Healthcare makes a huge difference in people’s lives – and so should its customer service. Customer-centric service that better cares for policyholders, doesn’t waste their time, and gives them more options can all add up to greater satisfaction and – with the right technology – even identifying symptoms over the phone. Just ask Ingrid Lindberg and Steve Decker, an unlikely duo who worked together to overhaul the customer service at a leading health insurance company. Listen to their story of transformation and how they used customer insights,
operations data, and more to discover what really matter in healthcare service.

Key Takeaways:

[5:02] Taking advantage of automated services can mean big financial gains, but fast service doesn’t always mean good service. 

[5:12] While self-service options might help reduce some call time, it’s not a one-size fits all option for customers. 

[9:25] In many cases, customers were looking for a live agent to speak to, and having a customer service representative at the right moment can have a huge impact on their lives. 

[12:34] When it comes to healthcare, contact centers are responsible for some very sensitive conversations. It’s important that those conversations are handled in the least invasive and most appropriate ways. 

[15:21] Customers need the option to opt out of self-service and to get the human touch they desire. 

[15:55] Ingrid’s analysis shows that on average, a consumer touches their healthcare company only once a year, in the form of a phone call. 

[18:53] The technology has changed tremendously and in good ways, but we still need the human touch and true empathy for the customer. With tools such as sentiment analysis, we can recognize what’s going on with the person at the moment and weave it elegantly into the conversation. 

[21:54] Earning trust is an investment, and customer service reps must be repeatable and reliable. 

[22:37] We have to stop treating customer service and especially contact centers as empty investments. If there are no members (at healthcare contact centers), there is no money and no CFOs. 

Quotes:

• [3:39] "This belief structure that I have had my entire career has always been wrapped around the fact that if we don't have customers, none of us deserve to have our jobs." - Ingrid [11:14] "in some cases, customers don't want to be bounced around and transferred. Every time you transfer a customer, you lose seven points of customer satisfaction. So what we piloted and tested was, let's cross-train some people. Let's just test it and see what happens." - Steve 
• [12:12] "In health care, contact centers are responsible for some very sensitive conversations. And it's important those conversations are handled in the least invasive and most appropriate ways." - James
• [12:48] “The sanctity around the calls is different from any other industry I have been in other than finance. People don't want to talk about their money, or their health care.” - Ingrid
• [13:43] "In healthcare, digital is becoming a major component of that experience, not only to help people understand their benefits and how to maneuver them but also to help them get some things transactionally solved. Automation, I think can play a big role in that." - Steve 
• [14:51] “Technology has just changed tremendously in very, very good ways.” - Steve 
• [15:21] “Regardless of the channel that you're talking about,  it’s not about knowing when to opt them out, but it’s about giving the option to just opt out.” - Ingrid

Continue on your journey:

• pega.com/podcast

Mentioned:

• Ingrid Lindberg 

As the options in customer service expand, opening self-service channels through email, text, and web, it might seem like the role of the service agent is becoming less necessary. Think
again. According to customer experience strategist Adam Toporek and customer service expert Nate Brown, the value of human interaction is higher than ever – if it’s used strategically. Listen as our guests discuss the right blend of automaton and human contact, getting creative when attracting talent, the importance of soft skills, evolved ways to capture insights, and more.

Key Takeaways:

[2:04] We are learning that the right blend of AI automation and human contact can get the customer exactly what they need. 

[2:29] Digital transformation is going to take a lot of the easy customer service interactions and automate them. This is going to leave time and hopefully give more opportunity for better, richer human interactions. 

[3;27] Call centers are becoming less central to customer service operations as contact centers become the new norm, but the human element is as important as ever. 

[3:39] Nate discusses how he starts in two places when trying to help a team accelerate their CX results: voice of employee, and then voice of customer. 

[6:07] Instead of trying to find the technology to create shortcuts, we need to find great and capable leadership to engage our workers to do their jobs to the best of their ability. 

[10:43] Leaders need to empower their agents so they can offer the right solution at the right moment, while understanding the limits of the agent role.

[12:32] Customer feedback is a beautiful opportunity for us to step up and be the guide in a really fun and unique way. 

[19:48] You have to let the person know you're being empathetic, which is a little bit different than just having the empathy internally. 

[23:48]  The seamless interaction between customer agent and tech is the future of customer service, but we have to create opportunities for our humans to shine. This means listening to the voice of the customer, and the employee, and it means training agents on human centered skills every bit as much as we train them on our tech. 

Quotes:

• [2:04] “We are learning that the right blend of AI automation and human contact can get the customer exactly what they need.” - James 
• [2:29] “Digital transformation is going to take a lot of the easy customer service interactions and automate them. This is going to leave time and hopefully give more opportunity for better, richer human interactions.” - Adam
• [6:33] “Transforming the role of customer service employees can't depend on quick fixes and shortcuts.” - James
• [10:43] “I will tell you right now that empowerment is simply a risk reward decision. There are limits to empowerment, and there is always the question of where those limits are.” - Adam 
• [12:04] “We should value those opportunities so much where we actually get to speak to our customers, and personally interact with them. What a gift that is.” - Nate 
• [19:48] “You have to let the person know you're being empathetic, which is a little bit different than just having the empathy internally.” - James 

Continue on your journey:

• pega.com/podcast

Mentioned:

• Adam Toporek
• Nate Brown
• Officevibe

Blockchain. NFTs. The Metaverse. There’s a good chance you’ve heard these terms thrown around recently – and for good reason. These all make up what is quickly becoming Web 3.0, a more immersive, community-centric internet where you can build and sell in entirely new ways. Listen as Emily Rose Dallara, CMO at SL2 Capital, and Bridget Greenwood, founder of Bigger Pie, dive into all the ways the internet is evolving, and the many opportunities brands have to capitalize on this new virtual territory. 

Key Takeaways:

[3:00] Web 3.0 is a way of describing the newest iteration of the internet that is built on new technologies like blockchain, and ideas like decentralization.

[3:45] Web 3.0 also is changing our marketing opportunities and tactics. We still need all the marketing fundamentals, but people entering the world today will need to be steeped in Web 3.0, and also keep in mind that it’s all about serving people and communities.

[4:27] With any new market that uses social media as a force to amplify it, there’s always the possibility for hype marketing. Web 3.0 technologies are at the beginning and end of hype marketing.

[11:12] Gen Zers want to be online and experience the Metaverse, as they enjoy being in a space where they can be accepted for whoever they want to be as opposed to the judgment that often occurs in real life.

[12:28] The Nitro League is a racing Metaverse where people can raise and earn credits. In turn, they can buy land, and rent that land out to make money.

[20:20] For businesses entering the Web 3.0 space, more transparency may mean more public support, but it also means more accountability.

[23:16] Blockchain technology cryptocurrency could create unique solutions to global issues, but we must build with democratization at the forefront.

Quotes:

• “Web3 marketing is really about community building. It’s about ownership.” — Emily [3:12]
• “Hype marketing has got a short shelf life. People are just looking for genuine communities and genuine products and transparency.” — Emily [5:07]
• “This is why we market Metaverse to the GenZs because this is actually what they want. They enjoy being this person online, and can be accepted for whoever they want to be.” — Emily [11:12]
• “The opportunity for brands to market themselves on virtual territory is proliferating, whether we’re ready for it or not.” — Jo [14:29]
• “For businesses entering the Web3 space, more transparency may mean more public support, but it also means more accountability.” — Jo [20:20]
• “I find it really exciting because you can be borderless and permissionless, peer-to-peer choose who you want to share and exchange value with. I find that really innovative.” — Emily [21:53]
• “Technology can only go so far; what we choose to do with that technology is really going to be whether or not we are building for a few or rebuilding to democratize access to many more people.” — Bridget [23:07]
• “Web3 brings the possibility of communities built on transparency, utility, and a common good, where a decentralized democratic web is possible and practical.” — Jo [24:46]

Continue on your journey:

• pega.com/podcast

Mentioned:

• Bridget Greenwood
• The Bigger Pie
• Emily Rose Dallara
• Sl2Capital

Reaching core customers in the fastest, most effective way, is the goal. Using personalized marketing experiences through automation is how you’ll get there. Join Founder and CEO of Black Girl Digital, LaToya Shambo, and Director of Content and Web Strategy at Vendavo, Morgan Short as they unpack how automation and current martech trends are shaping the future of marketing.

Key Takeaways:

[4:31] Latoya discusses how it’s a great opportunity right now for brands to connect directly with audiences, through the lens of influencers.

[4:47] The best future campaigns are the ones that bring more intentional choices about how our content is delivered.

[7:46] The opportunity for brands to use social media to connect with their audience is there; they just have to be mindful of who they are connecting with, and what the content is going to look like.

[13:23] B2B personalization is possible, but it takes figuring out what motivates people, their behaviors, likes, and hobbies.

[16:26] A lot of brands fail by not having internal diversity and having the wrong people sell a product to a demographic they don’t understand well.

[23:04] We’ve moved past the days where content developers stuff as many keywords as possible into their web pages to try and outsmart search engines.

[30:00] Successful brands use every channel to meet their customers where they are, using fun, engaging, and empathetic content.

Quotes:

• “I think that it’s really a great opportunity right now for brands to connect directly with audiences through the lens of the influencers.” — LaToya [4:31]
• “What makes influencer marketing so special is how much more easily you can measure its effectiveness.” — Jo [4:39]
• “The best campaigns of the future are bringing more intentional choices about how content is delivered to consumers across every channel over a longer time than a one-off TV ad.” [4:47]
• “I think that’s the beauty of social and trying to connect with your audience. The opportunity is there. It is just a matter of who’s on your team that understands the audience that you’re trying to connect with.” — LaToya [7:46]
• “Just because we’re selling something to businesses doesn’t take the human away from it.” — Morgan [13:23]
• “You can figure out what motivates people and their behaviors and their likes and their hobbies and you can still make that applicable in the B2B world to catch people’s attention.” — Morgan [13:38]
• “Where a lot of brands go wrong is not having internal diversity.” — LaToya [16:26]
• “If you want your marketing content to capture the attention of your audience, it has to have the right messaging. It has to be accessible.” — Jo [29:09]

Continue on your journey:

• pega.com/podcast

Mentioned:

• LaToya Shambo
• Black Girl Digital
• Morgan Short
• Vendavo

Modern marketing leaves little to chance. It’s evolved to utilize data-driven targeting to know precisely what people want. And that evolution is ongoing. Join managing directors David Steuer and Jeremy Woodlee from Accenture as they discuss where MarTech is taking the industry.

Key Takeaways:

[2:13] David discusses the need to drive personalization for the customer experience in real-time. 

[4:26] Both AdTech and MarTech need to deliver campaigns to customers using an omni-channel approach utilizing multiple customer touchpoints in the burgeoning age of personalization.

[5:51] As cookies disappear and digital movements become a bit more private, marketers are turning to first-party data.

[6:45] Customer data platforms are key elements for driving success in providing a contextual experience. And, it’s not just a matter of data. There’s an emotional and even moral element.

[12:53] How are organizations decluttering processes while keeping up with the constantly shifting customer needs, moods, and values? By consolidating, rationalizing technology, and optimizing processes.

[18:41] It is getting increasingly tougher for companies to target specific audiences. PII, or personally identifiable information, has been incredibly useful in targeted marketing.

[23:03] To get rid of our own marketing clutter, we must add technologies that create more opportunities for personalization.

Quotes:

• “We still need the art. You still need to be creative, it has to be there. But now we’re talking about the need to combine the creative with data analytics and understanding of the customer context, in their journey in real-time.” — David [2:30]
• “I think this is a moment to start to take a step back and look at what is really important — the touchpoints that are really critical, and put human energy against that and try to use machine-driven technology. To be able to automate and run everything else so that humans can do what humans do well.” — Jeremy [10:31]
• “Decluttering and streamlining processes can help us keep up with customers, but only as long as we make sure that those processes actually provide meaningful customer experiences.” — Jo [14:09]

Continue on your journey:

• pega.com/podcast

Mentioned:

• David Steuer
• Accenture
• Jeremy Woodlee