Podcast appearances and mentions of matt swain

Dr. Matthew Bunson from Rome. Matt Swain with Journey Home highlights and a convert's perspective on Pope Leo XIV. Ambassador Francis Rooney joins Teresa Teresa to talk about what it's like when your friend becomes Pope. Gail Buckley-Barringer and the Scripture Verse of the Week, plus Vanessa Denha Garmo and Teresa discuss the media coverage of the New Pope.

Dr. Matthew Bunson from Rome. Matt Swain with Journey Home highlights and a convert's perspective on Pope Leo XIV. Ambassador Francis Rooney joins Teresa Teresa to talk about what it's like when your friend becomes Pope. Gail Buckley-Barringer and the Scripture Verse of the Week, plus Vanessa Denha Garmo and Teresa discuss the media coverage of the New Pope.

Debbie Miglaw is Head of Digital Solutioning & Business Development at Broadridge. She and her team of digital sales specialists, solutions architects and business analysts are responsible for consulting with clients to define the digital solutions that support their digital transformation and customer experience goals.  The team of experts work with clients' business and technology stakeholders to map the solution from ideation to implementation. Debbie has extensive experience in helping clients with their print-to-digital transformations. Prior to her current role, Debbie was responsible for designing and executing the product vision and strategy of Broadridge Customer Communications omni-channel solutions.   Questions · Now, could you start off by sharing with our listeners a little bit about your journey, how it is that you got from where you were to where you are today? · Could you share with us a little bit about the results from that survey, maybe some key things that came out of that survey? · In the customer experience space, what do you think are some trends that will continue? And maybe even some new ones that you're hoping to see evolve? Or even get more prominent? · What's the one online resource tool website or app that you absolutely can't live without in your business? · Could you also share with our listeners one or two books that you've read, could be a book that you read recently, or even one you read a very long time ago. But it has had a profound impact on you whether personally or professionally. · Now, could you also share with our listeners what's the one thing that's going on in your life right now that you are really excited about? Either something you're working on to develop yourself or your people. · What would you say as a leader is maybe two or three things that you believe is critical to kind of raise a team members competencies up, especially as it relates to their behaviors in developing leadership skills? · Where can listeners find you online? · Now, before we wrap our episodes up, we always like to ask our guests do you have a quote or saying that during times of adversity or challenge, you will tend to revert to this quote if for any reason you get derail or you get off track, the quote kind of helps to get you back on track. Do you have one of those? Highlights Debbie's Journey Me: Now, could you start off by sharing with our listeners a little bit about your journey, how it is that you got from where you were to where you are today?   Debbie shared that she's been here quite a while; it started believe it or not 26 years ago, within the Broadridge space. She started with the company it was considered USCS International, which was acquired by DST Systems. And in 2016, Broadridge acquired the DST output business. And as part of that, they really brought together the best of the customer communications business across all vertical markets. And along that journey, she spent the majority of her time heading up and leading the product organization to deliver solutions across print and digital services and she continue on in that in the last 3 years, really help focus on as you said in the intro the solutioning and helping their clients find the right solution to solve for their business objectives.   Key Insights from the Recent Survey: Understanding Trends and Findings Me: Perfect. Now, one of the reasons why we were very intrigued to interview I believe, when we started this conversation, it would have been Matt Swain was about the report that was shared with me when the interview request was presented on your 6th Annual CX and Communications Consumer Insight survey. I understand the survey covers the overall consumer sentiment around CX within different industries. So, could you share with us a little bit about the results from that survey, maybe some key things that came out of that survey?   Debbie shared that they're very excited with the 2024 results that they've published out in the market. And one of the most prominent things that they found in the data is really that in the last 5 years, you could say 6, as most people know, 2020, they didn't do the survey. But over that time span, the number of consumers, the percentage that are dissatisfied with customer experience and believe companies need to improve that experience has doubled.  So, it's gone from 35%, having a sentiment that is saying needs to be better to 70%. So, it's pretty significant in terms of the fact that the expectations continue to grow, but the companies aren't necessarily achieving it at the same rate. So, that's probably the first one that she would say stands out a lot.   They also still see some things around personalization. So, when they look at the information, they find that 90% of consumers think that it's important for companies to honour their preferred communication method and a personalized communication. But only 31% think the companies are doing a good job of honouring those preferences and making it a personal experience. And then the other third point, she would say is really around data security. That's continued to be there, she's not sure that will ever change in her personal opinion, however, that consumers continue to crave that better experience but more than half, 54% are willing to share personal data if it's going to improve experience, so, that's really telling.   And then she'll say the last point, she would say is that they did ask this year about AI because it's definitely out there in market. And one of the things that they found is varying feedback, of course, but Gen Z out of all the groups are particularly optimistic about the use of AI and 76% are actually saying that they have used it in some fashion and 46% say it's actually improved their experience. So, it's just a little tidbit maybe not the top three kernels that she previously mentioned, but something for us to keep an eye on.    Me: Very fascinating. So, the study was done across different industries, right? Could you share with our listeners, like maybe the sample size? And what specific industries were covered when the survey was done?   Debbie shared that this was a North American survey, it's about 75% in the US and 25% in Canada, there were 4010 residents that were 18 years and older that was doing this study, it was executed in November of 2023. So, that's the high-level background.  And then they do actually ask about the types of industries that are providing the best experience and around the communications, and so, those industries vary from banking, credit card, utilities, health care, health insurance, telecommunications, investments, retirement, insurance loans, and then you could say, like, maybe an other for those that don't have answers, but they typically hit those. She thinks it's 10 particular industry standouts in their report.                                                                                                 Me: Perfect. So very, very good insights, especially for those of our listeners that are in the United States and Canada, we do have a lot of listeners that are outside of that region. But it's still fascinating information to keep into consideration, because probably the same execution could be done for your region if you're listening to this, and you're not in North America, you could possibly do something similar to what Broadridge did. Because the industries exist in these regions, they just probably don't have the data to support it. So, thank you so much for sharing, Debbie.   Emerging Trends in Customer Experience Me: Now, Debbie, based on your own experience in the whole customer experience space, because you have a lot of background in that, especially working with Broadridge and your previous experience. And of course, seeing that were basically halfway through 2024. What do you think are some trends that will continue? And maybe even some new ones that you're hoping to see evolve? Or even get more prominent?    Debbie stated that that's a good question. She would say that trends that they see is really a combination of how do we accelerate that digital transformation and improve the customer experience, and also lower costs and so especially more so probably in the US than some of the other areas like Canada and such, the postal rates increased dramatically. So, top of mind for companies, is to actually reduce that paper and try to get to digital quickly. But also, how do you do that? So, paperless adoption strategies is going to continue to be one of the top initiatives and trends that we see that will not change she doesn't think anytime soon.  But she thinks really what's happening is companies out there in the industries, they're really looking to figure out how do they best do it? We sometimes talk about especially you've talked to Matt Swain in the past, and it's the carrot versus the stick often comes up. And they're seeing a mixture of trial and error in there, especially with the stick.  They're really looking at how do people actually accelerate that customer experience in a way that potentially doesn't have that heavy IT cost to do it. So, she thinks they're starting to also see a trend around the make, buy, build kind of conversation. Do you build, do buy, do you partner? And so, seeing a lot of that in order to actually accelerate that transformation.   App, Website or Tool that Debbie Absolutely Can't Live Without in Her Business When asked about online resource that she can't live without in her business, Debbie stated that that's interesting, for her, she uses so many, their company probably from a perspective of she'll say, their research uses a variety of different tools. They all use LinkedIn as one source. But more than anything, when they're looking at customer experience, they look at things like UserTesting, as a way to gauge what the consumer sentiment is against the communication experience. So, that's definitely one, especially in the customer experience, and communications and consulting area. So, they definitely rely on that. And believe it or not, they like to just go out and essentially see and experience the experiences for themselves. So, meaning they might actually go to a lot of companies that they're either talking to as prospective clients or existing clients to get a sense of competitive landscape of what the best customer experiences are. So, a lot of times that personal research is the best tool that we have.   Books that Have Had the Biggest Impact on Debbie When asked about books that have had a great impact, Debbie stated that that's a good question and shared that she now can't remember the name of the book, unfortunately. But it was quite some time ago, there was a book that was really around innovation and the way we think, and what innovation means. And a lot of it had to do with the small startup business and it really made her think how you can actually have that startup mentality and how you apply it into a larger corporation. And she thinks that's one thing she has the privilege of working with the team that does a lot of that innovation for Broadridge in terms of the innovation lab and R & D. And so, their Chief Digital Officer, Rob Krugman spends a lot of time going out and exploring these different opportunities. And so, she thinks the creation of that particular unit within their company in the last couple of years has really helped kind of expand the opportunities that they might be able to bring to market.    What Debbie is Really Excited About Now! Debbie stated that that's good question. She thinks right now, their focus short term happens to be the end of their fiscal year. So, they have a very aggressive sales goals from that perspective, it's there. Ironically, when she talks about end of year, the personal side of that is it's the end of the school year going on right now so they're in the week of things like her daughter's 8th grade graduation, kind of those activities. So, it's kind of interesting that the timing of their fiscal is also the end of school year activities. And so, they're really aligned on staying focused, getting through all the activities that are there. So, very much a streamlined set of activities, both personally and professionally.   Fostering Leadership Competencies: Strategies for Elevating Team Members' Skills and Behaviors Me: Now, you do a lot of work as a leader, Debbie in your organization. And I imagine, as a leader, you have to kind of hone and develop other people's skills so that they can become truly functional in their role, but not necessarily from a technical perspective, but also from a development perspective, meaning they have the ability to motivate and inspire others. What would you say as a leader is maybe two or three things that you believe is critical to kind of raise a team members competencies up, especially as it relates to their behaviors in developing leadership skills?    Debbie shared that for me, a lot of it is empowering the employees to essentially try and do and a lot of times, that's what creates the growth. So, a lot of the approach that she's taken as a leader over the years is, after we've done sort of, like you said that a technical type education and product knowledge, some of those kinds of things the company is then they do a lot of, say, ride along. So, ride along with a meeting to listen, hear how it's actually executed, especially if it's like a sales or product related meeting. And then giving the opportunity for that person to actually lead where you sort of follow on. So, you're there as a safety net to help. And she thinks that really empowers people to let them be the experts when a leader or someone that might have more experiences on the phone. Because a lot of times what happens is people naturally defer to the person with more knowledge. So, she's found that that's a really good way to raise that confidence, and give them experience.   And again, a little bit of a safety net to get there and typically, those folks that have the aptitude, really just run with it. And before you know it, basically they're running it on their own, and they don't necessarily need you there. So, that's a great thing to see as a leader.  And she thinks the other is really kind of coaching around the communication aspect, and that really varies. She knows for like in her product role a lot of times in the past it was very technical you could say right, the accuracy what you're saying, and then trying to balance that when the right opportunity is there.  Do you need to be a little bit more optimistic and sales oriented? Do you need to be more practical, here's what's real?  And guiding people through that process of understanding the situation that you're in, in order to convey the right message right? And it's not about accuracy of the information, it's just more about that influential speak when it's appropriate, when it's not type situation. So, those are a couple of things that really stand out for her.   Where can listeners find Debbie online? LinkedIn – Debbie Miglaw Website – www.broadridge.com LinkedIn – Matt Swain 2023 CX and Communications Consumer Insights Survey   Quote or Saying that During Times of Adversity Debbie Uses  When asked about a quote or saying that she tends to revert to, Debbie shared that she does, her quote is “The best is yet to come.”   Me: Do you like to elaborate a little bit on it for our listeners?   Debbie shared that for her view, it's tough when you're in it, and a lot of times we forget to look ahead and how we're going to get past a difficult situation. And so, she thinks if we just have that little bit more optimistic view that on the other side, things will get better. And so, it's kind of funny, it comes up in other panels that she's spoken on in person. And she always say it's also a song, so it's kind of you can have it as a motto, a song, a saying, but the best is yet to come. So, whether it is in your personal life or in work, she could say the best customer experience is yet to come, right. The best for her daughter's future is yet to come. So, kind of looking at it from that angle.    Me: Very nice. Alright. Well, Debbie, thank you so much for jumping on this podcast and sharing the great insights that you did about the report that Broadridge did, as well as in your own function and capacity in terms of leading your team and some recommended trends that you believe will continue as well as evolve in the space of customer experience. The conversation was extremely insightful, and I'm sure our listeners gleaned quite a lot of information from our conversation, so that thank you so much.   Please connect with us on Twitter @navigatingcx and also join our Private Facebook Community – Navigating the Customer Experience and listen to our FB Lives weekly with a new guest   The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience Grab the Freebie on Our Website – TOP 10 Online Business Resources for Small Business Owners  Do you want to pivot your online customer experience and build loyalty - get a copy of “The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience.” The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience provides 26 easy to follow steps and techniques that helps your business to achieve success and build brand loyalty. This Guide to Limitless, Happy and Loyal Customers will help you to strengthen your service delivery, enhance your knowledge and appreciation of the customer experience and provide tips and practical strategies that you can start implementing immediately! This book will develop your customer service skills and sharpen your attention to detail when serving others. Master your customer experience and develop those knock your socks off techniques that will lead to lifetime customers. Your customers will only want to work with your business and it will be your brand differentiator. It will lead to recruiters to seek you out by providing practical examples on how to deliver a winning customer service experience!

Building a personal online presence is key to driving outcomes in the modern social landscape. Matt Swain works with high-profile leading Founders, CEOs and Entrepreneurs globally; translating their business success, accolades & stories into a powerful online brand presence that creates huge business growth & opportunities. On this episode we cover:-How pain creates growth-Matt's views on success-What a strong Personal Brand can do for your business -How to be successful on social media with zero followers -Unconventional ways for TikTok creators to approach their socials -Tapping into the potential of LinkedIn-The importance of travel in shifting your perspective-Becoming a more confident public speaker -Why clarity is key (and how being sober helps)And much much more…. Please like & subscribe people and enjoy the episodeMatt Socials:LinkedIn:   / matt-swain1  Instagram:   / mattswain_  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mattswain01?_...#marketing #podcast #entrepreneur #tiktok #interview #entertainment #motivation #successSupport the Show.Sponsors: HERAhttps://heraclothing.com/ - Discount code: HERAXSIM15 for 15% off ALT Water - https://www.altwater.co.uk/Socials:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sim-bhatoy?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3B86693CJbTB%2BocDixvGwopg%3D%3DInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/been.there.done.that_pod?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==&utm_source=qrTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beenthere.donethat.pod?_t=8mtxveff985&_r=1

Watch our videocast or listen to the podcast conversation with Fractional CMO Amy Wilson and personal brand guru Matt Swain, on how founders can build a personal brand and the importance of emerging companies of having a well-thought-out marketing strategy.

Get your party hat on! Joseph Lo, Head of Enterprise Platforms and Co-Head of AI at Broadridge, and Matt Swain, Head of Communications Insights and Experience at Broadridge, celebrate Chat GPT turning 1. Tune in as Joseph and Matt reflect on the explosive growth of Chat GPT – reaching 100 million users within 2 months of its launch – and how it brought a significant amount of attention to generative AI and its natural language capabilities. Learn how companies are leveraging generative AI and discover best practices for this game-changing technology.

Lisa Kottler, Chief Growth Officer at Sallus Retirement, is on a mission: Make sure all Americans have access to a retirement plan at work. From leveraging blockchain, AI, and humor, Lisa shares her aspirations for the future of the retirement industry. “The bottom line is, we just can't continue to do things in the traditional way and expect to have different results.” Tune in to find out how Lisa is challenging the status quo and how her approach applies to all industries in the latest Reimagining Communications podcast with host Matt Swain.

CJ Warriner, Senior Marketing Director at Broadridge, and Matt Swain, Head of Communications Insights and Experience at Broadridge, share a behind-the-scenes look and key insights from the fifth annual CX and Communications Consumer Insights report, including what customers want from their communications experiences; how the economy is impacting expectations; emerging technologies, like ChatGPT; and more.

Matt Swain is Head of Communications Insights & Experience at Broadridge. He is a recognized Customer Communications industry thought leader and the host of the Reimagining Communications podcast. From delivering keynotes around the world to defining best practices, hundreds of well-known companies have relied on Matt's expertise and research for their current and future omni-channel communication initiatives. As Head of Communications Insights & Experience at Broadridge, Matt brings invaluable market research and consulting expertise to clients relative to benchmarking, customer experience optimization, and digital transformation.   Questions  •  Our last interview was maybe about a year ago, how have things been for you in the last year? Any new changes or new emerging trends that you've identified in the last year? •  Your 2023 CX and Communications Consumer Insights Report, one of the first things I'd like for us to start off talking about is, there is a very big disparity between customer expectations in 2019 being 35% versus 2023 being 69%, that's like basically a double, it's about half more than what it was before. What do you think is a primary reason for this? Why are customers' expectations not being met? •  One of the things that your report also generated and spoke about was personalization. And even if companies have a good handle on it, are they really executing it in such a way that the customer feels like that experience is personalized? Could you share a little bit about the data on that that was collected? •  Now, in delivering that quality experience as you mentioned what the customer is looking for. In the report you spoke quite a bit about digital transformation and just making things easy and simple for customers to access. Could you share with our audience, maybe two or three key takeaways or trends that may have come out of the report as it relates to that particular area? •  I found it quite interesting that there was your mention, or the reporting gave mention to the fact that there was preferences for physical mail versus digital. So, can you explain to us a little bit about why it is you still have some people that are interested in physical mail? Do you think it's generational? Or do you think it's just as a backup? •  Based on the report, what are maybe one or two things that organization should be focusing on based on what the data is showing you because we do want to make data informed decisions. •  Is there any new books/content that you've been exposed to that you think you'd want to share with our audience that you think would add value to their journey? •  Could you also share with us what's one thing that you're working on right now or going on in your life right now that you're really excited about, either something you're working on to develop yourself or your people? •  Could you tell our listeners where they could find you online?   Highlights  New Emerging Trends Identified in the Last Year Me: So, we are having you back on based on the fact that you have published a new paper that we're quite intrigued for you to share with us some of the high points from that paper. But before we jump into that, could you share with us? I think our last interview was maybe about a year ago, like last year May I think. So, just a little bit under a year, how have things been for you in the last year? Any new changes or new emerging trends that you've identified in the last year?   Matt stated that certainly, there's been a lot happening in the past year, certainly, they looked at some of the changes in the economy and how that might change the way that consumers and customers would want to interact with the companies they do business with. The other one that has emerged even more recently is Chat GPT. And looking at generative AI and how advanced that has gotten, has certainly had a lot of their clients asking about how and where they might be able to apply that in the future.    Disparity in Customer Expectations Me: Amazing. I'm so happy you brought up Chat GPT, because it's certainly a hot topic these days. So, back to the report, your 2023 CX and Communications Consumer Insights Report, I had a chance to look through it and I'm quite intrigued with some of the insights. So, one of the first things I'd like for us to start off talking about is, there is a very big disparity between customer expectations in 2019 being 35% versus 2023 being 69%, that's like basically a double, it's about half more than what it was before. What do you think is a primary reason for this? Why are customers' expectations not being met?    Matt shared that this is one of his favorite stats. And he bet they talked about it last year as well, when it was at 65% of consumers that said that most of the companies they do business with need to improve the experience they provide. So, that 35% in 2019, jumping to 69% in their latest report. Over the last five years they are headed from a consumer perspective where businesses are not delivering quality customer experience and the caveat is, it's most businesses, right?   So, we all have our favorite and whoever offers the best customer experience for you today, that kind of sets the bar for what your expectation is for how you interact with all companies you do business with. And what concerns them is that those leaders are pulling further ahead. So, they mentioned generative AI and Chat GPT. Let's say those leaders start using that as something to simplify his customer experience. Now, how does everyone else catch up that might not necessarily have as deep of pockets or might not have the resources to deliver on that experience? We're seeing a bigger gap from the leaders and the rest of the field.   Me: Amazing. And would you say that based on the disparity in the percentage that it's more prevalent in some industries than it is in others?   Matt shared that he thinks so, the way they asked the question was generically across all of the companies you do business with, but he thinks when they look at who's providing the best experiences, consumers lean toward banking as providing among the best experiences, but that was still only 3 in 5 consumers that suggested that their banking relationship was best.   The next one after banking was credit cards and that was less than 2 in 5 consumers only 38% of consumers thought that their credit card provider had the best experience. So, it does show banking is a clear leader, there's still 39% of banking customers that don't think their banking relationship is among the best. So, it really is dependent on the specific company, more so than the industry.   Me: Now, one of the things your report also mentioned is that what the leaders do better than the persons that are clearly lagging behind them are things like, ease of transaction in terms of navigating account details, that was 43%, communicating clearly was 43%, making it easy to talk to a real person 41%, sending notification when there's important things to be looked at 34%, and allowing the customers to select how they want to receive communication is 25%. So, what I noticed across all of those, they could actually be grouped under one topic communications, right?    Matt stated exactly and where he was headed with that is he thinks that that is one of the big takeaways for them is, they think so much about customer experience being broader than communications, which it is there are aspects that are not communications driven, but the communications play a really critical role in what that overall customer experience is.   Me: Agreed, agreed. And it's something I always think that a lot of times, it's always the little things that can make an experience amazing or fantastic or phenomenal, versus making an experience unbearable, and uncomfortable and just frustrating.   Simple things like maybe just as you mentioned, a follow up telephone call or an email to let you know where things stand. Just yesterday, I was speaking to a friend who is looking to switch insurance companies for his health insurance. And he mentioned that the previous provider that they had, had a portal that you could log in, and each time you had a health claim, you could see the status of the claim online.   Whereas this new company, even though their rates are better, and they're known as the industry leader in the market, it's just so frustrating. He has to call the broker and sometimes he's not aware of the process. And, of course, there's no online portal to log on so there's no way for you to know what's the status of your health claims. So, again, communications, because one of the reasons why he thought the previous provider was better was because of the fact that it was easy to get information instead of him having to take so many steps to get the same information.   Matt shared that he thinks that that aspect of friction, certainly, we talk about friction in any process relative to customer experience, but for accessing information for just being able to get into the system and navigating to the things that are most important to you, those are really centered around a strong communication strategy.   Personalization vs. Customization in Customer Experience Me: Indeed. Now, one of the things that your report also generated and spoke about was personalization. We've been hearing that word for quite a few years now, I don't know if every company has a good handle on what personalization really is. And even if they have a good handle on it, are they really executing it in such a way that the customer feels like that experience is personalized? Could you share a little bit about the data on that that was collected?    Matt shared that from a consumer perspective, the people that responded to the survey, personalization, certainly for them means make it about me, make it relevant to me. For the company that's sending that communication, which is the Broadridge client, if you will, they're more thinking customization or not necessarily one to one personalization, but configurability and configuration. So, certainly with your data, obviously that is personalized to you because that is your account balance or how much you owe or whatever it is.   But then there are those peripheral things, marketing messages, the cross sell, the upsell, the imagery, and those are all things that can turn somebody off if for instance, there's a picture of a retired couple, and the consumer is just starting his career, and they're talking to him about early retirement, certainly early retirement would be great. But he doesn't think that that's going to be the reality for him today. And then that makes him question the rest of the communication, because he's been put off by that initial visual as an example.    Me: Very true. So, could you maybe give our audience one strategy of how an organization could combat that type of perception of customization versus personalization?   Matt shared that he doesn't even know if it's combating it, he thinks it's for the recipient. It's just making sure that they recognize that who they are. So, he guesses the way that you would do that is you have various personas, or different demographics. So, if he's using that image personalization, as an example, since we started down that route, it might say, anyone who is 18 to 25, show this image, 26 to 45, show this image, 46 plus, show this image, just as an example of how you'd still be able to do that at a customer level, but not fully personalized one to one.   Digital Transformation – Takeaways That Came From the Report Me: Now, in delivering that quality experience as you mentioned what the customer is looking for. Technology is also very, very big. And I did know for this report that you spoke quite a bit about digital transformation and just making things easy and simple for customers to access. Could you share with our audience, maybe two or three key takeaways or trends that may have come out of the report as it relates to that particular area?   Matt shared that certainly, one that comes to mind, right away is around that simple way to interact across all channels. So, as a person in the industry, he would be talking about this as an omni-channel experience, but for the consumer, they simplified it to just make it easy for him to interact however he wants to interact. And they had 92% of consumers in the survey that said that that's important to them and that was up from 87% last year.   But then when they asked if these consumers were getting those communications delivered across channels in a simplified way, they only found that 35% were receiving them this way. So, 92%, it's important, but only 35% are actually seeing that from the companies they're doing business with.   Me: And again, it goes back to their strategy. Yes?   Matt agreed absolutely. And there's a strategy component to it and there's also a platform like the underlying technology component. Sometimes the companies aren't organized in a way to make it easy for their customers to interact across channels. There are companies that have a mobile team, an email team, a print team and if those teams are working on separate platforms, or with independent strategies, it's really hard to roll up to a consistent unified experience.   Me: So, your recommendation would be that they should either all be on the same platform, or they should be talking to each other, so the customer at least feels like it's one experience versus silos of experiences.   Matt stated that ultimately, if you can get to a unified communications platform that everyone's working from, they can still have their own processes and add ons to that platform. But if everyone's working from a central platform, where all of the data is stored, preferences are stored, so if his preferred nickname is Matt, instead of Matthew across all channels, across all communications types, everybody looks for that same data point, what's your preferred nickname? Instead of having him to provide that multiple times. The same point would be for communications preference, if he's working across different lines of business.    So first, he was just talking about channels like mobile, print, email, but then different lines of business within the same company. Sometimes those are siloed as well. So, he has to set his preferences in for banking, but then again, for his mortgage, and then again for his insurance or for his investments. And it's really important to have that more centralized to provide a better experience for the customer.   Preference for Physical Mail Versus Digital Me: So, another big thing that I found interesting, this was a definitely a personal topic for me because I'm all about digital. I found it quite interesting that there was your mention, or the reporting gave mention to the fact that there were preferences for physical mail versus digital versus physical and digital. For me, for example, there are some organizations that you do business with and depending on how the print is prepared and given to you, it can fade over time which doesn't make any sense, in my opinion, because if I wanted to keep that as record for, let's say, 24 months down the line, it's quite possible, I won't be able to read what's on the paper.   But if it came in a digital format, it can last a lifetime, because it's not going to fade once it's in your email, or on your computer. So, can you explain to us a little bit about why it is you still have some people that are interested in physical mail? Do you think it's generational? Or do you think it's just as a backup?   Matt shared that it's interesting to address your fading comment, he actually hadn't heard that as one of the primary reasons and it's one of your key reasons. But it's really an interesting angle that they haven't uncovered yet. The research what they had was, in what they've seen over time, has been that consumers like to keep a paper record, so that's usually the top reason that they hold on to paper is for the hardcopy archive.   The second point is that it's a reminder and if it's a bill, it's a reminder to pay, if it's a statement, it's a reminder to review account balances. But it's a trigger and that might be a reminder that to then go online, and review but the physical document, cut through the clutter for some people.   And then the third reason is one that they see both sides of, those that hold on to paper say they're concerned about data security and privacy going digital. And then conversely, they hear the same thing from people that are digital and not print that say, sending a paper copy feels like there's a concern about data security and privacy if that paper copy goes to the wrong householder, somebody else opens it. So, they see both sides of that one, but obviously, it is an important factor for consumers on either side of the discussion.   Me: And so, did you find that it was more generational in terms of it was more, let's say, baby boomers who had the concern of wanting to keep the paper trail or it creating a trigger, as you had mentioned, for them to go online? Or for them to review their statements? Or is it a case where across the board regardless of age 25, 38, 56, pretty much everybody was in that bracket?   Matt stated that it tends to be generational that you'll have more of younger demographics being comfortable as digital only and more of older demographics, baby boomer plus being more comfortable in paper. But it is interesting, because they have clients that will state that as fact and say, everybody wants to be digital, our client of the future is this up and coming generation and everybody wants to be digital, therefore we will only be digital. And the reality is, you still have some preferences, some people that that say, “Hey, I get everything digital.” So, the paper, like he said, cuts through the clutter.   So, you have some younger demographics that actually say, “No, still send me something by mail, because I actually don't get all that much mail anymore. So, this actually is something that I look at.” There is also the kind of the longer-term strategy of moving as many people to digital as feel comfortable and as aligns with what's important to you as a business cost reduction, quality of experience, etc. But then there's going back to that simple way to interact across channels, it's really important that we still think in this omni-channel strategy.   So, even if you have 80% of your customers that want to be digital, or that's your goal to get digital, you still have 20% that you need to service in a paper-based environment and how do we optimize that communication and make that the best possible experience as well?   Summary from 2023 CX and Communications Consumer Insights Report and Recommendations for Way Forward  Me: Can you just give us like I would say a summary, maybe three key things that came out of the report and recommendations for audience depending on whatever industry they're in, whatever role they play in their organization as to going forward where we basically completed the first quarter of 2023 and we're embarking on our second quarter. What are maybe one or two things that they should be focusing on based on what the data is showing you because we do want to make data informed decisions.   Matt shared that there were three key takeaways that came out of the research. The first was where they started, which is that CX expectations continue to rise, where they found that 69% of consumers were underwhelmed by most company's customer experience, and that had nearly doubled since 2019. So, the takeaway for listeners is to really look at where your customer experience is falling short, across the customer journey, and then implement a get-well plan.   The second point was one that they did not address, but they talked around it, which is relative to the importance of the communication as relative to a consumers' view of how innovative your company is. So, 61% of consumers said that they judge a company's innovativeness based on the communications it sends. So, he thought that was a really interesting aspect, which also ties back to how important communications are to overall customer experience. So, for their clients, and for companies at large, it's how do you ensure your communications in print and digital are working for you, not against you.   And then the last point is, they have a lot of companies that comes to them with a desire to take paper out of the process, because they're looking to say it's the operational savings, can I remove print and mail. And the challenge is, those consumers that they talked about that have digital access, but still hold on to the paper. And what they found was those double dippers that have paper and digital, 82% of them would go paperless if they received a more engaging digital experience. So, they really think that part of what creates a better digital experience but also helps achieve these paperless goals of their clients is to really focus on creating a better mousetrap, creating a better digital experience, a more engaging digital experience that gives somebody a reason to let go of that paper. And it's not the reason that the companies they do business with have which is saving on print and postage, the consumer doesn't care about that, they want a better experience.   Books/Content That You've Been Exposed to That Is Value Added   Me: Could you share with us, I know we would have asked you this question last year. But I want you to think about the books that you've read in the last year. If you've read any new books that you'd like to share with us, that you think would support a lot of what you've mentioned in the report, but also just support the overall customer experience initiative that organizations are embarking on. Is there any new content that you've been exposed to that you think you'd want to share with our audience that you think would add value to their journey?    Matt shared that last year, he probably leaned toward an interesting book, which was QR Codes Kill Kittens: How to Alienate Customers, Dishearten Employees, and Drive Your Business into the Ground and it was a Scott Stratten book that's more of a flipbook but it shows you examples of poor implementation of QR codes, but also speaks to the importance of being smart about how and when you incorporate technologies like QR codes into your communications. Now, he will say in their research, they found that 57% of consumers want companies to use QR codes and print to drive them to more information digitally. So, there is a way to balance that.   Now, in terms of something else that came to mind that he didn't read in the last year but is another one that he really enjoyed. It is Seth Godin's book, which is Meatballs Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync.   It's probably 10 or 11 years old now but it's geared toward marketers. And it focuses on doing what you're good at, but also telling a good and cohesive story. So, he thinks it's actually a really good analogy to tie in the research that they do with the products and services that Broadridge offers. So, it's the research supports the storyline on how and why they're developing their products and services the way they are to deliver on that better experience for their clients and those end consumers.   What Matt is Really Excited About Now! When asked about something that he's really excited about, Matt shared that it can't be the research it because that's what he's most excited about.    Me: Are you planning to take the research outside of just doing podcasts interviews and talking about it? Are you going to do like a workshop around it? Are you thinking of maybe having an international conference, there's so many things that could spin out of this research?    Matt shared that they use it throughout the year. And so, he always gets excited when they've launched the newest, latest research, and it's always a great time to catch up with Yanique because it's fresh and new. And then they use it over the course of the year in presentations at events, not their own events but sometimes their events as well, but presentations at events, but also it creates a really good client dialogue.   And so, he gets really excited about bringing the research to clients saying, “Here's what we're hearing in the market from your customers, and how does this align with some of your priorities as a business today? And where are you headed?” And they get into some really great strategy discussions that ultimately leads toward their clients adjusting their priority list or adding new items to that list. But also, it gives them a chance to validate the findings within each of those clients and across those industries.    Me: That's a very good point, because now you're actually using the data to see if the decisions that you're making will actually come in alignment with what the market is saying. And you get to see if it was a success or a fail.   Where Can We Find Matt Online   Website – www.broadridge.com Podcast – Reimagining Communications Podcast LinkedIn - @askmattswain Twitter - @AskMattSwain   CX Survey Landing Page: https://www.broadridge.com/report/brcc/2023-cx-and-communications-consumer-insights   Meatball Sundae: https://www.amazon.com/Meatball-Sundae-Your-Marketing-Sync/dp/1591845351    Please connect with us on Twitter @navigatingcx and also join our Private Facebook Community – Navigating the Customer Experience and listen to our FB Lives weekly with a new guest   Links ·  QR Codes Kill Kittens: How to Alienate Customers, Dishearten Employees, and Drive Your Business into the Ground by Scott Stratten ·  Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync? By Seth Godin    Grab the Freebie on Our Website – TOP 10 Online Business Resources for Small Business Owners    The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience Do you want to pivot your online customer experience and build loyalty - get a copy of “The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience.” The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience provides 26 easy to follow steps and techniques that helps your business to achieve success and build brand loyalty. This Guide to Limitless, Happy and Loyal Customers will help you to strengthen your service delivery, enhance your knowledge and appreciation of the customer experience and provide tips and practical strategies that you can start implementing immediately! This book will develop your customer service skills and sharpen your attention to detail when serving others. Master your customer experience and develop those knock your socks off techniques that will lead to lifetime customers. Your customers will only want to work with your business and it will be your brand differentiator. It will lead to recruiters to seek you out by providing practical examples on how to deliver a winning customer service experience! Our Next Webinar – May 16, 2023 at 10:00 am Register Here

How can you leverage your personal brand? LinkedIn Expert Matt Swain joins Ash and Kane in this episode to talk about exactly that as well as why a podcast is the perfect tool to help you and Matt's top tips if you are looking to get sponsorship and guests on your podcast. KEY TAKEAWAYS We all have a personal brand and a digital presence so we should be using this to attract opportunities rather than missing out. Anyone who hosts a podcast has created a personal brand alongside it, they are the differentiating factor so they should recognise it. Using your personal brand on other platforms, such as LinkedIn and Instagram can make a big impact on your podcast growth. There's a social proof element to having presence on multiple platforms. This is powerful as trust is a key element in growing your podcast. Podcasting is unique in its humanising element, your audience builds a real connection with you and the conversational structure of the content makes it very humanising. Think of your target podcast audience, this is the same person that you want to attract with your personal brand. You don't want to be the same as anyone else. You want to be unique and specific and build credibility and trust so that you stand out in the marketplace. Think about the messages you want to convey to your audience and focus your content around these on all platforms so you don't fall into the trap of diluting your message. Consistency in your personal brand is key, remember it takes time to see results and the same can be said in podcasting too. Think long-term. Creating valuable content to promote your podcast creates an impact, standalone content that provides value before people go and listen will be more attractive. BEST MOMENTS “How do you use your assets, to create and attract opportunities instead of missing out on the potential they have” “You can get more eyeballs through using your personal brand and through social media content” “The thing about personal brand is it allows you to build trust outside of the podcast” “People want more depth, they want more personalities, they want more stories and people gravitate towards human” “Lean into your uniqueness, lean into your differentiating factors” 'The more you can give, for free, the more you will get in the long-term' VALUABLE RESOURCES Podcast Production - The Cost of the Wrong Choice How to Launch a Number 1 Podcast - Part 1 Free Podcast Workshop https://tinyurl.com/Podhelp Connect with Matt Swain on:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/matt-swain1/Website: www.mattswain.comInstagram: www.instagram.com/mattswain_ ABOUT THE HOSTS Kane Baron, Ashley Morris & Thom Luter manage over 150 live podcasts Including Rob Moore, Kevin Clifton, Shaa Wasmand MBE & more. Helping Entrepreneurs Launch, Scale & Monetise their podcast for over 6 years. CONTACT METHOD WebsiteLinkedIn Email: podcast@progressiveproperty.co.ukhow to start a podcast, podcasting, hosting, downloads, monetisation, content creation, repurposing, video, youtube, tiktok, instagram, social media marketing, growth, consumption,: https://progressivemedia.uk/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent Broadridge survey found only 11% of consumers believe the insurance industry provides a quality customer experience and 26% are confused by insurers' communications, said Matt Swain, head of communications insights and experience at Broadridge.

Episode 107: This week on TDaPE, I'm joined by Neil Almond and Matt Swain for an exploration of they have taken steps to improve their planning systems and processes in order to foster greater collaboration, save teachers time, and allow them to focus on fewer things in greater depth during their precious planning time. Whether you're new to the profession or an experienced senior leader, this episode could provide the key to improving your approach to planning on a class, school, and area level. Support the podcast at www.ko-fi.com/tdape

This week we're joined by Faris Masad, a founding engineer at repl.it. We explore how repl.it is breaking down the barriers to coding by provide in browser coding environments. We also discuss the importance of building a community around your product and how creative repl.it's own users have been.Join our patreon for the full episode.Shop MerchTwitter GitHub repl.ithttps://www.inkandswitch.com/peritext/https://github.com/replit/evalbotTooltipsWant to hear use talk about our tooltips? Join our patreon!Andrewhttps://github.com/binwiederhier/replbothttps://pothos-graphql.devJustin[Book] Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman (share the fantastic summary from Matt Swain.[Podcast] https://www.hackingyouradhd.com/Farishttps://astexplorer.net/https://github.com/graphp/graphviz

Today's conversation is with Matt Swain. Matt is a Personal Brand Consultant, author, and the founder of Social Club. Expect to learn about Matt's unconventional journey in the last two years, the pivots and big decisions he had made and the thoughts and actions that have shaped this change. You'll hear insights and stories about working with Steven Bartlett, reading over 200 books, grabbing the attention of Gymshark with a viral LinkedIn post and much more. Matt recently wrote and released his first book ‘Breaking Free' and he shares more about the message and story of this book. Today's podcast is supported by Crypto Glasgow. Founders Donald and Dec have appeared three time on the podcast sharing the principles behind the best performing investment asset of the last 12 months and the inner workings of the Crypto currency market. The Crypto space is vast and growing. You can get easily lost in the noise. Investing in crypto differs to other assets and the Crypto Glasgow team have 20+ years of investing experience in all asset classes, you can rely on their specific crypto expertise to navigate what can be a confusing market. No matter your investment approach and how much you are looking to invest, whether you're a newbie or experienced investor, Crypto Glasgow have you covered with their wide range of products and services to support you in the fast growing and innovative world of cryptocurrencies. I'm a member of the CG Pro discord for just £29.99 per month/ It combines everything you need from investing, trading and education to go from beginner to PRO. There is also the CG PRO affiliate program where you can earn a side income from simply being a member of CG Pro. You can visit https://www.ccgla.co.uk to learn more today. Today's episode sponsor is previous podcast guest, Mike Samuels. If you like the idea of earning a great living from your laptop, while mastering an in-demand skill clients around the world happily pay for, head to www.thefreedomkickstarter.com/500templates to grab your templates and free class. Connect with Matt: Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk//dp/B0BCR95KF8 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-swain1/ Insta - https://www.instagram.com/mattswain_/ Website - www.mattswain.com Connect with Col: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/col.cambro/ Email List - https://mailchi.mp/548e38ba5942/colincambro Support me: buymeacoffee.com/ColCamBro

Episode 81: This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, I'm joined by Matt Swain as he returns to share his thoughts on staffing. Is it important? How can we get staff in the door? How can we retain our staff? Matt answers all of these questions and much more. Whether you're new to the profession or an experienced senior leader, you won't want to miss this one... Support TDaPE at ko-fi.com/tdape Join the family discord at https://discord.gg/xeNhPVRZZJ

Matt Swain is a recognized Customer Communications Industry Thought Leader. From delivering keynotes around the world to defining best practices, hundreds of well-known companies have relied on Matt's expertise and research for their current and future omni-channel communication initiatives.   As Managing Director and Practice Lead for a Broadridge Communications Consulting, Matt brings in valuable market research and consulting expertise to clients relative to benchmarking, as well as for communication strategy, design and execution across print and digital channels.   Prior to joining Broadridge, Matt spent more than a decade at Keypoint Intelligence - InfoTrends, where he was a member of the senior management team with global responsibility for business development and customer communications advisory services. Matt is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology and holds a Master's degree in print media.   Questions   We always like to give our guests the opportunity to share in their own words, a little bit about their journey. How did you get to where you are today? The fourth annual CX and communication survey that your company had done, where you studied 3000 North American consumers, highlighting some of the major points and gaps in the customer experience two years into the pandemic. Could you tell us a little bit about the survey and some of the results that that survey created? What are some of the most interesting research that you have seen are conducted in the customer experience space, and could you share with us also maybe what are some of the things that have surprised you the most in that research? Now as it relates to personalization, the report says 65% of consumers would prefer to receive fewer, more tailored communications through their preferred channel. What has your research shown in terms of, do you still find companies all over the place? So, you said that consumers were looking for a more engaging digital experience, could you share with us maybe one or two things that you think a company could employ or put in place to make their digital experience more engaging? What are your thoughts on organizations, because digital, it's been accelerated because organizations who weren't even fully digital or were looking to put digital as part of their strategy definitely had to do some quick acceleration because of the fact that we're all stuck at home. How do they bridge that gap? Because people I think still want human interaction? Could you share with us what's the one online resource, tool, website or app that you absolutely can't live without in your business? Can you also share with us what's the one thing that's going on in your life right now that you're really excited about, either something you're working on to develop yourself or your people? How can listeners find you online? Do you have a quote or a saying that during times of adversity or challenge, you'll tend to revert to this quote if for any reason you get overwhelmed or challenge? And the quote kind of helps to get you back on track or just get you back refocused.   Highlights   Matt's Journey   Matt stated that he was listening to that bio and he was thinking, he actually didn't realize Yanique read the whole thing. So, thank you for doing that. As where you ended was that he holds a Master's in print media and that's a very specific degree, especially for a master's degree. And many of the people that went through that programme, were going back to run print operations, they might have had a family business or otherwise.   And he was actually interested in print as one of the media channels that we now use to communicate. And so, actually, he did his Master's Thesis on the shifting spend of companies across different media. So, print was a starting point for him but he spends a lot of time now helping clients transition from print to digital communications and look specifically at how to create better experiences with the communications that they send.   The fourth annual CX and Communication Survey Results Highlighting Major Points and Gaps in the Customer Experience 2 Years into the Pandemic   Me: Now, in preparing for this interview, I was looking at the fourth annual CX and communications survey that your company had done, where you studied 3000 North American consumers, highlighting some of the major points and gaps in the customer experience two years into the pandemic. Could you tell us a little bit about the survey and some of the results that the survey created?   Matt shared that this was a passion project of his when he first started it, which was in 2019 and he has a really strong marketing and support team that helps execute on it. And what's really been interesting watching the data over the last four years of conducting the research is, there have been some notable shifts, specifically relative to customer experience. So, for instance, in 2019, they found that 35% of consumers thought that most of the companies they did business with needed to improve the experiences they provide. So, let's say you know, roughly one in three had that position.   In 2022 now that we've gone through, we're well into a pandemic, depending on which way you look at it, they now find that 65% of consumers, so an increase of 30 percentage points, 65% of consumers think that most of the companies they do business with need to improve the experiences they provide. And that is quite a jarring shift from his perspective.   And he thinks it speaks to the increased expectation that we as consumers have on the companies that we do business with, but also it shows a separation of the leaders from the rest of the pack when it comes to customer service and customer experience.   Research Done in the Customer Experience Space   Me: Very true. And so, a big part, we're all going through the pandemic, as you said, I guess it depends on how people want to look on it. But what are some of the most interesting research that you have seen are conducted in the customer experience space, and could you share with us also maybe what are some of the things that have surprised you the most in that research?   Matt shared that the research covers customer experience, but then also goes into specifics around what consumers are looking for from the companies they do business with. So, they found a lot of trending data around customer service, wanting better experiences when they needed that service experience. And at the same time, they're also asking for the use of technology, AI, chatbots to be a first line of defence to answer easy questions. And he thinks this is actually tripping a lot of companies up because there's technology out there that can reduce the cost to service a customer.   But the challenge is that companies are becoming too reliant on the technology, and it's resulting in reduced customer satisfaction, because they're not getting flipped to a live agent when they should be in that process.   So, a lot of the negative feedback that they see in the research is that people are looking for a sense of humanity or empathy, or “Let me speak to the Operator or make sure that I can understand the person that I speak to.”   And he thinks that that component is so critical, when you think about where somebody is in the journey when they need to contact you, there's usually some challenge in the communications that you've sent, or they're dealing with something very personal, and they need to be serviced in a more personal way. And so, it's a really delicate balance.   So, they look at the impact from a customer service perspective of new technology it being incorporated into that journey. But then they're also stepping back and saying, “Well, why did that person had to have to reach out in the first place?”   So again, through his lens, from a communication standpoint, it is, “Well, if you sent a bill or a statement to your customer….. Was it summarized? Was it easy to understand? Was it written in plain language? Did it have relevant content?”   Because ultimately, what they're hoping that they can help their clients get to is a very seamless experience and that they send a communication whether it's in print, or digitally, and the recipient can quickly digest the information and understand what action they need to take, review my account, pay a bill, sign a waiver, whatever that next step is, that's what they're hoping that they're going to be able to do efficiently and hopefully reduce that aspect of call centre volume.   Personalization – Consumers Prefer Fewer, More Tailored Communication Through Their Preferred Channel   Me: Agreed. Now, in the survey that was done, you focused on customer experience omni-channel approach personalization. Now as it relates to personalization, the report says 65% of consumers would prefer to receive fewer, more tailored communications through their preferred channel. What has your research shown in terms of, do you still find companies all over the place? Or are they more taking a more centralized approach?   Because I do agree, I think it's really great if you could generally get everything in one place instead of you're looking up information here but that information that's located on that platform is not located on this one, is just like you're all over the place.   Matt stated that there's another aspect to that, which is who are the 30 something percent of people that don't want that right?   From a personalization standpoint, actually specific to that, they do find people that want to remain somewhat anonymous digitally and they don't want companies to use their personal data in any other way than they should be using. And they actually asked a separate question around sharing of personal data, so additional data that you as a company don't need, but would the consumer provide it to you if it enhance their experience, created a better experience?   And they found that about half of Gen Z and Millennial respondents said that they would be willing to provide that and that dropped off for a Gen X and baby boomer audience that was less willing to provide incremental information.   Going back to Yanique's original question around centralization. He thinks they find one of the biggest challenges in a lot of their clients, especially their larger clients is they've grown through acquisitions, they have different lines, each line of business has its own underlying systems. And each head of the business might kind of operate their own fiefdom to some extent, which from a business owner perspective, can be advantageous or easier.   But from a consumer or investor or recipient perspective, that can be really painful because he's having to log into different systems, or he doesn't have a total view of his relationship with that company in one centralized location.   And he thinks that is an area that really needs to be addressed. But it comes back to the underlying systems that the people, the processes and the technology supporting that ecosystem that needs to be simplified and addressed before you can deliver on that better experience that the consumer is asking for.   Me: Agreed. Sometimes I think organizations take simple and make it complex when it really should just be so easy. And I'll give you an example. I'm currently doing some market research for a client and in the midst in the market research training that we did with persons yesterday, we forgot to ask them if any of them were existing customers of that particular company. So, I kind of just wanted to send out a quick google form to capture that information so we had it on file. And so, we jump on Google Forms simply asking one question, and I literally spent like probably about 15 minutes, just trying to Google, how do you get multiple responses in a Google form?   And there was like, no clear answer, because it has multiple choice, but then when we did the test, and we clicked on it, we realized that the respondent would only be able to select one answer. And there may be cases where they are a customer of the company, but they're not a customer of all business lines.   And so, there are three business lines that we're doing the market research for, and we just wanted to find out if these persons were one customer of a business line, or no customer, or multiple customers have a business line. And it took me so long to find it.   And I said to myself, Google usually makes things so simple. Why in their form did I have to do so much digging to figure out that instead of selecting multiple choice, I should have selected checkbox, because checkbox acts like a multiple choice, but it allows you to select multiple responses or answers. And that came to mind a while ago, just because of what you said.   I find that sometimes we think the technology is there to help us, it's not supposed to be rocket science, I'm not supposed to be trying to figure out, okay, where do I find this information.   It should be there, quick and easy, either in settings or as a drop down so that you can know that that's an option that you can exercise on us. Would you not agree?   Matt shared that we would and he thinks the irony, there is part of ensuring that you've delivered on that better experience is doing that voice of customer that surveying much like you would use the Google Form to do surveying of your audience, right?   So, they find that often where, again, through his lens they'll work with a client and say, let's conduct some voice of customer research and they use a platform where they'll enable a customer of theirs to go in and navigate their online account. And they'll say one of the common prompts is navigate to your most recent statement.   And it's really interesting to watch people try to find that statement and it's usually in a drop down, the third or fourth drop down over which isn't really that intuitive to know that a statement is going to be the eighth line on the drop down. And it's one of those where for those people that were building it, they know exactly where it is because that's how they built it and that's the approach they took. But for the consumer to navigate to it, that helps expose may be an opportunity to improve or streamline that experience for consumers that are looking to get access to that document.   Me: Yeah, I agreed. Totally agree. I guess as you said, that's why it's important to test it because then you get to see multiple approaches as to how different people will navigate on that platform. In customer service, we have this thing, this example that we use that we normally say, a school or a university, they basically wanted to see what the path was of the students as they were walking on the campus. And so, they waited until it snowed, and then they kind of watched people's pattern to see where they walked and that's what they use as a guide to make that the actual pathway.   Because you might create a situation or a building where you've created a pathway for people to walk but maybe that's not where they naturally gravitate to walk. And so, if you look on it from an online perspective, if someone goes on a site, maybe because of how they're trained, because of other platforms that they've used, or just genuine human interaction or intuition, they may go to the right of the page, or to the top of the page thinking that's where they're going to find that particular item. But maybe that's not where it's supposed to be. And if you look at the pattern of how people operate, it would indicate to you if the structure that you're putting in place is really the best place to place that.   Are people going to be able to find it easily? Is it going to be frustrating for them? Are they going to have to be reaching out to your support team to find out how to get that information?   How easy is it for them to find this information, and it should be easy enough that I think a five or six year old should be able to find it.   Matt shared that he loves the analogy with the snow on the surface, he immediately goes to that visual that we've all seen where you see the trampled trodden and dirt path that cuts the corner, the concrete path, or whatever it is the cobblestone. But he also thinks there's also a component of this, that when we think about what the company is trying to achieve, and then looking at what the experience is, so he uses that statement navigation as an example.   These are the same companies that are very aggressively asking their customer base to go paperless. So, take the paper out of the process, because it saves us money, we don't have to print and mail it. But then when you look at the value proposition for the consumer, it's not there, right?   Like what's in it for me to go paperless?   Now I have to go to your website and navigate and try to find this and the experience is no better, usually it's a static. And he's generically saying this, not all of their clients are this way. But it points you to a static document, not an interactive digital experience that provides more value than he would have gotten in paper.   And that was actually a really interesting takeaway from the research, which was 71% of consumers that had not gone paperless said that they would do so if the company provided a more engaging digital experience. And that's like the “big aha,” which is if we're creating better experiences, we're improving customer experience, but we're also achieving these operational goals of reducing print and mail and otherwise.   Consumers Looking for a More Engaging Digital Experience   Me: Amazing. So, you said that consumers were looking for a more engaging digital experience, could you share with us maybe one or two things that you think a company could employ or put in place to make their digital experience more engaging?   Matt shared that one of the weakest links of many companies' communication strategy, and again, through his lens, right, so those that are sending a bill or a statement, is that bill ready or statement ready notification.   So, think of the banks, the insurance companies, the telecommunications companies, utilities that you work with, they'll send you that note that just says, “Your statement's ready, click here to view and access.”   And sometimes it doesn't look anything like the rest of the brand that they've invested heavily in, it's a monthly communication. So sometimes it's the most frequent touchpoint that I have with that company, is this this generic email.   And one of the things that they do with clients, there are two approaches. One is an enhanced email where they're able to deliver more content directly within the email. So, instead of just saying it's ready, let me provide some value that directionally shows you how you did this month versus last or things to think about or other actions they're hoping you'll take.   Or they can redirect you to a microsite. So, instead of having to go back to the portal and log into the website, that way, you can authenticate through the email and get the full details in a microsite or a personalized experience that's specific to that statement or bill that he's asking you to look at.   Organizations Looking to Put Digital as part of Their Strategy – How do They Bridge That Gap as People Still Want Human Interaction   Me: And what are your thoughts on organizations, because digital is definitely I know it's been accelerated, I would say 10 times since the pandemic because organizations who weren't even fully digital or were looking to put digital as part of their strategy definitely had to do some quick acceleration because of the fact that we were all stuck at home. And of course, this was the only way that they could ensure that there was some continuity of business with their clients. But let's say you use digital, I'm all for digital, I believe that it's really important, technology is great.   But I do also believe that you should make yourself accessible if I do need to speak to a live human being. And I find that sometimes, the companies, they take on these technology tools, and when they take the technology tools on, and hopefully the technology should help you. So, for example, let's say I wanted to reach out to my utility company, and they have this chatbot on your website. And the chatbots name is let's say, Ella, I say, “Hi, Ella.” And Ella is able to answer very standard questions. But of course, because I know Ella can't answer me, I'm going to say to Ella, automatically, please connect me to a representative. So, she can transfer the call to somebody, the conversation to somebody who can actually help me. But that in itself doesn't work very well, because nobody actually is able to be connected to. And when you try to call them on the phone, you're not able to get through to them, because you're on hold for very long periods of time, 53 minutes, 60 odd minutes.   How do they bridge that gap? Because people I think still want human interaction!   Matt sated absolutely. And that's the challenge that he's seeing now. It's coming through in the research that they're doing and some of the client discussions, which is that the jump to embrace the technology from you could say it's customer experience led, oftentimes it's cost cutting led, there's an operational savings to implementing that chatbot.   Hopefully, that there is a balance that there is the improved customer experience of getting something answered quickly, like, “Where should I mail my bill to or what are your hours of operation?” Or those types of things that somebody might get value out of the chatbot.   But your comment about that hold time, where you then go on the phone, and you have to listen to a rotating one minute message that keeps telling you go online, you can conduct everything there yet, that's where you started, and you weren't able to achieve what you needed so you came to the phone, but you still have that hour wait.   He thinks it does speak to the need to have the capability of flexing the staff. So, you might have your full-time utility staff, and then you can tap into a third party that might charge you a bit of a premium, but they can help you during those surge times as well.   App, Website or Tool that Matt Absolutely Can't Live Without in His Business   When asked about online resources that he cannot live without in his business, Matt stated that he would say it is the Voice of Customer Research Tool that they use. And it is so efficient to be able to go in and get, he wouldn't call it real time feedback, actually, he can do real time if he sets it up that way.   But if he's looking to that, a new concept, or go into a client meeting prepared with feedback from their customer base, so it's not just, “Here's what we're hearing from generic surveys but here's what some of your customers said about you. And I know that you know a lot of this already, but we just wanted to come prepared to the meeting.”   It's such a valuable tool in that way. So, whether it's AB testing, or a quick poll or survey, or getting feedback on a new concept or design, it can be a really valuable way of bringing data and analytics to the discussion with the client or to make a more robust solution if they're building something on their own.   What Matt is Really Excited About Now!   Matt shared that Broadridge is a pretty large company, they have 14,000 Associates across 21 countries, they also support a lot of clients. So, they have actually sent 7 billion communications a year on behalf of their clients. So, that results in a little bit of practicing what you preach.   So, they have a client success team at Broadridge and he's a member of the client satisfaction and engagement work stream and in that work stream, they're gathering perspective from their clients about what Broadridge does well, where they can be a better partner, how they should be thinking about their products or services, their technology offerings going forward. And that's all in the hopes of best positioning themselves as their partners of the future.   So, they encourage their clients to do that voice of customer research to make sure that they're taking a design thinking approach and a customer first approach to the way that they support their clients and consumer.   In many cases, they're doing the same within their organization, he thinks it's incredibly important to always keep that in perspective that you need to have your finger on the pulse of what's happening within your organization, the trends that are influencing outside forces, and then ultimately, how that can help better position you to be a better partner going forward.   Where Can We Find Matt Online   Website – www.broadridge.com LinkedIn – Broadridge Communications Consulting Twitter - @Broadridge Twitter - @AskMattSwain LinkedIn – Matt Swain Podcast – Reimagining Communications with Matt Swain   Quote or Saying that During Times of Adversity Matt Uses   When asked about quote or saying that he tends to revert to, Matt stated that it's funny, as Yanique was asking the question, he had all these quotes just going through his head and the one that kept kind of pushing its way to the front was, “Do no harm.” And he thinks the do no harm approach is a really critical one, especially when you're thinking with a customer service lens or a customer experience lens, that if you can live by do no harm mantra, he thinks you're going be in a good position.   Please connect with us on Twitter @navigatingcx and also join our Private Facebook Community – Navigating the Customer Experience and listen to our FB Lives weekly with a new guest   Grab the Freebie on Our Website – TOP 10 Online Business Resources for Small Business Owners   The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience   Do you want to pivot your online customer experience and build loyalty - get a copy of “The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience.”   The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience provides 26 easy to follow steps and techniques that helps your business to achieve success and build brand loyalty. This Guide to Limitless, Happy and Loyal Customers will help you to strengthen your service delivery, enhance your knowledge and appreciation of the customer experience and provide tips and practical strategies that you can start implementing immediately! This book will develop your customer service skills and sharpen your attention to detail when serving others. Master your customer experience and develop those knock your socks off techniques that will lead to lifetime customers. Your customers will only want to work with your business and it will be your brand differentiator. It will lead to recruiters to seek you out by providing practical examples on how to deliver a winning customer service experience!

Having recently hosted Broadridge's 2022 CX and Communications Trends webinar, Debbie Miglaw, Head of Digital Solutioning and Business Development for Broadridge Customer Communications, and host Matt Swain explore generational insights from Broadridge's fourth annual CX and Communications survey, including the key to getting consumers to go paperless, the ways to improve print and digital communications, and the willingness of consumers to pay more for a better experience… tune in to find out!

A self-described “serial entrepreneur”, Steve Taylor, BlueRush CEO, joins Matt Swain along with Kevin Darlington, General Manager of Broadridge Advisor Solutions, to discuss how video personalization tools help businesses attract, convert and nurture more relationships across industries, such as wealth, finance and insurance.

Matt Swain is a creative consultant, author, writer and ex-corporate employee. He has worked for Steven Bartlett (The Diary of a CEO Podcast, Dragons Den, Founder Social Chain). Matt stops by to discuss what self-development is and how to “break free” from conventional expectations of society. We speak about: The hedonic treadmill Partying with Liam Payne Working with Steven Bartlett Meeting Rio Ferdinand Writing blog posts to liberate you from corporate work Why quitting is a skill Why his 20-year-old Corsa is better than a £30k Audi He has just authored “Breaking Free” available for pre order now. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/breaking-free-by-matt-swain#/ https://www.mattswain.co.uk/ If you love this podcast, please buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Dbyd

Matt Swain is joined by Joe Lalli, Head of Solutions Analysis and Support within Broadridge Customer Communications, to discuss common themes behind the trajectory toward digital-first communications across the customer lifecycle and the resulting benefits: increased customer engagement with omni-channel touchpoints, enriched content through frictionless processes and improved control with enhanced business tools and self-service capabilities.

In this first episode of our multi-part Solution Spotlight Series, Matt Swain is joined by Debbie Miglaw, Head of Digital Solutioning and Business Development for Broadridge Customer Communications, to discuss how organizations can digitally transform their communications to create seamless, omni-channel experiences, and how Broadridge is creating a way for clients to communicate with their customers on the multitude of digital channels they use daily.

In this week's episode I'm joined by Matt Swain as we sit down to discuss all things mastery. We explore what mastery is, if it is a realistic ambition at the primary phase, how Matt's schools implement a mastery model of schooling and much, much more. Join us for another episode full of wall to wall gold and big takeaways of use to school teachers and leaders alike.

Matt Swain is an author, life coach and self-development creator.Heavily into self-growth and life philosophies, Matt has had success in writing for his blog and online followers.He has previously worked with Steven Bartlett as part of his personal team, working closely with Mental Wealth,  The Diary Of A CEO podcast and Steven Bartlett's personal brand.However Matt is now embarking on a new mission as a strategic and creative consultant with big brands.He's also in the process of writing his own book, documenting his own experiences in life and rewriting the script for how to truly live a good life.In this episode we discuss:• Matt's Story• His Life Philosophies• What's Next for Matt• The Significance Reading brings to your Life• How To Increase Your Odds of Success• How Cold Showers Can Change Your LifeYou can check out Matt and his work here - https://www.mattswain.co.uk/ I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to my podcast and I hope you enjoy what it has to offer!If you enjoy this episode: - Subscribe so you never miss an episode- Leave a 5* review on Apple Podcasts - Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/callum.g.church - Check me out on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@callumchurch5

It's not always about more or less, but appreciating what you've got.In this episode of Happy Days with Callum Church, I explain why the constant search for more, more, MORE is exactly what's stopping you from finding the lasting happiness you desire.I also talk about 'The Parable of the Small Creator' written by Matt Swain.- https://www.mattswain.co.uk/blog/the-parable-of-the-small-creator You can check Matt's stuff out here - https://www.mattswain.co.uk I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to my podcast and I hope you enjoy what it has to offer!If you enjoy this episode: - Subscribe so you never miss an episode- Leave a 5* review on Apple Podcasts - Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/callum.g.church - Check me out on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@callumchurch5

Martha Moen, General Manager for Investor Communication Solutions in Canada at Broadridge and Matt Swain explore the current challenges and opportunities facing financial services firms and other industries in the Canadian market, and discuss how these compare to trends observed in the U.S.

In this episode, Matt Swain recaps highlights of a recent healthcare webinar. Panelists included Kim Lauersdorf, Vice President of Marketing for EmblemHealth; Bob Gold, Founder and Chief Behavioral Technologist at GoMo Health; Dr. Nelson Le, Associate VP of Product Strategy, Digital Health, and Analytics at Humana; and Phil Micali, Vice President of Innovation at Medical Mutual.

CW: Death, Drug Use No pressure, just give honest feedback about what is considered one of the greatest anime series of all time. This has never gone bad for us before. We are joined by Twitch Streamer Matt Swain to discuss the Space Cowboy Classic Cowboy Bebop! Follow YerbaMateo on Twitch Find Are Weeb There Yet on Social Media: Twitter Instagram Facebook Thank you: Camille Ruley for our Artwork Louie Zong for our Themesong "stories" https://louiezong.bandcamp.com Find out more at http://areweebthereyet.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

In this episode, Matt Swain and Tom Garry join me to talk about all things teacher development, how the beginning teacher landscape is changing in England and what signs of promise they look for in the early career teachers they work with. Show notes can be found a www.thinkingdeeply.info Tom is the author of Mastery in Primary Mathematics: A guide for teachers and leaders - a book well worth checking out for those interested in primary mathematics.

David Jay, founder of Warm Welcome, and Matt Swain discuss the power of video in this Reimagining Communications episode. “When we hear or see somebody, the slant of the conversation goes much differently,” explains David. “We recognize them as a person, as a human, as somebody who's just trying to do the best that they can. And all those little nuances are what make video so powerful.”

Russ Kole, Head of Customer Engineering for Financial Services at Google Cloud, and Matt Swain discuss how “Time Is of the Essence” with data science, AI, machine learning, and hyperscale computation changing the financial services industry.

Matt is joined by Matt Swain of the Red, White and Buffalo Blues podcast for a short chat about this weeks game. Matt and Jake also deep dive into the game ahead and possible trades ahead of the trade deadline. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/patschat/message

From LPL's virtual trade show, Focus, which attracted more than 10,000 financial professionals this year, Kirby Horan-Adams joins Matt Swain in this Reimagining Communications episode, “A Virtual Focus.”

Many consumers were forced to interact with their providers digitally for the first time due to COVID-19. This “Digital Urgency Turned Opportunity” is now giving companies a chance to showcase their digital abilities and accelerate their long-term engagement goals – but it's all in the delivery. Michelle Jackson, Managing Director of Digital Solutions at Broadridge, and Matt Swain reveal recent consumer and business research and insights about how COVID-19 is impacting consumer and company interactions, and how companies can deliver better digital customer experiences going forward.

This week, our hosts Samuel Roberts and Mabel O. Wilson speak with Matt Swain, a hospital worker who shares his experience of working during the pandemic. Mr. Swain discusses the changes he witnessed to protocols and procedures at his job, issues with personal protective equipment, and his own concerns over exposure to the virus. Swain also talks about the more personal aspects of functioning during the crisis in New York City.

This week, we welcome Matt Swain from UK_Bills who helps preview the 2020 Bills, and also Gary Beeson from Patriots UK to talk some Jarret Stidham, we debate the best Quarterback in a stacked NFC South in Trouble in The Huddle

This week, we welcome Matt Swain from UK_Bills who helps preview the 2020 Bills, and also Gary Beeson from Patriots UK to talk some Jarret Stidham, we debate the best Quarterback in a stacked NFC South in Trouble in The Huddle

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Swain interviews Hanshi Dave Kovar, founder of Kovar Systems and Kovar Satori Academies, eighth-degree black belt, and known within the martial arts industry as the “Teacher of teachers.” Dave shares how his on-the-mat, hands-on martial arts business is surviving in a physically distanced world and how a “black-belt mindset” can help us get through uncertain and challenging times because when you “change your perspective, your life changes with it.”

Our reliance on digital technology has exponentially grown in the last few weeks. In this episode, Matt Swain interviews Bernie Gracy, Chief Digital Officer at Agero, a white-label roadside assistance leader, about how companies can deliver exceptional digital experiences by anticipating, measuring, testing and optimizing.

The impacts of COVID-19 are changing daily and are largely unknown. Everything has changed – from how we conduct business to how we visit our healthcare providers, from how we educate our students to how we socialize, shop, eat, travel and exercise. In this episode, Matt Swain interviews Brian Nimmo, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at ID DataWeb, an integrated identity security company, on how the COVID-19 pandemic is changing business models and how we communicate with customers, investors, stakeholders – everyone.

oday's guest Matt Swain is an expert in managing change and change is certainly something that the dairy sector has faced in the past and faces again today with numerous challenges and opportunities ahead. In this mini series we talk about the subject of change in relation to dairy, from environmental policy to plant based alternative products. This episode in particular introduces the subject of change and what happens when individuals and groups go through change.

Garin Toren, CEO and Founder of ping, a message service that automatically reads incoming communications out loud, allowing you to drive, work, and play safely and productively, sits down with Matt Swain in this episode of Reimagining Communications.

Adrienne Davis joins Matt Swain to tell listeners about the digital library, how the adult services department serves patrons, and 2 upcoming programs for adults.

Airbnb’s business model seems straight-forward: hosts open their homes to guests for a fee. However, there’s a lot more going on under the surface. In a sharing economy, the currency of success is trust. Listen as Real Canty, Experience Researcher at Airbnb, and Matt Swain discuss how Airbnb is building trust among strangers, thinking through the end-to-end journey, and reshaping interactions around the world in this Reimagining Communications episode, “Building Trust One Reservation at a Time.”

This is the media briefing featuring Matt Swain, Public Relations Manager at Handley Regional Library System. He discusses the Handley Harvest Hoedown, Just for the Health of It Health Fair, and the new T-Mobile devices you can check out.

Russell Sherman’s three-part career – starting at news station New York 1, working at Bear Stearns during the financial crisis, and now thriving as a partner at Prosek Partners – created a foundation and knack for gaining customer mindshare, managing issues and crises, and winning third-party validation. Russell shares his story, including his dynamic career experience and life lessons, with Matt Swain.

Matt Swain, Managing Director and Practice Lead for Communications Consulting at Broadridge Financial Solutions, shares results from their 2019 CX and Communications Trends Survey, and how to identify where improvements are needed for effective customer experience.  Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Matt Swain on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/askmattswain Broadridge Financial Solutions: https://www.broadridge.com/ Reimagining Communications Podcast: https://www.broadridge.com/podcast/reimagining-communications-with-matt-swain 2019 CX and Communications Trends Survey: https://www.broadridge.com/report/annual-customer-experience-and-communications-trends-survey

Drawing upon their years of hands-on communications consulting expertise, Matt Swain and Lisa Meath share an outside-in look at how companies can optimize their transactional and marketing communications to reduce internal costs, streamline resources and improve the overall customer experience.

Matt Swain moderated the Xplor19 panel discussion, “Customer Experience: A Moving Target” in May with Hailey Wilson from Illumina and Antoine DuPont from Katapult Marketing. In this interactive discussion, the three customer experience and communication experts offer their insights – from a changing marketing landscape to quantifying CX.

In the 15th episode of Matt Swain’s “Reimagining Communications” podcast, Pat McGrew, Senior Director of Production Software and Services at Keypoint Intelligence–InfoTrends, shares her ideas for improving communications – from tactical workflows to future strategies.

Welcome to the Pilot Episode of the Red, White and Buffalo Blues, a UK Bills Podcast. Join Alex Penvose and me Matt Swain as well talk, laugh and have fun talking all thing Buffalo Bills

In episode 4 we recap Tiger’s incredible Masters victory with a special guest, my neighbor Matt Swain

The worlds of B2B and B2C are colliding – and the ripple effect is impacting the customer journey, the buyers’ mindset, and customer engagement strategies. Joanne Gore, seasoned B2B marketer and Founder of Joanne Gore Communications, shares how your company can navigate this new territory in Matt Swain’s latest Reimagining Communications podcast, “Where the Worlds of B2B and B2C Collide.”

Drawing from her more than 40-year career in communications – including senior roles at IBM, InfoTrends, IKON Office Solutions, Kodak and Xerox – Barb Pellow shares her experience and wisdom with podcast host Matt Swain on a variety of topics, including the evolution of “transpromo” (statement-based marketing), the biggest communication challenges facing organizations, and what the future holds in this market.

The term “digital transformation” is commonly used when discussing business strategy. The challenge is, digital transformation encompasses many processes and implicates how businesses function. Matt Swain and Broadridge Chief Digital Officer Rob Krugman discuss pushing the digital and physical boundaries of traditional bills and other communications, how AI and voice-driven technologies will change consumer expectations, and the role of data protection in a digital age.

"How do our communications compare to our peers?" This is an all-too-common question that we receive, but it's an important one. Having insights into competitors' strategies can assist with idea generation and building a case for a communication redesign. Matt Swain and Corporate Insight president Michael Ellison discuss the strategic value of monitoring competitors' bills, statements, and other communications.

Companies want their customers to visit their website and download their apps, but research shows that many consumers desire a centralized location to receive and manage their digital communications – much like a mailbox consolidates their print communications. Matt Swain talks with Chris Johnson, CEO at Inlet, about the latest in digital delivery and how both businesses and consumers are benefitting.

Matt Swain talks with Gary Reblin, Vice President of Product Innovation at the USPS, about two major initiatives—Informed Visibility and Informed Delivery—and how the USPS is embracing the digital world.

Matt Swain interviews Elizabeth Gooding, President at Insight Forums, about how to strategize for print design with digital in mind. Elizabeth has supported some of the worldÓ³ most recognizable brands on their communications strategy Ö and youÓ²e sure to walk away with a bit of inspiration.

With "Reimagining Communications” in mind, Matt Swain sat down with Jeff Musgrove, Senior Vice President of Broadridge, to get the inside scoop on Broadridge’s acquisition of the North American customer communications business of DST Systems in 2016; the most powerful customer touchpoint; how to balance digital adoption goals with customer preferences; and how brands can make every communication count and prepare for what’s next.

The OWP team purges their biases before welcoming first ever recurring guest Matt Swain (@bigboimattswain) as we do a deep dive in the world of "silly" fruits (15:20-31:45). We discuss our NBA All Star game wager, NCAA-FBI standoff, and Thunder-Warriors (sports?). And, as always until we achieve perfection, Brady thoroughly breaks down Kevin Can Wait Ep. 6 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/onwispodsins-podcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/onwispodsins-podcast/support

After ten weeks and more than 4000 miles, 20 riders with type 1 diabetes completed their epic journey from New York to California. In this episode, hear the heart-pounding and emotional Bike Beyond finish and listen to the man who started it all talk about what the event has meant to him. We also catch up with several riders during a rest day a few days before the finish. Those interviews took place while they were relaxing in a hot tub (a first for our show)! Stacey also talks about the great people behind the Real Life Diabetes Podcast and shares events she's traveling to in the next few weeks. Find out more about supporting Bike Beyond so that Beyond Type 1 can continue to fund diabetes programs (listed here) Time Codes: 8:30 Bike Beyond finish line and front tire "dip"  12:30 Walt Drennan speaks about finally feeling "normal." Six Bike Beyond riders talk about the trip: 18:15 Perri Silverheart 22:00 Abbey Brau 29:30 Matt Swain 34:50 Sid Sharma 39:00 Cassidy Robinson 45:30 Jesse Lavine Diabetes Connections and Stacey are nominated for a podcast award! Please add your endorsement to the WEGO Health Awards  Get the App and listen to Diabetes Connections wherever you go! Click here for iPhone      Click here for Android  Sign up for our newsletter here As always, thanks for listening!!  

From our eyes to your ears it's Animaritime 20015! We went to the anime con again and we brought enchanted magic items! We do art commissions and hug strangers! We auctioned ourselves away to raise money for the IWK children's hospital! We stayed in a Scary Hobo Murder Motel and met the biggest Delilah and Julius Fan ever... Matt Swain. We ate Pita's with My little Pony artist Brenda Little! Yes there is also a haunted phone.   Animaritime.org Watch Blanketfort Stories and Subscribe to our Youtube Channel  Buy comics and books at our website www.nosuchthingasgrownups.com Subscribe and leave us a comment on iTunes   Music by Brad Sucks  

That's it. We're through it. We survived the first big fight weekend of 2014 and nothing happened that we can't recover from. Not much great happened, but most of us weren't expecting anything from the "___ of the Year" class anyway. Besides, we just went through that stuff. Some significant things happened though -- things worth blabbering about for a few hours, at least. This week on Queensberry Rules Radio, James Foley of Bad Left Hook and Queensberry-Rules' Patrick Connor cut to the heart of why exactly you're a boxing fan, and they'll make fun of everything to the point of annoyance. There was Mikey Garcia vs. Juan Carlos Burgos, Lamont Peterson vs. Dierry Jean, Bryant Jennings vs. Artur Szpilka, Jermell Charlo vs. Gabe Rosado, and much more. Also this coming week, Victor Ortiz makes his return against Luis Collazo on Fox Sports 1. Joining TQBR Radio this week, contributor for The Sweet Science and assistant boxing coach at UC Davis Joel Stern. Also, last minute special guest Queensberry Rules contributor Matt Swain. Thanks for tuning in!

Yes, that really happened on Saturday night. Marcos Maidana beat the billions out of Adrien Broner. And the lampooning that's resulted has been epic. There was other stuff that happened on the card, and most of it was at least decent, if not good. It just wasn't as huge as the main event. This week on Queensberry Rules Radio, James Foley of Bad Left Hook and Queensberry-Rules' Patrick Connor go with their patented no-huddle podcast approach to analyzing boxing. Joining these ridiculous rascals is TQBR contributor and Twitter extraordinaire Matt Swain. Also served up: the 2013 End of the Year Awards -- then TQBR Radio goes dark for a few weeks. Thanks for tuning in!