In this episode, Jeannie and Adam discuss how when we need a connection, we create that connection, even with a car that listens to you! These kinds of connections that people create are becoming more and more prevalent with the rise of technology. Jeannie cites examples of technology that allow us to interact with service providers through avatars, or other types of artificial intelligence. They become powerful tools for humanity to keep an eye on each other more and Jeannie adds that there could be ways we connect with screens in the future that we're not anticipating today.

Today we focus on gratitude with special guest, Award Winning Speaker, Author, and Chief Appreciation Strategist of Grategy, LLC, Lisa Ryan. Lisa explains how gratitude builds on the basic foundation of human connection through thankfulnes; letting people know that they matter, are seen, and are important to us, promotes loyalty, fulfilment and happiness, with people in the workplace.

Listen as Jeannie shares some highlights from business owners who are really striving for the next level in leading customer culture. Do you really understand the experience you're trying to deliver and are you building the right culture for that?

On this episode of Crack The Customer Code, we're going to try something a little bit different. We're going to go back and recap a little bit of what we've learned from our 360+ episodes.

We've previously discussed a lot about technology, where it's headed and how it's going to impact us all in the customer experience and customer service spaces.

In this episode, Adam, recaps on some of the best snippets to come out of 70+ episodes discussing technology and its impact on experience and service; from your employee training to automation to the robots taking over, and more.

One of the comments that Adam and Jeannie receive the most about the podcast is that people like the banter, the personal stories and the fun! We thought the customer experience and customer service wisdom was the draw. Nope! It's when Adam and Jeannie mess around!

So they've decided that once a quarter, unless we get hate mail, they're going to do a Bourbon Summit, in honor of the story that some of you may know, in which bourbon played a huge part in the birth of the podcast itself!

As well as discussing which bourbon they're drinking, Adam and Jeannie also discuss the great way some companies make their customers feel special by offering them exclusive brand experiences.

This episode is all about showing up. We dive into a pretty interesting discussion about teamwork and leadership - and how that affects service. Listen as Ryan explains the inspiration behind his book title, Thanks For Coming In Today - and the reason why he still thanks employees for showing up every day.

Who owns what in an experience like travelling? The flying experience, TSA, the lines, the transportation within the terminal, the parking, etc? Adam and Jeannie talk about the forward-thinking Dallas Fort Worth airport, who actually have a customer service command center.

This is for people who are working in all different areas of the airport, they all work together in this hub to make sure that they're prepared for various passenger situations.

Clarity is more important than we think. It's an interesting topic because we don't really talk about it because it has everything to do with the success of our business and our customers, so why don't we talk about it more? We talk with Steve Woodruff about really understanding who we are and what we deliver and how to articulate that so others can articulate that for us.

Steve comes at this topic through the lens of referrals. With the idea of having to be clear about yourself, your value, what you do and what you offer first, before others can be clear and refer you.

Jeannie and Adam discuss how to use Customer Service Blueprinting to optimize all the working parts of your overall customer experience, and how Jeannie can train you on this amazing skill today!

We've talked a lot about customer journey mapping and other amazing tools on this show, so it's time to talk about the next tool in your customer experience toolbox: Customer Service Blueprinting.

Taking stock of your behind-the-scenes operations as they relate to the experience delivered is a powerful way to understand not only what's happening in your customer service, but how it happens, who is accountable, and what needs to happen for the experience to run like a well-oiled machine.

"Get that 3D perspective on what's going on and how to deliver on it!" - Jeannie Walters

Customer Service Blueprinting is an amazing way to make these observations and inform critical improvements, so Jeannie has decided to create a LinkedIn Learning course to show you how it's done. The latest in Jeannie's ongoing series of customer experience courses, Customer Service Blueprinting outlines the process in easy steps, then leaves you with templates to help you hit the ground running!

What's more, using your Service Blueprint together with Customer Journey Mapping (also a popular topic in Jeannie's LinkedIn Learning series) adds some serious "ka-pow" for fine-tuning your overall customer experience.

Want to learn more about Customer Service Blueprinting, and what to expect in Jeannie's courses? Then listen in and find out how to get started today!

Don't want to wait? Sign up for Jeannie's course now!

What is service blueprinting? from Customer Service Blueprinting by Jeannie Walters

• Experience Investigators™ by 360Connext post, How to Create the Best Customer Experience Solutions
• Customers That Stick® post, Adam Toporek's 3S Customer Service Process
• Episode 357: Thomas Hollmann, Customer Experience Education
• Episode 354: Are you neglecting key moments in the customer journey?
• We're on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

Jeannie and Adam welcome Dr. Thomas Hollmann of Arizona State University to tackle the customer experience education gap between academia and real-world business.

Customer experience is now a critical focus in business today, so leaders have much to learn about. We learn from conferences, colleagues, webinars, blog posts, podcasts (a-hem!) and many other places. But what about academics? Most of us who have been in business for a number of years will tell you Customer Experience wasn't much a part of our higher education, if at all.

So, as we now have both feet in the Age of the Customer, what has academics done to adapt to this profound shift in focus around what it takes to be successful? Sadly, not much. And customers are not going to wait for your customer experience education to catch up.

"Industry is struggling with and looking at totally different topics than the ones that we do when we go to academic conferences." - Dr. Thomas Hollmann

But there's hope – not just for today's business leaders, but for the next generation of business students, and new recruits you are training today! Dr. Thomas Hollmann, Executive Director of the Center for Services Leadership at Arizona State University, is here not only to teach us how the education system is adapting to this great shift, but what leaders can do in the meantime and in the future.

In this enlightening interview, Dr. Hollmann:

• Brings us up to speed with the current state of customer experience education
• Identifies the gaps between traditional business education and customer-focused practices
• Outlines traditional business tools and disciplines you can use to fill these gaps
• Shares expert advice on how to approach customer experience education for the future

"Customer Success is very old. So why is it a new topic?"  -Dr. Thomas Hollmann

It may be a while before the academic industries embed customer experience disciplines into their curricula, so it's critical to fill the gaps for yourself, your employees, and even your executive team. Listen in to learn how!

• What is the role of higher education in the world of customer experience today, and more importantly, is customer experience represented well? [5:00]
• As customer expectations change around the ideal experience, so do those of students. How are educational organizations adapting and competing? [7:40]
• Who is teaching customer experience these days? Dr. Hollmann discusses different professional backgrounds and powerful tools for understanding customers. [9:56]
• What is a good service culture, and how do the best organizations achieve theirs? [12:50]
• Customer Success dovetails into service and customer experience in many industries, so how can organizations use it as a framework? [16:20]
• What do leaders need to do in the future to compete on Customer Experience? Dr. Hollmann answers this burning question then outlines a few tools and key questions to ask. [20:00]

Dr. Thomas Hollmann is a Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing and the Executive Director of the Center for Services Leadership at Arizona State University. Thomas' work experience spans four countries and over 10 years in Fortune 100 companies, including Black & Decker, Xerox, and as an executive at Sun Life Financial. His research interests include Services Science, with a focus on B2B, service analytics, and Relationship Marketing, with a particular interest in relationship outcomes.

His research has appeared in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, the Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing and several leading marketing and services conferences. He has received research grants and awards. Thomas has consulted with a range of Fortune 500 firms and he received awards for his teaching at Arizona State University and at NC State. Thomas earned a Ph.D. in Marketing from Arizona State University.

Connect with Dr. Hollmann

• LinkedIn
• ASU Center for Service Leadership

• 360Connext® post, What Kind of Customer Experience Leader Do You Need to Be?
• Customers That Stick® post, How to Get Your Team to Deliver Consistent Customer Service
• Episode 298: Michel Falcon, Incredible Experience Tips
• Episode 175: (Tip) How Business Schools Can Add Customer Experience
• We're on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

Adam and Jeannie discuss the rapid evolution of chatbots across industries and how to make the best decisions around existing and emerging chatbot technology.

Chatbots are taking the world by storm! They've made their way into foodservice, retail, SaaS, and more. Typically, we catch on pretty fast when interacting with a chatbot. But with Artificial Intelligence making leaps and bounds every day, that could be changing soon!

"Our human assets are only as good as the intelligence and the information they have." -Adam Toporek

And it won't be long before these amazing new capabilities enter the main stream. In fact, kind of technology is becoming more accessible and affordable to smaller companies every day. So, what about your company?

To bot, or not to bot…that is the question!

"It's not just the one job or the one role…How does this fit into the journey? And what does this mean? What human controls do we need to put in?" -Jeannie Walters

There's no easy answer to this, but taking a look at how this technology is being used today and how new features and capabilities are rolling out will help you find your answer.

Jeannie and Adam have been watching these trends for you, so they've dedicated this episode to sharing some of the best and worst ways chatbots have been (and will be) used.

Here are a few things they cover:

• Chatbots have evolved quite a bit in recent years, but does your company need to take advantage?
• What are some new ways you may leverage chatbot technology in the future?
• And more importantly, how can you make your chatbots a seamless and satisfying part of the customer journey?

Listen in for chatbot do's and do not's from two of the most respected names in customer service and customer experience, right here on Crack the Customer Code!

• 360Connext® post, 3 Ways the Best Brands Do Omnichannel Right
• Customers That Stick® post, Starting a Culture of Customer-Focused Innovation
• Episode 265: (Tip) Chatbots and Humans
• Episode 234: Tips for Customer Service Bots
• We're on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts

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Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.