Inspiring Women In CX

Would you rather? Joined by Danita Belcher, VP of Sales, Worldwide Contact Center at RingCentral, in episode #001 of the ‘WiCX Talk Trends’ podcast, a new series dedicated to bringing you the latest news and insights from female leaders in CX and technology, we delve into the results of RingCentral’s recent study on customer service experiences, explore the potential upside of AI-enhanced customer service, and foreground some of the challenges associated with integrating AI into customer service operations.🔌 With almost one-fifth of respondents saying they would prefer to deal with a vermin infestation in their home than contact customer service, is it up to AI to save the day? 🤔 Want more? Check out the full survey results here: https://www.ringcentral.com/us/en/blog/can-ai-fix-bad-customer-service/?BMID=CMRCXINMCM Continuing our mission to amplify the voices of women in CX and technology, sharing diverse perspectives on the latest trends shaping our industry, we’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to be featured on the podcast, please contact us at partnerships@womenincx.community.

Does culture eat strategy when it comes to customer service transformation? 🤔 Joined by Leonie Williams, Co-Founder of Customer Service Solutions Group, in episode #708, we explore the role of culture in delivering excellent service and experiences. 🤝 Having worked for global hotel chains Hilton and Intercontinental before joining the Institute of Customer Service, Leonie states that “If you get the EX and the CX right, the business results follow.” 📈 But for businesses that don’t have this customer service culture already embedded throughout, is it really possible to drive this mindset shift? 🧠 And if so, how? Emphasising the importance of the “tone from the top”, focusing on systems and processes to facilitate customer orientation (or whatever you want to call it), and questioning whether actually, culture change is too heavy a burden to bear, listen to the full episode now. To join the world’s first online community for women in customer experience and technology, visit www.womenincx.community/membership and sign up today!

Does the othering of women and minorities contribute to imposter syndrome? 🤔 Following our epic International Women’s Day event in London and expanding on the panel discussion that took place, in episode #707, we talk to Ewa Davenport, CX Senior Transformation Director at Kantar about systemic bias, how often there isn’t malice involved, and using our own power to educate others, call out inappropriate behaviours, and stand up for those less privileged than our selves. 📣 Focusing on imposter syndrome throughout Women’s History Month and beyond, we aim to draw attention to this very real issue, foreground the very real consequences, and by doing so, inspire those who have the power to effect change to join the movement. 🤝 To learn more about our mission and become a member today, visit www.womenincx.community/membership.

Are you ready for the rise of the machine customer? 🤖 With Gartner predicting that by 2027, 50% of us will be using AI personal assistants in our daily lives, they could be here much sooner than anticipated! Joined by Sirte Pihlaja, CEO of Shirute, listen to episode #706 now as we explore what machine customers are, how they’re set to impact the future of CX and EX, and as CX leaders, what we should be thinking about now to ensure we’re equipped for their arrival. So, with employees and agents set to interface with AI in the near future, is it machine customer experience that we instead need to be designing for? 🤔 To join the world’s first online community for women in customer experience and technology, visit www.womenincx.community/membership and sign up today!

With fewer barriers today, why aren’t we making the inroads that we should be? 🤔 … that’s the question raised by today’s inspiring woman in CX, the Co-Founder of Neos Wave, Maria McCann. Citing the stagnant transformation failure rate, a lack of reduction in cost to serve, and declining customer satisfaction, Maria explains why she believes that industrial-sized CX frameworks are to blame. ❌ Sharing a ‘cringe-inducing’ anecdote and shining a light on the state of CX today, in episode #705, Clare and Maria discuss our obsession with metrics and KPIs above and beyond using common sense and providing kind and compassionate service, how frameworks intended to unify and elevate benchmarks are instead killing our creativity, and whether we’re losing sight of the end goal – improving experiences for customers. To join the world’s first online community for women in customer experience and technology, visit www.womenincx.community/membership and sign up today!

TW: Please note, this incredibly courageous episode contains discussions of abuse and childhood trauma, as such, listener discretion is advised. If empathy isn’t the answer, what is? 🤔 Joined by Andreena Leeanne, a Lived Experience Speaker and the Author of the poetry book ‘Charred’, in episode #704, she and Clare explore the concept of intersectionality and its importance when creating spaces for others to show up as their full, authentic selves, discuss whether it’s truly possible to empathise with someone whose lived experience is different to that of our own and foreground why “not seeing” race, colour, and gender isn’t enough if we’re to create a kinder, more inclusive world for everyone. ❌ To join the world’s first online community for women in customer experience and technology, visit www.womenincx.community/membership and sign up today.

“What do you need Women in CX for?” 🤷‍♂️ In episode #703 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, we’re not prancing around… Joined by Global CX Specialist, Ian Golding, he and Clare discuss the need for support and collaboration in an industry that often leaves us feeling isolated, foreground the importance of recognising our own privilege, and address the scepticism surrounding the need for women’s communities in 2024. As well as explaining why we can’t wait for the day that Women in CX doesn’t have to exist, Ian shares his thoughts on today’s “highly political and divisive” CX landscape, whether current CX competencies are a rod for our own back, and ponders the question “In its current state, is CX on the road to extinction?”. 🤔 To join the world’s first online community for women in customer experience and technology, visit www.womenincx.community/membership and sign up today!

Why is CX failing, and as leaders, what can we do about it? 🤔 With some “cheeky” questions for former CEO of the CXPA, Diane Magers, in episode #702, Clare and Diane debate the metrification of CX and how it’s become synonymous with a score, the mindset, skills and capabilities we need as CX leaders to succeed not just today but in the next generation, and how we can create clear business value in the here and now, ensuring, that like marketing and sales, our jobs are safe. So, rather than a focus on lagging indicators, NPS and certification, how can we be proactive, collaborate, and adapt to the business problem to meet the customers’ needs and demonstrate the financial impact of the experience too? 💲 To join the world’s first online community for women in customer experience and technology, visit www.womenincx.community/membership and sign up today!

What’s Beanboozled got to do with customer experience? Armed with disposable lab coats and with the warning sign in place, in episode one of our fully reloaded, increasingly audacious new series, Sandra Thompson details all about her “highly sensory” employee experience workshop and how, through a game of bean roulette, she served up a stark reminder to us all about the taste we leave in customers/employees’ mouths. As well as highlighting the importance of psychological safety and the significant impact that our actions have on others, Sandra shares her thoughts on the current state of CX, her predictions for 2024 and explains why brushing up on our business acumen is key if we’re to influence the agenda. To join the world’s first online community for women in customer experience and technology, visit www.womenincx.community/membership and sign up today!

“All complex problems are solvable when you really understand the flow of value to the person being designed for […] it makes the complexity start to fall away quite quickly because you’ve got something to anchor in that is very real.” In episode #609 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Christine Hemphill, Founder and Managing Director at Open Inclusion, about… 👂 Her experiences working in the mining, shipping, and banking industries and how CX and listening to the customer were woven throughout her career ♿ How her own personal experience gave her a real understanding of the breadth of human diversity and disability ❌ Founding Open Inclusion and setting out to challenge the dichotomy that experiences can either be delightful or accessible – but not both 🔗 The definition of inclusive CX and how different dimensions of our identity profoundly change our experience of disability 👣 The exclusion footprint and the importance of being conscious of our own when making business decisions 🤔 The limitations of current practices and what CX practitioners can do to make insights more accurate to the breadth of customers’ experiences 🧑 Her thoughts on ‘inclusive personas’ and how these are actually in danger of misinforming design For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

“All of us are people, and if on a personal level, we don't follow principles or values of health and well-being, it’s very difficult to build a corporate culture of well-being in our companies. So, I believe that personal and organisational are very much related.” In episode #608 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Marina Bezuglova, the Executive Director of Healthcare, CEE, at Ipsos, about… 📚 How she found her way into the Women in CX community and found help and support in publishing and translating her book ⚕️ Her background in Psychology, holding a PhD in Medicine, and how an interdisciplinary approach allows for the formation of new knowledge and innovative solutions 🤝 Combining her interest in research, medicine and people working in social and market research at GfK, before becoming a top manager and leading the development of customer experience research and continuous improvement 🗯️ Growing from “useful crises” and the importance of being a mindful and empathetic leader, particularly in times of disruption and transformation ❌ The relationship between stress and creativity and how if we neglect our most basic needs, we’re unable to negate mental blockers and develop out-of-the-box solutions 🗣️ The role that both cognitive and emotional empathy play in decision-making and how storytelling can bring the customer/patient’s reality into focus For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

“It's true that one of the biggest fears is when you decide that you want to do things differently, you don't want to be in a system where you're stuck to two walls, especially when you become freelance and you say, from now on, I just depend on myself.” In episode #607 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Sonia Etxebarria, Founder and Strategist at Akuyari, about… 👭 How she made her way into the Women in CX community and went on to found her own customer-centric design agency, Akuyari, collaborating with other members to do so 👩‍💼 Working in Telco and Logistics before making the leap from corporate to entrepreneurship and doing things her own way 💪 The importance of recognising the value that you bring and playing to your strengths to win in business 🗣️ Challenging the negative connotation around ‘selling’ and self-promotion, particularly as women 🎨 Her passion for service and experience design, the importance of research and discovery, and fashioning her own methodology 💬 Why it’s critical to conduct qualitative research to understand feelings and motivations and use quantitative research to validate findings For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

“P is the positive emotion, but that's short-lived. What we want is that lasting impact. So, we want to be thinking about other elements of well-being that will help our products and services have that lasting, ongoing impact that means people love using them.” In episode #606 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Susannah Simmons, The Software Adoption Doctor, about… 👩‍💻 Her career journey so far and how her ability to ‘make the complex simple’ enables her to support software companies “to do a better job” 💭 Working on both the customer and supplier side of software adoption and how this experience informs her approach 🗣️ Challenging her introversion by stepping outside of her comfort zone and having to fight for credibility as a woman despite her expertise 🤔 The difference between experience and well-being and why it’s important that businesses consider customer, user, and employee well-being when implementing technology 🤝 Practical steps that businesses can take to consider user well-being in change management to support ‘commitment, not compliance’ and reduce the threat 🚀 How, through considering user well-being, we’re able to think beyond just the transactional level and create products and services that enrich lives For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

“As a woman, I didn't behave, act, or talk like my male counterparts. Oftentimes, I was the note taker, or the one coordinating beverages, but the silver lining… I was in the room, I was hearing the conversations, and she who controls the pen controls the actions.” In episode #605 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Lauretta Campestre, Associate Vice President, Success Strategy at CallMiner, about… 📞 Her career journey so far, starting out on the frontline at a debt collection agency, quickly realising her skill and desire to help others, and working her way up to Client Success 👩‍💻 Making the move from contact centres to software and tech and how she leaned upon her own resourcefulness and resilience during the transition 📊 Connecting the dots between conversations that happen in the contact centre and how CX professionals can leverage this data to inform their CX strategy 🏫 Dropping out of school, entering the workplace at 17 and how her gender and inexperience shaped peoples’ perception of her 👭 How women are shaping the future of CX and Tech through diverse collaboration and the role that women’s communities play in this For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

“I experience the world as a black woman; can a white man fully empathise with that experience? Probably not.” To what extent are we able to empathise with a person who looks different from ourselves or has a different lived experience from that of our own? 🤔 Well, that’s just one of the discussion points raised in the latest episode of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast! In episode #604 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Ejieme Eromosele, GM, EMEA at Quiq, about… 📰 Taking calculated risks, discovering Customer Success as a career path, and her role in driving digital transformation at The New York Times ⛔ Her perfectionism and desire to make her parents proud and the debilitating impact of this 🧠 The importance of emotional intelligence and managing your own emotions and activations as a leader 🤖 How advances in technology are actually allowing us more time to ‘be human’ and to connect with one another For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

In episode #603 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Samantha Conyers, the Chief Experience Officer at EXCO, about… 🇹🇹 Pioneering CX in the Caribbean and the growth of the industry in recent years 🧰 Her practical approach to CX having led, designed, and implemented experiences from scratch 🗯️ The negative reputation that surrounds the term ‘consultant’ within the region ⚖️ Bootstrapping, burnout, micro-managing in the pursuit of perfection, and the elusive work-life balance ⏩ Implementing AI to ‘shorten the route’ to human connection and empower agents and employees For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

In episode #602 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Charlotte Kennett, the Senior Director of Global Customer Experience at SS&C Blue Prism, about… ✨ Embracing your uniqueness and using it to your advantage 🤝 The relationship between CX and Marketing 👩‍💼 The importance of authenticity, especially in leadership roles 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Federating communities and accelerating the time to value 📊 How metrics indicate that the work being done is tangibly improving revenue For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership.

⚡ Season 6 is here ⚡ In episode #601 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Natasha den Dekker, the Lead User Researcher at Santander, about… 🆚 The similarities and differences between CX and UX and the intersections between them both 🪓 The various disciplines User Experience is split into and what those roles look like 🆘 How failure is one of life’s biggest lessons and is vital for our personal development 🗣️ The importance of being an assertive leader and using modal verbs to communicate more efficiently 🤝 Embracing and celebrating our diversity and the unique insight it brings to CX/UX For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

In episode #510 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to DeAnna Avis, Founder of Starfish CX and Engagement Lead at Watch This Sp_ce, about… 💼 Her impressive career trajectory from working at Teledyne e2v and leading the CX transformation at Solus ARC (Aviva) to becoming an independent consult 🤝 Her integrative approach to coaching and how this enables her to view the ‘whole’ person 🙋‍♀️ Her experience as a Mexican American immigrant and how this informs her passion for blending CX and DEI to drive positive change ⚠️ The fundamental issues surrounding identify that need to be addressed and how Customer Experience professionals can pave the way for change ✨ Embracing the concept of being an intrapreneur – creating a vision for yourself, and your future, and stepping into it For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

In episode #509 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Fiona Blades, the President and Chief Experience Officer at MESH Experience, about… 📱 Participation Marketing and the deep impression this leaves on consumers 🎼 Viewing Brand Experience as an orchestrated score of multiple components that construct the brand in someone’s mind 🔤 Utilising text technology to reverse engineer Brand Experience and tailor investment 📊 How the experiences of today impact the metrics of tomorrow 🔮 The future of CX and how it lies in Share of Experience and agile working Do you understand which areas of your brand resonate most with customers? If so, do you tailor your investments to this? Let us know in the comments! ⬇️ For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership