In this week’s episode of Masters of Max, Tom Butta welcomes Harry Parkes, VP of Product at OVO, a major energy supplier based in Bristol, England. Harry brings a wealth of experience from the product and design fields, and is at the forefront of boosting consumer engagement and facilitating the transition towards sustainable energy use at OVO. Founded over a decade ago, OVO emerged as a challenger in the UK energy sector and now boasts 4M customers.

The conversation dives deep into the philosophical and practical aspects of product design and management. Harry underscores the importance of understanding the user’s context when designing a product or service, drawing parallels between product management and the design field. Both disciplines, he argues, revolve around problem-solving within the situational context of users.

A significant part of the interview highlights OVO's innovative approach to engaging customers through its mobile app offerings. With the energy sector’s shifting landscape, OVO has benefitted from their customers’ newly sparked interest in conserving energy. The company has invested in app features that allow users to check their energy usage, understand how energy flows through their homes, and offer insights to reduce their carbon footprint and save money. The app plays a critical role in getting customers to engage with their energy and start thinking about where it comes from, fostering an ongoing relationship to advance the decarbonization agenda.

For businesses looking to enhance their mobile engagement and app offerings, Harry provides valuable insights. Emphasizing the significance of understanding customer behaviors, perceptions and profiles, as well as using AI to add real value to customers’ experiences. Harry also highlights OVO’s focused approach to becoming net zero by 2035.

In this week's episode of Masters of Max, host Tom Butta welcomes Vernesa Ćutuk, a CRM specialist, to the podcast. Vernesa has a diverse career background, working with various industries such as telcos, pharmaceuticals, startups, and mobile apps. Most recently, Vernesa was the CRM Marketing manager for Sleep Cycle, the sleep tracking app with over 300,000 monthly downloads. Now, Vernesa consults independently, sharing her expertise in understanding the user journey and promoting a user-centric approach within companies.

During their conversation, Tom emphasizes that simply having a CRM platform doesn’t make your brand automatically customer focused and that you need to actively engage users effectively across different channels. Vernesa also highlights the need to understand user behavior and segmentation to personalize interactions and optimize engagement.

You’ll also hear Vernesa talk about the concept of being a "T-shaped marketer,” the significance of balancing depth in specialization with breadth in decision-making to address varying customer need, and how brands can foster seamless customer experiences across different touchpoints—physical stores, websites, and mobile apps.

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Guest Bio

Vernesa Ćutuk is a CRM marketing consultant who helps businesses in unlocking the true value of their CRM by providing a holistic view of the user lifecycle journey.

Primarily focusing on B2C, Vernesa works with both large and small companies, providing strategic guidance and hands-on support at every step of the journey using various CRM tools.

With extensive experience in large corporations, medium-sized companies, and startups across industries such as telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, gaming, publishing, and healthcare.

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Guest Quote

“From the CRM perspective, as soon as we get their email address, they are entering the loop of onboarding emails, where we show them what we got, try to engage them in a correct way, different product features, et cetera. So not too much, not too little. It's always this balance. We want to check so many things, we want to personalize so many things, we want to ask them so many questions, and this is the perfect timing to ask them because they are new, they are interested.” – Vernesa Ćutuk

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Time Stamps

*(02:00) Vernesa's background in the industry

*(05:01) Simply having a CRM System doesn't make you customer-centric

*(06:56) How to be a T-Shaped Marketer

*(11:30) Drive 4x the value from your customers

*(13:06) The app lifecycle

*(17:13) Curating a "cozy" onboarding experience

*(20:58) Advice for creating a unified user experience

*(28:46) Rapid Fire Questions

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Links

• Connect with Vernesa Ćutuk on LinkedIn
• Connect with Tom Butta on LinkedIn
• Check out the Airship Website

In this episode of Masters of Max, host Tom Butta welcomes Jonathan Azouri, the CEO of CatchCorner by Sports Illustrated, North America’s top destination for booking sports facilities and activities. Jonathan shares his entrepreneurial journey and passion for innovation, highlighting the importance of keeping a human perspective in business. He emphasizes the impact of every interaction on user experience and the value of hands-on leadership in building successful teams.

Today, you’ll hear Jonathan talk about what inspired him to start CatchCorner by SI, emphasizing accessibility and seamless user experience. And while you may be familiar with similar booking apps made for restaurant reservations, Jonathan addresses the technical complexities and unique requirements involved in sports facility rentals, highlighting the importance of e-signatures and customer safety.

As the conversation progresses, Tom delves into the dual focus of CatchCorner by SI as both a B2B company and a consumer-facing platform. Jonathan explains the company's structured approach, with dedicated teams overseeing facility onboarding and operations, ensuring a cohesive user experience. The partnership with Sports Illustrated further validates Jonathan’s mission of making sports spaces accessible to all.

Jonathan's advice for aspiring app developers centers on meticulous planning, user-centric design, and continuous iteration before coding. He underscores the significance of maintaining quality standards and a strong foundation while scaling a business.

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Guest Bio

Jonathan Azouri, a Canadian entrepreneur, serves as the co-founder and CEO of CatchCorner by Sports Illustrated. His dynamic career took a significant leap in 2023 when he earned a well-deserved spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.

Jonathan studied at McGill University, graduating in 2016 on the Dean’s Honor List with a Bachelor of Commerce. His profound enthusiasm for both sports and technology has seamlessly converged to form the nexus behind his growing company.

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Guest Quote

"There's real people behind every single transaction or action being taken. A lot of the times, especially when you are scaling, you kind of just see these numbers but don't think that that's an actual human being. If you don't keep that perspective, as simple as it may sound, then you kind of lose touch. And when you lose touch, that's when the experience really goes down. So, each interaction with each different screen is going to impact how they felt and how they actually enjoyed your product.” – Jonathan Azouri

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Time Stamps

*(01:26) Jonathan's Background

*(04:12) What is CatchCorner by Sports Illustrated?

*(06:57) Expanding accessibility

*(07:48) Serving both sides of the business successfully

*(10:40) Matching your users' last great experience

*(14:15) The growth Jonathan & CatchCorner by SI have experienced

*(17:42) Jonathan's advice for other app builders

*(20:10) Rapid Fire Questions

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Links

• Connect with Jonathan Azouri on LinkedIn
• Check out CatchCorner by SI
• Connect with Tom Butta on LinkedIn
• Check out the Airship Website