Bob Thompson
What is Customer Experience Management (CXM)?
This article is an excerpt from the CustomerThink research report Customer Experience at a Crossroads: What Drives CX Success?, based on a study of 200+ CX initiatives in 2018. While industry experts generally agree that customer experiences include all interactions and the resulting customer...
SAP to Acquire Qualtrics, Changing the Game for CX, CRM, and ERP Industries
Finally. That’s my first reaction to the news that SAP will acquire Qualtrics in a deal valued at $8 billion. It appears that as Qualtrics was preparing for an IPO, SAP swooped in and made an offer that founder/CEO Ryan Smith couldn’t refuse. The SAP…
Dumbed Down CX: Just Make It Easy, Stupid!
The CX movement has been going strong for more than a decade now. Unfortunately, less than 1/3 of CX initiatives have been truly successful. Some think the answer is simple: stop trying to "delight" customers and instead just make things as easy as possible.
Relentless Execution: The Key to TELUS International’s Customer Experience Success
I wish I lived in Canada so I could experience the TELUS brand firsthand as a cell phone user. You see, I've had an opportunity to learn how TELUS operates over the past 10 years or so, and I think it's one of the...
What does “Customer Experience” really mean? Text analytics sheds some light
Experts don't have the final say on what becomes a common meaning of a word or term. What does "customer experience" really mean, based on analyzing 20,000+ CX posts on CustomerThink?
Introducing the CXtech 100K, a $1 Trillion Market. You’re Welcome.
A few years ago a vendor emailed me to ask: “How big is the CX market?” I replied that CX wasn’t a market, it was a strategy. I stand corrected.
Pega Infinity: A platform for Digital Transformation… but something is missing
Last week I attended PegaWorld 2018, one of the best tech conferences I've been to in years. Kudos to the event staff for producing a first-class event, and for arranging for me to meet with Pega executives and customers. My motivation for attending was...
Is There a Blockchain in Your Future?
The IT industry has an amazing knack for hyping the next big thing every year or two. In recent years we've progressed through Big Data, AI, and now -- right on cue -- it's time for blockchain to change the world as we know...
The power of FOCUS helps Infusionsoft and Zendesk stand out
Back in the olden days circa 2000, it was easy to figure out who the CRM leaders were in the SMB market. Goldmine, ONYX, Pivotal, Sage, and SalesLogix were among the top brands, with maybe a dozen or so others trying to establish mind-...
How to Fix Cable: Better CX, More Innovation, or Lower Prices?
Psst. I have a confession to make. Don't tell my cable company, but I'm preparing to make "the call" to become another cable cutter. Joining over 3 million traditional TV subscribers that defected in 2017. I've been a customer of one of the major providers...
Ryanair: Low Prices + Unhappy Customers = CX Success Story?
Ryanair is the most successful airline in Europe, riding its low-low-low price strategy for years. Since price is part of the customer experience, is Ryanair a CX success story? Or is higher levels of customer satisfaction required?
Questions About Qualtrics: Will a Marketing Magician Lead the CX/VoC Industry?
I attended the Qualtrics annual Summit a couple of weeks ago to learn more about a vendor that appears to be on the rise in the CX / Voice of Customer (VoC) arena. It was an impressive event that felt more like a rock...
An Inconvenient Truth: 93% of Customer Experience Initiatives are Failing…
Less than 1/3 of CX initiatives are successful. That's worse than CRM! What should be done about it?
AI and CX: A Happy Marriage? Seattle Leaders Say…
Last week I had the pleasure of hosting a lunch discussion in Bellevue, Washington (a few miles east of Seattle) about the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in improving Customer Experience (CX). Leaders in business, government, and education participated, with the help of my...
Can SurveyMonkey and Zoho Disrupt Enterprise Software?
I know, "disruptive" innovation has become a cliché, but hear me out. Recent announcements by SurveyMonkey and Zoho caught my eye and have the potential of disrupting enterprise software in a way we haven't seen in a while. But first, a quick word about what...
Can Outsourcers Help You Be Customer-Centric? TELUS International Say “Yes”
Think back 10+ years ago, and what did outsourcing really mean? Saving money, if we're completely honest about it. Nothing wrong with cutting costs, of course. All other things being equal, cost savings drop straight to the bottom line. Except when it doesn't. ...
Hyatt Uses HUMAN Intelligence to Give Customers Relief from IVR Hell. Who Knew?
Call it Revenge of the Humans. With mounting hype about AI, bots and all things automated, I was delighted to recently learn that humans can actually make automation work better, improving the customer experience while saving money. Next time you call Hyatt to reserve...
Forget cosmetics. The top 3 drivers of personalization success in ecommerce [Others are reading...
I've been following personalization since, well, forever. That being when I started my firm in 1998. That's about the same time that Peppers and Rogers published their seminal book, The One to One Future where they proposed a simple and powerful idea. Instead of organizing...
Verint Provides Engagement Tools for CX Practitioners, and a Case Study of CX in...
Last week I spent a very enjoyable three days in steamy Orlando, Florida attending Verint's annual customer-fest Engage 2017. I got an update on the company's strategy and products, participated in an executive forum with key customers, and learned how Verint tries to practice...
Voice of Customer Industry Trends: Consolidation, Disruption, and the Rise of Real-Time Action
Are you listening to the voice of your customers? Of course you are. Based on CustomerThink research, nearly all large enterprises conduct relationship and/or transaction surveys. And increasingly, small and mid-sized firms are doing so, too. But wait, did I say...