SalesTechStar Interview with Owen Frivold, EVP, Strategy & Co-Founder at Hero Digital

Owen Frivold, EVP, Strategy & Co-Founder at Hero Digital chats about a few evolving customer experience trends in this quick catch-up with SalesTechStar:

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Welcome to this SalesTechStar chat Owen, take us through some of the recent innovations and trends in online customer experience that you and the team at Hero Digital have been observing/following?

We’re seeing some interesting trends across the entire CX landscape. On the content side we’re seeing the rise in use of  personalized video, on the experience side more value-driving applications of AR as well as personalized AI,  on the enablement front an increased interest in MACH architecture (Micro-Services/API-first/Cloud/Headless). 

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Hero Digital’s recent report on digital wellness customer insights had some interesting findings, take us through the key highlights…

I’d have to say the most interesting was how universally appealing wellness tech has become. Unlike other industries like fintech or consumer goods where there are clear generational differences in both adoption and advocacy, wearables in particular have had much more appeal. For obvious reasons, personal health has become top of mind for all generations and empowerment has become important to Gen Z and Boomers alike.

Not just restricted to wellness but the whole marketing space today, what are some key CX initiatives that marketers and salespeople need to be pursuing as one unit?

The voice of the customer has become more powerful than ever. Through  our research we’ve seen consumers don’t expect perfection, but they do expect continuous improvement and have grown increasingly accustomed to being heard. The need to acknowledge your existing customers’ evolving needs and adapt your messaging and solutions in a more rapid manner is critical.  In addition, they should be looking for ways to create personalized experiences that put the customer in control of the journey.

How can sales and marketing teams work at a better alignment process to deliver unified CX that drives better ROI?

At a time where acquisition costs are higher and traditional sales tactics are muted, teams should focus on aligning around the value of their existing customer relationships. The rise in importance of customer success professionals has become paramount. Product usage metrics, best practices, continuous learning and training modules have all become critical components to ensuring renewals. 

For B2B and tech companies looking at revamping their customer experience structures and plans for 2022, what tips would you share with them?

Due in large part to the pandemic where people’s work and personal lives become inextricably tangled, the same seamless experiences and self-service functionality that consumers are accustomed to in B2C have now become the standard for B2B as well. After all, we use the same device to track our steps, tell the time, post pictures, there’s no reason you can’t add buying software to that list.

Some last thoughts, takeaways, digital sales/customer communication tips and best practices before we wrap up!

With supply chain issues and the Great Resignation, consumers have grown accustomed and are understanding of delays, in exchange offer transparency, have a clear comms strategy throughout your customer experience to help manage expectations even if the message is not what they wish to hear.

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