Author: Mark Atterby

As Head of Digital at Primo Foods / JBS, Renaud Frisé fully embraces the need to accept the constantly changing nature of things.  Primo Foods is the largest producer of ham, bacon and smallgoods in Australia. Primo Foods is part of the JBS Group of global companies. Renaud is responsible for all things digital at Primo Foods and has been at the helm of the organisation’s digital transformation journey for the past five years. A key aspect of Renaud’s job is to try and understand what’s coming next for the business and the opportunities or threats that digital disruption may…

In 1978 Douglas Adams wrote about the ‘Babel fish’ in his comic Sci Fi novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy. By placing the Babel fish in their ear, a person can translate every known language in the universe. Jeeves.Plus, an enterprising Australian start-up, is turning the fictional fish into a practical reality. Launched in 2017, Jeeves.Plus is a Multilingual Text (SMS) based customer service platform empowering full two-way conversation with customers regardless of what language they speak or their location. Envisage a Chinese businessman travelling to Sydney who speaks very little English, but needs to check into his hotel,…

Customer experience has become a top priority for most organisations. Yet brands struggle to execute on their CX vision. Changing customer expectations and the impact of digital disruption are constantly rewriting the ground rules companies need to work by. In 2020 new trends will emerge adding to the list of existing challenges that are thwarting CX initiatives. The importance of CX is now universally recognised, but the efforts of most companies to successfully implement a CX vision that delivers on both customer expectations and measurable ROI has proven allusive. Research from Gartner highlights that while 48 percent of CX leaders…

Personalisation is key to engaging consumers on mobile devices, according to research from Sinch. Yet most brands are not leveraging the data they need to offer the personalised experiences that customers want. The year 2020 is predicted to be the year of hyper-personalised CX. Fundamental to driving success in offering highly personalised experiences is the ability to leverage customer data. Most brands, however, are unable to leverage their data. Hugh Haley, Director Australia and New Zealand from Sinch, comments, “Breaking down data silos to deliver highly personalised mobile experiences will be mission critical for many brands in 2020. Successful CX…

Organisations that understand the link between happy engaged employees and happy engaged customers will exceed in the experience economy. Successful EX (Employee Experience) equals successful CX. Yet these strategies are often not aligned to the detriment of both employees and customers. Research from the XM Institute highlights how organisations that are CX leaders consistently demonstrate better EX results as well. Lawrence Mitchell, Chief Customer Officer for SumoSalad, comments, “Employee experience is very fundamental to the customer experience. Employees represent the brand and the culture the brand embodies. Frontline employees, such as customer service and sales staff, are brand ambassadors and…

Leading trends for Digital Experience in 2020 The range of digital touchpoints available for customers continues to expand. Brands must learn how to create engaging experiences at each touchpoint and combine these touchpoints into a compelling and cohesive experience of the brand. Gartner has just released a report that highlights the leading trends for 2020 in terms of digital experience. One key trend the Gartner report focuses on is ‘multiexperience’.  Enterprises recognise customer experience success via digital touchpoints is dependent on a user experience (UX) that closely aligns technology with the digital journey customers take to attain a goal. The…

In the past a brand’s reputation and success was built on the quality of its products and its ability to communicate its marketing message to a mass audience. These days its built on its ability to stay relevant to the ever-shifting needs and expectations of its customers. Brands that are slow to innovate and add value will fail. New products and product categories emerge and disappear over time. The digital revolution has dramatically increased the rate of change. We’re all familiar with the quick demise of brands such as Nokia, Blockbusters and Kodak following the introduction of new products and…

Technology is dramatically reshaping the role of the contact centre and the tasks performed by contact centre agents. What will the contact centre of tomorrow look like? And what will be the role of the agents in the contact centre of the future? The first call centres emerged decades ago. Their primary role was to handle large volumes of inbound or outbound telephone calls. As other channels were added, such as IVR, emails, social media, web enquiries and so on, they transformed into contact centres – centralised administration hubs for handling all inbound and outbound communications between an organisation and…

In the last 2 years, Australian Red Cross has redefined itself by becoming a customer centric organisation. Katrina Harrison, their Head of Customer Experience, explains the journey the organisation has taken and how that has impacted its vision and aims for the future. Main Picture: Katrina Harrison and her team. Established in 1914, Australian Red Cross is one of the 191 Red Cross societies that operate globally. It delivers a diverse range of humanitarian programs, including international aid across Asia-Pacific, humanitarian law advocacy, migration support, emergency management, as well as community services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, youth,…

The decisions being made by AI algorithms and machine learning are having an increasing impact on our lives, our jobs and our businesses. AI promises exciting possibilities for a wide range of industries including healthcare, financial services, utilities, entertainment and so on. It will help us to design the products and services we will enjoy in the future. But it has also raised a raft of ethical issues. What role should machines have in making decisions that affect our lives? Advancements in AI and associated digital technologies are occurring at a rapid rate. Enterprises are making significant investments in deploying…