Podcasts about Customer service

Tobey Cyr, Director of Customer Service for The Villages, draws on her educational background in Early Childhood Education to discuss her approach to management. She outlines her five classroom-inspired rules and explores The Villages' expansion into new neighborhoods, catering to a diverse retiree demographic.

Ready to transform crisis into opportunity? In this episode, we promise to arm you with practical strategies and cutting-edge tools to navigate the choppy waters of crisis management in contact centers. We use our insights and experiences to illuminate the potential of modern Customer Experience tools to mitigate such crises. With our guidance, you'll learn about setting up minimalistic self-service websites, deploying AI chatbots to deliver vital information, and strategizing to handle customer complaints effectively. We don't stop there! Harnessing social media during crisis communications can significantly make a difference. Listen as we unfold various social media strategies, right from TikTok Lives, Q&A sessions, to effective email campaigns. We also delve into the mechanics of adjusting IVR systems, routing calls to BPOs, and utilizing analytics. We shine light on the importance of maintaining consistent messaging for an enhanced customer experience. By the end, you'll be equipped with the knowledge to not just survive a crisis, but to leverage it for growth. So sit back, and let's change the game of crisis management together!We're gearing up to launch OttoQA, the game-changing QA automation tailored for smaller contact centers. But here's the twist — we want you in our inner circle before anyone else. Sign up at ottoqa.com with your email, and you'll dive deep into our exclusive Discord, join insightful industry AMAs, and be first in line for beta testing when Otto rolls out. Be part of our pre-launch excitement and help shape the next big thing in QA!Follow Tom: @tlaird_expiviaJoin our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeekConnect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@callcenter_geekLinkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel

Stellar customer service is the core of every successful business. But the journey to get there is not always the easiest. How do you balance the resources, time, and methods to ensure that your employees are going above and beyond to provide customers with what they need? In this episode of Behind the Review, Jeff Toister, a service culture guide, shares his tips on teaching employees how to offer a service that keeps customers coming back. Theme Music by  and

The desire to provide your clients or customers with the best experience should not be tossed to the side. In today's environment across many industries, finding employees is a challenge. Finding employees who provide good customer service can be seemingly impossible. This Quick Hit gives you real-world examples of those who have done it right, and those who missed the mark. Catch the full episode here.

What are the unwritten rules of the road that you abide by? We share some of ours and Box cops to not taking shorts on the highway (you better put some respeck on his name). We discuss how to know if someone is only pretending to be from Cleveland and the continuing epidemic of smashing cake in a loved one's face. Ant recognizes just how truly wonderful his life is when taking his kids to their school's Donuts with Dad program. Dan's eBay queue of items he needs to put up for sell has grown far too large so he gets to it and experiences some success. He also teaches a lesson on Customer Service to an unfriendly sales clerk. With Lunch's birthday coming around we check in with getting older and the ups and downs of it. Discussing age means taking a look at what the youth are up to with a review of more recent slang. We then head to the mean streets of Reddit for some AITA. We wrap up with our entertainment recommendations including Ahsoka, Vampire Survivors, Dilla Time, Little Brother's latest release, Buddy Games, MonopolyGO, The Morning Show and more. Enjoy, Team SKiM Tatum l TAYREL713 l Lunchbox l LISTEN l RSS l Apple Podcast l Google Podcast l Spotify l TuneIn l Twitter l Amazon Music I YouTube l Twitch l Email l Amazon Wish List l Merch l Patreon I Rate This Podcast PHONE l 216-264-6311   #Cleveland #Ohio #LiveFromThe216 #IllestMotherfuckerAlive #WatchTheThrone #KanyeWest #RussellBrand #ImFromCleveland #WeddingCake #DonutsWithDad #Fatherhood #TwoParentPrivilege #eBay #sells #Pokémon #LittelestPetShop #Aging #Slang #Reddit #AITA #Ahsoka #VampireSurvivors #DillaTime #LittleBrother #WishMeWell #GloryGlory #BuddyGames #MonopolyGO #TheMorningShow #TedLasso   Links 35 Ways to Tell Whether Someone's Actually From Cleveland Smash? Reddit u/Alexander_the_What If someone was pretending to be from Cleveland, what is something they would do that would prove they're an imposter? u/Mindless-Charge-5996 My husband smashed cake into my face on our wedding day and I left him. u/chemist1928 WIBTA if I told my wife we do not make enough money for her to be a stay-at-home mother? u/Accomplished-Cod-504 AITA I washed my husband's key fob u/Calm-Albatross9859 AITA for saying my dad failed me by moving too fast after my mom died?   Alternative Title – The 2-16's Own! Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/moire/new-life License code: WSANIICUYIEOCZFZ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stays-krunchy-in-mi/message

Stellar customer service is the core of every successful business. But the journey to get there is not always the easiest. How do you balance the resources, time, and methods to ensure that your employees are going above and beyond to provide customers with what they need? In this episode of Behind the Review, Jeff Toister, a service culture guide, shares his tips on teaching employees how to offer a service that keeps customers coming back.

Episode Highlights:Alex Sheridan, Founder of Impaxs, a marketing company that helps B2B companies build world-class brands, and attract clients through video content.He is an expert in strategy training and coaching for small to medium-sized companies, as well as providing top-notch video editors for businesses. With a keen eye for identifying opportunities and leveraging the power of video content, Alex has helped numerous companies develop custom strategies and execute them with remarkable success. Today, we dive deep into the world of video content, exploring why it's a game-changer, how to overcome insecurities and the impact it can have on building personal brands and growing businesses.Key Highlights:- Strategy training and coaching, providing video editors- Assistance provided: developing custom strategies, execution, training employees, hiring content teams- Video editor service: recruiting agency supplying full-time video editors- Importance of video content and its potentialPrimary Topic: Getting Started with Video Content- Starting from zero followers- Video content consumption trends- Attracting prospects and pivoting business through video- Emphasizing the importance of taking initiative and getting started- Persistence and improvement for success- Success of top personal brands using video consistentlyPrimary Topic: Barriers to Creating Video Content- Insecurities and fear of judgment- Worries about negative comments and lack of valuable content- Fear and insecurity as main barriersPrimary Topic:: Observing Trends and Innovating- Evolution of video creation from square videos to short-form vertical videos- Importance of staying informed about trends- Trying new concepts and stepping outside comfort zone- Testing and adapting content strategiesPrimary Topic: Video Content Strategy- Looking internally and identifying unique perspectives and values- Considering target audience insights- Establishing core content pillars- Using different channels for distribution- Creating high-quality content and developing workflows- Building a content bank for consistent postingPrimary Topic: Video as a 24/7 Sales Rep- Positioning video content as a sales representative- Custom testimonial videos for selling products/services- Providing value and demonstrating expertise on social media platforms- Attracting potential customers and building trust- Converting prospects through video contentABOUT NICK GLIMSDAHLSubscribe to my weekly newsletterFind me on TwitterFind me on LinkedInLISTENER SUPPORTPurchase Nick's books: Reasons NOT to Focus on Employee Experience: A Comprehensive GuideApparel: https://www.teepublic.com/user/press-1-for-nick Support this show through Buy Me A CoffeeBOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:Learn about all the guest's book recommendations here: https://press1fornick.com/books/ BROUGHT TO YOU BY:VDS: They are a client-first consulting firm focused on strategy, business outcomes, and technology. They provide holistic consulting services to optimize your customer contact center, inspiring and designing transformational change to modernize and prepare your business for the future. Learn more: https://www.govds.com/ This podcast is under the umbrella of CX of M Radio: https://cxofm.org/Podcast-Shows/ SPONSORING OPPORTUNITIES:Interested in partnering with the Press 1 For Nick podcast? Click here: https://press1fornick.com/lets-talk/

In this episode of the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast, your host, Sean V. Bradley, sits down with a remarkable guest, Michael Watson. Michael, a successful sales manager hailing from the esteemed Koons Automotive Group, brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to the table. In this candid conversation, Sean and Michael delve into their personal journeys, unveiling tales of resilience, grit, and triumph in the world of automotive sales. Sean and Michael kick off the episode by reflecting on their respective journeys and the challenges they've overcome. They emphasize that adversity can be a stepping stone to success if you have the right mindset and work ethic. The conversation takes an inspiring turn as they discuss the importance of giving individuals with diverse backgrounds a second chance. Both Sean and Michael advocate for creating opportunities for those who may not have had a traditional path to success. Their heartfelt discussion touches on the transformative power of mentorship and guidance in the industry. Join Sean V. Bradley and Michael Watson on this enlightening journey through the world of automotive sales, filled with stories of resilience, the power of mentorship, and the secrets to success. For more insights and to access exclusive content, visit BradleyOnDemand.com.   Key Takeaways Mindset Matters: Success begins with the right mindset, determination, and a strong work ethic. Build Relationships: Trust and rapport with customers are the cornerstones of success in automotive sales. Ownership Mentality: Treating your sales role as if you own the business can lead to exceptional results. Second Chances: Providing opportunities and mentorship to individuals with diverse backgrounds can be transformative. Resources for Success: Bradley Demand offers a wealth of resources and a supportive community to help you excel in the automotive industry.   "We teach you in here how to maximize video for Showroom Sales, Internet Sales, BDC, and Fixed Operations. So the reason why I'm showing you all this is because if you're selling 30 cars a month, right, and you're averaging a minimum of 20 cars, can you imagine if you learned from Ali Reda, Frank Crinite, Cody Carter, Tianna Mick, and Crissy Burton?"  - Sean V. Bradley   About Michael Watson Mitch Watson, often referred to as Mitch, hails from Elizabeth, NJ, although he was born in a rather unconventional setting, in the midst of his mother's concealed pregnancy. Growing up in a tumultuous environment in the Elizabeth projects, marked by gangs and drugs, Mitch managed to maintain good academic standing. Tragically, he lost both of his parents before the age of 11. The survival skills honed on the streets ultimately translated into a thriving career in car sales, effectively redirecting the course of his life. With a strong conviction, Mitch believes that whatever the future holds for him, it will undoubtedly be influenced by his experiences as a successful car salesman.   Resources Dealer Synergy & Bradley On Demand: The automotive industry's #1 training, tracking, testing, and certification platform and consulting & accountability firm. The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast: is the #1 resource for automotive sales professionals, managers, and owners.  Also, join The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group today! The Against All Odds Radio Show: Hosting guests that have started from the bottom and rose to the top.  Also, join The Against All Odds Radio Show Guests & Listeners Facebook Group for the podcasted episodes. For more interactivity, join The Millionaire Car Salesman Club on Clubhouse. Win the Game of Googleopoly: Unlocking the secret strategy of search engines.   The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast is Proudly Sponsored By:  Dealer Synergy: The #1 Automotive Sales Training, Consulting, and Accountability Firm in the Automotive Industry! We have been building Internet Departments and BDCs for over two decades! It is this experience that has allowed us to develop the absolute best automotive Internet Sales, BDC, and CRM solutions for car dealerships. We have created the most effective training programs and processes. Phone scripts and rebuttals are our specialties, while CRM action plans, strategies, and templates are our expertise! Dealer Synergy will take both your tools and your people to the next level. Bradley On Demand: Automotive Sales Industry's #1 Interactive Training, Tracking, Testing and Certification Platform. With over 7,500 training modules, our platform has everything you and your dealership need to sell more cars, more often and more profitably! Money Mind Mapp (M3): Visit MoneyMindMapp.com for help in revolutionizing your business to help you sell more cars by tracking, projecting, and forecasting your personal sales goals!

Live events! Live events are my fuel, I love being in a room with other like-minded professionals and learning. And today I'm telling you why they are my ultimate Favourite thing to invest in, to grow myself and my business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Show NotesCody Lowry is a former President of The Intermark Group and Founder of DynaMedia Of America. He brings a unique perspective, innovative ideas, and a commitment to customer service. With a marketing and communication degree from the University Of South Florida, Cody's proud of his "School of Hard Knocks" diploma.Quote:  “Smile! It's free, it's cheap and you live longer!” - Cody LowryKnowledge Nuggets and Take-Aways:Coming from a ‘blue blood' family, Cody started ‘schmoozing' at age 11Cody learned to build relationships through hardship and humor, and ‘Schmoozing' was built from that .Cody harkens back to the day of being human beings, smile, handshakes, solid relationships and laughing!When building relationships, remember they are built on trust, never let them down!A great coach or consultant has a ‘listening' superpowers, leans into the conversation. They listen with their neck!To Cody, his real treasure is family and friends, he will be remembered as a kind human being who looked out for the little guyThere is nothing we can do about yesterday, be positive about your presentHere is a link to this episode on our website: https://timetoshinetoday.com/podcast/codylowry/   Recommended Resources:  Cody's Mr. Schmooze SitePick up Cody's book: Schmooze: What They Should Teach You at Harvard Business SchoolCody's Linked INCody's InstagramCody's FacebookHost Your Podcast for Free with Buzz Sprout Our Show Sponsor Sutter and Nugent Real Estate - Real Estate Excellence Please Consider Supporting the 988 Suicide and Crisis HotlineMusic Courtesy of: fight by urmymuse (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/58696 Ft: Stefan Kartenberg, Kara SquareArtwork courtesy of Dylan Allen

Artificial intelligence has been the buzz term of 2023, evolving at a pace unimaginable when Milliman launched this podcast five years ago. For this 50th episode of Critical Point, we gathered a group of our AI experts to discuss how the technology is poised to reshape the insurance value chain, from hiring practices and actuarial modeling to customer service and communication.You can read the episode transcript on our website.

Welcome to the Pressplay Lifestyle AI-Inspired Podcast. We help Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Startup Founders to learn and implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) better, faster, and cheaper to grow their businesses using the Founders AI Enablement Suite.Today's podcast is based on the principle of harnessing the power of AI in customer service, a vital component of every SaaS startup's operation. We promise to illuminate how AI can revolutionize your customer service, leading to superior customer experience, heightened loyalty, and enhanced business growth.Let's first understand the importance of AI in customer service. AI enables automation, personalization, and faster resolution of customer issues. It can handle repetitive tasks, allowing your human resources to focus on complex issues, thereby improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.Your playbook to implement this principle involves these steps:Step Number One: Identify areas in your customer service process where AI can bring maximum benefits. These could be repetitive tasks like answering frequently asked questions, providing product information, or tracking orders.Step Number Two: Choose the right AI tools for your needs. Chatbots, AI-powered CRM systems, and automated ticketing systems are a few examples.Step Number Three: Train your AI tools using historical data. The more data you feed, the better your AI system can learn and improve.Step Number Four: Integrate AI tools with your existing customer service systems. This seamless integration is essential for a consistent customer experience.Step Number Five: Test the effectiveness of AI tools before fully implementing them. It's crucial to ensure they function correctly and meet your customer service goals.Step Number Six: Train your customer service team on how to use these AI tools. This step will ensure they can leverage AI effectively to enhance their performance.Step Number Seven: Continuously monitor and improve your AI tools based on customer feedback and changing business needs.For more insight into this principle, here are a few reflection prompts:Prompt Number One: Think about how AI can reduce the burden of repetitive tasks in your customer service operations.Prompt Number Two: Consider the potential of AI in improving the speed and quality of your customer service.Prompt Number Three: Reflect on the balance between AI and human touch in your customer service, and how to achieve the optimal mix.Remember, excellent customer service is a distinguishing factor in the competitive SaaS market. By leveraging AI, you can offer a personalized, efficient, and responsive customer service that drives customer loyalty and business growth. As we always remind you, balance is key – AI is a powerful tool, but it works best when complemented by the human touch.If you would like to be notified when new episodes are released, subscribe here. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressplayinspired/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressplayinspired/support

Sandra Bruce, a Midlife Mindset Guide, brings a powerful and informative approach to her work. With a background in Child and Youth Work, she strategically transitioned from the public to the private sector, focusing on Customer Service. Over the course of two decades, she honed her skills in Customer Service and management while raising two wonderful boys. Now, Sandra's mission is to help women embrace their midlife chapters with enthusiasm and make the most of this transformative period. Known as the Fairy Godmother of Midlife, Sandra is dedicated to empowering women and helping them rediscover the queens within themselves. Through her business, Queenager VIP, she offers a range of inspiring programs designed to provide fun, education, personal development, wellness tips, and gourmet experiences, all aimed at celebrating every woman. You can find Sandra on Facebook and Instagram under QueenagerVIP or visit her website, queenagervip.com. Lookout for her eBook, Revitalize & Reignite: Reclaim Your Passion, available on October 1. Join the Fearless Power Group and visit: Website: fearlessfemale.com  Facebook: Facebook.com/groups  Twitter: @FearlessFemale9  Instagram: @fearlessfemale_coach  Tiktok: @paola.rosser  Youtube: @fearlessfemale Book a FREE Discovery Call ⁠Now⁠ Book an Emotion Code Session ⁠⁠⁠here⁠

I'm CT… When I'm not hosting podcasts, I live in the real world. Everybody has to have a job. Mine is C.S. Customer Service. Solutions, relationships while keeping my team motivated to keep a constant connection with each guests who's chosen to stop their day to visit our location. Episode 98 Not 100%, Where's My Car And Field Trip! This is C.T.C.S.

We would appreciate if you would like, comment and subscribe to our podcast! Make sure you turn on post notifications, so you don't miss an episode!#Podcast #job #comedy #friends Any questions, or topics you would like us to talk about on the pod e-mail us at:       Fromthechatpodcast@gmail.com       DM us on IG: @fromthechatpodcast      Twitter: @FromTheChathttps://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=vh8vwxet8rw8&utm_content=ilpw8oy

In this episode Eran Mizrahi discusses the work he is doing with Ingredient Brothers to make the ingredient search and procurement process easier for customers. Listen in as Deborah and Eran also talk about the importance of building a global team and the challenges that come with it. Eran emphasizes the need for a clear focus on building a global team, while Deb adds that it's essential to have a long-term strategy and find team members who align with the company's values and goals. They also discuss the milestones and challenges of entrepreneurship and the importance of networking.   Eran grew up watching his father grow a successful import business that was built on integrity and customer service. A South African transplant, Eran started his career at Deloitte. From there, he came to New York to pursue his MBA at Columbia '14.Eran was an early employee at Plated, where he focused on building planning and sourcing programs. The team's collective efforts led to a $300M sale to Albertsons.He then went to join Nuts.com, one of the world's largest nuts and specialty ingredient e-commerce companies. He was quickly elevated to COO and quadrupled capacity to support growth in 2020.Fun Fact: Eran took a gap during college to attend culinary school, where he solidified his love of food.   You can connect with Eran in the following ways: Website: ingredientbrothers.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/74524657/admin/feed/posts/   Whether you are a C-Suite Leader of today or tomorrow, take charge of your career with confidence and leverage the insights of The CEO's Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track.  To learn more about The CEO's Compass, you can get your copy here: https://amzn.to/3AKiflR    Other episodes you'll enjoy: C-Suite Goal Setting: How To Create A Roadmap For Your Career Success - http://bit.ly/3XwI55n Natalya Berdikyan: Investing in Yourself to Serve Others on Apple Podcasts -http://bit.ly/3ZMx8yw Questions to Guarantee You Accomplish Your Goals - http://bit.ly/3QASvymSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#DC20 Interbrew Series Day 2 feat. Dale Villar AcelarWelcome to the #DC20 Interbrew Series recorded during our our time at DriveCentric's Headquarters during their DC2023 Event in St. Louis. This is series is packed with Dealers, Vendors, and Voices in our incredible industry that are committed to seeing the Upshift and Uplift that we are committed to brewing about! Featured in this episode is Dale Villar Acelar, Executive Sales Director at Mercedes-Benz of Portland, Introducing a new Blend of Customer Service. Enjoy, Let's Brew!Don't forget to share and subscribe!Brew Brought By Our Proud Sponsors At:www.vincue.comwww.fixedopsdigital.comwww.teammxs.comwww.m1-data.comwww.321ignition.comwww.purecars.com

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - Are You Really Committed to Customer Service? Everybody wants to say they are the BEST at customer service. But are they really? What does amazing customer service look like? What if a patient shows up 30 minutes late? What if they get their new glasses and decide they absolutely hate the frame and say they never picked it? How are you reacting to those situations. Are you "Costco" and taking customer service to the nth degree and taking care of everything or maybe something a less? Join in the fun and subscribe to the podcast to keep up with all the great content coming down the pipe! For exclusive content, be sure to register your email on our website and I will be sending out newsletters and other great bonuses as we go. I love getting feedback, questions, suggestions, etc. so contact me at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theultimateod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on social media (click here for -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) OR, just shoot me an email at drlillie@theultimateod.com and I'd be happy to chat! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theultimateodpodcast/message

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What we can learn about customer service and being more human from the fire service?On this episode, I'm speaking with David Wales, who used to work in the fire and rescue service and has now switched to focus on product design and customer service.In his role in the fire and rescue service, David wanted to understand why people didn't always do the things that they were told. For example, rushing into dangerous situations to rescue pets or laptops. What this reinforced is something that we all intuitively know; there's a gap between the theory of what people should do and the realities of what they actually do. That means the advice people receive is often not helpful for the realities they're facing. What makes sense to the fire service, in theory, might not match the realities of people's personal experiences. That led him to a career in looking at customer experience, where the human touch is equally important.On the episode, we explore:David's career from being a firefighter to understanding the human touch in product design and customer service;how human behaviour plays a vital role in crisis situations and the importance of tailoring safety messages to individual circumstances;risk communication and the importance of personalisation in organisations;how emotions significantly influence customer experiences and the challenges in achieving customer-centricity;the difficulties faced by organisations in achieving customer-centricity;how companies often choose solutions for us, not with us, creating an impersonal system, and how a change of focus could lead to a more pleasant customer experience.Links to topics we discussed:The Edelmann Trust Barometer: https://www.edelman.com/trust/trust-barometer Elton John's donation of a piano to St Pancras Station in London: https://stpancras.com/news-events/sir-elton-john-s-piano John Legend playing the piano at St Pancras: https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/john-legend-surprises-londoners-with-impromptu-performance-at-st-pancras-a3501956.html Find David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidatsharedaim/Shared Aim, David's company: https://www.sharedaim.co.uk/

This episode is brought to you by SARAL & Tidio. In today's episode, we interview Vytautas Juskevicius, Chief Marketing Officer at Tidio. Their suite of live chat, chatbots, helpdesk tools, and AI solutions enables brands of all sizes to offer quick and qualitative support and create real connections with your consumers so you can drive the business forward. In this episode, we discuss: * His Gratitude Story * How marketing can bring value to the customer * The future of marketing and marketing roles * How AI will impact the field of marketing * Who is Tidio - an overview * What role will AI play in customer service * Lyro and why it's important to get AI right for their customers * How Lyro works for customers * How Tidio's full suite of products helps brands * Tidio is turning customer service into a revenue generator * The democratization of AI customer service for SMBs * Criteria for becoming a Tidio customer * How Tidio works with Partners * What does Tidio do that makes him so proud? Hint: It's their customer service Join Ramon Vela and Vytautas Juskevicius as we break down the inside story of Tidio on The Story of a Brand. For more on Tidio, visit: http://www.tidio.com/story Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand” on your favorite podcast player. * Today's sponsors: Tidio - Customer Success Tool for Shopify Brands: http://www.tidio.com/story My listeners can start using Tidio AI chatbots for free and upgrade at any time with an exclusive 20% discount. See how Tidio helps your store grow. Visit my special link. SARAL - Your Influencer Assistant Tool for Brands: https://www.getsaral.com/champions/ramon  SARAL is offering an exclusive 14-day free trial for my listeners. They will also do a special strategy session to make sure you're set up for success. Go to my special link. 

On this episode of the BIT Tech Talk podcast Greg speaks with Cyber Security expert, Malik Girondin. They discuss Maliks transition from a Customer Service rep in the retail space to his ascent in tech from working in a NOC (Network Operations Center) to a Cyber Security expert and teacher.Malik possesses a bachelors degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Information Technology Management from Western Governors University as well as many additional certifications.

#augmentedreality #Uonapp #jimjimsreinventionrevolution #socialmedia Luis Contreras has two big passions in life: people and technology.  Since falling in love with customer service as his profession,  Luis has been on a mission to enhance experiences where moments matter.  Listen to JJRR 109 as Luis describes how his journey starting out as a shuttle driver led him to exploring a new path for augmented reality and social media.  Now the founder UON, Luis is developing a new platform levering AR for practical IRL (in real life) applications such as way finding, dating, networking, mapping, tracking, location based archiving and more. https://uonapp.com/ https://magicmind.superfiliate.com/JIMCIRILLO Buy JimJim a Coffee. ko-fi.com/jimjim99 - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get support from fans through donations, memberships, shop sales and more! The original 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. jimjim99 | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | Linktree 09:39s UON, an new take on augmented reality app to help connect in real life 11:18s Leaving a mark, a digital imprint with augmented reality 12:58s Food truck influencer – building an active guidance 14:28s How to engage and have provide guidance – sports teams / casinos 15:30s Augmented reality for connection, not escape! 18:45s How Augmented reality can be inviting for IRL events 26:42s Can UON be a new AR platform? 33:02s Thoughts on Apple Vision Pro 39:28s How to navigate through college with AR 42:15s UON as a social experiment – Are you on? 44:34s Starting out as a shuttle driver 52:12s The opportunity to build something special 58:50s Start testing the waters when it comes to technology 1:05:03s Discovering validation in pursuing an idea Enjoy the episode? Share with friends! Subscribe in Spotify, Apple or Google Podcasts! https://www.jimjimsreinventionrevolution.com/resources jimjim99 | Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, Facebook | Linktree Buy JimJim a Coffee. ko-fi.com/jimjim99 - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get support from fans through donations, memberships, shop sales and more! The original 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page.

In this episode of In The Club Podcast by Club Colors, Jeremy Lott, President and CEO of SanMar, shares insights into the company's journey from a screen printing business to a leading supplier in the promotional product space. He emphasizes the importance of inventory and customer service as key drivers of success. SanMar's flat pricing structure fosters strong partnerships with customers, allowing them to compete based on merit rather than price. Lott highlights SanMar's purpose-driven approach of creating lasting connections that elevate lives and discusses the significance of product expertise in the industryKEY TAKEAWAYSSanmar is a company that emphasizes creating lasting connections that elevate lives as its core purpose.The company sees its role as more than just providing products; it's about building a sense of community and identity through the apparel they supply.Sanmar differentiates itself by focusing on service and building strong partnerships with its customers. It believes that service is a critical component of its success.Sanmar's approach to pricing is flat and fair, meaning customers pay the same price regardless of their size, fostering a level playing field.Inventory is seen as an asset, not a liability. Sanmar maintains deep inventory to support its customers and believes it's crucial for success, even though it might seem counterintuitive to some.The company's journey has evolved from being primarily a distribution business to becoming an apparel company, combining product innovation with efficient distribution.Sanmar's purpose-driven approach and interconnectedness with its partners are key factors in its success. It seeks to create value for its customers, employees, and the communities it serves.The company places a strong emphasis on product quality and strives to elevate the products in its industry.Sanmar believes in delivering value through its products, services, and expertise, rather than engaging in price competition.The company's growth has been gradual and focused on building strong partnerships over the long term, allowing it to weather challenges like COVID-19 effectively.Sanmar's approach to business is centered around creating a community of partners, rather than just customers, and aligning its goals with theirs to achieve success together.QUOTES"We're in this garden, and the moss that's growing benefits by the tree and the tree provides shade... It's the way I've always thought about our business. So we're here together going out and trying to grow a business together." - Jeremy Lott"Create lasting connections that elevate lives. That's our purpose as an organization." - Jeremy Lott"We look at it as, we're laser-focused on how we service our customers. That's our mentality as a company." - Jeremy Lott"We want to make products that people want to wear. We wanted to elevate products in our industry." - Jeremy LottConnect and learn more about Jeremy through the link below.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-lott-56581020/If you enjoyed this episode of In the Club Podcast with Club Colors, please leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform!Club Colors: https://www.clubcolors.com/

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #209 we  welcomed Jason Barro, Partner at Bain & Co & Founder at NPS Prism. Bain & Company is a global consultancy that helps the world's most ambitious change makers define the future.Built by Bain, NPS Prism is a customer experience (CX) benchmarking platform that shows where you and your competitors are winning and why. Get clear answers to end debates and improve the customer journeys that matter most.NPS Prism has been adopted across 15+ countries and 10+ industries, including Airlines, Automotive, Banking, Grocery, Insurance, Pharmacy, Telecom, Utilities,  Video Streaming and more. In this episode, Jason and Adrian chat through how he has tackled The Four CX Pillars: Team,  Tools, Process & Feedback and shares tips & best practices that have worked across his own customer focused business leader journey.**Episode #209 Highlight Reel:**1. When your customers love your business, you will grow faster! 2. Understanding industry benchmarks within your space & curating promoters3. Have the same rigor in your customer metrics as you do with your financial metrics 4. Investing in social listening and engagement across all mediums & channels 5. Process dictates who needs to be involved and in which order as your business scales  Huge thanks to Jason for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.Click here to learn more about Jason BarroClick here to learn more about NPS PrismIf you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player and leave us a review today.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, CX/CS/RevOps services, our customer & employee focused community & invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Experience, Customer Success & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused video content & short-reel CTAs to improve your CX/CS/RevOps performance today (politely go smash that subscribe button).Contact us anytime to learn more about CXC at INFO@cxchronicles.com and ask us about how we can help your business & team make customer happiness a habit now!Huge thanks to our newest CXCP sponsor Timetoreply. Visit their website today at www.timetoreply.com/cxc. Support the show

I'm CT… When I'm not hosting podcasts, I live in the real world. Everybody has to have a job. Mine is C.S. Customer Service. Solutions, relationships while keeping my team motivated to keep a constant connection with each guests who's chosen to stop their day to visit our location. Episode 97 Mega Billions, Bad Jokes And Where's The Squirt This is C.T.C.S.

Sham Aziz, Selfridges, Head of Customer Service at Selfridges and long-time customer experience expert, joins me to share his perspectives on the current and future trajectory of AI for customer experience and enterprise automation.Presented by TidioGrow your online store with the #1 customer success tool for eCommerce. Engage with your customers and website visitors in real-time. Provide personalized product recommendations. Use AI-powered chatbot workflows to move prospects through your sales funnel. And so much more.Save 20% on your subscription with the promo code VUX.Find out more about Tidio (use the link https://www.tidio.com/partners/vux/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, Founder of Rubber Cheese.Download the Rubber Cheese 2022 Visitor Attraction Website Report - the first digital benchmark statistics for the attractions sector.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcastCompetition ends on 20th December 2023. The winner will be contacted via Twitter.Show references: https://vacevents.com/THURSDAY 5TH OCTOBER – QEII CONFERENCE CENTRE, WESTMINSTERhttps://vacevents.com/committee/ Bernard Donoghue OBECEO & Director, ALVA, the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, Mayor of London's Culture Ambassador. Co-Chair, London Tourism Recovery Board.https://www.alva.org.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernard-donoghue-obe-0aa9b97/ Bernard has been the Director of ALVA, the UK's Association for Leading Visitor Attractions, since 2011 following a career in advocacy, communications, and lobbying, latterly at a senior level in the tourism and heritage sector. In  2017, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, appointed Bernard to be the Mayor's Ambassador for Cultural Tourism and a member of the Mayor's Cultural Leadership Board. Bernard is Co-Chair of the London Tourism Recovery Board. He is also Chairman of LIFT, London International Festival of Theatre; Chairman of the Bristol Old Vic, the oldest continually operating theatre in the English-speaking world, and also of the People's History Museum, the Museum of Democracy.  He has been a member of the UK Government's Tourism Industry Council since 2016.  Bernard was named by Blooloop in 2020 as one of the world's 50 most influential people in museums, and in July 2021 won the public vote for the COVID Special Recognition Award from the UK Museums and Heritage Awards for his service to, and leadership of the museums and heritage sector in the UK during the pandemic. Ken Robinson CBE FTS - Founder of VAChttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-robinson-cbe-fts-bb811312/Ken is an independent adviser who speaks and writes on tourism topics.  As a "tourism enthusiast" he aims to be a pragmatic pioneer of new initiatives, strategies and solutions to optimise the economic, cultural and social benefits of tourism.   Ken's Consultancy companies completed over 1500 assignments, mostly in the UK but also several hundred international projects, beginning over 50 years ago, before the days of mass tourism.  He was a founding member of the Tourism Society and supported the formation of the Tourism Alliance, both of which organisations he has served as a board member and Chair, as he has on several other Tourism bodies. Specialising initially in visitor attractions, Ken initiated and subsequently chaired the National Visitor Attractions Conference, VAC, and has been on its Committee ever since.  In addition to many clients in the public, private and third sectors, he has advised the UN's International Trade Centre, on national and regional Tourism strategy development.  His current focus is to move the industry's thinking from marketing to the critical need to manage future tourism for the benefit of host communities, and to optimise tourist's experiences.  Ken was appointed CBE for services to Tourism in 1997, and an Honorary Doctorate in 2014. Paul KellyChief Executive, BALPPA, Chair of VAC https://www.balppa.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-kelly-2714a922/Having been with BALPPA for 11 years and working with VAC for that amount of time as well, Paul started his career in the attractions sector at Thorpe Park in the 80's and then moved on to the London Eye for its opening around the millennium.  He has  always been involved with visitor attractions.  Several more years working within Merlin followed both in the UK and abroad, mainly on business development.  Being a BALPPA member for 30 years means, being Chair of the organising committee at VAC keeps Paul in touch with all aspects of the attractions industry. Liz Terry MBEManaging Director, Leisure Media Grouphttps://www.linkedin.com/in/elizterry/ Janet Uttley Head of Business Transformation for VisitEnglandhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/janetuttley/  Transcriptions: Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip The Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson. Season 5 kicks off today with not one, not two, but three excellent guests.On today's episode, I have the pleasure of speaking to Bernard Donoghue, Paul Kelly and Ken Robinson, founders of the Visitor Attractions Conference. You also know Bernard as, Director of ALVA and Paul as CEO of BALPPA.VAC celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and I'm finding out where the idea for the event spanned from, how it's changed and developed over the years. And we take a look ahead to what 2024 has in store for the attraction sector.Unfortunately, fellow Founder; Liz Terry, the Managing Director of Leisure Media Group, and also Janet Uttley, Head of Business Transformation for VisitEngland, were unable to join us on this episode. But stay tuned for lots of insight and to find out how you can get your ticket for the VAC conference this year.Kelly Molson: If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue.Kelly Molson: Bernard, Ken, Paul, it is a treat to have you all on the podcast today. Thank you for joining me. I think this is the first time I've had three guests as well, so this could be interesting. Bernard Donoghue: And three men as well. I mean, it's like a really bad testosterone banana rama, isn't it? Really. Kelly Molson: I'm just a little flower in the middle of you thorns today. Yes, it's a real shame. So, unfortunately, Janet Uttley and Liz Terry couldn't make it along to join us today, which is a shame. But I'm sure that they will get lots of mentions as we talk through some of the things that we're going to chat about today. But first, as ever, I want to start with a little icebreaker. I'm going to ask you all the same thing because I'm intrigued as to whether you ended up doing what you thought you might. So, Ken, I'm going to start with you first. When you were at school, what did you think that you'd grow up and be when you were older? Ken Robinson: I didn't know. Kelly Molson: Had no clue at all? Ken Robinson: No, I didn't have a clue. I was lucky to have a good education. I didn't work at school. And then I got into a job, which was I was very successful at it and it was very boring. So I left. And when I discovered tourism and visitor attractions, it took me over. I didn't decide to do it. It told me that was it. Kelly Molson: Oh, I love it. It's like a calling. Ken Robinson: At the time it was, I was actually sitting in a turret room which had been vacated by Lord Montague. His desk used to face in and I liked that because I didn't have to look at the faces of the visitors going past who might complain, because in those days, buli was very expensive. And then one day I thought to myself, these people are investing their hard earned money and leisure time in making a decision to come here and it's our job to make sure they have a good time. And I turned my desk round and I looked at them all day long and the moment I turned my desk round, everything changed. Kelly Molson: I love that, because you could see the whites of their eyes and how they were engaging with the venue as they turned up. Ken Robinson: Well, it's just such a failure, isn't it? If you've got somebody who makes a choice and spends their time and money, a family decision for many people, and it should be a highlight. And if it isn't, whose fault is it? It's probably the fault of the visitor attraction, given that the person has chosen to go there in not communicating well enough with them about what they've got and what they would find interesting. Kelly Molson: This is such a brilliant story and that wasn't where I was expecting this to go either, Ken. I love it. Paul, what about you, Paul?Paul Kelly: Yeah, I mean, when I was at school, I was interested in sports and that was it, really, and luckily, that dragged me through the various places I went to. But what I was going to end up doing sports. I think once you get into sports quite seriously, you realise fairly quickly that actually you're not going to make it, so you have to find something else. So, laterally, I decided that business was a good idea. So I started doing business studies up in North Wales and for some reason were doing a sandwich course in those days, I think it was called that. One of those, I got placed at Thorpe Park. I don't know why particularly, so there's a group of six of us went down to Thorpe Park to work there and I actually started working on the rides.Paul Kelly: I'm not sure what it had to do with business at the time, but I'm glad somebody thought it did. And I couldn't believe that was a job that you could do, you could be paid for, because I came from the north at that point and there wasn't an awful lot going on in the 80s and actually be paid. Everyone enjoyed themselves, fantastic atmosphere, parties every night. I'm sure it's still like that. And it was just amazing. And from that moment on, regardless of what happened after that, including other colleges, other bits and pieces, effectively, I never left. Kelly Molson: It's always going to be in that sector. Paul Kelly: Yes. Kelly Molson: Excellent. Great. Bernard, same to you. Bernard Donoghue: Well, this may come as a surprise, but my grandfather was in the Irish Guards, my father was in the Grenadier Guards, my brother was in the Royal Marines, and I had a very large collection of action men. I genuinely thought I would probably end up in the army. And actually, I got an offer after university to go into the Household Cavalry. I don't think I've ever told anyone this before. Anyway, it just clearly I didn't pursue the application. It wasn't for me at all. Got really into politics. So I started working in the House of Commons, House of Lords and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, and then I've just been in sort of lobbying, campaigning, political world ever since. But I still miss the uniforms. Can't deny it. Kelly Molson: I think we'd like to see you in that uniform, Bernard, if I'm not going to lie. So from the lobbying aspect, which is obviously a really big part of the role that you currently have, how did the attractions bit kind of slot into those? Where did the two join up? Bernard Donoghue: It's a really odd coincidence. I was trustee of a charity that Diana, Princess of Wales, was a patron of, and I was working full time for a charity that she was a patron of. So when she divorced Prince of Wales, now the King, she reduced her patronages down from 187 to six. And I happened to be involved with six of them. I went to work for her as a deputy private secretary, press secretary. But of course, the moment she died, which was August 31st, I had no job. Suddenly I was unemployed. And I got contacted by a woman who Ken will certainly know, probably Paul will, too, by Sue Garland, who used to be Deputy Chief Executive of VisitBritain, who'd heard me speak at something and said, "Well, we're just about to create this post of government affairs liaison. Would you be interested to working on the role while working on what you do next?”Bernard Donoghue: And that was in August 1997. And here I am still. Ken Robinson: But also, can I add something to that? Because I was lucky enough to be sitting in the room on many occasions when Bernard would give his briefing at meetings that were held by VisitBritain. And it was always a highlight of the day because Bernard, in those days, never pulled his punches. I'm not saying he does now, but he would just explain to everybody in the room what was going on with all of the political parties, which we never understood, and explain what we ought to be doing in order to best put our case. So it was really no shock when he turned up at ALVA, because I would say this if he wasn't here, he was the star of the show there, and that expertise that he showed has blossomed in the job that he's doing now. Kelly Molson: This is lovely, isn't it? Aren't you all nice? Bernard Donoghue: This is love in.. Kelly Molson: Probably why you all work together, right? You will get on so well. Right, back to you, Ken. Unpopular opinion, please. Ken Robinson: Most visitor attractions do not deliver full value for money to most of their visitors. Kelly Molson: Okay, Paul and Bernard, do you agree with this? Will our listeners agree with this? Is this an unpopular opinion?Paul Kelly: Did you use the word most, Ken? Ken Robinson: I did. Paul Kelly: I'll go for some, not most. Bernard Donoghue: Yeah, I'll go for some as well. One of my favourite programmes is Yes, Minister. And whenever you'd hear something off the wall, bonkers, they would say, that's a very brave opinion, Minister. That's a very brave opinion, Ken.Ken Robinson: Now's not the time to justify it. I'll do that on another occasion. Kelly Molson: Yeah, we will invite you back and we can do that one on one, Ken. Paul, what about you? Unpopular opinion? Paul Kelly: Well, I'm guessing that anybody that's worked in a theme park will probably have the same opinion I have. So I worked at Thorpe Park, which was 450 acres, two thirds of which was water. And at the end of the day, when you were walking out, and in those days, that could be 9, 10 o'clock at night, it was beautiful. On a late summer's evening, calm waters, walking through a park which had just been cleaned and tidied and ready for the next day. It was fantastic. And we all had the same opinion once were down the pub discussing the day. It's just a shame we have to let people into theme parks because it's the absolutely beautiful place without them there. So sometimes people let the parks down. Kelly Molson: That's a good one. That is a good one. Yeah. And you don't want to let them in to see the beautiful bit either, do you? Because then there'd be people there. It wouldn't be serene. Paul Kelly: No, I mean, those evenings, if there was still time, we'd go windsurfing on the lakes, cable water ski around the back. And it was just a shame that all these people came in every day and messed it all up. Kelly Molson: Yeah. Well, I'm pretty sure that most people who've worked in theme parks aren't going to disagree with you on that one, Paul. Good one. Bernard, what about yours? Bernard Donoghue: Even though I chair a theatre and I know how important the revenue is, I'm not a fan of selling drinks and food to people in theatres because they just make a noise. I can't bear it. I mean, it depends. I mean, it depends if it's a panto or something like that. Completely fine. Ken Robinson: Oh, no, it's not. Bernard Donoghue: It kind of allies to what Paul was saying as well, which was I don't know whether it's an unpopular opinion. I think it's probably a popular opinion. But visitor behaviour, whether it's in a theatre, a museum, an art gallery or wherever, has completely deteriorated post lockdown. Some people's behaviour is getting worse and it's very difficult to know what to do about it. Kelly Molson: Yes, agree. I don't think that's going to be very unpopular at all, actually, considering some of the things that we've seen recently. Thank you all for sharing. Okay, let's get back to the serious bit. The Visitor Attractions Conference. It's 20 years old this year. If you are listening and you're not familiar with it, one, why the hell not? And two, you need to grab a ticket today. It's the leading networking and learning event for visitor attractions across the UK. And I first visited in October 2019 and it was the first sector specific conference that I had been to. We'd been working in the sector for probably about three or four years, had never really at that point kind of gone all out on our like, "This is what we're going to niche and this is what we're going to specialise in."Kelly Molson: So I was kind of doing a bit of a fact finding mission really, and I came along and it absolutely blew me away. I think it was one of the friendliest conferences I've ever been to. I think you'd created an environment where everybody was really welcome, no stupid questions. Everyone from speakers to guests where kind of felt like they were all on the same level, really happy to answer questions that you had, really happy to talk to you. And I think that was for me. I came away from that event, I went back to my team and said, "This is where we should be. This is the event for us, this is where we should be attending, these are the people that we should be speaking to." And I've absolutely loved every minute of that. Kelly Molson: I mean, the next one I went to was a virtual one. So it was very different to the 2019 event, but still excellently organised. So firstly, thank you for making that happen. But where did the idea for the VAC come from in the first place? How did this come about? Ken Robinson: So we have to remember that the world was very different over 20 years ago. Really, really very different. Not just a question of internet or pre COVID and all those things and pre Olympics, but just very different. And attractions in those days thought and acted and communicated in their sectoral associations. Historic houses talked to historic houses, curators of museums talked to curators, bishops talked to priests, zoologists talked to botanists, but they didn't talk across the sectors. There were two exceptions to that. One was that in Visit England or English Tourist Board, there'd always been a committee there which was across the sectors, but the other one was ALVA. Now, when ALVA was formed, it was a 1 million visitors plus club for attractions, with 1 million plus visitors a year. Ken Robinson: Subsequently, groups of attractions, particularly English Heritage, National Trust, were involved originally associates, but it was a 1 million plus club and that's only 1% of the attractions in the United Kingdom had over 1 million. And it was very London centric. And ALVA had a five objectives, four of which were about government. And the interesting thing was that I was very good friends all through this time with Lord Lee, who know a very big part of the early success, pre Bernard of ALVA. I said to John Lee, “Look John, could you not change your name to ALVA and be involved with all the visitor attractions because they badly need something which glues everybody together and we need to get across this away from this sectoral stuff.” Ken Robinson: And everybody was talking about historic houses, talk about the house museums, talking about the continents of the museum but they weren't talking about visitors. They weren't talking about how you communicated with the visitors or what they were motivated by or how you could better manage things for visitors, give them better they weren't doing that. So John agreed with this and I've got the original papers here. I looked them out that I was asked first of all by ALVA in December of 2001 to write a paper on the future of ALVA which is headed: ALVA in the Future Representing All Visitor Attractions. Then after that the conversation went on and we realised that if were going to have some kind of overall event we couldn't do it without the National Tourist Board, we couldn't do it without Visit Britain, Visit England. We needed their input.Ken Robinson: We needed them to talk to DCMS and make sure it would happen. And also we wanted to do this not on a commercial basis but being by the industry, for the industry, run by the industry, not for profit. And that was a problem because we wanted to do it in the QE II Centre because we wanted to be in the centre of everything and that was going to cost an extraordinary sum of money and there wasn't that much money that could in that first year come originally from VisitEngland. So the partners in this, the partners being ALVA, BALPPA, Paul's organisation, Leisure Media the wonderful Liz Terry and her magazine which has forever been behind this event for no recompense whatever and myself put up 5000 pounds each security in order that the thing would happen. Ken Robinson: You said, "We'll stand the risk, let's do it.". So in 2004 I wrote the briefing of the first conference and I found from a 2003 the government asked for a list of topics that would be discussed in order they could work out whether or not they might like it and it's still here. What I like about it is it would do quite well for this year's conference. All those topics are still relevant. So that's where it came from. That's where it came from. We wanted it to have at the time the lowest possible attendance fee to get the highest number of people there. We wanted to involve everybody. Ken Robinson: And the cast list for that 2004 event, my goodness me, absolutely fantastic cast list in terms of the people we had for an initial event and you can imagine when it was announced and everybody was behind it ALVA was behind it. BALPPA, I should have mentioned that Colin Dawson, Paul's predecessor was an absolute stalwart of the conference in the early years he stood by know, when times were tough and that's where it came from. Kelly Molson: That is phenomenal. It was really putting your money where your mouth is, isn't it? By all of you actually personally investing in this thing to bring it to life. You don't hear many things happening in that way anymore, do you? It's all about getting investment and asking other people to make the commitment to it and take the risk. Ken Robinson: Well, we have a company now, I should say. We have a company called VAC Events, and we are all equal. The four of us are equal shareholders, that's to say, Bernard and ALVA, BALPPA and Paul, Liz and myself, for no benefit. Martin does it for us, but we are the people that carry the can, if you like, and I don't think we've ever had anything out of it apart from a nice lunch at Christmas, but apart from that, it's a great feeling of doing something. When you say everybody is very friendly and talks to one another. That's why they're all in the same business. Bishop, curator, zoologist person running a heritage railway, they're all in the same business. Kelly Molson: Obviously, the first event was a success. You've been on and you've done many, what, 20, 20 events since that first one. How have you seen it kind of change and develop over the years? So what did that first conference look like compared to what this year's will look like? And how have you kind of evolved it over that time to keep it relevant to your audience? Paul Kelly: Well, I think so. My involvement directly has been the last ten years, so I'm halfway through chairing for this one, but I was actually there at the early ones because I worked at that time. I was working at the London Eye, just across the river, and I was good friends with Colin Dawson at the time. I'd worked with him at Thorpe Park and he for some people, may well remember Colin as entertaining Princess Diana on a log flume in 92, 3 and 4. Paul Kelly: And I was there. It's hard to tell, but I was actually there. I'm not in any of the photos in Paris Match and all of those places. I have a couple of myself here. I didn't get anything signed by Princess Diana and sent over to you know, bitterness takes a while to and I've joked with Colin over this many years. Colin was there, but if you look closely behind the scenes, you'll find I was there too, but so I was great friends with Colin over many years and still am. He was obviously contacting everyone he knew about this conference. He was working for BALPPA at the time. I was working for the Two Swords Group, had the operational contract for the London Eye. Paul Kelly: So I went to the first one and I suppose my impressions of the first one was for somebody who hasn't been there before, the QE II is extremely impressive as a conference center. I don't go to many that look like that around the UK. Most of them normally the ones I go to are in attractions, they're slightly different so it was hugely impressive both on its location and what was across the road and how things went and I was a little bit starstruck I suppose, for the first one. Now I get the opportunity to sit on the stage and look out at everybody and have a slightly different view on it all, but still think it's an extremely impressive environment to do that. Paul Kelly: And I think the biggest change for me, and I think we may cover a little bit later, is how we've broken up the afternoons into separate segments and sections where people can go along to a smaller, informal group discussing a topic that they particularly want. And I think the thing I also like about that is the amount of people who want to go to more than one of them that are on at the same time and are almost complaining there's too many things to go to, which I think is hilarious, which means it's really good. And hopefully that means that next time they'll really think about which one do I want to go to, obviously I want to go to more than one, but I'm going to pick my best one. Paul Kelly: So I think for me, that's probably the biggest change over time. But what doesn't change for me is the team that we have putting these things together, which we're actually relatively slick at. Everyone gets the chance to put their opinions and I'm glad we don't record those meetings and it works out really well. And I think as a team, it's amazing how long we've stuck at it and stuck together. Kelly Molson: I'd love to be on a little fly on the wall for those meetings. Have you ever had a fallout about something? Bernard Donoghue: Yes, we're frequently violent. It's a visitor experience in its own right, I think. Kelly Molson: I'll pay for it. Bernard Donoghue: We reflect the madness that some of our visitors demonstrate on site so in that case I think we're rooted in the industry. The first one that I went to was in 2011, so I just joined ALVA at that point. And the first one I spoke, it was in 2012 and I've been doing the same kind of slot ever since. I do a kind of State of the Nation in the morning because ALVA obviously gets loads of data and information and we publish all of our visitor figures and all the rest of it, and actually we collect and commission much more data now than we ever used to. So I share all of that in the kind of Donoghue half hour copyright. Bernard Donoghue: What's lovely I mean, Paul's absolutely right is that over the last twelve years I think we've seen a real move from people desperately wanting to speak about their successes to being really open about what hasn't worked, which of course is far more interesting and useful. So there's been a really lovely shift from people saying, "No, I don't have to do the propaganda stuff.” Actually, I'm going to tell you what it was like, why it was a disaster and what we learned from it. And that's so useful. So you do get this real honesty coming from the speakers who know that's what they find useful too. So why not share it? I think the other one is I do a presentation about, is there core behaviours of successful visitor attractions regardless of type?Bernard Donoghue: And there are there's about ten of them, but one of them is the ability to foster creative partnerships with unusual suspects. So the presentations that are most fascinating for me is where a visitor attraction, it doesn't matter whether it's a cathedral or whether it's a museum or gallery or theme park, have teamed up with someone that you wouldn't expect them to team up with to tell the story of their people and places and collections in a new, innovating, exciting way. And those are fascinating, absolutely fascinating. So I love those. There's much more of that. Kelly Molson: Fantastic. Well, on that note, I want to know from each of you who has been the most inspiring speaker that you've had at the conference over the past 20 years. Ken, let us start with you. Who do you think would be on your list for that? Ken Robinson: I had a look through the programs going back to 2004 and came up with the following names which surprised me, actually. I think originally our first most inspiring speaker was Simon Jenkins, the columnist of the Times, who had very strong views, which didn't necessarily agree with what government and others were doing. He did give a very inspiring presentation and then there are some people who perhaps we would expect less. The most single most surprising speaker was somebody called Tristram Mayhew, who titles himself as the Chief Gorilla of Go Ape and in a room full of suits and quite smart dresses and trouser suits, Go Ape shambled onto the stage in a car key shirt and proceeded to explain how he'd done things differently. And frankly, it was riveting. We had a chap called Tony Berry from the National Trust who gave presentations. Ken Robinson: His first one was just stunnning, you know, in the days when HR was less popular, Tony Berry would tell you why you should be interested and he was absolutely amazing. And Sue Wilkinson, incidentally, of the National Trust, who was the person responsible really for dragging the Trust from its sort of old form to its new marketing orientated thinking about its supporters future success? She was terrific. And the other person I would mention another Tony, I don't know whether or Tony's there's Tony Butler from the Museum of East Anglian Life, who again, when Bernard was talking about people talking about doing things differently and it inspires you. Some of those examples are very interesting, but not easy to copy. Ken Robinson: In other attractions, we always look for things that do go across the piece, so anybody can learn from the lessons within the example that we're talking about. And incidentally, we do have arguments in meetings, it's about whether particular speakers and particular topics are the way of doing things. And generally speaking, when we all have a good go at it comes out better than it did when anybody said, “Well, I know what the right answer is. No, you don't. Let's all talk about it. So that works.” So you get these people that actually inspire and they light up the room, not because of clever graphics and not because of a forceful way, but they light up the room because of the originality of their ideas. Now, I'll come to my number one. Ken Robinson: I'm sorry about this, because he's sitting on my screen down there, and that's young Bernard, who since he joined our there you go. That's the top half that works. You should see the bottom half doesn't work. He's just had pins put in it. Kelly Molson: Just for our listeners here, Bernard is given a little muscle strong arm salute on screen here. Ken Robinson: Bernard combines the latest immediate knowledge of talking to people across the industry with an absolutely amazing gift of the gab, with a power of communication. And he's unstoppable. And we wouldn't have stood him for all these years if he wasn't. So of all the years and all the speakers, the consistent best is Bernard. But we have had other people, often surprising, who take know, you don't expect it, you think you're going to listen to ordinary session, all of a sudden it takes fire. Kelly Molson: Bernard, what have you got to say to that? Bernard Donoghue: What I say to Ken is there are packets of cash going from London to the south coast with immediate effect. Delighted. Thank you very much. It's really lovely, actually. I've tried to change things every year to do partly political, but also partly about good practice and who's doing what and who's interesting. I'll tell you what, one of my favourite speakers, and it was in a conversation, one of the things that we've introduced is a sort of conversation with slot, which works really well, actually, because a bit like this, you're off script, you respond to people. Liz chaired a conversation last year, so were in Birmingham last year and it was all about HR issues and of course, it know, coming out of COVID and cost of living crisis and recruitment challenges and all of those kind of stuff. Bernard Donoghue: And Tina Lewis is the director of people at the National Trust. National Trust, getting great repertoire here. She came out with an idea that they're doing at the National Trust and I've implemented it in the three organisations that I chair and it's made the biggest difference. So the National Trust, they will pay the rent deposit for your flat if you need them to. So if you're going through a cost of living crisis and you can't get up the cash to put down a rent deposit on your flat, they'll do it for you. You can't get up the cash to put down a rent deposit on your flat, they'll do it for you. That was such a transformational thing to hear. You could almost hear the gasp in the room of people going, "Oh, my God. Yeah, if we can, let's do that." Bernard Donoghue: And I've now introduced it. As I say in the organisations that I chair, not many people have taken it up, but the fact that we've said it has made such a difference to people. I mean, as it is at the Trust, actually, there's been a relatively small number of people at the Trust who've taken it up, but the very policy decision, the very communication of it, just spoke volumes about an organisation that cares about its staff, and particularly those staff who are on really limited budgets. So there's been loads and loads of speakers over the course of the last few years, but that for me was a nugget which has changed people's lives and has been implementable. Kelly Molson: I think that's the key to that part, isn't it, is that it's an incredible thing that they've done, but the fact that it can be implemented someone has listened to that talk. They can take that away, take it to their board, take it to whoever needs to okay that, and they can put that into action like that straight away. That's the power of a really good initiative and a good speaker to be able to deliver that as well. Paul, what about you? Please don't say Bernard. I think he's had enough praise today. Bernard Donoghue: No, keep going. Kelly Molson: No. Paul Kelly: You're OK, Bernard? We'll leave that one where it is, shall we? If we can squeeze Bernard into the room next. Right, so one special mention I wanted to give, actually, which is one of the years not too long ago, we invited Simon Calder to speak, the travel journalist, and I have to say I wasn't convinced, because clearly he's not working in one of our attractions and doesn't necessarily know the industry pretty well. But I have to say, he was hugely entertaining, had done his homework, was hugely knowledgeable, and so he was absolutely excellent. But I think the most important thing for me is that he left us and he said to me, “Enjoyed it so much, I'll come back later.” And I said, “Yes, of course you will.”Paul Kelly: So he went away and he came back at the end of the day to talk to all the people that he'd seen early in the day, because he loved the atmosphere and he wasn't required to do that. And he came along. And for that I have to put a special mention in one for myself to actually listen to the others when they say, “This will be good”, and secondly for him, for actually doing a bit and actually coming back later. And he was a fabulous addition and outside of our industry. So my inside the industry one is somebody I ended up working with because I was with the Two Swords group and then they were bought by Merlin with Nick Varney and his Merry Men. Paul Kelly: So Nick and his team had obviously been in the industry a very long time at this point, dipped in and out of theme parks and attractions. But Nick didn't actually do many talks. You wouldn't actually hear him speak about too much. I'd heard him speak over in the IAAPA trade show held in Orlando every November, and he was absolutely brilliant. And then Ken managed to get him to speak at VAC one year. And again, he was absolutely excellent. And this fits in nicely because now that he's retired from Merlin, he's speaking again this year. So I think that will be really interesting because he's absolutely excellent. Ken Robinson: And by the way, guys, just to show you that we know what we're doing here, this is 2004, okay? And it says here the recipe for success. Nick Varney chief executive, will talk about the components for commercial success. And that's before. So we've got him first and look what happened. Kelly Molson: I'm really looking forward to that interview, actually, and I think it would be really interesting to see how he differs now. He's kind of outside of the sector, and I think that the format that you've got him in. So that's the interview with Liz, isn't it? On stage? I think that's going to be a really great format as well. I've seen that work really well in the past where she's interviewed people and it just feels really comfortable and really conversational. I think that brings out the best of people. Bernard Donoghue: Kelly, do you want to know who's been of most variable quality? Kelly Molson: Oh, yes. Bernard Donoghue: Tourism Minister. I mean, without doubt. I mean, we've been going 20 years now, therefore we've had 20 tourism ministers, had one a year, like Christmas cards. And some of them have completely got the industry completely understood. It delivered a barnstorming speech, and then the next year you'll get the annual Tourism Minister pop up and they'll read something flat, banal, uninteresting. And we're so torched by the experience that we don't invite the one next on the year. So we're always banging on about this. Tourism is very good at job creation. In fact, we've created 20 Tourism Minister jobs in years, but they are of variable quality. Ken Robinson: The best we ever had, Bernard, I think, by far, was John Penrose, when he had completed his review of the industry and got very clear views, which he put to government. Unfortunately, government didn't do it, as they usually don't, but he was good and people liked him and gave him a high rating. I think the next best was probably Margaret Hodge, who was very good and spoke from the heart. But as you say, when we look at every year, we look at a rating of every speaker and the meeting after the event, we go through those ratings and decide, those that got good ratings, why did they get it? Was it intrinsic to their character, their nature, their topic? Was there something special? And those who didn't, why was that? Was it our fault? Ken Robinson: Did we not brief them properly? Or was it never going to be any better? Ken Robinson: And that way we managed to manage the conference. So know the attraction sector. We sometimes forget that over half of all visits to visitor attractions in the UK are free of charge. We forget that the majority of visitor attractions are medium and small businesses. We forget that there are charitable and commercial attractions. We must be able to bring this whole sector together and move our thinking forward in the way that Bernard has just explained in terms of what he does with ALVA. And the other thing that Bernard mentioned was ALVA's research now. Ken Robinson: 20 years ago, you had to wait until the annual book came out from Thames Tower and then eventually from the centre of luck look to page 16 and there would be numbers, but very little interpretation of what those numbers meant. Now, Bernard is behind much of the work that is done now with ALVA. But the key to it is it's not just numbers, it's interpretation. And because of the communication skills, when ALVA put out a message, it is interpreted. It says why it was a successful year or what was mitigating against that. And that's so important in trying to move our case forward. Kelly Molson: But it's important in improving the content that you give your audience at the conferences as well, right? If something isn't working and you've got a process of evaluating why that hasn't worked and how you improve on it for the next one. Let's just focus on why should people attend VAC this year? What is in it for them? What's on the agenda? What have they got to look forward to and how can we get them to book a ticket? Bernard Donoghue: I'll happily go first and go quite niche, actually. One of the things that I do now outside of ALVA, or because of ALVA is that I co chair the advisory board for VisitLondon. So essentially chair the London tourist board. And I do that with Kate Nichols of UK hospitality. And we created the London Tourism Recovery Group during COVID So my suggestion would be Sadiq Khan. So we've managed to get the Mayor of London to come along and speak at this anniversary conference. And it's not just because he's the Mayor of London and it's the 20th anniversary, but it's because he's the first ever Mayor of London that hazard one of his four political priorities, culture and tourism. That's number one. Bernard Donoghue: Number two is that he put his money where his mouth was and he funded the Let's Do London Recovery campaign, which was both domestic and international with the industry. We delivered it with London and partners, but he put up the lump sum behind it. And third, he completely gets that tourism and heritage and culture is both where you grow jobs and we're very good at it, but it's also where you grow people. It's where you grow people in terms of their cultural literacy or their sense of community or their independence or their sense of history. And therefore knowing where you come from enables you to be a better future citizen, if you like. Bernard Donoghue: So my quick blast would be we've got him doing a welcome, but also saying why visitor attractions and tourism are so important to him and to the economy and the politics of London. So that's not to be missed. Kelly Molson: That is a big draw. Absolutely a big draw. Paul, you mentioned earlier about the variety in splitting up that second session, that second part of the day with the seminars and the smaller talks that you do as well. That for me, as an attendee, is really valuable because you can kind of pick and choose what's relevant to you and go along and see lots of different talks. What do you think is the draw for people to come to the conference this year for you? Paul Kelly: Well, I was just jotting down, thinking about it's a little bit. An extension of what Ken was talking about is that it's the variety of what we do in one place is greater than anywhere else. And all the conferences I do because of the nature of what we do each end of the spectrum. So we've got talks about people who run charities to people who run hugely commercial operations. We've got people doing talks on which are free to get into those who are quite expensive, but focus on value for money. And you've got those that are indoor, those that are outdoor. When I spent my time business development at Merlin, they were always focused on a balanced portfolio. And a balanced portfolio meant making sure that right across your business, you have every aspect covered. Paul Kelly: So everything balances indoor, outdoor, UK, Europe, USA, whatever it is. And I think with our conference, that's what we try and do, we try and balance all of those types of different types of operations so that everything is covered, not to the point where it's too thin and you don't learn anything. And that's the key to it, is that we go into the depth. And the depth, I think, is greater now because we do those breakout sessions and we've got time to do in fact, we double up for those three different areas just for that afternoon. So I think those are the things, if anyone asks me why they should come, it's about the variety.Kelly Molson: Regardless of size of your attraction as well. And actually, from my perspective as a supplier to the industry, it's just as valuable to come along and learn and understand what's going on in the sector. You don't have to be an attraction to come along and take part and be educated about what's happening in the sector. What about you, Ken? Ken Robinson: Well, I think that those of us who have stood on the stage at the QE II Centre and looked at the people who have come can see that there aren't any slumbering faces out there. There are people making notes, people nudging the person next to them, people looking round when we ask a question. We now have a sort of red and green card system for, do you agree? Don't you agree? Which we sometimes use, which is very interesting, engaging the mood of the room. And I think that the thing about VAC is don't be lazy if we're going to come to VAC. Don't be lazy. If you're coming to VAC, l And jot down what questions you might like to ask those people or what you'd like to learn from that session. Write it down, don't think you can remember it at the time. Ken Robinson: Bring it on a note with you when you come and then you will find, and we all know this, that the networking that happens at the end of the day and in the breaks at VAC it's like a family wedding in a way. I mean, everybody wants to talk to everybody else and it's so valuable. I think everybody who goes away from VAC should have a good few things that day, which they say, “I wouldn't have thought of that if I hadn't been there”, or even, “I disagree with that”, but it's made me realise what my true opinion about that is equally valuable. But don't be a lazy attendee. Come and participate, come and enjoy, come and learn, come and take back benefit to everybody that works with you. Kelly Molson: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I think that thing about not being scared to ask questions is really valid as well, Ken, because this happened to me, actually. I went to one of the seminar sessions, and this is back in 2019 and was really inspired by one of the speakers about it was Julez Osbek, who was at Continuum Attractions at the time, and she talked about marketing segmentation, but had a completely different perspective on it in terms of not doing it demographically, just talking about age brackets and things like that. And it was really interesting. I didn't get a chance to ask a question during the seminar, but I found her afterwards and she was very approachable, very happy to answer my question. And then I stalked her on Twitter and got her to come on to the podcast afterwards to talk about it. Kelly Molson: But that's for me, what VAC is about. It's the openness that people are really willing to share. So don't be afraid to go and find the speaker that you've been inspired by and go and ask them the question afterwards, because everyone's really happy to talk about their topic and they're really happy to help people. That's my little key takeaway from it anyway. Right, so it's going to be on Thursday, the 5th October. This podcast episode is launching on the 20th September, so you haven't got long to go and get your tickets, so make sure you do. It is the 5th October, the QE II Conference Centre in Westminster. The website address is vacevents.com. That's Vacevents.com and you can get your ticket there. All of this information will be in the show notes, so don't worry if you didn't get time to scribble that down. Kelly Molson: While I've got you all, though, because you all are in the sector and you've got lots of insights to share. I want to know from each of you what you think that attractions should be focusing on and what 2024 might look like for the sector. Paul, what about you? Start with you. Paul Kelly: So I've been chatting to some of our operators. We have some very large operators around the UK asking them how it's going? And unsurprisingly, you could have said the same question 20 years ago, what's our biggest challenge? It's the weather. It's not actually the cost of living crisis, it's not COVID you can put plans together for those things and you can work on it, but the weather always is a little bit of a challenge. So this summer inverted commerce has been quite hard to focus on what we can deliver when the days have been half decent. Actually, we've done quite well, we always do relatively well, certainly in our sector, I'm sure the others will agree, in a recession. Paul Kelly: So the key seems to be, and I'm going to put it out, I haven't quite found the right words for it, but I'll develop this once I've spoken to a few more. What every attraction for me has to have is an opportunity for people to downgrade what they did slightly. What they're doing is they're ringing it up and saying, "Can't afford to do this, have you got something that's almost like that?" But whether it's a slightly different experience, less time, one day less so whatever the packages are that people are offering, there has to be one rung lower than it was before to still encourage people to come along because they're not able to reach the same heights at the moment that they did previously. But they still want to have that family experience that day out, create those memories. Paul Kelly: All of those things are still relevant. And if you don't have that opportunity, then they'll either go elsewhere or they won't go. So, again, it's managing. So I'm not talking about huge discounts, I'm talking about being relatively clever in what you package and what you put together to make sure they still attend and they still get what they perceive to be value for money. But unless you have that option then I think they won't come. Kelly Molson: Really great advice, Paul. Thank you. Bernard, what about you? Bernard Donoghue: Like Paul, actually, especially since Lockdown ended, but actually for about the last five or six years I've noticed a particular thing which is where visitor attractions have got reserves, and that's a big if by the way, particularly in the course of the last couple of years. Actually, especially since Lockdown ended, but actually for about the last five or six years I've noticed a particular thing which is where visitor attractions have got reserves, and that's a big if by the way, particularly in the course of the last couple of years. So it comes back to Paul's point about kind of ensuring yourself against the excesses of the weather and making sure that you're still particularly a family attractive visitor attractions that'd be one. Second is cost of living crisis, certainly for the average customer, but also the energy costs for visitor attractions too. Bernard Donoghue: Just crazy amounts of money that visitor attractions are now paying i If you're a zoo or an aquarium you can't turn down the temperature of your botanics you're a living reef. So we're going to have to find some way out of that. And that means that actually for many organisations it's going to be as financially challenging over the next twelve months as it has been over the last two. And then I think the third, and this is a continual for me and Kelly, you and I have talked about it before, but it forms the last session of the day at the VAC conference which is diversity and inclusivity. And my feeling is that every visitor attraction should be critically honest about who comes, who doesn't, why they don't come and what are you going to do about it?Bernard Donoghue: And in particular those organisations who in receipt are government money or public money or who had COVID loans from the UK taxpayer. If their visitors don't look like the community in which they're housed, they have a moral question at the heart of their business. That's it. If you want to take public money you need to have an audience that looks like the diversity of the public. And that's a challenge. I get that, I completely get that. But I think that making sure that we are as accessible in every conceivable way, economically, physically. Accessible to people and that they see their stories and themselves reflected in their collections and people and staff and volunteers and board members, I think that's the biggest challenge of the sector as it is indeed to many other sectors. Bernard Donoghue: But I think we're doing some amazing things and we need to shout about it and we need to share and we need to learn from each other. Kelly Molson: Absolutely agree. And that session is going to be a really great session. That's one not to miss. Ken? Ken Robinson: Well, I would say two things. First of all, as far as our visitors are concerned, I think there is a bigger polarisation now than there ever has been between those who have money and can still afford to do things and are not much impacted by the current circumstances, despite everything. And those who haven't and those who haven't have got to find ways of saving money, getting more for their money. There are so many things they can do that are free and alternatives that charged attractions find it difficult. I think we have to remember that the biggest number of attractions in the United Kingdom are heritage based attractions and they weren't purpose built like many of Paul's members, the attractions are purpose built for entertainment. But heritage attractions have got a bigger responsibility or museums housed in historic buildings. Ken Robinson: And all the time they're having to cut their costs and finding life difficult. Money isn't going into maintaining that National Heritage. And that's a real big long term challenge, one that government can't ignore. So government has a vested interest in the health of our businesses because the more healthy they are, the less will fall back on the state eventually. One last thing, I would like to mention Martin Evans and the tourism business. Ken Robinson: For the last I don't know how many years, Martin has been the person who has put together this event for us. He has to do the heavy lifting. He is backed up by our conference organisers, who are also very efficient. And the other person that I wouldn't like to miss from this, because if she could have been here today, you would have got a different flavour, is the wonderful Liz Terry and the support that her organisation. That's Liz's Organisation, her hard work in Leisure Media Group. She publishes Attractions Management magazine. Ken Robinson: She has never asked for anything from this conference and she gives it great support, without which we wouldn't have made 20 years, as I said earlier. And also a big shout and a screen for Liz. Kelly Molson: That is lovely. Thank you. I'm sure Liz will very much appreciate that. We won't forget her. Don't worry, she'll be on the credits for this podcast. I always ask our guests to leave us with a book recommendation for our listeners. So a book that you've loved, a book that you've enjoyed as part of your career growth can be absolutely anything. So, Paul, what would you like to share with us today? Paul Kelly: Oh, I tell you what, books are a bit highbrow for me. Yes, Bernard agrees with that. So I'm from the north, so I used to travel a lot when I was working North America. Commuting a little bit. So I did read a little bit then, but I very quickly swapped over to podcasts things that I download. I watch Silent Witness from the 90's, early 2000s repeatedly. I like Meet Marry Murder, which is one of the cable channels, so I'm quite simple. So I don't really have a book recommendation. I think when I have time to read, I will look forward to reading what somebody else recommends. Kelly Molson: Well, I will take Silent Witness as a recommendation because I love Silent Witness, Paul. Oh, so good. Never miss an episode, ever. So, OK, they go I mean, I can't give it away as a prize, but go and check out Silent Witness if you haven't. Bernard, what's yours? Bernard Donoghue: Well, I've been on this before and I remember my recommendation and it sounds really facile, but it was absolutely true, was Ladybird Books when I was a kid, and then that's how I got into history and heritage and storytelling and absolutely loved them. And I've still got loads of them, which is a bit sad, actually. I'm currently confined to home with a broken ankle. So I've been going through my big Bernard book of books, of all the ones that I haven't got around to reading, and the one that I've enjoyed most and has really surprised me is Lucy Worsley's biography of Agatha Christie. Absolutely fascinating. I thought I knew her. I thought I knew all about her. I know all of her characters, I've watched every conceivable film and TV program, but what a fascinating woman. Bernard Donoghue: So that's the one that I've loved this summer. Kelly Molson: Great recommendation. Yeah. I wondered what were going to get from you, actually, because you've had a lot of time on your hands to go through that book pile. Bernard Donoghue: It was either going to be Agatha Christie or the Argos catalogue. Honestly, it could have gone. Kelly Molson: It's not Christmas yet. You only do the Argos catalogue at Christmas. Ken, over to you for our last recommendation. Ken Robinson: Well, the best book quite hard to get hold of now, but I can supply copies is Action For Attractions, the National Policy Document, written in 2000. But if you want something other than that, then I have just finished reading a book which everyone else read years ago called Sapiens, which is about this thick, that's to say two and a half inches thick. For those of you listening. It's by somebody, I've just had to look him up because I couldn't have remembered it, by Yuval Noah Harari. And it's entitled A Brief History of Humankind. And what's so interesting about it is it goes through segments explaining the great moves that have happened to us humans since we appeared on this Earth. Ken Robinson: And I found the whole thing fascinating to read in one go what took me a long time, particularly the last bit, which talks about how commerce has changed the world and what we're all doing, and that's, after all, what we're doing at VAC. We are engaged in the kind of commerce that is to entertain, amuse and give enjoyment to our visitors, and at the same time keep the heritage of the country going and keep an awful lot of people employed, so I recommend Sapiens. Kelly Molson: Ken, that's a great book. It took me a really long time to read as well, but it is an absolutely fascinating book. I would totally back up your recommendation there. Have you read the next one as well, Homodeus? Ken Robinson: No one a year is enough for me. Kelly Molson: Well, I've got a toddler, so reading doesn't come easy for me right now. But Homodus is next on my list to read because that's the next one on from Sapiens and it's supposed to be a really good read as well. Right, listeners as ever, if you want to win a copy of Ken and Bernard's book, retweet this episode announcement with the words, I want the Vax books and you will be put into a prize drawer to win them. And also, do go and watch Silent Witness, Paul's recommendation, because it is blooming brilliant. I love it. Thank you all so much for coming on to join me today. I've really appreciated it. It's been a fascinating kind of deep dive into the Visitor Attractions Conference. I genuinely love this conference. It is one absolutely not to be missed. Kelly Molson: I mean, there might be a speaker called Kelly at this one. This is so I'll be there. Come and see me too. But no, thank you. It's been wonderful. As I said, we will put all of the info in the show notes. We'll put all of the connections to Paul, Ken and Bernard too. So if you've got any follow up questions that you want to ask them, I'm sure they'd be really happy to help. But it's vapevents.com. Go and grab your ticket now. Thank you, guys. Ken Robinson: And I have to tell you, Kelly, we are going to spend our time at our next committee meeting thinking of impossible questions for you for when you're speaking at VAC.Kelly Molson: Oh, God. Do it. I love impossible questions. Put me on the spot, Ken. I'll enjoy it. Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast. 

Anne Pritz, a former aspiring veterinarian, had her career aspirations change to focus on the food industry.Anne's career path has since been dedicated to working with various food brands, both domestically and internationally, with a focus on supporting franchisees in growing and establishing profitable businesses. She finds immense fulfillment in assisting franchisees and jumped at the opportunity to develop Bobby's Burgers by Bobby Slay into a franchise model. Anne recognizes the potential of expanding Bobby's Burgers nationwide and eventually internationally and is excited to bring this beloved brand to neighborhoods around the world.[00:01:50] Early aspiration to be a vet; now food-focused career supporting franchisees.[00:03:39] Bobby's Burgers expanding to non-traditional locations, and franchises.[00:06:49] Training and listening are essential for success.[00:12:02] Established businesses match our criteria and culture fit. We learn from established operators and grow.[00:16:25] Leveraging Bobby Flay to attract repeat customers.[00:20:26] Training ensures consistent, visually compelling food marketing.[00:23:20] Leverage tools, influence trends, and use consumer insights.[00:25:55] Breakthrough content is crucial for attention. Advertising, AI, and technology play a role.[00:28:20] Secret ingredients: franchisees, operators, menu, training, support.ABOUT NICK GLIMSDAHLSubscribe to my weekly newsletterFind me on TwitterFind me on LinkedInLISTENER SUPPORTPurchase Nick's books: Reasons NOT to Focus on Employee Experience: A Comprehensive GuideApparel: https://www.teepublic.com/user/press-1-for-nick Support this show through Buy Me A CoffeeBOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:Learn about all the guests book recommendations here: https://press1fornick.com/books/ BROUGHT TO YOU BY:VDS: They are a client-first consulting firm focused on strategy, business outcomes, and technology. They provide holistic consulting services to optimize your customer contact center, inspiring and designing transformational change to modernize and prepare your business for the future. Learn more: https://www.govds.com/ This podcast is under the umbrella of CX of M Radio: https://cxofm.org/Podcast-Shows/ SPONSORING OPPORTUNITIES:Interested in partnering with the Press 1 For Nick podcast? Click here: https://press1fornick.com/lets-talk/

multi award winning educator Nathan Provencio who works with school districts all over the country joins us for a comprehensive discussion on how he made things work at his Virginia Title 1 school and how his success can work for you and your school ...

In this episode of the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast, host Sean V. Bradley delves into the intricacies of Digital Marketing and Vendor Partnerships within the Automotive Industry. Sean emphasizes the importance of understanding the breakdown of website expenses, including components like SEO and SEM, to make informed decisions. He advocates for a shift in focus from VDPs and SRPs to actionable opportunities and leads. Tune in to gain insights on the necessity of regularly auditing vendors to ensure they deliver value for your investment. Sean explores common vendor-related issues, such as data feed problems and content quality, and offers practical solutions. Additionally, he introduces a scorecard and referral program to empower dealers to assess their vendors and enhance their lead-generation strategies. Don't miss this episode for expert advice on optimizing your dealership's digital marketing efforts and vendor relationships.   Key Takeaways: Dealers should break down their website expenses and understand the impact of each component, such as SEO and SEM. The focus should be on generating actionable opportunities and leads rather than VDPs and SRPs. Dealers should assess their vendor partners regularly and ensure they are providing value for the money spent. If a dealer is receiving a high percentage of bad leads, it may indicate issues with tracking, internal processes, or the vendor. The success of third-party providers depends on having a CRM set up with the right processes, action plans, templates, and accountability.   "If you get 500 leads a month and 100 or 200 leads are bad, something's either wrong with your tracking or internal. You're burning through ups, or you have the wrong vendor." - Sean V. Bradley   About Sean V. Bradley Sean V. Bradley, CSP is an entrepreneur, published author, speaker and award-winning international trainer. He is a 14-time NADA/ATD convention speaker, FranklinCovey Certified Facilitator and has earned the coveted “CSP” designation in the National Speakers Association. Sean is also a member of the elite “Million Dollar Speakers Group” in the NSA and a state association speaker and trainer. He has spoken at over 400 NCM and NADA 20 Groups. Sean started Dealer Synergy over 20 years ago, but has been in the automotive industry for almost 22 years. Sean and his Dealer Synergy team are a 14-time Dealers' Choice Award Winner for being the “Best of the Best Internet Sales Trainer” and “Mobile Provider Partner” in the Automotive Sales Industry.  Sean has personally trained over 100,000 Automotive Sales Professionals in 3,500 unique rooftops. However, he literally influences hundreds of thousands of professionals, in and out of the Automotive Sales industry, all over the world, through: his over 4,000 published articles, his best-selling book “Win the Game of Googleopoly”, over 7,000 videos published online, and through Radio Station soundwaves by Hosting the globally recognized Against All Odds Radio Show currently airing in Atlanta, Cleveland, Rochester, and Los Angeles, and the 'internet buzzing' Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast reaching over 1 million Americans! Additionally, Sean is the creator of the Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group, with a membership count of 25,900+ automotive professionals.     How to Maximize ROI in Automotive Digital Marketing: Insights from Industry Experts As the automotive industry continues to evolve, dealerships are faced with the challenge of effectively allocating their marketing budgets to generate the highest return on investment (ROI). In an era where digital marketing plays a crucial role in driving sales, it is essential for dealerships to conduct a thorough assessment of their digital marketing strategies and vendor partnerships. In this thought leadership article, we will delve into the insights shared by industry experts during a recent Dealer Synergy Academy class, where they discussed the importance of conducting a digital marketing ROI assessment and vendor partner analysis. We will explore the key themes that emerged from the discussion and analyze their implications for dealerships.   Introduction: The Disparity in Dealership Spending and Results In the fast-paced and competitive world of automotive sales, success is not easily achieved. However, there are individuals who have managed to rise above the rest and achieve remarkable results. One such individual is Ray McLaughlin II, a top performer at Koons Ford of Baltimore, a multi-billion dollar dealer group. In this thought leadership article, we will delve into the insights and strategies shared by Ray during a podcast interview with Sean V. Bradley, the president of Dealer Synergy and creator of the Millionaire Car Salesman podcast. By examining Ray's experiences and perspectives, we can gain valuable knowledge on how to excel in the automotive sales industry.   The Importance of Breaking Down Website Costs One of the key issues identified during the discussion was the lack of transparency in website costs. Many dealerships are unaware of the breakdown of expenses for their websites, including core packages, SEO, SEM, social media ads, and other tools or widgets. Sean V. Bradley emphasized the importance of breaking down these costs to determine the true ROI of a dealership's website. By understanding the individual costs of each component, dealerships can assess the effectiveness of their digital marketing strategies and make informed decisions about their marketing budgets. Joel, one of the participants in the class, shared his experience with website costs. He estimated spending less than $800 per month on his website, including SEO and other tools. However, Sean V. Bradley pointed out that it is essential to break down these costs to determine the true ROI. Without a clear understanding of the individual costs and their impact on lead generation, dealerships cannot accurately assess the effectiveness of their website and make data-driven decisions.   The Pitfalls of OEM-Compliant Websites Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and social media marketing were also discussed during the class as essential components of digital marketing strategies. Joel shared his experience with PPC advertising, mentioning a budget of $1,500 per month for Google AdWords and an additional fee for ad management. However, Sean V. Bradley emphasized the importance of breaking down these costs to determine the true ROI of PPC advertising. By understanding the individual costs and their impact on lead generation, dealerships can make informed decisions about their marketing budgets. The discussion also touched upon the role of social media marketing in driving traffic to dealership websites. Joel mentioned minimal spending on Facebook and Instagram ads, highlighting the need for a management fee to optimize these campaigns. Sean V. Bradley emphasized the importance of breaking down these costs and assessing the effectiveness of social media marketing strategies. By understanding the impact of social media ads on lead generation, dealerships can allocate their marketing budgets more effectively.   The Role of Pay-Per-Click Advertising and Social Media Marketing In today's digital age, social media has become a powerful tool for automotive sales professionals. Ray recognizes the significance of social media in reaching a wider audience and building a personal brand. He actively uses platforms like Instagram and Facebook to showcase his expertise, share customer testimonials, and promote special offers. By leveraging social media, Ray is able to stay connected with his customers and attract new prospects. Ray also expresses his interest in exploring TikTok as a platform to expand his online presence. He acknowledges the potential of TikTok in reaching a younger demographic and creating engaging content that resonates with potential customers. By embracing social media and staying active on various platforms, Ray is able to establish himself as a trusted authority in the automotive industry and attract a steady stream of leads. According to Ray, "I plan on texting you, I plan on emailing you. I plan on harassing you, man." This statement reflects Ray's enthusiasm for utilizing digital platforms to connect with industry experts and continue his learning and growth in the field of automotive sales.   The Value of Third-Party Lead Providers During the class, Sean V. Bradley highlighted the value of third-party lead providers, such as AutoWeb and CarsDirect. He emphasized the importance of considering these providers as part of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. While some dealerships may be hesitant to rely solely on third-party leads, Sean V. Bradley emphasized the need to evaluate the cost per lead and the potential ROI. He shared examples of dealerships that had successfully generated leads at a fraction of the cost compared to other marketing channels. Zach, one of the participants in the class, expressed his frustration with the lack of success in generating leads from his dealership's website. He mentioned conducting a comprehensive SEO assessment and finding significant issues with the website's optimization. Sean V. Bradley acknowledged the challenges faced by dealerships and emphasized the importance of investing in oneself. He encouraged Zach to focus on building his personal brand through social media platforms and leveraging his own marketing strategies to generate leads.   Conclusion: Maximizing ROI in Automotive Digital Marketing In the highly competitive world of automotive sales, success requires a combination of leadership, consistency, organization, online presence, and word-of-mouth marketing. Ray McLaughlin II, a top performer at Koons Ford of Baltimore, exemplifies these qualities and has achieved remarkable results in his career. By following his insights and strategies, automotive sales professionals can enhance their performance, build strong customer relationships, and drive business growth. The key takeaways from Ray's experiences include the importance of strong leadership and company culture, the power of consistency and organization, the value of social media and online presence, and the significance of referrals and word-of-mouth marketing. By implementing these strategies, automotive sales professionals can elevate their success and thrive in a competitive industry.     Resources Dealer Synergy & Bradley On Demand: The automotive industry's #1 training, tracking, testing, and certification platform and consulting & accountability firm. The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast: is the #1 resource for automotive sales professionals, managers, and owners.  Also, join The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group today! The Against All Odds Radio Show: Hosting guests that have started from the bottom and rose to the top.  Also, join The Against All Odds Radio Show Guests & Listeners Facebook Group for the podcasted episodes. For more interactivity, join The Millionaire Car Salesman Club on Clubhouse. Win the Game of Googleopoly: Unlocking the secret strategy of search engines.   The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast is Proudly Sponsored By:  Dealer Synergy: The #1 Automotive Sales Training, Consulting, and Accountability Firm in the Automotive Industry! We have been building Internet Departments and BDCs for over two decades! It is this experience that has allowed us to develop the absolute best automotive Internet Sales, BDC, and CRM solutions for car dealerships. We have created the most effective training programs and processes. Phone scripts and rebuttals are our specialties, while CRM action plans, strategies, and templates are our expertise! Dealer Synergy will take both your tools and your people to the next level. Bradley On Demand: Automotive Sales Industry's #1 Interactive Training, Tracking, Testing and Certification Platform. With over 7,500 training modules, our platform has everything you and your dealership need to sell more cars, more often and more profitably! Money Mind Mapp (M3): Visit MoneyMindMapp.com for help in revolutionizing your business to help you sell more cars by tracking, projecting, and forecasting your personal sales goals!  

In this episode, we talk about quality and how to protect it in your business.   Link to my latest virtual hospitality program:  http://6canons.com/   - We discuss 3 businesses who are testing new CX strateies in the marketplace - Quality takes an intentional approach to ensure daily execution.  This is fueled by front line employees and their leaders. - 5 steps to maintaing quality in your business     It's time for the great service comeback!  Visit http://6canons.com/ to find my exclusive course on Customer Experience and Leadership.     Tony Johnson is a Customer Experience Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Author with a wide background including decades in retail and restaurants.  He regularly speaks and coaches organizations to IGNITE THEIR SERVICE using his common sense approach to Customer engagement.  Tony has spoken to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies to unlock their amazing capacity for excellence.     Tony Johnson Customer Service Expert | Author | Trainer | Speaker     Check out my FREE Resources and Training Tools: Web: https://www.igniteyourservice.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RecipeforserviceNet Twitter:  https://twitter.com/The_TonyJohnson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/THE_TONYJOHNSON/ Tik Tok:   https://vm.tiktok.com/owrTbL/ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tonyjohnsoncx/   Music: http://www.bensound.com

You know I love a good trashy TV show and today we talk about 3 of my favourite. Well, actually they aren't all that trashy but I do love them... and a podcast recommendation to boot!  Enjoy!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's interview is with Micah Peterson, a member of the founding team and the VP of Product Management at ProcedureFlow, the next-generation knowledge management software that is designed to help companies visualize and navigate processes. We talk about two delusions that exist in the service space, particularly at the VP level, why followed procedures reduce AHT, how customer service can often be the dumpster fire of the company, and how text-based knowledge bases tend only to have a 3-year lifecycle unless they are properly cleaned and managed before they become completely dysfunctional. This interview follows on from my recent interview – The autonomous enterprise is like a North Star vision of where business is going – Interview with Kerim Akgonul and Peter van der Putten of Pega – and is number 478 in the series of interviews with authors and business leaders that are doing great things, providing valuable insights, helping businesses innovate and delivering great service and experience to both their customers and their employees.

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who has delivered keynotes across the globe to organizations including American Express and the United Nations. She has worked with some of the world's biggest brands and entertainers, including Walmart, Disney, Taylor Swift, and Dolly Parton. She founded and scaled an entertainment startup to eight figures before exiting, and she is the former Chief Experience Officer of Experience.com. MEMORABLE MOMENTS  “All of the same things that are true for super-fandoms in entertainment are true for brands of all kinds.” “Experience is everything, and everything is experience. Each connection contributes to the experience potential customers have with your brand.”“A brand cultivates customer experience by designing what it feels like to do business with them. It's important to be intentional about creating all of the tools necessary to get everybody on your team in alignment so that every customer has the experience that you want them to have.”"Make apathy an issue of the past by connecting your story to your customer's story.”“You're never done with customer experience…there's a constant need to be improving and updating your practices to align with the needs of your clientele.” “Confidence is unapologetically doing what you think is the right thing to do. While it's okay to care what other people think, you're not going to let it sway you from your path.” Connect with Brittany:⭐Connect on Instagram: @brittanyhodak⭐Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrittanyHodak/⭐Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanyhodak/⭐Brittany's new book: https://brittanyhodak.com/book/ Connect with Allison:⭐ Connect on Instagram @allisonwalsh⭐ JOIN OUR FREE COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/shebelievedshecouldcommunity⭐ Check out book recommendations from the show here⭐ Download your free 90 day planner here⭐ ORDER THE SBSC BOOK

Kerry Bodine is the co-author of Outside In and a globally recognized customer experience expert. She founded Bodine & Co. in 2014 on the belief that unified and profitable customer experiences must be built from within — and that requires new ways of working and thinking. 0:41.206 People might know about you 2:45.090  - 5:17.354 Why CX must be built from within the organization  6:16.947  -  7:37.675 Don't make decisions based on flawed assumptions  8:15.106  -  9:17.159 Tell Stories to Solve Problems  9:46.294  - 11:03.806 The best way to deliver information is through aggregate/real-life storytelling  11:23.246 - 15:03.345 Get buy-in across the organization by showing how CX impacts business outcomes  17:25.918 - 20:20.225 Most companies think they deliver a great experience, but customers don't agree. How can they know for sure?  21:27.869 -  22:28.164 Has your organization delivered on your Mission, Vision, Values / Brand Attributes?  23:13.948 - 26:01.928 How to get in front of relationship management ABOUT NICK GLIMSDAHLSubscribe to my weekly newsletterFind me on TwitterFind me on LinkedInLISTENER SUPPORTPurchase Nick's books: Reasons NOT to Focus on Employee Experience: A Comprehensive GuideApparel: https://www.teepublic.com/user/press-1-for-nick Support this show through Buy Me A CoffeeBOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:Learn about all the guests book recommendations here: https://press1fornick.com/books/ BROUGHT TO YOU BY:VDS: They are a client-first consulting firm focused on strategy, business outcomes, and technology. They provide holistic consulting services to optimize your customer contact center, inspiring and designing transformational change to modernize and prepare your business for the future. Learn more: https://www.govds.com/ This podcast is under the umbrella of CX of M Radio: https://cxofm.org/Podcast-Shows/ SPONSORING OPPORTUNITIES:Interested in partnering with the Press 1 For Nick podcast? Click here: https://press1fornick.com/lets-talk/ 

Peter Voss, Founder, CEO, and Chief Scientist at Aigo.ai, talks about making software intelligent. With the advancements in conversation AI technology, AI is able to deliver superior and hyper-personalized customer experiences. Sophisticated AI technology has the ability to remember all past interactions, works 24/7, and has no wait time. Today, Peter discusses hyper-personalization using AI in customer service. Show NotesConnect With:Peter Voss: Website // LinkedInThe MarTech Podcast: Email // Newsletter // TwitterBenjamin Shapiro: Website // LinkedIn // TwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.