Podcast appearances and mentions of stephanie thum

Dr. Stephanie Thum knows a thing or two about red tape.  In fact, she just got her PhD in Red Tape Theory!In this episode, she provides a fresh perspective, discussing the pros and cons of red tape, and its elusive cousins, green and pink tape. Using these insights, we explore how these nuances can greatly impact customer experience and employees' engagement.In this episode:Red tape holds complexities: It has both its virtues, such as providing structure and thwarting fraud, but it can also lead to unnecessary impediments and sludge, ultimately leading to employee disengagement and customer dissatisfaction.Handling red tape: Increasing customer experience and reducing friction should be top priorities. Practices like human-centric design, tapping into the voice of the customer, and intensive data monitoring can help manage the burden of red tape efficiently. Role of leadership: As roles change and evolve, leaders need to tune into the needs and perceptions of their followers. This could involve managing the negative effects of red tape, and ensuring effective communication to avoid potential blind spots.New buzzword in business: Sludge! It's about those friction-filled administrative processes that eat up time and money. Want to fight the sludge? Steph shares valuable insights Don't miss this insight-packed episodeMeet Stephanie!I'm a senior professional with a proven track record as a customer experience practitioner and consultant, now part of SAP's global executive/board communication team. With roots in professional services business development, account teams, broadcasting, and content development, I've developed an expertise in customer- and business-oriented communication, leadership, and project management.My journey isn't limited to the global technology corporate world; I'm also a small business founder with experience in the non-profit and federal government settings. I recently completed a lifelong goal--to obtain a Ph.D. My research focused on global government administrative leaders' experiences with red tape frictions in their work. As a student I produced multiple pieces of peer-reviewed, published scholarship. These academic pursuits deepened my understanding of the intricacies of the human experience, organizational management, and extremely complex global leadership that I continue to apply to my professional endeavors.Subscribe to The Delighted Customer Podcast so you don't miss an episode: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast Subscribe to The Delighted Customer Newsletter for practical tips and insights: https://www.empoweredcx.com/delightedcustomersnewsletter

Have you heard of the term "red tape"? Friction, sludge, no redeeming value are associated terms. Most think red tape pertains just to government, yet it does not and significantly impacts business success. Stephanie Thum and I explain: What is bureaucratic 'Red Tape?'  Why it's a customer problem and obliterate employee experiences? What are the root causes? Is it all bad? How can change happen whereby leaders stop looking the other way to improve customer and employee loyalty? Learn more at DoingCXright.com/podcasts

Every company in the history of the business world likely would benefit from listening to their customers. The challenge today? Customers talk. A lot. And in many different ways and in many different media platforms. It's on their brands to listen — and act. If it were only that easy. Voice of the Customer (VoC) technology has become a billion-dollar business for vendors. And it seems like a billion-dollar challenge for customer experience practitioners: how do I manage my VoC data, programs and, most importantly, make it actionable for better customer experiences? How do I create strong feedback loops? What impact did COVID-19 have on VoC in 2020 and what will be the priority for CX professionals in this arena in 2021? Co-hosts Rich Hein and Dom Nicastro of CMSWire and special guest Stephanie Thum, CCXP, founding principal of Practical CX, on this CX Decoded podcast discuss the latest strategies to boost VoC programs and thrive in a rapidly changing world economy.

We are all customers in our personal lives, and most of us can easily distinguish between a good customer experience and a poor one. But can procurement create a positive customer experience in a B2B setting for all of our different stakeholder groups consistently and at scale? Absolutely - but we have to set the right expectations and priorities first. This interview, based on one of the most popular sessions from AOP Mastermind LIVE 2020, features Stephanie Thum, CCXP, Founding Principal of Practical CX, discussing the fundamental principles of customer experience with Art of Procurement General Manager Kelly Barner.  Key takeaways from this session include: The core values emphasized in formal customer experience development and how procurement stands to benefit from putting proven practices into use  Suppliers are not one of procurement’s customer groups, but they are absolutely vital and we can’t create a positive customer relationship without them The difference between creating or fostering a good customer experience and putting in the energy and effort to repair a poor or damaged customer experience

This Supply Chain Now Classic Episode originally published in August 2020. This episode of Supply Chain Now features Stephanie Thum. Stephanie is a long-time customer experience consultant and former practitioner who has spoken and written extensively on the field and practice of customer experience as a business discipline. Her experience includes work with government, B2B, technology, and nonprofit organizations. She served as one of the U.S. federal government's first agency-level heads of customer experience from 2012-2016. During this time, she also served as an advisor to President Obama's cross-agency task force on customer service, now known as customer experience. Her background also includes work as the Executive Strategist for CX Content for the Customer Experience Professionals Association and as the Chief Advisor for Federal CX at Qualtrics, where she counseled governments around the world on effective customer experience practices. Upcoming Events & Resources Mentioned in this Episode: Subscribe to Supply Chain Now and ALL Supply Chain Now Programs: supplychainnowradio.com/subscribe/ Leave a review for Supply Chain Now: https://ratethispodcast.com/supplychainnow Connect with Scott on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scottwindonluton/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gswhite/ Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniethum/  Supply Chain Now Ranked #1 Supply Chain Podcast via FeedSpot: tinyurl.com/rud8y9m Supply Chain Now Ranked #3 Supply Chain YouTube Channel: https://tinyurl.com/yazfegov Download the Q3 2020 U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index: freight.usbank.com/?es=a229&a=20 Check Out News From Our Sponsors: U.S. Bank: www.usbpayment.com/transportation-solutions Capgemini: www.capgemini.com/us-en/ Vector Global Logistics: vectorgl.com/ Verusen: www.verusen.com/ This episode was hosted by Greg White and Scott Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/episode-426.

"Relentlessly Focused on the Customer: Stephanie Thum with Practical CX” Supply Chain Now Episode 426 This episode of Supply Chain Now features Stephanie Thum. Stephanie is a long-time customer experience consultant and former practitioner who has spoken and written extensively on the field and practice of customer experience as a business discipline. Her experience includes work with government, B2B, technology, and nonprofit organizations. She served as one of the U.S. federal government’s first agency-level heads of customer experience from 2012-2016. During this time, she also served as an advisor to President Obama’s cross-agency task force on customer service, now known as customer experience. Her background also includes work as the Executive Strategist for CX Content for the Customer Experience Professionals Association and as the Chief Advisor for Federal CX at Qualtrics, where she counseled governments around the world on effective customer experience practices. Upcoming Events & Resources Mentioned in this Episode: Subscribe to Supply Chain Now: supplychainnowradio.com/subscribe/ Leave a review for Supply Chain Now: https://ratethispodcast.com/supplychainnow Connect with Scott on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scottwindonluton/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gswhite/ Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniethum/ Supply Chain Now Ranked #1 Supply Chain Podcast via FeedSpot: tinyurl.com/rud8y9m Supply Chain Now Ranked #3 Supply Chain YouTube Channel: https://tinyurl.com/yazfegov WEBINAR- “Post COVID-19 Supply Chains: What is Needed to Adapt" - https://tinyurl.com/ycgwzl67 AIAG Virtual 2020 Supply Chain Conference: https://tinyurl.com/y8axeflc Download the Q2 2020 U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index: freight.usbank.com/?es=a229&a=20 Listen and Subscribe to Supply Chain is Boring on Supply Chain Now: https://supply-chain-is-boring.captivate.fm/listen Listen and Subscribe to TECHquila Sunrise with Greg White on Supply Chain Now: https://techquila-sunrise.captivate.fm/listen Listen and Subscribe to This Week in Business History on Supply Chain Now: https://this-week-in-business-h.captivate.fm/listen Listen and Subscribe to Veteran Voices on Supply Chain Now: https://veteran-voices.captivate.fm/listen Check Out News From Our Sponsors: U.S. Bank: www.usbpayment.com/transportation-solutions Capgemini: www.capgemini.com/us-en/ Vector Global Logistics: vectorgl.com/ Verusen: www.verusen.com/ ProPurchaser.com: tinyurl.com/y6l2kh7g This episode was hosted by Greg White and Scott Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnowradio.com/episode-426.

vWe haven’t discussed inclusive customer experience on this podcast, so we are excited to talk to our guest today – Stephanie Thum, as that's one of the main things she specializes in. She is a Certified Customer Experience Professional who started in the CX profession for the B2B market. Many people know her as one of the U.S. Federal government's first agency-level heads of customer experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This CX Mini Masterclass explores the benefits of interviews as an effective approach to gain customer insight. Special guest and CX thought leader Stephanie Thum shares when and where this Voice of Customer (VOC) strategy can be most useful, best practices for conducting customer interviews and 5 practical tips for designing an interview research initiative. If you’re looking for some tangible advice about how to leverage interviews to better understand your customers, then this episode is for you. Insights from a special guest Stephanie has amassed deep expertise through her diverse professional background in the field of customer experience. While she’s often best known for her experience as one of the US federal government's first agency CX leads, she has also been a practitioner and consultant in the B2B world, working with small and mid-sized companies and was one of the founding members of the CXPA. She's a CCXP and has remained active with the association, even spending some time as part of the association's HQ team. She's written an ebook, Where Customer Experience Practices Haven't Landed in Business. If you'd like to get in touch, connect with her via LinkedIn or Twitter.   Stephanie Thum, CCXP If you'd like to hear more of Stephanie's insights on the show, be sure to check out her previous episodes. In episode 45 Stephanie re-framed how organizations should think of customers and shared practical ideas on how to do this. In episode 50, Stephanie dove into her area of expertise and covered trends with how CX is taking hold in government organizations. And in episode 55, she provided a step-by-step guide to CEOs on how to lead customer-centric change. In episode 63 she explored some of the most pervasive missteps organizations make with their CX metrics and how to avoid these. Many ways to gain customer insight There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer for Voice of Customer. Industries and journeys are different, so each organization needs to craft its own best strategy for understanding customers and their needs. When planning your voice of customer approach, there are many different methodologies to choose from. Episode 79 covered 3 lesser known methodologies, but surveys, focus groups and interviews still rein supreme as the dominant research approaches. And with good reason. If done correctly, they can yield amazing insights. Customer surveys are especially popular for collecting customer experience feedback in the B2C world. But in B2B, where human-to-human, long-term relationships and RFPs make or break the journey, collecting feedback sometimes needs to take on a more human touch to have a meaningful impact. In this case, Stephanie advocates for a client interview program as a great way to gain customer insight. Understanding the methodology Client interviews are just that, face-to-face or telephone conversations with a selected group sample of clients or customers. Interviews are more flexible than surveys. Often an interviewer will come prepared with a set of planned, yet adaptable, questions about the customer or client's business and their experience with the brand. The objective of the conversation is to glean insight about client needs, how the client views the business relationship and how the supplier organization's products or services help address these business challenges. The selection of clients should be guided by the objectives of the research. If the research is designed to gain customer insight across the entire portfolio of customers, the sample should be reasonably representative of this. If the objective is to dive into the needs of a specific customer segment or product opportunity, the sample should be tailored accordingly.  5 expert tips for setting up an interview program Stephanie provided 5 recommendations for any CX team that is looking to integrate client interviews into their Voice of Customer research program: An impartial,

Supply chain, work from home reality, crisis management: Highlights and valuable insights from the week of March 27, 2020. David Valejo, VP of Digital Business Planning at SAP discussed Amanda Magee, Principal at Trampoline Design, shares how her business has been affected by COVID-19 and provides insight on how they've pivoted how they work to continue to provide customers with the service they need. Stephanie Thum, Founding Principal at Practical CX, shares her personal experience of effective communication as we continue our series on leadership during uncertainty. Presented by The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience (www.the-future-of-commerce.com), where you can find our section of information dedicated to leadership, data, and current news around COVID-19.

Communication…a task that seems like a simple thing to do. But iIn the workplace, 57% of employees report not being given clear directions and 69% of managers are not comfortable communicating with the employees in general according an Interact study. Add in a business crisis that's grabbing your attention in 20 other areas while employees are looking for direction and real insight, and communication becomes even more important! But how do we do it? Stephanie Thum joins to share her personal experience of effective communication as we continue our series on leadership during uncertainty. Stephanie was leading CX during a time of crisis for a government agency during a high-profile, targeted political shutdown that involved a six-month stoppage of service to customers. She's currently the Founding Principal at Practical CX, and actually provided the inspiration for this series. Find her on Twitter: @stephaniethum or on Instagram: @sthumCX. Presented by The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience (www.the-future-of-commerce.com), where you can find our section of information dedicated to leadership, data, and current news around COVID-19.

Customer experience is too important to leave to chance. It takes strategy, planning, people and technology to exceed customer expectations. This episode, Tamara McCleary is joined by CX experts Stephanie Thum, Jeannie Walters, and Moritz Zimmerman. Together, they dig into the why and how of data-driven customer experience.

This CX Mini Masterclass explores some of the most pervasive missteps that organizations make with their CX metrics. Special guest and CX thought leader Stephanie Thum shares 4 of the most common pitfalls and their consequences. She also provides practical tips on how CX teams can turn things around. If you’re looking for some excellent food for thought on how to launch or fine-tune your approach to CX metrics, then this episode is for you. Insights from a special guest Stephanie has amassed deep expertise through her diverse professional background in the field of customer experience. While she’s often best known for her experience as one of the US federal government's first agency CX leads, she has also been a practitioner and consultant in the B2B world, working with small and mid-sized companies and was one of the founding members of the CXPA. She's a CCXP and has remained active with the association, even spending some time as part of the association's HQ team. She's written an ebook, Where Customer Experience Practices Haven't Landed in Business. If you'd like to get in touch, connect with her via LinkedIn or Twitter.   Stephanie Thum, CCXP If you'd like to hear more of Stephanie's insights on the show, be sure to check out her previous episodes. In episode 45 Stephanie re-framed how organizations should think of customers and shared practical ideas on how to do this. In episode 50, Stephanie dove into her area of expertise and covered trends with how CX is taking hold in government organizations. And in episode 55, she provided a step-by-step guide to CEOs on how to lead customer-centric change.   A focus on CX metrics If you are new to the CX profession, the world of CX metrics can be daunting. Even of you are a seasoned professional, CX metrics can be intimidating. That said, metrics are the lifeblood of and CX initiative, program or department. CX metrics are how we monitor progress and demonstrate impact, so we need to get over any discomfort we might have with this topic and stay attuned to how we can most effectively use the numbers.   4 common mistakes - and how to fix them Stephanie provided her insights on 4 of the most common missteps that teams make with how they manage CX metrics: Mistake #1: Top-line revenue tells you everything you need to know about customers’ experiences Yes, revenue can be a barometer on how happy customers are or how well products are doing in the marketplace, but it won't tell teams what is going right or wrong. So make sure you are reporting on a balanced mix of metrics and not reliant on just this number. Mistake #2: Thinking customer experience metrics make you look bad Sometimes the results might not be flattering, but that's not a reason to avoid them all together. Ensure that CX metrics are used to start constructive dialogue with your team, not as a policing mechanism. Mistake #3: Customer satisfaction is the only customer experience metric that matters There can be alluring simplicity in focusing on just one CX metric, but resist the temptation to do so. As with top line revenue, Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) has limited use as a metric-in-isolation. Embrace a wider scope of quantitative and qualitative data points. E.g. customer wait times, transaction completion rates, acceptance rates, types of customer compliments, verbatim feedback. Mistake #4: A once-per-year customer experience data review is all we need Customer needs and expectations aren't static. Service standards like wait times and processing times should keep pace with customer expectations. Look for data sources and CX metrics that are ongoing, so you can monitor how things are changing. Your organization is probably already gathering data that can be used for this purpose.   Want to keep learning about CX? If you’d like to checkout more of these CX Mini Masterclasses or listen to my longer format CX expert interviews, check out the full listing of episodes for this CX...

The thought of visiting a government office, for most of us, is often followed by an exasperated sigh. Generally, that reaction is rooted in the poor experience that government offices are infamous for. CX improvement in government is often stymied due to its agencies' culture, shortage of staff, and / or dearth of technological implementation and adoption. These factors, among others, lead to an unsatisfactory experience. Fortunately, there are individuals and organizations out there, helping the governments improve their customer experience around the world. My guest on this podcast is among the leading Government CX Professional. I talk with Stephanie Thum, Founding Principal at Practical CX, about how to improve CX in government. Before starting Practical CX, she was Chief Advisor and Subject Matter Expert for Federal Customer Experience at Qualtrics. She has also served as an advisor for President Obama’s cross-agency task force on customer service. Stephanie and I discuss: Who is a customer for the government? What are the factors influencing the customer experience in government? Why must government offices focus on delivering better customer experience? What can governments do to improve customer experience? This conversation really made me realize that government offices too have a business to run and they need to focus on delivering delightful CX to make a lasting difference in people's life. If you're a CX professional or work in any other role in a government agency, this is for you. Connect with Stephanie on: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniethum/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephaniethum Practical CX on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PracticalCX Register here to get updates in your inbox: https://om1.cc/cxcon Looking for an NPS solution? Check out https://omoto.io

This CX Mini Masterclass explores how leaders can champion the customer mandate. Great customer experience starts with the goals, data and a vision. Special guest and CX thought leader Stephanie Thum shares practical tips on on how to kick start CX alignment and how leaders can be prepared for the most common hurdles along the way. If you’ve been looking for some fresh ideas on fostering alignment, or some food for thought that you can send to your business’s leadership team, then this episode is for you. Insights from a special guest     Stephanie has amassed deep expertise through her diverse professional background in the field of customer experience. While she’s often best known for her experience as one of the US federal government's first agency CX leads, she has also been a practitioner and consultant in the B2B world, working with small and mid-sized companies and was one of the founding members of the CXPA. She's a CCXP and has remained active with the association, even spending some time as part of the association's HQ team. She's written an ebook, Where Customer Experience Practices Haven't Landed in Business. If you'd like to get in touch, connect with her via LinkedIn or Twitter.   Stephanie Thum, CCXP   The starting block for great customer experience Data and metrics are a logical place to start. Many organizations live and breathe "the numbers", so leaders are already primed to pay attention. Plus, most organizations are sitting on mountains of data. The next step is to identify how this data can be used to understand the customer and foster organizational accountability (e.g. as KPIs - see episode 53 for a deep dive on KPIs). Next, leaders should foster awareness and rally department leaders around these figures. Easier said than done, but Stephanie shares the story of a manufacturing CEO who started a weekly stand-up meetings with his plant manager, HR leader, and lead customer service rep to go over the data. The company's customer experience management efforts evolved from there. Once leaders are begin supporting CX, they can take the message to their teams, sharing results and helping individuals understand how their day to day responsibilities impact the bigger picture of CX.   6 expert tips Great customer experiences may start at the top, but rallying the rest of the organization, won't be without a few challenges along the way. Stephanie provided her insights on what to look out for, and how to respond:   Get comfortable being uncomfortable If the numbers aren’t great, get comfortable explaining the reasons why Align your management teams Present CX as a triage tool, not a policing mechanism Keep going, no matter what When the numbers are great, celebrate! When the numbers aren’t so great, don’t point fingers If you'd like additional insights from Stephanie, be sure to read her full article on this topic.   Want to keep learning about CX? If you’d like to checkout more of these CX Mini Masterclasses or listen to my longer format CX expert interviews, check out the full listing of episodes for this CX podcast. And if you are looking to super-charge your CX skills and continue learning, be sure to check out CX University. They have a great array of CXPA accredited training resources available on a flexible monthly subscription plan. Use the code PODCAST10 to get 10% off your first month’s subscription and support this podcast. Decoding the Customer is a series of customer experience podcasts created and produced by Julia Ahlfeldt, CCXP. Julia is a customer experience strategist, speaker and business advisor. She is a Certified Customer Experience Professional and one of the top experts in customer experience management. To find out more about how Julia can help your business achieve its CX goals, check out her customer experience advisory consulting services (including customer insights, CX measurement, leadership alignment and CX change implementation) or get in touc...

In this episode of Regalix’s RTalks, we have an insightful chat with Stephanie Thum, Chief Advisor of Federal Customer Experience at SAP Qualtrics, about the evolution of customer experience and how the experience economy has changed the game.

This CX Mini Masterclass explores 3 trends that are on the rise with how governments are embracing CX practices. Special guest and CX thought leader Stephanie Thum speaks about how this trend is gaining global momentum, the importance of adapting government experiences for the modern world, and the growing influence of oversight bodies to ensure that governments are doing right by consumers. If you’re wondering how CX is being applied beyond the private sector, then this episode is for you.   Insights from a special guest Stephanie has amassed deep expertise through her diverse professional background in the field of customer experience. While she’s often best known for her experience as one of the US federal government's first agency CX leads, she has also been a practitioner and consultant in the B2B world, working with small and mid-sized companies and was one of the founding members of the CXPA. She's a CCXP and has remained active with the association, even spending some time as part of the association's HQ team. She's written an ebook, Where Customer Experience Practices Haven't Landed in Business. If you'd like to get in touch, connect with her via LinkedIn or Twitter.   Stephanie Thum, CCXP   CX beyond the private sector When we think about customer experience, the default is often to consider the implications for the private sector, but consumers don’t check their expectations at the door when they go to the DMV, grab a book at the library or go for a hike in a national park. And they certainly don’t forget these experiences when they go to the ballot box. Consumer expectations are on the rise across the board, and the public sector is also responding.   Trends in government CX Stephanie shares 3 trends for how CX is taking hold within governmental organizations:   Global momentum - CX is being embraced by governments and public sector agencies around the world. The governments of New South Wales in Australia and the City of Dublin in Ireland are just two examples of how government agencies are getting serious about CX by establishing permanent roles and putting funding behind government CX initiatives. Adapting experiences for the modern world - Historically, citizens have had to engage with governments through formal in-person formats like city council meetings. That's just not always conducive to the modern digital consumer lifestyle. As a response, governments are looking at how they can use things like opt-in online surveys to engage with consumers and understand what's important to them. The rise of oversight bodies - The government accountability office and inspector general's office are two examples of how the US federal government is establishing permanent ongoing customer advocacy among agencies. These oversight bodies keep tabs on fraud, waste and abuse, along with government CX pain points such as customer wait times.   Want to keep learning about CX? If you’d like to checkout more of these CX Mini Masterclasses or listen to my longer format CX expert interviews, check out the full listing of episodes for this CX podcast. And if you are looking to super-charge your CX skills and continue learning, be sure to check out CX University. They have a great array of CXPA accredited training resources available on a flexible monthly subscription plan. Use the code PODCAST10 to get 10% off your first month’s subscription and support this podcast. Decoding the Customer is a series of customer experience podcasts created and produced by Julia Ahlfeldt, CCXP. Julia is a customer experience strategist, speaker and business advisor. She is a Certified Customer Experience Professional and one of the top experts in customer experience management. To find out more about how Julia can help your business achieve its CX goals, check out her customer experience advisory consulting services (including customer insights, CX measurement, leadership alignment and CX change implementation...

This CX Mini Masterclass makes the case for why CX practitioners need to help flip the script on how organizations think about customers. Special guest and CX thought leader Stephanie Thum provides practical tips on how to influence the way that teams regard customers.       Insights from a special guest Stephanie has amassed deep expertise through her diverse professional background in the field of customer experience. While she’s often best known for her experience as one of the US federal government's first agency CX leads, she has also been a practitioner and consultant in the B2B world, working with small and mid-sized companies and was one of the founding members of the CXPA. She's a CCXP and has remained active with the association, even spending some time as part of the association's HQ team. She's written an ebook, Where Customer Experience Practices Haven't Landed in Business. If you'd like to get in touch, connect with her via LinkedIn or Twitter.   Stephanie Thum, CCXP   Why we need to think about customers differently Historically, businesses and government agencies have viewed customers as a source of business risk. These themes can easily take center stage in leadership and management discussions, positioning customers as adversaries. Stephanie shares that while it's important to recognize and manage risk, organizations must also view customers for what they are: real people. Through humanizing customers, organizations can position customers as partners and remind themselves of who and what they are working for.   How to influence the mindset shift Making that change, however, is easier said than done. Fortunately, Stephanie has shared some practical and engaging ways to initiate the shift:   Democratize the data - share customer experience data in a widespread manner throughout your organization in a way that creates a reaction from people. Even if the reactions aren't what you had hoped for, the purpose is to get people regularly talking about customers, as they would profit, staffing, technology, etc. There are endless ways of sharing data, such as circulating survey results or playing a call recording at a team meeting and then troubleshooting experience solutions. Start a conversation through a story - share stories about real customer experiences. Storytelling has been a part of the human experience since time immemorial. Customer anecdotes not only humanize quantitative data, they also help people relate back to their own personal customer experiences. Include customers in the business - bring customers into your organization's activities. Customers aren't outsiders to your business, they are part of it. Look for opportunities to include customers in advisory boards, speak at company events or attend customer appreciation days. This will bridge the divide between employees and customers, and may help surface ideas on how to improve products or experiences.   Want to keep learning about CX? If you’d like to checkout more of these CX Mini Masterclasses or listen to my longer format CX expert interviews, check out the full listing of episodes for this CX podcast. And if you are looking to super-charge your CX skills and continue learning, be sure to check out CX University. They have a great array of CXPA accredited training resources available on a flexible monthly subscription plan. Use the code PODCAST10 to get 10% off your first month’s subscription and support this podcast. Decoding the Customer is a series of customer experience podcasts created and produced by Julia Ahlfeldt, CCXP. Julia is a customer experience strategist, speaker and business advisor. She is a Certified Customer Experience Professional and one of the top experts in customer experience management. To find out more about how Julia can help your business achieve its CX goals, check out her customer experience advisory consulting services (including customer insights, CX measurement,

Steve welcomes Stephanie Thum, chief advisor of federal customer experience at Qualtrics, to discuss how federal agencies are beginning to apply customer experience into government, how legislation is requiring the implementation of CX practices, the imbalance of X-data (experience) and O-data (operational) within agencies, and... Zootopia? 

Let's be honest...when we think of great customer experiences, we generally don't think of the services we get from government agencies and departments. And yet, there is no better place to start with CX, to benefit the needs of your citizens. In this episode of In Process, Vince sits down to chat with Stephanie Thum, who has played a huge role in establishing the value of CX in government (NB. this feels like an understatement...listen to the surprise in my voice when Stephanie lays out some of the work she's done...which could be a whole other episode - VM). In this engaging discussion, Vince and Stephanie cover the pressing need to improve the experiences provided by public services, share some insights into their worst personal CX moments (sorry airlines!), and just generally have a lot of fun.

Innovating Your Customer Feedback Process with Stephanie Thum

A roundtable discussion led by Sarah Evans, featuring Mark Madsen, Sharlyn Lauby, Robert Sher and Stephanie Thum.

In this episode, we explored yet another unexpected place where customer experience is taking hold:  the Government.  Stephanie Thum, Vice President of Customer Experience for the Export/Import Bank of the United States explains how the mandate for service in government has led to wide spread action across many government agencies to address and rethink how they serve.  

To provide great customer service, bring your agency’s customers to the table. This is one of many insights recently offered by Stephanie Thum, Vice President of Customer Experience at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Thum has previously written about customer experience for DigitalGov, including Three Ways to Evolve Your Agency’s Customer Mindset and the forward-looking Will 2016 Be the Federal Government’s ‘Year of the Customer?’ In May, Thum sat down with DigitalGov to dig deeper into the federal customer experience (CX) landscape. Thum discussed how the CX mindset is gaining momentum and attention around government, how CX is a management discipline that deserves a seat at the C-suite, and why providing great customer service makes fundamental business sense.