Our Best Speakers share the secret to Customer Experience in 2021.

The pandemic has changed the way we do so many things, but has it changed the fundamentals of something like customer experience? 

Like many of our clients, we were curious to find out, so we reached out to some of our best speakers to find out if the core elements of customer experience have changed over the last year, and if so, how?

Their answers surprised us. Given the huge increase in technological uptake for both B2B and B2C organizations, we predicted that innovation and speed and capability of tech would be the frontrunners, but we were wrong.

Without exception, all of our speakers polled answered with a variation on a theme: Be Human. 

While that is a broad strokes interpretation of what was said, it is the essence of what all of these experts in the field of customer experience note as THE most important element in any organization that is working with clients. 

The Godmother of Customer Experience, Jeanne Bliss, offered an empowering mission to all organizations that provides a great jumping off point. She says: “Know their life, to serve their life.”

It is through knowledge of your client as a person, in addition to their data, that organizations can successfully grow their businesses and build brand loyalty. Legendary speaker Robert Spector suggests that we must learn to view our organizations through the lens of the client in order to truly serve their needs. 

Founding Writer of Fast Company & Co-Founder of Management Lab, Polly LaBarre explains how to do this. She says that organizations who dive into WHO their clients are by listening with humility, will develop long lasting, sustainable relationships that go beyond any single transaction.

This curiosity, coupled with a passion for serving clients, is what makes an organization great, according to Doug Lipp, an internationally renowned expert on customer service. He also points out that curiosity takes courage; asking questions that can yield tough answers requires courage to address pain points. 

To put it as simply as possible: Be helpful. Our expert on Persuasion, Influence & Sales, Phil M. Jones, suggests it isn’t tech that is guiding customer experience right now, it is listening to what our clients need and offering them solutions. 

Addressing pain points has another added benefit. It is here that organizations can find opportunities to create distinction. Scott McKain, a dynamic speaker on sales & innovation, has spent years researching how companies can become more iconic and provide better experiences for their clients. 

His advice: aim to be distinctive, not just in your field, but in any field. Use challenges as an opportunity to innovate, creating, as he calls, an Ultimate Customer Experience at all levels.

Purposeful experiences are a great example of this, Lior Arussy, an expert on Customer-Centric Transformation, agrees. Understanding and mapping every step of the buyer’s journey, whether it is B2B or B2C, is essential in creating exceptional customer experiences and building long term client relationships. 

All of these things come down to one element: Be human. Listen to your clients, ask them what they need and then figure out how to do it. The fastest tech or most evolved AI will not replace the ability to ask questions and connect with your clients. 

We will leave you with this quote from Dr. Joseph Michelli, our speaker on Client Experience Design, that sums this up nicely:

“Stop worrying about “developing loyalty.” Listen, Add Value, and the rest will follow.”