engagement. Whether a customer shops online, visits a store, or interacts via mobile, their experience is consistent and informed by their unique profile. This not only builds loyalty but also empowers customers to make better choices for their feet and the planet.Vivobarefoot's MyVivo project is more than a CRM upgrade - it's a reimagining of what customer experience can be. By starting with a simple foot scan and extending that data across every channel, Vivobarefoot is setting a new standard for personalized, omnichannel retail.Tune in to listen to Amy Fullerton, Global Head of CRM, discuss how Vivobarefoot built the vision for MyVivo and the process they followed to start implementing this transformative service.Key takeaways:Understanding customer behaviour is crucial for effective CRM.Vivobarefoot aims to encourage a barefoot lifestyle through education and community engagement.Data integration and system alignment are key challenges in CRM.Customer insights are gathered through biometric and behavioral data.The importance of making data actionable for customer engagement.The project is structured around four strategic pillars: product, health, community, and rewards.Future developments will include on-demand health content and personalised recommendations.Chapters:[00:00] Laying the Foundations for a Connected Future[02:41] Understanding My Vivo: Mission and Goals[07:47] Strategic Pillars of Customer Loyalty[11:34] Structuring the Transformative CRM Project[14:19] Tech Challenges in CRM Implementation[19:53] Gathering and Utilizing Customer Insights[25:36] Making Data Actionable for Customer Experience[35:35] Future Vision: On-Demand Health Content

In this episode of GarageCast, we explore how consistency drives dealership success—from customer experience to team accountability. We highlight key systems like dealership tours and F&I menus, and why being consistent, even if imperfect, is better than being unpredictable.

Turning Customer Data into Customer-Centric Decisions  Shep interviews Dr. Jeff Dahms, Director of Customer Experience & Insights at Physicians Mutual. He talks about how organizations can use research and customer data to make better, customer-focused business decisions.   This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How does data-driven decision-making improve customer service?  Why is it important to understand the reasons behind customer decisions and behavior?  How can organizations effectively gather and utilize customer feedback to improve service?  How can businesses identify gaps in the customer journey using research and analytics?  What is the "cycle of success" framework in customer experience management?  Top Takeaways:    When making decisions for your business, relying on gut feeling may not be reliable. Having data about your customers' behavior and collecting their feedback gives you better odds of providing the best experience for them.   Improving customer experience is a continuous cycle. You start by collecting feedback from customers, then turn it into helpful data for your business. After that, share the information with your employees so they can better serve customers, and then look for new feedback from your customers about their experience to continue improving.   Smart leaders and managers know how to choose quality over quantity when it comes to data. When you are collecting huge amounts of information, use the pieces that help you make better decisions or solve a particular problem.  Traditional surveys can give you some feedback, but they don't always tell the whole story. Not everyone will respond, and sometimes you only hear from people who either really love or really dislike your service. To gain more accurate insights, consider combining surveys with other methods, such as interviews or external research.   Collecting feedback is great, but it's only helpful when the employees who work directly with your customers understand and know how to use it. Break down complex data into simple, actionable ideas. This could mean additional training, clearer instructions, or helpful tips to manage challenging situations.   Good research starts with good questions. Before collecting feedback, it's better to understand the specific problem or question you're trying to solve. When you define exactly what you need to know and why, it helps you choose the best research methods that will give you the most useful results.   Great customer experiences start with a positive environment for your employees. Make sure your team has the tools, training, and support they need to do their jobs well. When employees feel valued and know how to help customers, service improves for everyone.  Plus, Shep and Jeff discuss why it is important to learn from customers, even the ones who have already left. Tune in!  Quote:   "Do you know why your customers are making the decisions that they make? Understanding the 'why' behind customer choices is important if you want to operationalize a customer-centric philosophy in your daily business."  About:     Dr. Jeff Dahms is the data-driven Director of Customer Experience & Insights at Physicians Mutual, where he helps businesses leverage information to improve processes and customer outcomes.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textIn this compelling episode of Navigating the Customer Experience, we are joined by global hospitality executive, author, and social entrepreneur Carmen Vlasceanu. With over 25 years of experience in hospitality, aviation, catering, and cruise industries, Carmen shares her remarkable journey from growing up in communist Romania to becoming a transformative leader in customer experience and organizational growth. She holds advanced degrees in Revenue Management, International Business, and Marketing, and is also the founder of Angels-Wings.org, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting underprivileged children with food, clothing, and education.Carmen's latest endeavor is her book, Dare to C.A.R.E: Unlock Your Potential to Transform Your Life, Well-Being and Customer Experience. The book presents the C.A.R.E. Model, which stands for Connection, Authenticity, Reengineering, and Evolution. It offers a humanistic framework that empowers individuals and organizations to align purpose with service delivery—moving beyond transactional interactions to deeply meaningful customer engagement.The conversation explores the multi-layered value of the book—both as inspirational reading and a practical workbook. Carmen explains how Dare to C.A.R.E is filled with bullet-point strategies that help individuals rediscover purpose, boost mental wellness, and reconnect with their natural strengths. For leaders and managers, it provides applicable tools to enhance team cohesion, foster authentic communication, and build a purpose-driven work culture. The goal is simple yet profound: when individuals thrive, organizations—and by extension, customers—thrive too.While the book draws heavily from Carmen's hospitality background, it transcends industries. Whether you're in banking, retail, pharma, or any customer-facing sector, the lessons in Dare to C.A.R.E are universal. Carmen emphasizes that customer experience today is everyone's business, not just that of the hospitality sectorWhen asked about a single word that organizations should focus on for the latter half of 2025, Carmen shares three: Resilience, Purpose, and Legacy. These values are the backbone of not just business success, but meaningful human impact. She quotes, “The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit,” encouraging listeners to invest long-term in values that matter.A deeply spiritual person, Carmen credits the Bible as her most indispensable daily tool, using it for both personal inspiration and professional grounding. She believes that every act of kindness, however small, can ignite lasting change—be it for a colleague, customer, or community member.As for books that shaped her worldview, she highlights "Soar!: Building Your Vision from the Ground Up" by T.D. Jakes, a guide that emphasizes perseverance, vision, and service to others. She believes that in a world increasingly marked by division, it's crucial to focus on shared humanity and collective growth.Carmen also shares her excitement about her ongoing projects, including the Global Hospitality and Maritime Leaders platform—offering mentoring, coaching, and personalized training for professionals seeking growth or career pivots. In tandem, her nonprofit Angels-Wings continues to expand its impact, giving hope and practical support to vulnerable children and families.She closes with a powerful reminder that “Daring to care” isn't just a slogan—it's a call to action. When we align who we are with what we do, and when organizations operate from a place of purpose, transformation happens—not just in metrics, but in lives.Connect with Carmen:Website:

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, I sit down with Jeff Gelfuso, Chief Design Officer at Qualtrics, to discuss his People → Purpose → Products framework—a human‑first approach to customer experience that fosters loyalty, trust, and measurable results. Jeff shares how Qualtrics is transforming feedback with AI‑powered conversations that increase response rates by 10% and deliver twice the depth of insight, and why building trust is the foundation for lasting adoption of new technology.

On this episode of the Customers First Podcast, we delve into a thought-provoking conversation with Sonja Price, a future-of-work strategist, executive branding expert, and career acceleration coach. With extensive experience working with professionals from leading companies such as Google, Meta, and Microsoft, Sonja has dedicated the past 15 years to empowering ambitious individuals by helping them navigate their careers to achieve promotions and build impressive personal brands. As the founder of Infinite Leaders and Dynamo Careers, she discusses the importance of remaining relevant and resilient in today's rapidly changing job market. Sonja shares her journey of self-discovery, highlighting her belief that she was destined to become a coach from a young age. Drawing from her diverse career in corporate environments, where she transitioned between roles every few years, she illustrates how these experiences shaped her understanding of business operations and strategy. Her inspiration for starting her coaching business came from conducting customer interviews, where potential clients articulated their need for career coaching, thus validating her direction. This dynamic background enables her to uniquely package the skills and accomplishments of her clients, helping them stand out to prospective employers and decision-makers. The conversation shifts to the pressing need for professionals to future-proof their careers, especially in an era defined by automation and advancements in AI technology. Sonja emphasizes the urgency for individuals, regardless of employment status, to contemplate their future career trajectories and the skills necessary to remain not just relevant but in high demand. She discusses the competitive nature of the current job market and encourages listeners to embrace AI skills as an integral part of their professional development. As we explore the concept of executive branding, Sonja elaborates on how professionals must elevate their personal brands to align with the increasing demands of senior leadership roles. She outlines strategies for enhancing visibility and positioning oneself as a thought leader in one's respective fields, emphasizing the importance of sharing insights through white papers, speaking engagements, and other visible avenues that highlight a professional's expertise. She encourages listeners to find what ignites their passion and to invest in learning leadership techniques that align with their interests. This episode serves as a treasure trove of insights for anyone looking to navigate the complexities of their career paths, innovate their branding, and foster a more balanced, fulfilling professional life.   Sonja's Contact Information: Website: https://infiniteleaders.co LinkedIn: @sonjaprice   Tacey's Contact Information: Website: taceyatkinson.com All Socials: @TaceyAtkinson   Thank you for tuning in, and I look forward to having more valuable conversations together in the future. Remember: Customer-Centric Cultures Create Magical Customer Experiences. Now Go, Create the Magic!

In this episode of 10,000 Feet, host Richelle Lentz is joined by Rick Krause from Vervint and Daniel Gross from AWS to explore the evolving landscape of connected products and IoT platforms. Together, they unpack the journey from early, DIY-style IoT implementations to today's scalable, secure, and cloud-native solutions powered by AWS. The conversation dives deep into the triggers that signal it's time to migrate—like cost inefficiencies, security vulnerabilities, and limited access to data—and outlines practical strategies for replatforming, including phased rollouts, OTA updates, chaos testing, and blue/green deployments.Listeners will also hear about modernization as a stepping stone for organizations not yet ready for full migration, with tips on optimizing device messaging, leveraging edge processing, and enhancing user experience. Real-world anecdotes, like hacked crosswalks and connected coffee makers, bring the discussion to life while emphasizing the importance of security, interoperability, and customer value. Whether you're managing a growing IoT fleet or just beginning to rethink your platform strategy, this episode offers actionable insights to help future-proof your connected product ecosystem.

Hire Yourself Podcast with Pete GilfillanYou've spent decades building skills in leadership, strategy, and operations—but what if your next chapter could be building something for yourself?In this episode, Pete Gilfillan explains how senior-level executives can leverage their hard-earned corporate experience to launch and grow a successful franchise business. If you're wondering whether your background can translate into business ownership, the answer is: absolutely.In this episode, Pete discusses:Translating Strategy Into ActionExecutives are trained to think long-term, set KPIs, and execute plans. Pete shows how these skills seamlessly apply to launching and scaling a franchise business.Bringing Leadership to the Local LevelFrom hiring and motivating teams to building a winning culture, executives already have the playbook—now it's about applying it to their own business.Financial and Operational Know-HowWhether it's analyzing profit margins, creating SOPs, or managing costs, corporate veterans know how to run efficient operations—and that's a huge asset in franchising.Marketing, Customer Experience & Community ImpactFrom building brands to delivering great service, executives know how to reach customers—and how to stand out in their local communities.The Underrated Power of RelationshipsExecutives have spent their careers building networks. Pete explains how those relationships become one of your greatest assets when starting your own business.Key Takeaways:Corporate experience translates directly to franchise success.Leadership, planning, financials—it's all relevant.There's life after corporate.You can build a business, an income stream, and an asset for the future.You don't have to start from scratch.Franchising gives you the blueprint—your experience brings it to life.Control, freedom, and wealth are within reach.Your skills are valuable—start using them for yourself.“Executives are some of the best-prepared people to become business owners—they just need the right opportunity.” — Pete GilfillanCONNECT WITH PETE GILFILLAN:

What's happening in CX today? In this episode, we'll explore the gap between CX ambition and execution. Camille Kremer, Senior Director of Customer Experience at Holiday Inn Club Vacations, joins Jeannie Walters for this CX Pulse Check to share how her team built a comprehensive CX program over five years—drawing on the powerful metaphor of bamboo growth: years of unseen root work before visible success emerges.With only 17% of executives confident in their CX delivery, despite nearly half calling it a top priority, we unpack what it takes to bridge that divide. Camille walks us through how her team built trust, accountability, and alignment, warning that mismatched expectations are the “rotten tomato” that can spoil even the best CX plans. We also explore how Verizon is using AI not to replace humans, but to enhance experiences—automating routine tasks while expanding human support.Throughout, one theme stands out: lasting CX transformation depends on psychological safety. Innovation only happens when teams feel safe enough to try, fail, and learn.About Camille Kremer:Camille is the Senior Director of Customer Experience at Holiday Inn Club Vacations. She and her team lead the CX strategy, and drive enterprise-wide improvements based on customer feedback. With 20 years of experience leading large-scale operational and transformational change across multiple industries, she is passionate about turning analytics into meaningful action. Her background in sociology, informatics, quality assurance, and lean continuous improvement fuels her commitment to creating positive change for both businesses and customers.When she visits her parents in Louisiana, Camille still loves tending to the bees in her father's apiary - a hobby they've done together for 30 years.Follow Camille on...LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillekremer/Articles Mentioned:- Global execs say CX is crucial to success but most still struggle to optimize its performance (VISION by Protiviti) -- https://vision.protiviti.com/insight/global-execs-say-cx-crucial-success-most-still-struggle-optimize-its-performance- Marketing Promised. CX Didn't Deliver. Here's the Cost. (CMSWire) -- https://www.cmswire.com/customer-experience/marketing-promised-cx-didnt-deliver-heres-the-cost/- Verizon Announcing AI-Powered 'Customer Experience Transformation' (Newsweek) -- https://www.newsweek.com/verizon-announcing-ai-powered-customer-experience-transformation-2089472Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)

How does employee experience impact customer referrals and brand reputation? Disgruntled former employees sharing negative experiences can deter potential customers, causing revenue loss and reputational damage. This insightful episode uncovers the critical connection between employee treatment and customer advocacy. Stacy Sherman and employee advocate Dan Goodman reveal strategies to foster an empowering workplace culture cultivating loyalty. Gain tactics for respectful terminations preventing detractors. Explore case studies on how leadership and corporate values influence customer experiences directly. Learn to create a win-win environment where engaged employees become brand ambassadors, driving positive referrals and shielding your reputation. Learn more at   Access our FREE Customer Experience Audit Tool:   Grow as a CX Professional with our numerous   Book time with Stacy . 

Prime Day gave us more than just deals — it delivered critical clues about what consumers want now, and what they'll expect this holiday season.In this episode of Retail Remix, Vivek Pandya, Director at Adobe Digital Insights, joins host Nicole Silberstein to unpack the numbers behind this year's record-breaking Prime Day performance — and what they signal about consumer behavior heading into the back half of the year.You'll Learn:How essential goods drove surprise growth during Prime Day and whether those same patterns will repeat during the back-to-school and holiday periods;Why affiliate traffic is outperforming paid search;What the data says about shopper price sensitivity and demand headed into holiday; andThe ways in which generative AI is already impacting how — and where — consumers shop.RELATED LINKSCheck out Adobe's latest retail insightsRelated Reading: Prime Day Again Breaks Sales Records — and Offers Insight into Current Consumer MindsetExplore more consumer behavior coverage from Retail TouchPointsCatch up on all episodes of Retail Remix

You can theorise about Customer Experience all day, but gaining a Net Promoter score of 90 is not a theory. It shows a great focus and implementation of Customer Experience. This week, we are exploring how this was achieved with Kamron Kunce, VP of Marketing & Customer Experience at RJ Young. https://www.rjyoung.com/ RJ Young has been in business for over 70 years and boasts a world-class NPS score of 90+ — no small feat in today's hypercompetitive market. Kamron shares how they've transformed their Customer Experience, navigated organisational silos, and are thoughtfully introducing AI into their processes — without losing that all-important human touch. If you're wrestling with legacy systems, struggling to turn CX theory into practice, or figuring out how to scale with AI without alienating customers,  this episode is packed with practical tips you can take away today. And, if you're a regular listener, you'll know this one plays right into one of Ryan's and my favourite themes: breaking down those silos! Best Quote From the Episode “Customer Experience is everyone's responsibility. It's not just about Customer Service — it's about aligning the whole organisation around delivering value at every touchpoint.” — Kamron Kunce, RJ Young Key Takeaways ✅ CX must be a core business strategy, not a bolt-on function of Customer Service. RJ Young's “Make It Right Guarantee” puts this principle front and centre. ✅ Map your Customer Journey — and revisit it regularly. Quarterly and annual reviews keep RJ Young's CX aligned to ever-evolving customer expectations. ✅ Break down silos with transparency. Weekly cross-functional updates and quarterly company-wide video broadcasts ensure alignment across 700 employees and 9 states. ✅ Cross-functional collaboration is critical. Everyone, including Finance and HR, plays a role in the Customer Experience. ✅ Thoughtful use of AI is the future. RJ Young is leveraging AI to improve backend data insights and operational efficiency, without removing the human element that drives loyalty. ✅ CX + Culture go hand in hand. Embedding CX into your company culture is essential for sustainable success. Resources Mentioned RJ Young: https://www.rjyoung.com/  Kamron Kunce: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamronkunce/ About the Hosts: Colin Shaw is a LinkedIn 'Top Voice' with a massive 284,000 followers and 87,000 subscribers to his 'Why Customers Buy' newsletter. Shaw is named one of the world's 'Top 150 Business Influencers' by LinkedIn. His company, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been selected four times by the Financial Times as a top management consultancy. Shaw is co-host of the top 1.5% podcast 'The Intuitive Customer'—with over 600,000 downloads—and author of eight best-sellers on customer experience, Shaw is a sought-after keynote speaker. Follow Colin on LinkedIn. Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World's Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book called “The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things” Harvard Business Press 2025    Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.   Subscribe & Follow   Apple Podcasts Spotify

Agility requires more than just speed—it demands relevance and empathy, especially when AI is stepping in to play a bigger role in the customer experience. What if the problem isn't that AI moves too slowly—but that it moves without context, without empathy, and without earning trust?Today we're going to talk about how Agentic AI is changing that—offering a way to transform experience management from reactive to proactive, and from transactional to genuinely helpful. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Manisha Powar, VP, Head of Product, Customer Experience Suite at Qualtrics. About Manisha Powar Manisha Powar is a product and business leader specialized in building B2B Enterprise SaaS Products. Passionate about incubating new products and expanding mature products into new markets/use cases. 15+ years of experience in building, growing and scaling teams of high performers to drive innovation and deliver high quality results through data-driven decision making and scrappy execution. Strong leadership track record in delivering strategies to enter new markets that have led to a billion-dollar acquisition and building out global teams to win. Manisha Powar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmanisha/ Resources Qualtrics: https://www.qualtrics.com https://www.qualtrics.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Learn how to stop wasting money per lead on bad CTAs If you're spending thousands of dollars per lead and wondering why your landing pages aren't converting, this episode is for you. The marketing world is obsessed with fancy ads and perfect audiences, but here's what I know - most of the time, your biggest opportunity is sitting right there on your landing page. In this episode, I sat down with Sahil Patel to uncover the shocking truth about why common call-to-action buttons like "Request a Demo" are killing your conversions, and reveal the simple changes that can double your results. We talked about how B2B sales is heading for a massive disruption, just like how Tesla and Carvana completely changed car buying forever. Sahil Patel runs a company called Spiralize and this guy has the proof to back up everything he says. He's tested over 1,500 different websites with millions of visitors, so when he tells you what works and what doesn't, you should pay attention. What I love about Sahil is he doesn't just talk about fancy theories - he breaks down website stuff into simple tips that you can use right now. He shares helpful advice on LinkedIn four times a week, and his superpower is showing businesses exactly why their websites aren't making money and how to fix them today. KEY TAKEAWAYS: "Request a Demo" is the worst-performing call-to-action button because it sounds passive and reminds people they have to talk to a salesperson. "Get Started" and "Get a Demo" are the highest-converting CTAs because they're action-focused and don't feel like you're asking for something. Your landing page headline must match your ad copy exactly - if your ad says "cat food" but your page shows "dog food," people will leave immediately. Younger generations (Gen Z and Millennials) hate phone calls so much that B2B sales will shift toward self-service buying, just like Tesla and Carvana did for cars. You need at least 100 form submissions on each version of your test before you can trust the results and make changes. Shorter, more skimmable landing pages work better than long ones because people spend less than two minutes reading your page. AI can help you write faster first drafts of copy, but humans still need to refine it and create emotional hooks that connect with buyers. Having a therapist before you need one is critical for business leaders because running a company means living through constant ups and downs. Growing your business is hard, but it doesn't have to be. In this podcast, we will be discussing top level strategies for both growing and expanding your business beyond seven figures. The show will feature a mix of pure content and expert interviews to present key concepts and fundamental topics in a variety of different formats. We believe that this format will enable our listeners to learn the most from the show, implement more in their businesses, and get real value out of the podcast. Enjoy the show. Please remember to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any future episodes. Your support and reviews are important and help us to grow and improve the show. Follow Charles Gaudet and Predictable Profits on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/PredictableProfits Instagram: instagram.com/predictableprofits Twitter: twitter.com/charlesgaudet LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/charlesgaudet Visit Charles Gaudet's Wesbites: www.PredictableProfits.com

Send us a textClick here to register for our August New Patient Group iTero Sales Training BootcampClick here to subscribe to The Brian Wright Show Podcast Click here to subscribe The Brian Wright Show YouTube Station Click here to subscribe to the New Patient Group YouTube Station.Click here to schedule free consultation with New Patient Group and/or WrightChat Click here to register you and your team for NPG Iconic. Have you ever wondered why some businesses consistently outperform others despite similar marketing budgets and strategies? The answer often lies in what Brian Wright calls "the million-dollar leaky hole" – those critical blind spots that never show up on financial reports yet silently drain your business of potential revenue.Through an eye-opening story about a dental practice wanting to sell more clear aligners while putting their own team members in traditional braces, Brian reveals a fundamental truth that applies across all industries: your team cannot effectively sell what they haven't personally experienced. This seemingly small oversight creates a credibility gap that no amount of traditional marketing can overcome.Drawing parallels to the restaurant industry, where top-performing establishments ensure waitstaff taste every menu item to become passionate storytellers rather than mere order-takers, Brian demonstrates how personal experience transforms ordinary team members into powerful sales advocates. The most successful businesses don't just train their people on features and benefits – they invest in ensuring their team can speak authentically about their products from firsthand experience.This episode challenges conventional thinking about what constitutes a worthwhile business investment. Rather than viewing employee training and product experience as expenses to be minimized, Brian reframes them as your most powerful marketing assets. He explains why businesses that appear to be "saving money" by cutting corners on team experience are actually losing fortunes in missed sales opportunities and diminished conversion rates.Whether you're a healthcare provider, restaurant owner, retail entrepreneur, or service professional, this insight-packed episode will transform how you think about employee development and its direct connection to sales performance. Ready to discover and plug the silent leaks in your business? This episode provides the roadmap to turning your team into authentic storytellers who naturally drive revenue growth.New Patient Group - The Employee & Patient Experience Co.A company designed to help orthodontists, dentists and other types of Doctors create a practice that dominates the new economy. Learn Advanced and Cutting Edge Skill Sets Used by the Finest People Businesses in the World:- Leadership- Sales Fundamentals- Hospitality- Consumer Psychology- Verbiage- Presentation- Many More Learn How to Apply the Skill Sets Above to each of the following:- Existing Patient Experience- New Patient Experience- New Patient Phone Call- Existing Patient Phone Call- Digital Workflow- Treatment Coordinator Exam- Doctor Exam- Financial Presentation- Pending Treatment FollowUp- Handling and Overcoming Objections - Trust & Communication Transfers - Digital Marketing- Patient Compliance- Much More!

In this episode of TECHtonic, host Thomas Lah is joined by Wendy Wooley, VP of Customer Experience and Strategic Programs at ScienceLogic, to explore how AI is not just transforming products, but fundamentally reshaping how tech companies go to market. Wendy reflects on her 10-year journey at ScienceLogic, the development of the Skyler AI Suite, and how the Agentic AI Autonomic IT Maturity Model is helping customers unlock value faster. Together, they explore what it means to align AI innovation with customer-centric value realization—and why that alignment is no longer optional.Listeners will gain insights into:The evolving expectations of enterprise buyers in the AI eraWhy “first time to value” is now a non-negotiable benchmarkHow to shift from selling features to selling outcomesWhy modern GTM strategies must speak to both the CIO and the CEOIf you're in tech and still leading with features instead of business outcomes, this episode is your wake-up call. Modern buyers demand more—and AI is raising the bar.

Rania Succar, the new CEO of Kaseya, discusses her vision for the company at a crucial time for both Kaseya and the managed service provider (MSP) ecosystem. With Kaseya facing scrutiny over customer service and billing practices, Succar emphasizes the importance of innovation and a cultural reset to strengthen relationships with MSP partners. She believes that Kaseya has the potential to be a leader in driving outcomes for small businesses through its partnerships with MSPs, which are essential for helping these businesses adopt cutting-edge technology. Succar outlines four key values that will guide Kaseya's next chapter: measuring success based on the profitability and revenue growth of MSP partners, delivering innovation that benefits these partners, enhancing the overall customer experience, and investing in the community. She acknowledges the frustrations MSPs have expressed regarding customer service and billing practices, and she highlights specific steps Kaseya is taking to address these issues, including the end of high watermark pricing and improvements in customer support. The conversation also touches on the importance of internal culture and employee retention at Kaseya. Succar emphasizes the strength of her leadership team and the need for a culture that empowers employees to make decisions at all levels. By fostering a customer-centric and innovative environment, she aims to improve the overall experience for both employees and customers, ultimately leading to better service quality. Looking ahead, Succar shares her vision for leveraging AI and automation to enhance Kaseya's offerings for MSP partners. She recognizes the challenges SMBs face in adopting AI and emphasizes the need for collaboration between Kaseya and MSPs to unify data and create effective solutions. By focusing on these areas, Succar aims to position Kaseya as a leader in helping small businesses navigate the evolving technology landscape. All our Sponsors: https://businessof.tech/sponsors/ Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/ Want to be a guest on Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights? Send Dave Sobel a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/businessoftech Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com Follow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftechBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/businessof.tech