Season 2 – Episode 3: Don't Get Left Behind. This week's discussion centres on the future of 'operations' within the U.K., where over 80% of us work in service industries. We delve into potential future scenarios and the historical undervaluing of 'operations'. We also examine the trends that are likely to influence this sector. We ask if A.I. will replace all our jobs and wonder why technological trends don't deliver as promised. Although the world and work will change, the fundamental challenges will persist—achieving cheaper, better, and faster outcomes. The conversation turns to practical operational thinking and the importance of enhancing operational capabilities … [Read more...]
The Economics of Customer Service
Season 1 – Episode 33: Insights From Seán Keane We continue our series of episodes focused on answering the critical question –What Is the State of Customer Experience Today? As 81% of the UK’s economic output comes from the service industry, understanding how to improve customer experience has never been more critical. We will be asking guests for their perspectives on the following questions: We are lucky to have insights on these questions from Seán Keane, who has led, grown and sold CX technology and consulting businesses and has a strong background in Op Model design, technology and process. He’s led complex programmes and teams for companies like Davies Group, Ember and Capgemini on … [Read more...]
What Can We Learn about Customer Experience?
Season 1 – Episode 30: Virgin Media Case Study This week, we continue to explore the UK Customer Experience. The country's service economy employs 80% of the workforce, so understanding and enhancing customer experience is crucial. We conduct a 'shallow dive' (or maybe a snorkel) into Virgin Media, examining its history and origins, as well as customer feedback on their experiences. What lessons can we draw from such a giant corporation? Expect the usual mix of anecdotes, statistics, and insights to provide some food for thought and ideas to ensure you're delivering the best customer service! Learn the importance of thinking about design from a customer's perspective (obvious but … [Read more...]
The Simple Habits That Make Managers More Effective (With Hugh Alley)
Season 1 – Episode 26: Things You Wished You'd Known Were you taught how to manage the work? We are all trained on the technical aspects of a job and the leadership of a team, but we are rarely taught how to manage the actual work. Managing work is vital whether you're a first-line manager or running the country! To provide valuable insights on the best way to manage and improve your teams and their work, we are lucky to have Hugh Alley, a successful author who has trained over 1,000 supervisors in his time, as this week's guest.Hugh shares the background and structure of 'Training Within Industry', which has the potential to dramatically improve team performance.Enjoy this … [Read more...]
What Is the State of Customer Experience Today?
Season 1 – Episode 25: Introducing the Four Questions Today, we start a series of episodes focused on answering the critical question –What Is the State of Customer Experience Today? As 81% of the UK's economic output comes from the service industry, understanding how to improve customer experience has never been more important. Every few weeks, we will be asking guests for their perspectives on the following questions: What's the state of customer experience? Why do you think that? Who provides a good customer experience? How would you improve the customers' experience? To kick things off, we will give our perspectives on these questions. … [Read more...]