FOCUS | CSIA Quarterly - June 2021

June 2021 CSIA Quarterly

Congratulations to the Sydney Cricket Ground The SCG’s world class customer service recognised with certification to the International Customer Service Standard

ICSS: 2020-2025 Webinar

Finalists Announced

Driving a better customer experience

The 2021 Australian Service Excellence Awards Finalists have been selected.

Kieran King shares how Talkdesk’s customer service team delivers exceptional outcomes

Find out more

Welcome to the winter 2021 edition of FOCUS As once again, the pandemic hovers over us across Australia we trust that you are all keeping safe as you work to support your colleagues and customers.

Aaron Hines explains why honing skills in emotional intelligence is critical for personal and professional development, and how this can have a positive customer impact.

Many organisations are experiencing high demand and strong growth, however sectors such as hospitality, tourism and education are still impacted by the pandemic – and at CSIA we are continuing to offer our encouragement and support for individuals and organisations faced with severe market conditions.

And we’re delighted to hear from the Chief Customer Officer from Talkdesk, Kieran King, who tells us why her team delivers customer service excellence.

In this issue of FOCUS, we celebrate those people, teams and organisations who have been selected as finalists in the 2021 Australian Service Excellence Awards (ASEAs). This year we received the largest number of individual nominations in five years, perhaps reflecting the huge number of customer service “heroes” that have shone during the pandemic. As always, shortlisting the finalists challenging and those who have been named finalists should be extremely proud of this achievement.

We also hear from Mark Fazio from Mate, who tells us what drives the 2020 ASEAs Customer Service Team of the Year to deliver exceptional customer service.

We’re also delighted to share the success of the Sydney Cricket Ground in achieving International Customer Service Standard certification, and some insights from the 2020 ASEAs Customer Service Advocate of the Year, Bailey Johnson Stay safe and we look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Jeremy Larkins Executive Director

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Contents

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News in Brief

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Building connections that really matter We talk to Mark Fazio about winning 2020 ASEAs Team of the Year

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2021 Australian Service Excellence Awards Finalists announced

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The re-emergence of emotional intelligence Aaron Hines shares how developing emotional intelligence skills has benefits for you, your team and your customers.

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2020 Customer Service Advocate of the Year CSIA talks to Bailey Johnson about what inspires him to create memorable customer experiences

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The SCG’s world class customer service recognised

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Driving a better customer experience Kieran King from Talkdesk tells us how her customer service team delivers exceptional results

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So, you think you know what your customers want?

Brett Gumbley shares his insights into the importance of understanding your customers journey

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Member Spotlight

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News in Brief Certified Customer Service Leader Program Public Training Program Online via Zoom CSIA invites you to join us for our Certified Customer Service Leader (CCSL) public program in August. This one day training workshop is designed to empower customer service leaders to build, coach and manage high performing customer service teams.

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August 12, 2021 9.30am – 4.30pm $550 (CSIA members) $660 (Non-members)

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Learn about the new version of ICSS Webinar Join CSIA his August to learn about the new version of the International Customer Service Standard and how to apply the framework to your organisation through the certification process.

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August 04, 2021 9.00am – 10.00am Registration Free

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CSIA-CHF:2025 has been released CSIA recently released the latest version of the CSIA Complaints Handling Framework (CSIA-CHF:2025). The framework helps organisations understand the performance, risks and improvement opportunities within complaint handling procedures, systems and operations.

Organisations can apply the framework through CSIA’s CHF certification process and gain accreditation for Book now a Certified Complaint Handling System.

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Meet our 2021 Awards partners CSIA is delighted to announce the 2021 Australian Service Excellence Awards partners. These organisations join CSIA’s awards program with a passion to support the recognition of service excellence and a commitment to the delivery of exceptional customer experiences.

Salesforce is the world’s most trusted customer relationship management platform. We help your marketing, sales, commerce, service and IT teams work as one from anywhere — so you can keep your customers happy everywhere. www.salesforce.com

Talkdesk® is a global customer experience leader for customerobsessed companies. Our contact center solution provides a better way for businesses and customers to engage with one another www.talkdesk.com.

Citrus Group was established in 2013 to address an ongoing need for quality contact centre personnel and is growing from strength to strength. Citrus has established a wealth of expertise in the recruitment and retention of contact centre personnel. www.citrusgroup.com.au

Join CSIA at Customer Contact Week 2021 CSIA is delighted to be again supporting Customer Contact Week and we invite you to join this in-person conference this October at The Star on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

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MATE is building connections that really matter 2020 ASEA’s Customer Service Team of the Year

MATE is an NBN internet and mobile plan provider which strives to make connections with customers that go beyond just supplying a service. MATE, headed up by general manager Mark Fazio, was the winner of the 2020 ASEA Customer Service Team of the Year award. They then went on to win the 2020 International Service Excellence Award for Customer Service Team of the Year.

For MATE co-founder and general manager Mark Fazio, family and connection are at the heart of everything he does.

Developed and founded by Mark and his twin brother David, the highly successful telco provider was conceived in their auntie’s backyard and MATE’s first 19 employees were family. The pair’s younger brother, niece and nephew still work for the business and their auntie cooks for the MATE team at their Greater Western Sydney office every day.

And that family focus is exactly what Mark believes makes MATE such a successful company; everyone – customers, clients and team members – are treated like family.

“That's our cutting edge, right? We started a business as a family from the ground up,” Mark says. “This business has meant way more than having a job or having money in the bank. It meant that by being successful, we could help support our family. And that’s now the culture that we deliver in the business. We like to say that we are a customer happiness’ business that happens to sell telco products.

Mark says MATE’s focus is simple – providing excellent service and doing everything they can to keep customers happy.

“That's what we do; we make sure the customer is as happy as possible,” he says.

“Then we sell them the telco product, because if they're not happy, then no matter what they buy, they're never going to stay and it's a waste of our time, right?”

The MATE team now comprises around 70 people, and they’re looking to expand with an eye out for people with the right attitude, motivation and determination.

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“Those are the first things we look for,” Mark says. “We feel like the rest can be taught, especially when it's servicing NBN and mobiles. We also look for those who are able to have a conversation with people. Customer service is all about a conversation, and if you can't hold a conversation, then you can't service people.”

MATE’s positive workplace culture is something Mark is extremely proud of, and one of the many benchmarks set by the company.

“I'm on this phone call now in the boardroom, and I'm staring out at the office and everybody's giving each other high fives.

They've got music on, they're dancing around while they're servicing customers. That's that vibe. That's something that humbles you,” he says. “And our ultimate motivation is our parents. From the struggles that they had, to what they gave us, to what we've been able to achieve is the biggest motivator. They're

retired, and whether it be cooking us food to putting modems in the warehouse or whatever it is, they're all involved; we don't forget where we come from.”

The MATE team was truly humbled by winning the 2020 ASEA Customer Service Team of the Year award, an achievement that Mark says was shared by all who work there.

“For me personally, it means that the blueprint for our service that we put in place, works. For the business, all the hard work the guys put in, it gives credibility and validity around what they're trying to achieve every day.”

And his final advice for those in a customer service industry?

“Make sure you always check in with customers, it’s as simple as that,” he says.

“Things always change, and you have to do regular checks to make sure that the customers are still finding what you're delivering is valuable to them.”

ICSS: 2020-2025 Webinar “That's what we do; we make sure the customer is as happy as possible,”

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2021 Finalists Individual Categories

Organisation Categories

Customer Service Advocate of the Year

Customer Service Organisation of the Year – Large Business

Clarry Coster - Smartgroup Peru Dhakal - American Express Adlah Khattar - CBA Steven McKeering - Department of Transport and Main Roads Qld Tony Meier - Department of Transport and Main Roads Qld Customer Service Professional of the Year Chinnu George - Woolworths Group Rebecca Hobday - Australian Catholic Superannuation Chardoneh Kalolo - Assetlink Alyssa Stewart - Centaur Financial Services Dominic Swampillai - CBA Customer Service Leader of the Year Andrew Darveniza - WorkCover Queensland Danielle Evans - American Express Anand Karuppathevan - HP PPS Australia Andrew Khalil - Wilson Security Lavinia Russ - Woolworths Group

Aussie Broadband Tata Communications Transdev Sydney Ferries Customer Service Organisation of the Year – Medium Business Centorrino Technologies Jaybro Group Pty Ltd Westfund Health Insurance Customer Service Organisation of the Year Small Business Bare Cremation News Xtend Mate Customer Service Organisation of the Year – Government/Not for Profit City of Casey Western Downs Regional Council Workcover Queensland

Customer Service Manager of Year Adam Bury - Townsville City Council Toon Lim - CBA Tony Michael Neal - HP PPS Australia Beti Nicolas - Centorrino Technologies Mark Valana - Smartgroup Customer Service Executive of the Year Sharnie Barabas - Australian Catholic Superannuation Adam Centorrino - Centorrino Technologies Helen Crossan – BT

Service Excellence in a Large Contact Centre Aussie Broadband - Aussie Broadband BT - BT Customer Relations Service NSW - Service NSW Community & Life Events Virtual Contact Centre Woolworths Group - Woolworths Customer Hub

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CSIA is delighted to announce the organisations and individuals selected as Finalists in the 2021 Australian Service Excellence Awards Program. The Australian Service Excellence Awards (ASEAs) are our nations premier customer service awards program recognising individuals and organisations who have delivered exceptional customer experiences.

Finalists judging presentations commence in July and with winners announced in October.

Service Excellence in a Medium Contact Centre

Customer Service Project of the Year Continuous Improvement

Australian Catholic Superannuation - Member Services Team Centorrino Technologies - Centorrino Technologies - Service Desk Westfund Health Insurance - Westfund Member Care Team

Centorrino Technologies - eLurn Learning Management System City of Casey - Voice of Customer Program WorkCover Queensland - Learn to Improve Customer Service Project of the Year Customer Impact

Service Excellence in a Small Contact Centre (ANC) Australian NaturalCare - ANC Customer Service ghd hair - ghd customer support team Personalised Plates Queensland - PPQ Customer Service Team

Department of Transport and Main Roads Qld - Strategy and Engagement Identity Services Optus - Optus Customer Success Community of Experts Seven Communications - Smart Energy Customers at the Heart

Customer Service Team of the Year - Large Mate – Customer Happiness Smartgroup - Smartleasing-Vehicle Customer Service Team WorkCover Queensland - Customer, Community and Advisory Team Customer Service Team of the Year Medium

Customer Service Project of the Year Service Transformation Digicall Assist - Digital Transformation Contact Centre and Roadside Intelligence Solution Tata Communications - Tata Communications - Secure Connected Digital Experience (SCDx) Optus - Optus Wholesale - Service & Operations Transformation & Continuous Improvement

ICSS: 2020-2025 Webinar

CPM Australia - L'Oréal Customer Service Team Finder - Customer Care Team News Xtend - Campaign Management Team

Customer Service Project of the Year Service Innovation

Customer Service Team of the Year - Small Service NSW - Support Specialist Services (SSS) Smartgroup - Adelaide Employee Guidance Team Wilson Security - GPT - CBW Security Team

Aussie Broadband - Carbon business platform BT - BT Blue Optus - Optus - Enterprise Program Management Office - eSIM

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The Re-emergence of Emotional Intelligence Life as we know it has changed.

Changed. Forever.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Aaron Hines from Clarity Education discusses how developing emotional intelligence has significant benefits for yourself, your relationships and your customers.

Certainly change isn’t anything new, the modern world is all about inertia - moving forward - through progress and innovation. However, under “normal” circumstances, change generally occurs over a period of time, allowing us an opportunity to process, acknowledge and accept the new reality. The abruptness and degree of constant change which we’ve faced recently has been disruptive and for some, overwhelming.

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Through this shared experience, one basic fact has re-emerged, we are all emotional beings and our ability to recognise our own emotions, as well as those of others, is paramount.

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As the business landscape continues to shift in an evolving world of artificial intelligence and cost-efficiency improvements, the ability to connect with people becomes increasingly important.

Information Technology has transformed the way we do businesses in every way, from boosting productivity and cutting costs to tracking efficiencies and adjusting processes in real-time. There are apps for everything!

Managing calendars, finances, and even autoresponding to customer inquiries. IT has taken over so much human interaction in the dayto-day operations of the business, even more so in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic and the imposed push into the digital world.

However, customers are seeking less automated responses and more human interaction to develop genuine connections with organisations. Employees want to be connected to their company to be more successful at their jobs. By developing Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and promoting mindfulness, organisations can create more authentic experiences for customers and improve job performance within their workforce.

When most people hear the term ‘emotional intelligence’ or ‘mindfulness’ thick clouds of patchouli come to mind, but as my colleague Ray Good, founder of the Goodplace, a mental fitness, high performance and mindfulness coach, “it’s mindfulness without the candles and sandals”. Now is the time to move past that stereotype and understand that EQ (and mindfulness) is a foundational skill that can be applied to improve your personal life, your professional life and most interestingly, a business strategy.

It is the number one attribute of successful Leaders with 90 per cent of top performers in organisations shown to have a high EQ. Furthermore, leaders with high EQ can have self-awareness, harness self-control and finetuned social awareness to create positive and genuine relationships with their colleagues and thriving work environments for their staff.

If you think back on your career or life, can pinpoint one (or possibly two) ‘leaders’ that have possessed defined EQ attributes? Think about how they made you feel about your work or your attitude towards something. Did you feel seen? Inspired? Welcomed to speak up? Remember, leaders are not always managers, they can be teachers, role models, mentors or even parents. EQ proficient people can be found in almost all phases in your life.

EQ in the workplace According to Dale Carnegie “when dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.”

This means that people are inherently emotional beings that need respect, validation and empathy to live their everyday lives. The ability to understand and identify the emotions of customers, co-workers and other stakeholders can play a significant role in both employee and customer retention,which will inevitably have a positive impact on business performance.

There are 5 elements to building your EQ in the workplace: •

Self-awareness – the ability to recognise and understand your emotions and their effect on others.

ICSS: 2020-2025 Webinar

What is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)?

Emotional intelligence (EQ) by definition is “the ability to recognise and manage emotions by being aware of your own and handling them appropriately, as well as correctly identifying and reacting to the emotions of others.”

Broken down, EQ is the ability to understand emotions (your own and others) and empathise with those emotions to respond to them properly.

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Self-regulation – the ability to stop and think about your choices and actions before acting

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Internal motivation – a passion for your work that goes beyond transactional, such as learning and experience

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Empathy – the ability to understand and support the emotions of other people

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Find out more Social skills – the ability to manage relationships and build networks.

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So why is EQ important in customer service?

As we are aware, every interaction you have with a customer is a chance to build positive experiences and trust for the organisation and brand. Emotional intelligence (EQ) plays a role in understanding who your customers are and why they have chosen your particular organisation. EQ in a customer journey mapping scenario can track the emotional interaction a customer has from the strategy phase through to the product or service they have received or purchased. This can also be applied to every member of the organisation, whether their customers are external or internal.

No matter what your role is in the organisation, or who the customer is that you provide a service for, improving personal and professional EQ will provide the foundational tools and insights to better recognise and organise your stress, improve work performance and build authentic relationships.

How does it apply to my career?

Social-awareness provides invaluable insights into market trends, consumer behaviours and the individuality of a customer. It is through connecting to a customer's uniqueness, on an emotional level, to establish trust and transition away from transactional relationships to authentic ones. Your attuned social awareness can provide you with the opportunity to delight your customers and provide them with genuine value and a point of difference over your competitors.

Self-awareness is the understanding of where and how you need to adjust your emotive state to embrace your customers in their uniqueness. For example, what does your tone say? How is your attitude affecting them? Are you taking the time to build an authentic relationship?

Self-regulation can happen during customer interactions. You may need to assess and reassess the environment to decide how you are going to react. This could happen in a matter of seconds or build and build over several minutes. In either case, understanding your triggers and stressors and regulating Book now yourself to defuse them, is the true art of EQ. It has to be said - Self-regulation can take

years to master, but every single day you are making those small changes to better react is a huge step in your EQ journey!

Internal motivation is knowing that every interaction is a chance to build a connection and foster a better relationship with the customer and the organisation. Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care”.

Empathy is the number one skill in the EQ toolbox that takes the least amount of effort.

It is just a simple question, ‘how does this interaction make the other person feel?’

Once you have asked this question of yourself, you can make small changes to your attitude that may have a positive impact on customers, encourage repeat orders and drive recommendations. Perhaps switch your business tone for a conversational and friendly one, or try to make small talk. Ask your customer about themselves or bring up something big in the news you can connect with. By showing a bit of your personality, you allow the customer an opportunity to share some of theirs; then you apply one of the most important aspects of empathy... active listening.

Emotional Intelligence is a learnt skill that requires a shift in mindset, and if you work on it, it can be a powerful tool in your professional and personal life. More and more organisations are reaping the benefits of training employees in the application of EQ. Just like technical skills, emotional intelligence also needs proper training and development to thrive.

Dedicating time to improving your EQ will boost productivity, relationships, and employee retention. Using EQ in business modelling and strategy can yield rewarding results and return business. Many organisations are now including EQ in professional development requirements to build a more connected workforce.

Today’s world may be unpredictable and constantly changing, but we can all benefit from closer relationships, genuine interactions and a deeper connection to ourselves and our everyday lives.

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“No matter what your role is in the organisation, or who the customer is that you provide a service for, improving personal and professional EQ will provide the foundational tools and insights to better recognise and organise your stress, improve work performance and build authentic relationships.”

CSIA online, in partnership with ClarityEdu, are currently building a suite of Customer Experience Emotional Intelligence (CXEQ) micro courses to help customer service professionals build stronger EQ for a more connected workplace.

Aaron Hines Director Clarity Education

ICSS: 2020-2025 Webinar

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Bailey Johnson: 2020 Customer Service Advocate of the Year CSIA sat down with 2020 ASEA Customer Service Advocate of the Year Bailey Johnson to talk about his award win, what he loves most about his job and what inspires him to create such impactful customer service experiences.

What does your role as Scheduling Analyst at Commonwealth Bank entail?

I provide strategic planning and management to ensure customer service and stakeholder needs are being met throughout the day, week, month and year. I also act as a primary contact between the customers, management and frontline professionals to achieve the right outcomes to meet our customer’s needs.

What do you love most about your job?

Every day I get to share my successes, failures and knowledge with not only those I mentor, but everyone who is a part of CBA General Insurance; I support them in their journey and goals to be the most successful version of themselves.

Do you think your career progression at CBA shaped your outlook on customer service?

Definitely! I learnt so much in each role. In the Contact Centre, I learnt how to manage expectations of customers; in Teleclaims I learnt how to effectively share and coach others. And as a Real Time Analyst in Workforce Optimisation I was able to take everything I learnt with a new lens on the “customer”. Now as a Scheduling Analyst these skills are now at the forefront of everything I do.

What inspires you to create such impactful customer service experiences?

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Ever since I got my start in customer service in the hospitality industry, I have always put

myself in the customer’s shoes. I always ask myself, “If I were them, how would I want to be treated, what do they deserve and what can I do to make this interaction a high point of their day?.”

What does winning this award mean to you, personally and professionally?

Professionally, it allows me to share the CSIA experience with future nominees within my business while advocating for those who have also earnt recognition. Personally, it proves not only to me, but to my family, that if you strive to always do your best, you will one day be recognised.

Why is it vital to put the customer at the centre of everything you do?

Customers give a business their “purpose” or their “why”. At CBA General Insurance, our customers have chosen us as their insurer to protect their two greatest assets (their home and car). I believe that without a purpose that truly resonates with you, it can be hard to love what you do.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned about customer service?

Whether you are a part of a frontline team who support customers directly or in a team where you can influence great 22, customer When: October 2020 from 6pm service, you must always be dynamic.

- registration details coming soon Customer needs are always changing and if I did not change with them, I would have never learnt how to adapt my thinking and actions to be there for customers when they need us the most.

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Sydney Cricket Ground’s worldclass customer service recognised Congratulations to the Sydney Cricket Ground for achieving certification to the International Customer Service Standard.

The Sydney Cricket Ground has been recognised as a world leader in customer service by the Customer Service Institute of Australia.

The International Customer Service Standard (ICSS: 2020-2025) certification recognises the outstanding fan experiences that the SCG is known for and has continued to deliver during COVID-19.

Venues NSW and SCG CEO Kerrie Mather said the certification follows months of self and onsite assessments.

“Excellence in customer service is essential to extraordinary live experiences and destinations for our spectators, our sports partners and our many commercial, community and charity partners,” Ms Mather said.

Ms Mather said the SCG’s customer service framework provides a perfect roadmap to implement best practice customer service management across the network.

The CSIA recognition highlights the processes and systems that have delivered a superior customer experience in areas including facility management, cleaning and security, ticketing and scanning systems, and ingress and egress safety procedures.

The Sydney Cricket Ground joins Sydney Airport, HCF, Optus and Melbourne Cricket Ground as receiving CSIA recognition.

“The certification has recognised what we do well but has also identified where there is room for improvement so that we can continue to progress towards becoming an organisation with the fans at the centre of everything we do.”

ICSS: 2020-2025 Webinar

The SCG is a part of the Venues NSW network, which includes Stadium Australia, Sydney Football Stadium, Bankwest Stadium, McDonald Jones Stadium, WIN Stadium and Entertainment Centre and the Newcastle Entertainment Centre.

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Driving a better customer experience Please tell us about your role as Chief Customer Officer.

Talkdesk partners with customers to help design their CX vision, enable the implementation of that vision into their organisations and measure the results, and I am responsible for looking after that customer journey. It’s an honour to look after this responsibility and it's the client services teams at Talkdesk that are the true difference-makers.

CSIA was delighted to recently talk to Kieran King, Talkdesk’s Chief Customer Officer and hear her thoughts on what drives her customer service team to deliver outstanding results, the importance of diversity and why Talkdesk founder and CEO Tiago Paiva’s belief that customers must be at the heart of every conversation and interaction is just as important as ever.

How has your career journey to date put you in good stead to develop such exceptional client service teams?

I’ve spent my entire 25-year career in client-facing roles. Working at a global level, I have had the

privilege of consulting with companies across various industries and continents. The work itself has been inspiring – helping brands facilitate digital transformations and each experience has been full of learnings and best practices. The most significant of which is how to listen intently, apply balance to decisionmaking and how to ‘channel the chair.’ This technique fosters empathy where you put yourself in the customer’s seat.

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Talkdesk disrupted the customer service space when it launched a decade ago. How does it continue to transform the customer experience?

Talkdesk was founded as a company of innovation.

Our founder comes from an engineering, product development background which accounts for

our heavy R&D focus. Over 50% of the global Talkdesk headcount is dedicated to engineering or product development ensuring new products or features are rolled out on a continuous basis. In 2020, the company filed over 200 patents and launched 20 new products including Virtual Agent, Agent Assist, and the latest, AI Trainer, which leverages the power of AI to assist agents with getting to the right answer faster.

How has Talkdesk been able to help businesses to deliver better customer service experiences?

There are two sets of metrics which define the quality of customer experiences. Internally, the metrics include abandonment rates, hold and resolution times which ultimately drives higher external KPIs such as higher CSAT scores, increased revenues and improved customer retention. The ability to measure these KPIs internally and demonstrate business impact externally is how Talkdesk drives better customer experiences. We consult with customers using our proprietary value hierarchy and CX maturity model to identify what the organisational priorities are which, in turn, shapes our partnership plan.

As Executive Sponsor of Talkdesk’s Women in Technology Employee Resource Group, you are an advocate for gender balance. How important is diversity and equality in building a positive workplace culture at Talkdesk?

Immensely important. We have a global workforce representing people from a wide

variety of backgrounds and cultures. What this brings to the business is a range of unbiased ideas which helps in arriving at better decisions faster. We operate as a “wirearchy” which means all levels have a seat at the table in voicing their ideas. We seek out diversity by hiring the best talent across the globe; different cultures, background, demographics and experience help fuel our pace of innovation.

What are some of the attributes of Talkdesk’s leadership team?

Courageous innovation, customer obsessed, diversity and inclusion, trust and transparency, and community and environmental giving are the Talkdesk core values. They are truly embodied by the Talkdesk leadership team.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned about customer service?

Humanising the experience is everything.

When you sincerely understand a customer’s priorities, challenges and desired outcomes, it creates partnership meaning. When you demonstrate kindness, respect and gratitude as you interact with client stakeholders, it fosters mutual influence.

About Talkdesk: Talkdesk is a Cloud Contact Centre as a Service (CcaaS) that assists organisations to create better customer experiences, resulting in higher customer satisfaction, cost savings and profitability.

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So, you think you know what your customers want?

Brett Gumbley, Director at Antenna, a market research agency specialising in customer experience measurement and strategy, shares his insights about the moments of ”service dissonance” – those points in the customer experience where organisations mistakenly believe they know what customers want.

As consumers, I think most of us can relate to walking away from a service interaction thinking “what the hell was that all about?

That experience just didn’t make any sense”.

And while we can chalk this up to being something accidental, as consultants, we often see these interactions being driven by an organisation’s standard processes.

In the traditional organisation model, there’s a natural tendency to look at the organisation from an internal point of view – considering the organisation and its service delivery from a perspective of product creation and service process, rather than from a customer’s perspective. This can lead to missed opportunities - in only seeing the organisation’ processes, an organisation can miss the broader customer experience.

Organisations can identify and fix issues with the customer experience by undertaking a regular customer journey mapping process to see their service delivery through the lens of the customer.

This informs a truly customer-centric perspective of the customer’s experience

before engaging with an organisation and enables an organisation to see the customer journey in the context of their broader lifestyle and needs, along with and understanding the customer journey through the organisations process.: • • • • • • •

What are the steps in their experience?

Where are the wins in this... what is the organisation excelling in?

What are the pain points and failure moments in this journey?

What are the untapped opportunities to wow within this?

Where does the service experience leave the customer?

What are the next steps?

How does it leave them feeling about the organisation?

The approach generally works best in a workshop environment – mapping out the customer experience of engaging as a series of stages from the beginning to the end.

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Generally, the process is mapped out as several layers: a. Defining the current customer journey… plotting the process as a series of steps, from the moment they decide they need a product or service, through to completion. b. Mapping the emotion and expectations at each stage… what are they needing? What are they feeling? c. Pinpointing the customer touchpoints for an organisation… where does the organisation engage with the customer both directly and indirectly (i.e., through influencers)?

stakeholders into the room with your customers... framing the workshop as a collaborative exercise and giving stakeholders an opportunity to see and talk to customers face to face. If it’s challenging to talk to customers directly, workshops can also equally be run with a group of frontline staff –those team members with a clear understanding of the current customer experience but who can also talk to the backend processes that deliver to this.

From this clear blueprint for the customer experience, the organisation can then work backwards in mapping the internal processes that deliver to this. Similarly, we see journey mapping sessions being used as a starting point for co-creation workshops, where organisations come together with their customers to collaboratively redesign customer service delivery.

ICSS: 2020-2025 Webinar

d. Identifying the pain points and gaps in the process… what’s missing? What doesn’t work? e. Articulating the ideal… what would the perfect experience be like?

f. Generating solutions… what would an organisation need to do to deliver this perfect experience?

While we’d generally recommend using an external facilitator for these, journey mapping workshops also represent an empowering experience for organisations in bringing key

So next time one of your team members says, “I know what the customer wants” ask them “do you?”

Brett Gumbley Director Antenna

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CSIA Member What was your first role in customer service? Woolworths – checkout operator What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Great (and sustainable) results take hard work, discipline and commitment. I have three additional pieces of advice that build upon that meaning for me: • The only place Success comes before Work is in the dictionary • In an ever changing environment – create and re-visit you SMART (specific-measurable-actionable-relevant-timebound) goals to maintain focus and momentum • Connecting your Passion and Purpose – helping you stay committed and inspired towards your higher purpose

Marisa Marconi National Manager Business Direct Westpac Banking Corporation

What advice would you give to a person starting in their customer service career? Be present with your customer - Listen to your customer needs and understand how you can help them enabling you to offer the right solutions, first time.

What is the best thing about working in customer service? Without a doubt, it is helping customers

What was your first role in customer service? My first role in customer service was working at Hungry Jacks.

What advice would you give to a person starting in their customer service career? Customer service is a true profession in its own right, treat it as such, and great customer service skills are critical in any role. It is also important to consider that great service is not static and service excellence requires a continued focus.

Adam Bury Team Manager IT Service Operations Townsville City Council

What is your proudest achievement in customer service? The proudest personal achievement for me has been leading my IT Services Teams in the last two years to two consecutive CSIA Service Champion Awards celebrating our drive, focus and our passion for customer-centric service excellence.

What is the best thing about working in customer service? Being able to make someone’s day and make a real difference. In any role I’ve been in, the driver for me has always been the connection to my community and the reward of seeing a direct positive community impact from the service I provide and work that I do.

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Spotlight What was your first role in customer service? A dining room attendant at a retirement village.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? “Progress not perfection.”

What is your proudest achievement in customer service? My proudest achievement would be establishing a customer service team in Canada to facilitate a follow-the-sun model of customer service between Toronto, Brisbane, and Kuala Lumpur, whilst also onboarding new Corporate and Retail customers at the same time. It was a large and complex undertaking, with the outcome being our ability to offer a seamless, 24/7, customer experience across multiple locations, to our organisation’s customer base world-wide.

What is the best thing about working in customer service? The positive impact you can make in someone else’s life through the customer experience we deliver.

Michelle Hillman Divisional Manager Customer Care Yarra Valley Water

What was your first role in customer service? Milk Bar Attendant, age 13.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Shut up and listen!

What is your proudest achievement in customer service? Becoming a subject matter expert in a niche market and sought-out by industry and peers.

What advice would you give to a person starting in their customer service career? Listen. Don’t take everything personally. Do your best and keep learning.

What is the best thing about working in customer service? The people I meet and figuring out how I can help them.

Simone Reinertsen Stakeholder Engagement Officer National Heavy Vehicle Regulator

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Level 2 383 George Street Sydney NSW 2000

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