How To Scale Modern Customer Service Experiences for Financial Gains

by | Nov 12, 2023 | DoingCXRight®‬ Podcast | 0 comments

Doing CX Right podcast show on Spotify with host Stacy Sherman
DoingCXRight-Podcast-on-Amazon-with-host-Stacy-Sherman.
Doing Customer Experience (CX) Right Podcast - Hosted by Stacy Sherman
Doing CX Right podcast show on iHeart Radio with host Stacy Sherman

4 Steps to Scale Modern Customer Service Experiences for Revenue Gains

As customer experience leaders, we strive to elevate every interaction to drive loyalty, advocacy, and growth. But how do you provide personalized engagement across the entire customer lifecycle at scale in today’s digital-first business landscape?

Stacy Sherman and featured guest Andrew Carothers, Digital CX Leader at Cisco Systems, share a proven 4-step framework to digitally transform customer experiences for measurable revenue gains.

Andrew draws on over 20 years of CX expertise, including being one of the first 100 employees tasked with establishing Cisco’s customer experience function. He led strategies to align CX to their shifting business model – from selling hardware to subscription services.

Topics and Time Stamps: 

[00:01] Andrew’s role and focus on scaling CX at Cisco

[00:35] His journey from marketing to spearheading Cisco’s CX function

[02:30] Defining great CX in the age of the customer

[04:11] How subscription models change CX focus

[08:20] Key takeaways for elevating CX with recurring revenue [09:00] Taking a digital-first approach to modern CX

[12:15] Getting your CX house in order by removing silos

[17:14] Embracing AI to enable smarter, faster CX

[21:11] Measuring CX metrics that matter most

[24:27] Why CX is in its “teenage years” and still maturing

[25:16] Best leadership advice – clarity is kindness

Key insights from this podcast episode include:

Take A Digital-First Approach

Andrew stresses that in the age of the customer, digital CX is now tablestakes.

“All customers expect a digital-first approach,” he says. “Even our largest customers are digital.”

Research shows 57% of B2B customers have switched vendors for a better experience. They want instant, on-demand service through self-service.

However, customers still want human connection as a fallback. So Andrew suggests a “digital-first with a human hybrid model.” Meet customers how they want to engage – digitally, conveniently, in the moment. But have empathetic humans ready to step in when needed.

This blended approach provides quick access to information while delivering personal care. Map customer journeys to uncover needs. Then, design experiences based on those insights. Validate with research to avoid assumptions.

Investing in digital CX first pays dividends across metrics like satisfaction, retention, and lifetime value.

Get Your Customer Experience House in Order

Once you commit to digital CX, the next step is getting your foundation in order by “aligning your entire company around CX.”

This involves:

  • Taking inventory of all customer-facing assets
  • Connecting data across silos
  • Enabling seamless omnichannel orchestration
  • Building a platform to share real-time insights

Silos create fragmented experiences that frustrate customers. They deal with separate sales, service, or web teams that seem disconnected.

By connecting CX teams, data, and technologies across the business, you can engage customers seamlessly. This requires cooperation across IT, marketing, product groups and more.

Break down walls to provide contextual interactions that solve needs. Empower employees to collaborate around the customer versus operating in isolation.

Solid CX foundations pay dividends over time. Consistent, frictionless experiences strengthen trust and relationships.

Embrace AI to Elevate CX

Once your digital CX house is in order, Andrew says it’s time to start “figuring out how to apply AI.”

He believes AI can be a “game changer” to enable:

  • Faster response times
  • More accurate answers
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Proactive engagements
  • Automation of repetitive tasks
  • Predictive insights from customer data

Where do you start? Andrew suggests assembling a cross-functional team to identify top customer pain points. Then, explore how AI applications can address those needs.

Look for use cases around speed, optimization, data analysis, and automation. Consider prebuilt solutions versus custom development.

AI-enabled chatbots can provide instant self-service for common questions. Predictive analytics can tailor recommendations proactively. Automation can handle repetitive requests to boost efficiency.

The time to embrace AI is now. Start small, prove value, and expand from there. AI-powered experiences can help you better understand and serve customers.

Measure Metrics That Matter

The final step is having the right customer experience metrics and analytics. This allows you to connect CX investments to business outcomes.

Andrew emphasizes measuring two key dimensions:

Internal CX Processes – How well are you able to serve customers? What programs, technologies, and workflows are enhancing experiences?

Customer Actions – How do customer experience improvements change behaviors, and spend? For instance, how does the adoption of your products or services evolve based on your efforts? What is the impact on renewal rates?

Look beyond general satisfaction or NPS scores. Connect operational CX metrics to customer actions tied to revenue. Demonstrate how better customer service experiences translate to growth and retention.

In Summary:

The 4 step approach provides a blueprint to digitally transform CX at scale in any company.

  1. Adopt a digital-first with human hybrid model to meet customer needs conveniently.
  2. Connect silos across teams, data, and tech to enable consistent experiences.
  3. Implement AI to make interactions faster, smarter, and more predictive.
  4. Measure CX metrics that connect operational improvements to customer actions and business growth.

As emphasizes, every customer expects personalized support and simplified engagement. Following frameworks like these can help you deliver elevated experiences that people value.

The companies that digitize CX as a competitive advantage now will be poised for revenue gains in the future as customer expectations escalate. Use these steps to start your modern CX journey now.

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About Andrew :  

A Digital Customer Experience leader at Cisco Systems focused on scaling CX across millions of customers globally. He has over 20 years of experience driving customer-centric strategies. Andrew was one of the first 100 employees tasked with establishing Cisco’s CX function during their business model transformation. He is passionate about elevating every customer interaction through digital CX.

Learn more on LinkedIn

About Stacy Sherman: Founder of Doing CX Right®‬

Customer experience and marketing global keynote speaker, journalist, co-author of two books, advisor, and host of the award-winning DoingCXRight podcast. Known for her Heart & Science™ framework that helps you gain profitable clients and brand loyalty–fueled by an empowered workforce. Stacy’s been walking the talk for 25 years as a strategist and practitioner at companies of all sizes and industries, i.e., Liveops, Verizon, Schindler Elevator Corp, Wilton Brands, and AT&T. She’s also a board advisor at multiple universities, featured in Forbes and other top-rated publications.

Her Why: To cultivate loyal relationships and meaningful experiences that enrich people’s lives. Contact Stacy for DOING Customer Experience (CX) and Service Right, not just TALKING about it. Continue reading bio >here.

Keyword themes: DoingCXRight CustomerExperience DigitalCX  Customer Service RecurringRevenue CX Succes AI CX CX Metrics Customer  Service Experiences

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*All views expressed are Stacys and do not reflect the opinions of or imply the endorsement of employers or other organizations.

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