Jim Kalbach is currently the Head of Customer Success at MURAL. He has previously worked in various design-related consulting roles for large companies, such as eBay, Audi, SONY, Elsevier Science, LexisNexis, and Citrix. Before moving back to the US in 2013 after living for fifteen years in Germany, he was the co-founder of the European Information Architecture conferences and he also founded the IA Konferenz, a leading UX design event in Germany. In 2007, he published his first full-length book, Designing Web Navigation and his second book, Mapping Experiences, was a #1 bestseller on Amazon in the Business Development section.
Jim has a varied professional background. He studied information science and has a lot of experience doing digital product design for agencies and large companies.
“Really these visualizations are a way for us customer experience professionals to observe the world, so that we can bring that back into our organizations”.
He says that professionals don’t necessarily create the customer experience, as it’s something the customer owns.
“We have to understand that and help them navigate because it is actually their journey through our eco system and our touch points.”
Jim says it is important to have participations from companies that he works with, open conversations and getting in the problem-solving mindset.
“People support what they create or help create.”
Jim says having the visualization helps because it inspires people to want to have a conversation, but the danger lies in people focusing on the diagram itself instead of using it as a tool for improvement.
“You put it up on the wall and people lean back; you want it to be a lean-in deliverable.”
He believes you need to think about how you are going to use the map because ultimately it is not about the deliverable or the document but how that activates change.
INTERVIEW LINKS:
www.ExperiencingInformation.com
“The Design of Everyday Things” by Don Norman
“The Innovator’s Dilemma” by Clayton Christensen
"The Innovator's Solution" by Clayton Christensen
Amy Cannatta is a business and vibrant living coach whose goal is to help others bring their vision to life. She does this by giving them the tools to take their passion and make it a reality. Amy is an international best-selling author and the host of the “Concept to Cash Flow” podcast, where go-getters learn how to kill it in life and business from successful entrepreneurs.
Amy is very passionate about how changing perspectives can turn tragedy into personal transformation. She was a domestic abuse victim that persevered and went onto raise her two daughters while completing her doctorate. Amy talks about how she grew up as a child and the values that were taught to her while growing up on a farm.
“It’s really one of these skills that are kind of ingrained into my DNA, to take something and figure out how to either make it useful or reuse it; it’s the “outside of the box” thinking and also the hard work and perseverance.”
Amy had a successful chiropractic business but decided to move into the online space and start her coaching business.
She explains how she sees customer service and why it is the heart and soul of a business.
“Customer service is what builds the business’ reputation, and reputation is something you cannot put a price on. It is one of those intangible benefits and value that a business has.”
When a business owner is creating a service culture, Amy gives advice from her own experience in business whether it is on or offline.
“If you don’t share with the people who are around you what is important to you, what your mission and your purpose are, then they’re in the dark, just kind of guessing. They don’t understand the culture; they don’t understand what you value because you haven’t communicated that with them.”
One thing Amy does in her practice that pushes her clients forward to get results in their own business is, she is willing to get “down and dirty” with her clients and do the work with them.
“I’m not one of those coaches that just talks for an hour on the phone and says, “have a nice day, here is your homework”. If they need help, we do it together.”
Amy makes sure that the other people on her team sees her vision and the direction she wants her business to go. This is one thing that helps maintain the motivation among staff.
“Getting them onboard, making them feel like they understand the vision of the business (is important).”
We would welcome a subscribe, rate and review for the show and also that the listeners can come hang out at Navigating the Customer Experience Community on Facebook. This is a private Facebook group for our listeners and past guests to come over share insights and industry trending topics and discussions on business and customer experience – click here!
INTERVIEW LINKS:
www.facebook.com/amycannattadc
“The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy
“Overcoming Under Earning” by Barbara Stanny
Jess Winnett is a Live Stream Business Strategist and an entrepreneur who’s building a legacy online. She loves empowering others with the truth that they can have the life and business that they want, without sacrificing time with family with loved ones. She’s the “Queen of Periscope”, and she’s here to show and tell others how they too can use this amazing platform to bring incredible results to their business.
Jess got started on Periscope about 10 months ago and although the live streaming aspect intimidated her at first, she fell in love with the way she could connect with people using it.
“I knew that I had this voice and this content to share. I just wasn’t sure what platform was right for me.”
Her number of followers has steadily grown to a little over 2,700 people, and she notes that she started with no social media presence prior to using Periscope.
She feels that there is a direct correlation between Periscope and customer service, and believes that every single time you go live, you leave people with a feeling. She strives to connect with others each time she broadcasts and also gets to know the names of people watching.
“People will come back if they feel loved, cherished and appreciated”
Due to the fact that Periscope streams live, you can build the “know-like-trust” factor very quickly. The platform has also introduced enhanced features for searching to improve users’ experience.
Jess and her husband are big advocates of letting people know when they’re doing a really good job with customer service, as people tend to hear more of the negative reviews that are posted online.
To her, a big part of creating a positive customer experience is having that joyful attitude. Jess adds that this starts at the top of an organization and by also affirming customers in their purchasing decisions, all employees can contribute to the experience.
She believes that some people are born with the charisma and other skills to do customer service well, but others have to train to learn how to do it.
“I had to really work on re-training my mind to be more positive and look for the better outlook in things”
She adds that people should always be growing and working on their own personal development so that they can give their customers a better experience.
Business can be difficult at times, but you need to self-motivate quite a bit. Jess has also created a private Facebook group (see “INTERVIEW LINKS”) to help motivate her.
“What’s beautiful about what you create is that you do have to self-motivate quite a bit”
Jess notes that it’s important, particularly when starting a business, to have a vision. She also tries to remember who she ultimately wants to impact.
“We can get so focused on what we’re doing short-term that we forget what’s the long-term thing (we want)”
Joining a mastermind group has helped her think outside of her business and also with marketing ideas.
“Seek out people that will encourage you. Seek out mentors and like-minded individuals.”
The online tool or resource that she couldn’t live without is Calendly (see “INTERVIEW LINKS”), which she directs people for booking times to speak.
Jess’ recommended books are “First Steps to Wealth” by Dani Johnson, “Quitter” by Jon Acuff, “The 10X Rule” by Grant Cardone, “Raving Fans” by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles and “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey.
In order to motivate staff, Jess says this needs to be done daily and can be achieved many ways, including daily emails, sales meetings in the morning, and constantly staying connected with your people.
She’s really excited about launching her Live Stream Academy (see “INTERVIEW LINKS”) for beginner and intermediate online business owners.
“I get to help a lot of different people in a lot of different seasons in their business and life”
The quote or mantra she lives by is “Do not question in the dark what God has shown you in the light.”
We would welcome a subscribe, rate and review for the show and also that the listeners can come hang out at Navigating the Customer Experience Community on Facebook. This is a private Facebook group for our listeners and past guests to come over share insights and industry trending topics and discussions on business and customer experience – click here!
INTERVIEW LINKS:
John Tschohl, called the “Guru of Customer Service” by USA Today, Time and Entrepreneur magazines, is a best selling author, the internationally recognized service strategist and President of Service Quality Institute, the global leader in customer service.
John believes that globally, customer service is quite weak.
“Most companies believe that they provide great customer service. Most people believe there is no customer service.”
He feels this is the case for a few different reasons. First, very few CEOs understand the ramifications of poor customer service and the revenue stream they can create if they deliver an incredible customer service. As well, most organizations actually work to make it more difficult to do business with them with their policies, and lack of speed. Finally, very few organizations are willing to invest in and develop the people that work for them.
To improve customer service, John feels that companies need to understand that they’re in the business of customer service.
“It’s much cheaper to keep a present customer than to always get a new customer”
Companies need to have a continuous process for training their employees, and not just offer short courses ever 5 to 10 years.
In order to stay focused, John has clearly defined goals to know where he is, where’s going and how he plans to get there. He adds that he also takes a vacation every month.
“I work hard, I play hard, I spend a lot of money and I invest a lot of money”
He shares that he’s had a clearly defined written game plan since he was 22 years old.
“I had a goal to have a million dollars net worth by age 30, which I did”
To create a service culture, he advises that organizations develop a customer-driven workforce with high-performing employees.
“It’s the easiest way to grow. It is the least expensive method you can use to dramatically grow your business.”
Internet calling tools like WeChat and OneSuite are some of the resources he uses on a regular basis.
“Technology is moving very fast, but the most effective way to communicate with your customers is by phone. You’ve got to be ready to pick up the phone and talk to people.”
Some of the most impactful books he has read is “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and “Psycho-Cybernetics” by Maxwell Maltz. John reads a book a month, with a focus on personal development, sales and leadership.
“The safest investment a person can make is in themselves”
To motivate employees, John says that you need to first develop and build yourself, as you define your goals and work the game plan.
“(Goals) have to be tangible, realistic, and in all areas of your life”
One thing he’s really excited about is the new health care program his company is releasing soon. The program, “Health Care with Feelings”, focuses on changing attitudes and behaviour, teaching the skills and art of customer service, and building employee moral and teamwork.
The quote or mantra that John lives by is simply, “Believe in yourself.”
INTERVIEW LINKS: