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Using AI to Help Human Agents Connect and Build Relationships with Customers
Shep Hyken interviews Christina McAllister, senior analyst at Forrester. She talks about the evolving role of AI in contact centers and how it enhances, customer service, human interactions, and deepens customer relationships without losing the human touch.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How does modern AI enhance the efficiency of customer interactions in contact centers?
How can AI anticipate customer needs and offer better solutions in customer service?
What are the common fears among leadership when adopting AI solutions in customer support?
How can automation in customer service lead to improved human interaction?
Why is maintaining human contact in contact centers still important despite AI advancements?
Top Takeaways:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a huge part of customer service. Unlike old chatbots that needed programs to predict every possible question, Generative AI learns from conversations and understands the intent behind questions, which makes customer support and engagement much smoother.
Customer service isn't just about solving problems anymore. It's about engaging customers. Even with current technological advancements, human interaction remains crucial for resolving complex issues. By having real conversations, businesses can strengthen relationships and even create opportunities for more revenue through upselling. Engaging with customers on a personal level can lead to happier, more satisfied, and loyal customers.
Leaders are grappling with FOMO (fear of missing out) and FOMU (fear of messing up) when adopting AI. There's a genuine fear of missing out on the opportunities AI presents and a fear of messing up by investing in the wrong technologies. It's a delicate balance between innovation and smart adoption.
Automation, just like every new technology, often raises concerns about job loss. While digital experiences handle basic inquiries well, complex issues still require human intervention. Automation can impact jobs but also presents new opportunities for meaningful work. Businesses can choose to reassign employees to roles that focus on deeper customer interactions. For example, automating repetitive tasks can free up agents to handle more personalized interactions, enhancing the customer experience.
AI's magic isn't just about answering questions. It's also about predicting what customers might need next. By analyzing patterns, AI can alert you to better deals or cost-saving opportunities you might not be aware of. This proactive approach, powered and made scalable by AI, makes customers feel valued and understood.
Plus, Christina shares the long-neglected foundations, like knowledge management and understanding agent workflows, that investing in AI has brought to the surface. Tune in!
Quote:
"There's a significant shift happening in the industry—from merely providing support to actively engaging with customers. The ability to personalize relationships, even through beneficial upsells, marks a new era of customer service."
About:
Christina McAllister is a senior analyst at Forrester. She helps customer service and customer experience (CX) leaders transform their strategies and capabilities in the age of the customer. Her research focuses on how technology and AI can enhance customer and agent experience.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Creating a Company Identity That Transforms Customer Experience
Shep Hyken interviews Laura Richard, Principal at Level5 Strategy and one of the 2023 Woman Leaders in Consulting. She talks about the essence of branding and its role in customer experience, employee engagement, and business growth.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
What is a brand promise?
What is the role of branding in enhancing the customer experience?
How can businesses define their brand to impact customer relationships meaningfully?
How does empowering employees align with a company's brand promise?
Why is it important for employees to share the same values as the brand they work for?
Top Takeaways:
A brand promise is a company's commitment to its customers, defining what they can expect every time they interact with the brand. It is the guiding principle that all the decisions of an organization are centered on.
A brand true to its promise creates value, builds trust, and fosters long-lasting relationships that benefit the customer and bring financial success to the business over time.
Understand what matters most to the customers you want to build a relationship with. Know what they want to get and how they want to feel as a result of engaging with the brand.
In a competitive market, a strong brand sets a company apart from competitors and creates an emotional connection with customers. For example, Nike empowers its customers with the motto "Just Do It," and Patagonia focuses on sustainability.
Employees are essential in upholding the brand promise. When a company clearly defines its brand promise and values, it can attract employees who naturally resonate with those principles.
Companies should identify which touchpoints are "table stakes," meaning basic expectations that must be met, but not necessarily exceeded. They should also focus their resources on the "moments of truth," the interactions that emotionally impact customers and can significantly deepen relationships.
Plus, Shep and Laura discuss how convenience and consistency drive loyalty. Tune in!
Quote:
"When people hear the word brand, they think of the logo, tagline, or marketing campaigns. But a brand truly is the company's identity, the common set of truths the organization needs to deliver to create value for its customers and employees."
About:
Laura Richard is a Principal at Level5 Strategy and one of the 2023 Woman Leaders in Consulting. She is Chair of the Board of ParticipACTION, Canada's leading advocate for physical activity.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Building a Brand Customers Love
Shep Hyken interviews Joanne Chan, CEO of Turner Duckworth, a world-class branding agency with studios in San Francisco, London, and New York. She talks about how brands like Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Levi Strauss & Co. infuse a clear vision and emotional connection in their branding to communicate a customer-focused experience.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How can a company integrate customer service into its branding strategy?
What role does customer experience play in brand loyalty?
What are the key elements of a logo or brand identity that influence customer experience?
Why is it essential for brands to infuse emotion into their visual identity systems?
How should companies handle feedback to improve their brand's customer experience?
Top Takeaways:
Branding is crucial for any company because it defines how customers perceive the business. A strong logo and brand identity can create emotional connections with customers, making them more loyal and engaged.
Successful branding involves creativity and an understanding of what the brand represents. A great logo or brand can stand the test of time while still resonating with new customers, like Amazon's smile logo, which emotionally connects the customer to a happy experience and communicates that Amazon sells everything from A to Z.
In any business relationship, listening is vital to understanding client needs and expectations. Listening helps you create solutions that cater to the client's specific requirements. Listening with empathy throughout the partnership can nurture long-lasting relationships and repeat business.
Everyone makes mistakes, and in business, you must handle them well. When a mistake happens, take responsibility, listen to your customers, and work to solve the problem together. Owning and handling mistakes well shows your customers that you are reliable and committed to delivering an amazing experience.
Creating a brand involves more than just a name or logo. It's about evoking emotions. This involves using design to speak to the heart of what the consumer cares about. That’s part of the customer experience.
The new generation of customers interacts with brands differently. They expect personalized and engaging experiences. Brands must be flexible and adaptable while maintaining consistency.
Plus, Joanne shares how her team came up with the Amazon logo and how they purpose-built it for the future. Tune in!
Quote:
"To infuse a brand with personality, marketers need to understand that brands are a way to communicate with their customers. The more emotion you infuse into a visual identity system, the more connection you can have with your customers."
About:
Joanne Chan is the CEO of Turner Duckworth. They managed packaging and brand identity projects for clients like Amazon, Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss & Co., and Samsung.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Leveraging Technology to Create Personalized Experiences
Shep Hyken interviews Anurag Dhingra, SVP and General Manager of Cisco Collaboration. He talks about using AI to bridge the gap between consumer expectations and satisfaction by enhancing both customer and employee experiences.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How can businesses bridge the gap between customer expectations and satisfaction?
What role does artificial intelligence play in enhancing customer service interactions?
What are the benefits of proactive communication in customer service?
How can AI-driven tools support customer service agents in delivering better service?
Why is it important for companies to prioritize customer experience over cost optimization?
Top Takeaways:
There is still a huge gap between what people expect from their customer experience and what they are getting. If you ask a someone if they are happy with their previous customer experiences, the answer will likely be no. Fortunately, we now have the technology to elevate the experiences we can deliver to our customers.
Technological advancements, especially in AI, present many opportunities for organizations to enhance customer service and experience. AI can help streamline processes, provide real-time insights, and assist agents in answering customer inquiries more effectively.
Companies need to be thoughtful when implementing AI solutions. While cost optimization is important, it should not overshadow the goal of enhancing customer experience. Businesses should prioritize strategies that directly impact customer satisfaction, such as reducing wait times, creating personalized experiences, and anticipating customer needs.
Personalization is crucial in creating amazing customer experiences. Customers now expect companies to recognize their preferences and past interactions. Delivering a personalized service can make customers feel valued and understood, strengthening brand loyalty.
In addition to traditional methods of communications, like phone calls, modern consumers also communicate across various platforms like social media and text messages. Companies need to meet their customers in the channels where they prefer to interact. Offering multiple communication options allows customers to reach out in their preferred way, enhancing engagement and satisfaction.
Today, the best use case for AI is helping customer support agents, acting as a co-pilot providing real-time assistance and recommendations. AI can enhance agent efficiency by summarizing interactions and handling routine tasks, freeing agents to focus on complex issues. Technology should empower humans, not replace them.
Plus, Anurag and Shep discuss why it is important to always let customers know when they are talking to AI. Tune in!
Quote:
"Anyone in the organization can be a customer service representative. Because there are now multiple ways to engage with a brand, anyone has the opportunity to do a job that delights the customer."
About:
Anurag Dhingra is the SVP and General Manager of Cisco Collaboration. He leads the technology vision, strategy, and direction for the Cisco Collaboration. He is also on Cisco's Human Rights Advisory Council and the founder of Cisco's Responsible AI initiative.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Exploring AI's Role in Revolutionizing Customer and Employee Experiences in Contact Centers
Shep Hyken interviews Jonathan Rosenberg, Chief Technology Officer and head of AI at Five9. He talks about how contact centers can use generative AI to deliver customer experiences that people love.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How can companies effectively balance customer self-service with personal interactions in high-stakes situations?
How does AI contribute to transforming contact center agents into brand ambassadors?
Why is empathy important in customer service interactions, and how can AI complement this human trait?
How does the implementation of AI tools impact companies' return on investment?
How does generative AI reduce labor costs in contact centers while maintaining human involvement?
Top Takeaways:
AI is changing the way that contact centers operate. AI-driven tools can handle simple queries and support human employees in answering complex questions. It allows businesses to offer quick, precise help that reduces call and hold times while keeping human agents available for tasks requiring empathy and complex problem-solving.
Self-service options are growing more advanced and popular. Although AI can tackle straightforward and repetitive tasks, humans are necessary for high-stakes or complicated situations due to their ability to understand emotions and contexts more deeply.
AI isn't about replacing human employees but empowering them. It provides agents with insights and recommendations in real time so they can focus on building stronger relationships with customers. With AI tools, agents can support customers more effectively, easily handle complex queries, and even seize upsell opportunities.
Great customer experiences can lead to loyal customers. With AI tools, employees can easily access customer's history of interactions with the brand and get information from a broad knowledge base that can help them offer personalized solutions. When customers feel understood and valued, they are more likely to return and tell others about their positive experiences.
AI is quicker and more cost-effective to implement than ever, and the return on investment from AI in customer service is significant. AI can shorten call handling times and make each interaction more efficient, saving money for the business.
Plus, Shep and Jonathan discuss what happens to companies that are laggards when it comes to adopting AI. Tune in!
Quote:
"Setting up and implementing AI has historically been expensive and prohibitive for businesses. Now, with generative AI, it is quick and easy to get started, and the cost of maintaining it is low."
About:
Jonathan Rosenberg is the Chief Technology Officer and head of AI at Five9. He is responsible for the engineering and operational teams building Five9's Genius AI portfolio.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Transforming Customer Support with Technology and Empathy
Shep Hyken interviews Derek Allgood, VP of Global Customer Experience (GCX) at eBay. He discusses the importance of nurturing a supportive culture and harnessing innovative tools like AI to enhance employee and customer service.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How does enhancing the employee experience contribute to a better customer service experience?
How can businesses balance automated customer service solutions with human interactions?
What strategies can support remote customer service employees in delivering consistent experiences?
How do self-service solutions impact the overall efficiency of customer service operations?
How essential is a strong company purpose in driving customer satisfaction?
Top Takeaways:
Listening is critical to building strong relationships in business and life. When interacting with customers or clients, it is essential to fully comprehend their needs and concerns before taking action. Active listening involves paying attention, asking clarifying questions, and genuinely showing empathy.
High employee turnover leads to increased costs and decreased customer satisfaction. Focus on creating a fulfilling and supportive work environment for your team members. Employees who feel valued and engaged become more committed to their roles and deliver exceptional service.
Today, more people are working remotely, which requires new ways of maintaining communication and culture. Effectively using technology to communicate improves work efficiency and connectivity. Communication technology helps ensure that employees remain connected and well-informed and can support one another in real time.
Self-service technology helps streamline interactions and solve issues quickly. By implementing self-service options, businesses can empower customers to find the answers they need without waiting to speak with a representative. This reduces wait times and allows customer support teams to focus on more complex issues. It also leads to cost savings for businesses and a more satisfying experience for both customers and employees.
A great business also thinks about how it can contribute positively to the world. This involves supporting causes that align with the company's values and making a meaningful impact on communities. By having a purpose beyond making money, businesses can connect with people on a more personal level. This builds trust and loyalty among consumers and employees alike.
Plus, Derek talks about eBay's innovative AI solutions to support employees and customers. Tune in!
Quotes:
"The first thing that we have to do in any relationship is to listen. As a business with a buyer and seller relationship, listen and try to understand where the customers are in their journey, what's gone wrong, and how you can support the employees helping them."
About:
Derek Allgood is the VP of Global Customer Experience (GCX) at eBay. He has over 20 years of experience leading customer support teams for global companies such as Citiphone, Global Consumer Bank, and Barclays.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Aligning Business Goals with Customer Needs
Shep Hyken interviews Jeff Gothelf, author of Who Does What By How Much?: A Practical Guide to Customer-Centric OKRs. He talks about how aligning objectives and key results with customer needs can transform business success.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
What is an OKR?
How do customer-centric OKRs help teams focus on the right tasks?
Why is it important for businesses to align their objectives with customer-centric goals?
How does measuring customer behavior contribute to better customer satisfaction?
How can understanding customer patterns help prevent client defection?
Top Takeaways:
OKR is an acronym meaning Objectives and Key Results. They are a strategic framework for setting clear goals and measuring outcomes. By having clear goals and knowing what results are expected, everyone in the organization moves in the right direction. When these OKRs are focused on the customer, they help companies make decisions that make their customers happy and loyal to the brand.
Objectives are qualitative goals describing the end state you want your customers to experience. For example, you want to offer the best product or be the easiest to do business with. The key results are the quantitative measures of human behavior that tell us we've achieved that state. It answers: What will your customers do differently, and by how much?
Customer satisfaction is important, but understanding customer behaviors is crucial. Often, dissatisfied customers stop using the product. They show up less often. They spend less money. They stop telling their friends about it. If you can understand these patterns of your customer's behavior, you can proactively take action before it becomes a problem.
Determine which behaviors (trying out products, asking more questions, etc.) will deliver the results that your company is looking for. Then, create an environment, a system, a service, or a store that positively amplifies those behaviors for the customer.
Providing your team with the objectives and allowing them to figure out the best way to achieve them communicates that you trust your employees to use their skills to meet customer needs.
Not all strategies will work from the start. Organizations need to develop a culture of learning. It allows teams to learn from mistakes and objectively measure the success of an idea. Then, businesses can make informed adjustments and improve with each attempt.
Plus, Jeff explains why some employees end up working on the wrong tasks and how organizations can avoid that. Tune in!
Quote:
"Customer centricity puts the customer at the center of all our decisions. Every time we make a decision, the critical question is—What impact do we think this will have on the customer? And, is that something that we want to do?"
About:
Jeff Gothelf is a business strategy and customer-centricity expert, speaker, and author. He is the co-author of Lean UX, Sense & Respond, and Who Does What By How Much?: A Practical Guide to Customer-Centric OKRs.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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How Personalized Customer Experiences Can Drive Business Growth
Shep Hyken interviews Mark Abraham, Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group and author of Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI. He talks about AI's potential to enhance personalization and the impact of tailored customer experiences on business growth.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
What is true personalization?
How can AI enhance personalization?
How does personalization contribute to customer loyalty and satisfaction?
How can businesses balance personalization with customer data privacy concerns?
What are some common misconceptions about personalization in customer service?
Top Takeaways:
Personalization means using what you've learned about the customer from their past interactions to improve their future experiences.
True personalization is not just about using a customer's name or offering customized products. True personalization involves using customer data at scale to make their next experience smoother, faster, and more convenient.
There are some concerns among customers about data privacy and personalization. Businesses must first get the opt-in from their customers. Second, it is important to ensure personalized experiences are contextually appropriate to the customer's journey.
Respecting customer privacy can make or break a personalized experience. Businesses should collect first-party data (data from transactions) and zero-party data (data directly shared by customers) to create a more accurate and respectful personalization strategy.
Artificial Intelligence has the potential to significantly enhance personalization. It can analyze vast amounts of data to predict and suggest the next best actions for customers, recommend products or services, and tailor customer service interactions.
Starting with personalization doesn't have to be complicated. Start by identifying one area where personalization can have the most impact and using available tools and technologies to implement it.
Mark also shares The Five Promises of Personalization, a practical way to think about how you deliver great personalization.
Empower me: Start with the customer. How are you helping them solve problems or fulfill a need?
Know me: To help a customer, you need to know them. Find ways to engage the customer and collect relevant data in between.
Reach me: Use AI to know how to reach out to your customers and what messages are most appropriate and relevant to send them.
Show me: Build a content library and use content management systems and automation to deliver personalized content at scale.
Delight me: Make the personalized experience seem more magical.
Plus, Mark answers the question—Is true personalization an expensive thing to do? Tune in!
Quote:
"Personalization isn't just customization. Personalization is taking what you've learned about a customer in an interaction and making their next interaction better, faster, or more convenient."
About:
Mark Abraham is a Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group and the founder of the company's Global Personalization business. He co-authored Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI with David C. Edelman.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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AI's Growing Impact on Employee and Customer Experience
Shep Hyken interviews Jim Payne, Director of Product Marketing, Customer Engagement at RingCentral. He talks about how AI is transforming both customer and employee interactions by enhancing productivity and efficiency.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How is AI transforming both employee and customer experiences?
Can AI be utilized effectively in smaller companies with limited budgets?
How does AI improve efficiency and productivity for customer service teams?
What is the impact of AI on employee retention?
What are the challenges related to integrating AI into existing customer service systems?
Top Takeaways:
Artificial Intelligence is significantly impacting both customer and employee experiences. The latest research by RingCentral and Metrigy has uncovered that over 80% of companies are using or planning to use AI to enhance customer and employee interactions this year.
The cost of using AI for business has dramatically decreased. In the past, deploying AI would mean a considerable investment needing data scientists and experts to implement. Today, it has become more accessible to even small and medium-sized businesses. The benefits of AI, such as increased productivity and efficiency, are no longer exclusive to large organizations.
AI will not replace human employees. Instead, it will augment their capabilities, make their jobs easier, and empower them to serve more customers.
By automating repetitive, mundane tasks, AI allows employees to focus on more meaningful work. In customer support, AI can manage routine inquiries and free agents to tackle more complex issues that need human-to-human interaction. This boosts productivity and reduces stress and burnout, leading to a happier workforce.
Inconsistent experiences with digital tools may cause customers to hesitate to choose self-service options. Companies must ensure their AI systems are reliable and user-friendly to encourage more customers to embrace them.
AI creates seamless experiences for both customers and employees. Whether a customer is talking to a chatbot or a human agent, all relevant information can be retained and accessible. This prevents customers from having to repeat themselves. It also empowers employees with the information they need to resolve issues quickly.
By integrating AI solutions, businesses can enhance their existing workforce. AI helps shorten the time an agent needs to solve problems. In their recent study, RingCentral and Metrigy found that AI helps reduce the time to complete a call by 39% on average. This allows contact centers to handle higher volumes of inquiries with fewer agents, bridging staffing gaps and improving the overall service quality.
Plus, Shep and Jim share innovative ways AI is being used to support customer service agents. Tune in!
Quote:
"AI supercharges people. It doesn't replace human-to-human interaction. It just makes everything better, faster, and easier."
About:
Jim Payne is the Director of Product Marketing, Customer Engagement at RingCentral. He specializes in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and how they can be applied to improve customer experiences.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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The Impact of the Employee Experience on the Client Experience
Shep Hyken interviews Terry Turner, president and CEO of Pinnacle Financial Partners. He talks about how investing in employee experience can create loyal customers, strong relationships, and higher shareholder returns.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How does a positive employee experience translate to a better customer experience?
What are effective strategies for reducing employee turnover?
How can businesses balance high-tech solutions with high-touch customer service?
How does stability in the workforce enhance overall customer satisfaction?
How does employee empowerment impact the quality of customer service?
Top Takeaways:
The way a company treats its employees impacts how they treat customers. What is happening inside the organization is felt outside by the customers. Happy and motivated employees are more likely to go above and beyond to meet client needs.
Using the word "clients" instead of "customers" can convey a deeper, more lasting relationship. While "customers" might imply a transactional relationship, "clients" suggests a collaborative partnership. This shift in terminology can change how employees perceive and interact with the customers they serve.
Empowering employees can help reduce bureaucracy. Less bureaucracy means faster decision-making and the ability to respond more quickly to customer needs. Building a reputation for being efficient and easy to do business with can set you apart from the competition, no matter the industry.
Personalized interactions can create advocates and promoters out of your customers. Knowing your clients well helps provide better advice and services tailored to their needs. It can be as simple as knowing clients' names and remembering previous interactions.
Trust can transform your customer relationships from a vendor-customer connection to a partnership. Clients need to know they can rely on you for solid, honest advice and consistent service.
The balance of high-tech and high-touch can significantly enhance the customer experience. It is not always about the newest technology. It is about how your technology matches your business process, employee mindset, and customer needs.
Plus, Terry shares how Pinnacle Financial Partners continues to grow without having to advertise. Tune in!
Quote:
"The number one inhibitor of great service is turnover. If you can't stabilize your workforce, there's no chance you'll give great service."
About:
Terry Turner has been the president and CEO of Pinnacle Financial Partners since it was founded in 2000. He is an active member of his community, serving on the boards of the Nashville Sports Council, Salvation Army, Belmont University, Nashville Chamber of Commerce, and the Nashville branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Effectively Integrating AI into Customer Service
Shep Hyken interviews Laura Burgess, senior research analyst at Capterra (a division of Gartner), a trusted software and services marketplace that offers a wide range of solutions to help organizations meet many of their business needs. She talks about how AI is transforming customer service and how organizations can balance digital interactions with the human touch to enhance customer satisfaction.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
Why are customer expectations rising in today's market?
How can AI enhance customer service experience?
How can businesses effectively implement AI in customer service?
Why is transparency when using AI in customer interaction?
How can businesses balance between AI and human support?
Top Takeaways:
Over the last two years, customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores have increased. A study by Capterra found that 63% of U.S. businesses have shown a marked improvement in customer satisfaction.
Customer expectations have risen due to the availability of multiple communication channels like the phone, email, chat, and social media. Today, customers expect quick, efficient, and instant responses. Technology plays a significant role in meeting these expectations by providing faster service across multiple channels.
Transparency is key when it comes to customer interaction. Letting customers know that they are interacting with AI through notifications before the engagement and during interactions can build trust, comfort, and acceptance.
To optimize customer service, companies should leverage the strengths of both AI and human support. While human support is crucial to personalized interactions, AI excels in faster response times, handling repetitive tasks, providing 24/7 availability, and offering multilingual support.
AI will not eliminate jobs. It will disrupt job roles. Employees believe that, in the next five years, 52% of customer queries will be handled exclusively by AI. Customer service roles will evolve, with humans focusing more on strategic, empathetic, and more complex tasks.
Integrating AI into customer service isn't just about getting the latest technology. It requires training employees to use AI tools and understand AI insights effectively. This training also benefits employees by boosting their technical skills, making them more versatile and valuable to the organizations they work for.
As businesses continue to invest in AI, it's essential to continuously measure its impact on customer experience. Companies should focus on fine-tuning these technologies to deliver accurate and helpful responses while maintaining the availability of human agents for more sensitive or complex issues.
Plus, Shep and Laura discuss more stats from Capterra's 2024 Customer Service Technology Survey and how it shapes the future of customer service. Tune in!
Quote:
"Consumers are more demanding than ever when it comes to their interactions with companies, thanks to multi-channels of communication which enable faster services and instant responses."
About:
Laura Burgess is a senior research analyst at Capterra with specialized knowledge of sales and customer experience (CX). Capterra offers businesses over 90,000 solutions across 1,300 software types and 50,000+ service providers to choose from.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Implementing The 5 A's of Successful Customer Engagement
Shep Hyken interviews Brett Frazer, co-founder of Service Matters, LLC and the author of Your Hidden Profit Center: Mastering the Five A's of Successful Customer Engagement. He talks about shifting customer service from a cost center to a value center and outlines the 5 A's framework for adding value to every customer engagement.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How has the perception of customer service evolved from being seen as a cost center to being recognized as a profit center?
What are the potential long-term effects of prioritizing cost reduction in customer service?
Why should companies focus on aligning with customers on the desired outcome rather than just providing a direct solution?
Why is it crucial for customer service initiatives to gain buy-in and support from key organizational stakeholders and leadership?
How can organizations best empower customer support agents?
Top Takeaways:
Customer service has evolved from being a cost center to a hidden profit center. Focusing on reducing investment in good customer experiences has a long-term negative impact on customer loyalty and profitability.
Brett shares The 5 A's of Successful Customer Engagement.
Acknowledge - Acknowledgment is about empathy and addressing the customer's emotional needs. Acknowledge the customer as a person, their relationship to the company, and the problem and solution they seek.
Align - Listen, troubleshoot, and collaborate with the customer to reach the outcome that they are trying to achieve.
Assist - Provide the most appropriate options for the customer that are personalized to the situation that they are in.
Advise - Enable and empower your agents with knowledge and data about the customer so they can provide insights that add value.
Ask - Ask for revenue, actions, and information, and create awareness to increase the customer's lifetime value.
If you can't get leadership and key stakeholders behind the transformation of your organization's customer service and experience, it's not going to work.
The focus should not only be on providing immediate assistance but also on building long-term relationships with customers. Customer service is an opportunity to add value that creates customer loyalty and can significantly impact the organization's bottom line.
A great customer relationship hinges on understanding the customer's needs, empathizing with their situation, providing tailored solutions, and proactively seeking opportunities to add value to the customer experience.
Plus, Brett shares more tips and strategies from his book, Your Hidden Profit Center: Mastering the Five A's of Successful Customer Engagement, to help your organization save time and increase profits. Tune in!
Quote:
"Over the years, customer service has been considered a cost center. The focus was on how we could make customer service as cheap and as quick as possible. This mindset takes away from the intent of customer service and support, which is to provide a great experience to keep your customers coming back."
About:
Brett Frazer is a thought leader and expert in customer service and contact centers. He is the co-founder of Service Matters, LLC, and the author of Your Hidden Profit Center: Mastering the Five A's of Successful Customer Engagement.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Using the Hospitality Mentality to Shape Your Company Culture
Shep Hyken interviews Alan Williams, Founder and managing director at SERVICEBRAND GLOBAL Ltd and the co-author of Supercharging the Customer Experience: How Organizations Can Drive Performance in Today's Values-Based Economy. He talks about aligning the organization's culture, from the leadership to the frontlines, with its customer experience.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
Why is alignment within an organization important for the customer experience?
How has the customer landscape changed in the last 20 years?
Why does customer experience start with leadership?
How is employee engagement linked to the customer experience?
Why is brand identity crucial for an organization's customer experience?
Top Takeaways:
Customer experience is not just a function or a set of processes. It's not just some department or strategy. It is ingrained into the company's culture from the top leadership to every employee. It's in the DNA.
Everybody's job is important when it comes to customer experience. Every employee must understand how what they do impacts the customer, even if they're two or three places removed.
Over the last 20 years, customer decision has shifted to where it is 80% driven by emotion and values. Customers choose to do business with companies that share the same values and stand for the same social causes as them.
Communication has greatly evolved thanks to the internet and social media. Customers' thoughts about a brand can now be shared with millions of people in an instant. Companies need to ensure that their messaging is authentic to their brand identity and resonates with their audience.
Organizations used to have the majority of control over brand perception. They could decide how they want to be perceived and hire a company to pump out that message. Now, customers put more trust in what their friends, family, or colleagues tell them.
The customer focus should extend to the organization's internal customers as well. Every role, whether customer-facing or support-oriented, plays a part in shaping the overall customer experience. Customers, employees, service partners, and communities now shape how people think about a brand.
Customer experience should reflect the organizational brand identity. Every aspect of the customer journey, from arrival to departure, should embody the organization's values. Every action, whether customer-facing or behind the scenes, should reflect the company's mission. When everyone in the organization understands and represents the brand identity, it creates a consistent and compelling customer experience.
Plus, Alan shares examples of customer experience from the hospitality industry (every type of business can benefit from a hospitality mentality.) Tune in!
Quote:
"A hospitality mentality helps drive customer experience. It is a brilliant training ground because you can learn a lot from that space and then apply it to other sectors."
About:
Alan Williams is the founder and managing director of SERVICEBRAND GLOBAL Ltd and the co-author of Supercharging the Customer Experience: How Organizations Can Drive Performance in Today's Values-Based Economy.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Partnering with Customers to Co-create an Amazing Customer Experience
Shep Hyken interviews Elisabeth Zornes, Chief Customer Officer at Autodesk. She talks about the evolution of the new customer and creating personalized digital experiences.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How does digital transformation impact customer expectations and experiences?
What are the challenges and opportunities in personalizing the customer experience in a B2B environment?
How does the concept of digital-first change the way businesses engage and provide value to their customers?
What role does AI play in enhancing the customer experience and driving growth for businesses?
How can companies leverage technology and AI to provide customers with personalized insights and experiences that drive long-term loyalty?
Top Takeaways:
The customer experience is evolving rapidly across different industries. Customers today are more informed, empowered, and sophisticated. This has raised the bar for businesses to rethink and rebuild their customer experiences to align with the changing expectations.
When you build and enhance digital experiences together with your customers, you create something very special. You go from interacting in transactions to building a digital relationship. Companies must design intuitive and personalized digital experiences that align with customers' preferences and behaviors.
Even in the B2B world, we need to be focused on customers as if they're consumers because that's what they're basing their stories and expectations on. Customers compare you to the best experiences they've had across all industries, regardless of the type of business are industry they are in.
Personalization is powerful in building a great customer experience because when customers engage with brands who know them, what they are likely to do, how they want to engage, and what they need, that signals that the company is where they can continue to get value. That reliability creates trust. (This was confusing. I think adding the “them” helps. Agree?)
Partnering with your customers is personalizing the relationship to the point where you understand so much of what your customers want and need that you can make the suggestions that will enhance their experiences, improve their businesses, and choose you over the competitors.
The integration of AI in customer service should not be viewed as a replacement for human interaction but as a means to enhance and support human ingenuity.
The future of customer service lies in transforming the entire organization's mindset. It is about instilling a culture where every employee understands their role in delivering an exceptional customer experience—raising service levels and delivering value across the board.
Plus, Shep and Elisabeth discuss more ways to leverage AI in customer service and experience. Tune in!
Quote:
"There is a significant shift in terms of who our customers are. They are much more sophisticated, informed, and empowered. They are expecting a seamless experience from start to finish."
About:
Elisabeth Zornes is the Chief Customer Officer of Autodesk. She oversees Consulting, Customer Success, Partner Success, Product Support, and Renewals to help businesses drive innovation for their customers.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Empowering Teams through Embracing AI-Driven Solutions and Customer-Centricity
Shep Hyken interviews Rony Vexelman, Vice President of Marketing at Optimove. He discusses why broken customer journeys create poor customer experiences and how brands can avoid them by leveraging AI, personalization, and customer-centricity at every step of the journey.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
Why is it essential for brands to understand and orchestrate the customer journey?
What are some common pitfalls that lead to broken customer journeys?
How has technology changed the approach to customer journey mapping?
How can AI tools empower professionals to expand their roles?
Why is it essential for brands to break down silos within their organization?
Top Takeaways:
Broken customer journeys result from multiple departments working in silos without integrated communication. Each department may have its automation system, which may lead to conflicting or uncoordinated customer experiences. By breaking down these silos and working towards a centralized system, your company can ensure a unified and smooth customer journey.
Businesses need to prioritize customer needs and experiences over pushing products or campaigns. When making decisions, even the tough ones, it's important to consider how these changes will impact customers and how to communicate them effectively.
You will not always make decisions that will make your customers happy. For example, raising prices is not an easy topic to discuss with customers, but it is, at times, necessary. Acknowledge how it impacts your customers and communicate it with them.
Traditional journey mapping focuses on creating an ideal journey for most customers, often neglecting outliers. With today’s technology, businesses can personalize the customer experience at scale, catering to individual preferences and needs.
AI can empower “positionless professionals”, encouraging individuals to expand their skills beyond their specializations. With AI tools, employees can take on tasks outside their usual roles, becoming more versatile and adaptable. This adaptability can result in faster execution, better employee experiences, and better customer experiences.
Extending personalized experiences beyond physical interactions, such as at a reception desk, to online platforms can significantly enhance the customer's perception of the brand.
Plus, Shep and Rony discuss why "breaking down silos" is still a hot topic for organizations after decades. Tune in!
Quote:
"Do your marketing from a customer point of view, not from a product point of view. "
About:
Rony Vexelman is the Vice President of Marketing at Optimove. He is a seasoned professional in multichannel marketing and customer engagement platforms.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Seamlessly Combining AI, Human Touch, and Data in Customer Experience
Shep Hyken interviews Gaurav Passi, Founder and CEO of Zingly.ai. He talks about seamlessly integrating AI and human interaction to create a collaborative and customer-centric experience.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How can businesses effectively balance AI and human interaction in customer service?
What are the most effective strategies for leveraging AI to enhance customer experiences?
Why is it important to prioritize long-term customer relationships over individual transactions?
How can AI tools provide hyper-personalized service to customers?
How can businesses effectively handle after-hours customer calls using AI tools?
Top Takeaways:
Bringing the human touch, data, and AI together creates a powerful combination that can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and competitive advantage.
When companies understand when to use AI and when to involve human representatives, it benefits everyone, including the customers, the employees, and the business. AI can efficiently answer quick queries, but human interaction is crucial for building long-term, meaningful customer relationships.
Many customers are experiencing FORO or Fear of Reaching Out. When customers are experiencing a problem, the first step is usually going to the company's website to get the contact information. Once they click on "Contact Us," they get some 800 numbers, call the company, the IVR kicks in, and they are put on hold, plus a few other steps. This long process and the time they have to carve out of their day to resolve their problems deter many customers from getting in touch with companies.
The bigger problem is the dissatisfied customers who never call but end up leaving because they never got the answer they were looking for.
While many customers still prefer traditional phone customer service, there's a growing expectation for digital options, especially among younger consumers. Offering a mix of digital and traditional channels can cater to diverse customer preferences.
AI can handle a large percentage of "one shot, one kill" questions and after-hours customer calls, resolving problems efficiently. However, maintaining a balance between AI and human touch is important, as human interaction adds a personalized, empathetic element that AI can't replicate.
By leveraging AI and personalization, you can address scale issues in call centers, allowing a single representative to handle multiple interactions simultaneously. This enhances efficiency in handling customer inquiries and improves overall customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Plus, Shep and Gaurav discuss why some customers hesitate to use AI. Tune in!
Quote:
"The meshing of human, data, and AI together can significantly elevate customer satisfaction and NPS, offering a competitive advantage in the market."
About:
Gaurav Passi is the founder and CEO of Zingly.ai. He aims to revolutionize customer relationships by leveraging generative AI, human expertise, and data to achieve hyper-personalization at scale.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Building High-Performance Teams through Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity
Shep Hyken interviews Jonathan Stutz, President of Global Diversity Partners, Inc. and author of Daily Practices of Inclusive Leaders: A Guide to Building a Culture of Belonging. He shares daily practices and strategies for inclusive leadership that create a workplace where employees feel seen, heard, and valued.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How can internal culture impact the external customer experience?
How can inclusivity and diversity contribute to creating high-performance teams?
What are SMARTIE goals?
In what ways can leaders focus on inclusion first to build a culture of belonging and positively impact the customer experience?
How can leaders manage difficult conversations in the workplace to promote inclusivity and equity?
Top Takeaways:
Internal culture and employee experience are the foundation for enhancing customer experience. When employees feel valued and connected to their managers, coworkers, and the organization they work for, it positively impacts the quality of service and engagement with customers.
Building an organization's strong and welcoming culture is about making employees feel understood and valued. When this happens, trust between employees and leaders, managers, supervisors, and fellow employees dramatically increases. Establishing trust lessens employee churn. If you want to keep your customers coming back, you must ensure that your employees also look forward to returning to work.
Creating an inclusive and diverse workplace is about building high-performing teams that represent the perspectives and backgrounds of employees and customers. It is not about complying with a quota or hiring diverse employees for the sake of appearing diverse. It is about opening up opportunities for everyone and hiring the best people.
The IDE (Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity) approach emphasizes prioritizing inclusion first, followed by diversity and equity. When employees feel safe, welcome, and comfortable being themselves, they set the stage for attracting and retaining a diverse and engaged workforce.
We all benefit from a diverse, inclusive environment. It's not about one person winning and another losing. Instead, it's about leveraging various perspectives and experiences to benefit the customers, the employees, and the company.
Plus, Jonathan shares practical tips that leaders can start doing today to create a culture of belonging. Tune in!
Quote:
"Employees that feel connected to their managers and coworkers and feel as if they are seen, heard, and understood, give more of themselves to the organizations and their customers."
About:
Jonathan Stutz is the Founder and President of Global Diversity Partners, Inc. He has over 25 years of experience in leadership roles at companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Zulily. His book, Daily Practices of Inclusive Leaders: A Guide to Building a Culture of Belonging, is now available on Amazon.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Tips for Training Teams with a Hospitality Mentality
Shep Hyken interviews Michelle Pascoe, CEO of Optimum Operating Procedures and Services, also known as OOPS. She talks about the 3 E's of customer experience and the impact of values-based training on creating a lasting impression.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
What does "Hospitality Mentality" mean?
What is the difference between customer service and customer experience?
How can businesses create a memorable last impression for customers?
Why is a values-based education important in shaping employees' customer behaviors and interactions?
How do you equip frontline team members to deliver an exceptional customer experience?
Top Takeaways:
Customer experience is about creating lasting impressions. Just as the first impression sets the tone, the last impression leaves an impact. Every step in the customer's journey, from the moment they walk in to the moment they leave, is an opportunity to amaze.
Embracing a hospitality mentality is about delivering exceptional customer experiences. It means going beyond merely meeting expectations and striving to make customers feel truly valued. This creates a positive and memorable interaction that can turn ordinary transactions into extraordinary experiences that keep customers coming back.
Michelle shares the 3 E's of Customer Experience:
Expectation: What does your marketing say about you? What are you creating in your customers' minds?
Experience: What do your customers get when they walk through your doors? Do you at least meet their expectations? How do you exceed their expectations?
Evaluation: What are your customers thinking about your business as they walk out the door?
When we live out our company's values, it sets the tone for our team. When we connect these values with our business operations, we give our employees a chance to shine and do a great job based on those values. And if something doesn't align with our values, we can call it out with clarity and proper discipline.
Training is not just about onboarding, it is an ongoing process. It is necessary to equip team members with the skills to uphold service values and exceed customer expectations. The training process should be multifaceted, cater to different learning styles, and be constantly reinforced.
Nurturing connections is essential, not just with customers but also between leadership and employees. When leaders take the time to understand and connect with their team members, it creates a positive and supportive work environment, leading to a more aligned workforce.
Plus, Shep and Michelle share their own experiences as customers that left a lasting impression. Tune in!
Quote:
"Customer loyalty and creating a memorable experience starts with meeting the expectations. If we don't even meet the expectation, they will certainly not come back."
About:
Michelle Pascoe is the CEO of Optimum Operating Procedures and Services (OOPS). She is a keynote speaker, the host of The Michelle Pascoe Hospitality Podcast, and the author of The VIP Principle: Discover How Guest Experiences Drive Long Term Growth.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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How Connectivity Impacts Customer Satisfaction, Business Processes, and Public Safety
Shep Hyken interviews Stephen Kowal, Chief Commercial Officer of Nextivity. He talks about how connectivity can impact various aspects of customer experience, from retail experiences to public safety, and seamless experiences.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How does connectivity boost customer experience?
How does poor cellular connectivity affect the customer experience in commercial and retail buildings?
What role does boosting cellular signals play in ensuring public safety and first responder communication?
How does cellular connectivity impact customer decision-making and purchases in retail environments?
Why is seamless cellular connectivity essential for a positive customer experience in today's digital world?
Top Takeaways:
Ensuring strong and reliable cellular and Wi-Fi signals in buildings is crucial for a seamless customer experience. Connectivity issues can impact everything from emergency calls in elevators to personalized store promotions. It is now important for businesses to invest in infrastructure that supports strong digital connections behind the scenes.
Connectivity empowers customers by enabling them to make informed purchasing decisions in the moment. The ability to access information in real time can guide customers to choose according to their needs, leading to better satisfaction and potentially higher sales for businesses.
Seamless connectivity is vital for customer satisfaction and public safety. Reliable signals inside buildings ensure that customers can ask for help when they need it and emergency responders can communicate effectively. Good connectivity protects experiences and lives.
Connectivity is no longer a luxury but a necessity for delivering exceptional experiences. Providing strong and reliable connectivity is a requirement to meet the expectations of smart, modern customers.
Plus, Shep and Stephen share their own customer experiences related to connectivity and coverage. Tune in!
Quote:
"Stores used to be afraid of online sales. They used to be afraid that if customers could research it online, they might see that it is cheaper elsewhere. But, they have found if customers can validate their purchase decisions while in the store, that experience instant gratification and end up leaving with the product and sometimes even spending more."
About:
Stephen Kowal is the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Nextivity, a company that helps businesses boost connectivity, public safety, and seamless experiences.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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Creating Authentic, Augmented, and Applied Technology to Enhance Customer Experiences
Shep Hyken interviews Jeffrey Russell, Chief Executive Officer at C1. He talks about transformative leadership and the need for authentic and empathetic technology solutions that enhance customer experience.
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How can technology be authentic and empathetic in improving the customer experience?
How can companies maintain a balance between human-to-human interactions and technology?
Why should companies prioritize culture and organizational health before focusing on financial aspects?
How has the concept of AI evolved to prioritize authenticity and human augmentation?
What leadership principles are essential for guiding a company through transformation?
Top Takeaways:
Effective leadership in business requires putting culture first. A positive culture within a company influences performance and trust and provides more value to their customers and employees, ensuring sustained growth and success.
Recognizing and leveraging an organization's "superpowers" drives innovation by using what they are best at to create impactful solutions and maintain a competitive edge.
Technology and artificial intelligence must be built with empathy at its core. This means understanding what really matters to customers to creating relevant, valuable, and impactful solutions.
Authenticity, augmentation, and applied intelligence are essential to ensuring technology meets customer needs. Integrating artificial intelligence into the customer experience must be easy for its end users to use, offer genuine value to customers, and enhance the capabilities of employees to serve.
Encouraging customers to utilize technology for simpler inquiries and letting them know that human interaction is available for complex or sensitive matters creates a balanced customer journey.
Plus, Shep and Jeffrey talk about how to engage in a healthy, consultative dialogue when experiencing pushback from clients. Tune in!
Quote:
"Empathy expands the human experience. It allows us to understand what really matters to our customers. It drives us to deliver something that is differentiated, relevant, and valuable for our customers."
About:
Jeffrey Russell is the Chief Executive Officer at C1, a company that uses technology and innovation to help companies build meaningful and secure relationships with their customers.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.
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