London Conferences – ProfoMedia

DOES CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DEPEND ON DATA?

We look at the latest CX Conference from IQPC for the Telco industry, where, if any market depends on data, it is this one.

You would be forgiven for thinking that this is yet another data-driven conference. It is not like we haven’t had enough of these already. And you would be both right – and wrong. But it is an awkward balance. Workshops that describe “leveraging your current data goldmine to deliver a better customer experience” – are a mouthful and redolent of putting square pegs in round holes.

Since when has a “customer experience” – been the result of some IT focus on “data”? And do customers, who presumably are the beneficiary of these discussions, care – when their only contact contact with their telco, is the guy who keeps them waiting on the end of a phone.

It’s a tricky one.

But these questions, have to be addressed. The behaviour of the guy on the other end of our phone, is determined by the solutions and methodologies that he has before him, And that includes the understanding of the psychology of the whole business of choosing, buying, keeping using a telephone. After all, it’s not as if we can do without them – and in many ways, the single unique focus on the telco industry means its focus is what its players want to know about, within their own market. This was not a touchy feely conference.

Having said that, if you accept that the data that we ourselves create when using a mobile – can be assessed to see how both sides can benefit in the future – then this is the Conference you should have attended.

And the data and tech players are many. Key specialists line up to talk about their own experience, their customer experience, with long titles such as; Head of CX; Chief Experience Officer, Data Transformation Manager – then moving on to the more commercial “VP Sales” – with which we are more familiar. It is three days of intense but relaxed discussion. You choose the sessions you want to look at, and it is up to how proactive or reactive you wish to be. Key topics range from the evergreen “how do I stop churn”, to..”how do I train my call centre properly”. They are practical, basic,

We sat and chatted with a random selection of delegates, from large and small players, who came to “keep up with what is going on” – and with a broad range of vendors, who increasingly are moving from the pure tech of handling data, to a more customer focussed look at how you and I behave.

If there was one standout dawn of realisation, it is that we have all moved on from GDPR. Nobody mentioned it to me, and I wasn’t going to start that discussion. And lets face it, as consumers, we weren’t interested in it anyway…

The Need to Communicate. So why is the Age of Video already dead?

As the various Trade Fairs open their doors this month and next, we look at the best ways for vendors to communicate with their audience, and why do corporates keep making the same mistakes. And what else is there, that can replace it?

I am in my office and I am hit by the promotional email from the one of the many tech trade fairs in London, and there and is an invitation to watch an Interview. It is a topic I want to assess. So far so good – I click on their screen and away we go. After approx four minutes, my phone goes – I take the call – which generates other immediate calls, and further emails to back up the calls. The video interview is some eleven minutes long. I never reach the end of the interview. And I have no clue what the speaker is really trying to say.

I am walking past some trade stands at a financial services conference and the clearly important person, he is wearing a tie for God’s sake – is being professionally interviewed on video by a cool team of camera people, in black t shirts, cables and microphones strategically placed. It is a Lage Corporate thing, they have a big stand and enough money to use some space for an “interview area”. Nobody will actually view this interview either. It will be too boring and not say anything that you probably didn’t know already and above all – will not be engaging, because the important person is unlikely to have the personal skills to get people’s attention and then keep them engaged.

And yet – the concept of video as a means of communicating, despite being available for several years, has suddenly has become de rigeur, essential. At a time when we all recognise that PowerPoint no longer cuts it as a communicating device, and we all “get” that “seeing is believing”- the question is; why do so many companies get it so wrong? And are we seeing the end of what could have been a golden age, even before it has truly begun?

The answers are that we do not understand what are we trying to achieve by video – and that we are not talking about technology, but human experience and human nature. So, here are some essential pointers;

1. Quick and Dirty, actually works. Placing a camera on a table and just recording someone speak their words of wisdom, with minimal after editing, as long as it is short, clear, you say what you mean. 30 seconds is all it takes. It is ideal for Interviews where you are simply making a point. The file size is small enough to email out.

2. The classic CEO Interview does not work. The impression is one of an ego trip and it works against you in this age of saving money and austerity.

3. Use professional actors – even for the shortest project. They are trained to engage with their body language, style of speaking, choice of delivery. You may be a great sales presenter or tech consultant but the National Theatre and Hollywood have not called you. You have other gifts. Leave the delivery of your message, to people who are trained to do it. This is ideal for the longer Interview, where you want the discussion to retain attention, but never make this more than two minutes.

4. Use your new found friendly actors, to do the internal communication in your own company. Your biggest problem is more how to keep your own people engaged and motivated – than ever going get new business. Let the actors use humour and be original in how you do this.

5. Be clear before you start, what you want to achieve. Spend as much time on round table discussion with all involved, draw up flow charts, shopping lists, – as the time to takes to actually create the video script, shoot it, edit it and so forth. Remember- every battle is won, before it is ever fought.

6. Think about what else can keep people’s attention. In our business, we use Comic Books, to stimulate thought from our readers and visitors. Everyone wants to be a superhero. Make sure your storyline (ie, your message and point you are trying to make) – is compelling, and then let your Designer and Artist do their magic.

Ultimately – this is all about communication at a human level. Whatever the data or numbers or clever marketing analytics might suggest – the essential of business remains the individual and what they decide to do, as opposed to ending when you have found out who they are, and your ability simply to get to them.

LIVING WITH GDPR; HAS LIFE MOVED ON?

We look at the upcoming Chief Data Officer conference in London and ask; are we getting bored by all this?

Yes, indeed we are. And that’s the problem. And it makes us immune to the real issues of handling our corporate data, because, frankly – if we ever see yet another request from a company we have never heard of, to “opt in and remain on their mailing list”, – when we never knew we were even ON their mailing list – then we would be forgiven for jumping out of the nearest window.

Depressions were never as bad as this!

The answer, is to take a balanced view. I absolutely “get” that there are still some serious issues as to how we handle our personal or restricted data and that these aspects have not been universally solved.

But let’s not miss the real opportunity – which is; there are new and better ways to handle our data. Wake up calls are great if we do what the name suggests, ie – we actually “wake up”!

Looking at the Agenda of governance, emerging technology, and conceptual avenues of strategy – the upcoming CDO conference promises to move us along, in the directions that we now need to be heading.

If the profile of delegates attending, is as expected – then this is a forum that our decision makers in business need to attend. Decisions are based on looking forward as much as the experience of looking back – but let’s not dwell just on those experiences.

The key thing about the CDO is as always the interim networking, the casual conversation, and our guess is that this will always be the same. But the blurb from the good people at IQPC is that things have moved on, and that this is the discussion platform that will take us there. Pillows and blankets will not be provided.

Our longer Report will follow shortly.