Zendesk Insights - Exploring the trends, technologies, and innovations shaping the future of customer service

On this episode, we’re joined by Rapha Fontes, Senior Vice President, Customer Operations at Squarespace. Rapha truly understands the importance of walking in your customers’ shoes in order to meet expectations and continually improve products.We discuss:(4:35) The importance of design in Squarespace's culture and its impact on trustworthiness.(8:27) The teams and processes in place at Squarespace for collecting and addressing customer feedback.(10:42) Overall challenges in collecting and acting on customer feedback.(11:21) The tension between building new things and fixing existing issues.(12:57) Automation and integration of bug-reporting processes.(15:43) Maintaining human connections as a company scales.(24:14) The importance of experiencing the support process firsthand.(25:43) Framing support work as empowering and impactful.Resources Mentioned:Rapha Fontes - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fusquine/https://www.squarespace.com/Sign up for a free trial at Zendesk.com#CX #CustomerService #CustomerExperience

On this episode, we’re joined by Addie Wallace, Senior Director at Wine.com. Addie and her team understand the importance of keeping their focus on customers and providing tailored shopping experiences that keep customers coming back.We discuss:- What a Wine.com shopping journey looks like.- Defining customer personas and meeting their needs.- The importance of guiding customers through their journey in a personalized way.- Tools and methods used to gather customer feedback.- How Wine.com balances automation with a personalized touch.- Why focusing on your customer’s enjoyment instead of your features is important.- How Wine.com promotes community building.Resources mentioned:https://www.wine.com/Sign up for a free trial at Zendesk.com#CX #CustomerService #CustomerExperience

On this episode, we’re joined by Tade Anzalone, Senior Manager of Customer Experience at Calm. With nearly a decade of experience in the customer support space, Tade has led award-winning CX teams in various industries, including healthcare, banking, and financial management software. Our conversation focuses on the importance of mental health for CX leaders and support teams.We discuss:- (4:00) Why CX teams are vulnerable to mental health challenges.- (7:22) How remote work has impacted the mental health of support teams.- (8:59) How managers can spot signs of burnout and mental stress.- (15:16) What managers can do to prevent and improve mental health challenges.- (19:48) The importance of cultivating a culture that encourages breaks.- (22:30) Why managers should take the time to celebrate the work of CX teams.- (25:08) How to make the best use of work breaks.- (26:47) Tools and tactics for managing stress.- (29:10) The key ways supporting mental health improves business operations.Resources mentioned:- https://www.calm.com/Sign up for a free trial at Zendesk.com#CX #CustomerService #CustomerExperience

On this episode, we’re joined by Matthew Hutson, Contributing Writer at The New Yorker. Matthew has been writing in the AI space for quite some time and shares many important insights about creativity and the role of AI in a number of fields.We discuss:- (3:02) Expanding human potential with the help of generative AI.- (5:18) The importance of finding the right collaborative balance between humans and AI.- (7:34) The role AI plays in democratizing creativity.- (11:40) Applying generative AI in the fields of medicine, engineering, and other sciences.- (13:22) Strong AI use cases in the business world.- (14:44) Some of the challenges or potential downfalls of AI.- (17:15) AI regulation and transparency.Resources mentioned:Matthew Hutson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewhutson/The New Yorker - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-new-yorker/The New Yorker | Website - https://www.newyorker.com/Sign up for a free trial at Zendesk.com#CX #CustomerService #CustomerExperience

On this episode, we’re joined by Michael Pace, Vice President, Global Member Services and Operations at Virgin Pulse. By maximizing self-service options and improving platform stability, Michael has helped Virgin Pulse reduce customer contacts while emphasizing the importance of the employee experience to achieve these results.We discuss:- (2:43) Why building a strong knowledge base and self-service resources is so important.- (6:30) Reducing customer contacts through platform stability.- (10:19) The importance of transparency and dashboards for driving improvements.- (13:12) How to build a culture of collaboration and trust.- (14:20) The impact of improved customer support on customer satisfaction.- (15:13) Why great employee experiences lead to top-notch customer experiences.- (21:02) How Michael and his team plan to implement AI tools to improve operations.- (24:06) The potential impact of AI on the employee experience.Resources mentioned:Michael Pace - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pacemichael/Virgin Pulse - https://www.linkedin.com/company/virgin-pulse/Virgin Pulse | Website - https://www.virginpulse.com/Sign up for a free trial at Zendesk.com#CX #CustomerService #CustomerExperience

On this episode, we’re joined by Ian Hunt, Director of Operations and Customer Services at Liberty London. For any business looking to find success in the “phygital” world of retail, Ian provides some real gems during our conversation.We discuss:- (1:05) What Liberty London is and what it’s famous for.- (3:12) Liberty London’s evolution from physical to digital.- (5:22) How Liberty London balances their physical and digital experiences.- (9:01) How Liberty London approaches personalized customer experiences.- (10:19) What technology Liberty London has implemented to improve customer service.- (12:19) How Liberty London brings the human touch to their customer service.- (14:39) The challenges of moving from a physical to a digital store.- (18:17) What innovation looks like for Liberty London.- (19:35) Ian’s advice for other retailers looking to make the transition into digital.Resources mentioned:Ian Hunt - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-hunt-8294722a/Liberty London - https://www.linkedin.com/company/liberty-ltd/Liberty London | Website - https://www.libertylondon.com/Sign up for a free trial at Zendesk.com#CX #CustomerService #CustomerExperience

On this episode, we’re joined by Deepam Mishra, Generative AI Innovation Leader and Strategic Advisor, AI/ML Expert, VC and Startups at Amazon Web Services. Deepam shares his insight on the many opportunities for AI as well as the challenges within the space.We discuss:- (1:45) Deepam’s background and experience with AI.- (4:27) The diverse applications for generative AI.- (6:17) Unique spaces being explored with generative AI.- (8:55) Balancing innovation with the human touch.- (12:02) Differentiating between hype and real innovation in AI.- (20:51) Challenges with AI, including accuracy and data privacy.- (29:31) The unique capabilities and risk-taking abilities of start-ups.- (32:30) The transformation of human productivity with the help of AI.Resources mentioned:Deepam Mishra - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepammishra/Amazon Web Services - https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazon-web-services/AWS Generative AI Accelerator - https://aws-startup-lofts.com/amer/program/accelerators/generative-aiSign up for a free trial at Zendesk.com#CX #CustomerService #CustomerExperience

On this episode, we’re joined by Cristina Fonseca, Vice President, Product at Zendesk. Cristina shares her expert insight on how AI will impact customer service and what it takes to deliver a personalized experience that keeps customers engaged. We discuss:- (4:13) Customers' expectations around AI and the challenge for businesses to implement it safely.- (6:05) The need to distinguish between what can be automated and what needs to be escalated to a human. - (7:43) Understanding customer intent and sentiment.- (8:20) Zendesk's approach to making AI work on day one with a click of a button.- (11:22) Connecting AI with back-end systems and data to create personalized experiences.- (14:33) The role of AI in omnichannel experiences.- (21:05) Transparency and building trust in AI.- (24:05) Industry-wide standards for implementing AI.- (27:38) Making the world a better place for both customers and agents.Resources mentioned:Cristina Fonseca - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinanfonseca/Zendesk - https://www.linkedin.com/company/zendesk/Zendesk's CX Trends 2023 - https://cxtrends.zendesk.com/?redirect=trends/introduction#registerSign up for a free trial at Zendesk.com #CX #CustomerService #CustomerExperience

On this episode, recorded live at Zendesk Relate 2023, we’re joined by several incredible panelists including Danielle N. Evans at Honeywell, William Abrams at Medline Industries, Cait Keohane and Teresa Anania at Zendesk, and Sarah Bernhardi at Dandelion Payments, Xe.com, and Ria Money Transfer. This conversation focused on the benefits and implementation of a customer-first approach to business.We discuss:- (2:46) What it means to be a customer-first company.- (6:37) Why it’s so important to be customer-first.- (7:35) The importance of honesty and transparency in CX.- (16:02) The role of employee experience in delivering great CX.- (18:50) How to implement a customer-first approach and adapt to changing customer expectations.- (28:10)The importance of gathering user feedback and taking action on it. - (33:20)The role of data and the data points that matter for a customer-first approach.- (43:20) How AI will impact the field of CX.Resources mentioned:- Zendesk CX Trends 2023 Sign up for a free trial at Zendesk.com#CX #CustomerService #CustomerExperience

On this episode, we’re joined by Jared Loman, Vice President of Customer Experience at Kajabi, and Maddie Hoffman, Director of Self-Service and Automation at Zendesk. We build on our previous episode by exploring the role of AI in improving your self-service efforts and building effective chatbots.