The transformational change needed in organizations to move from a product-and-distribution view toward a customer-centric view does not fail because of technology or the lack of change management. It fails because we don’t develop customer- and employee-centric leadership skills in our team-leading staff (including C-level managers). Based on a proven methodology—and illustrated by the case study of a client, a major premium automotive manufacturer—this session aims to give you insight into the strategic coaching skills that enable managers to shift their focus toward making a difference for customers and employees.

Your CRM system should be the entry point for organizing your relationships toward a powerful shared purpose—beyond business. Shared purpose allows your company to tap into the enormous potential and business value of your network. Being part of the relationship revolution means better content, continuous innovation, and increased customer referrals, not just efficiency and profit gains. When you have a strategically designed CRM to measure sales and relationships, a broader customer base and a stronger brand follow. This session defines the practical steps required to establish a relationship strategy for your CRM.

Today’s realities are driving government agencies to become “smarter” in order to build sustainable economies and improve the quality of life in their communities. Communities today are faced with a new normal of increased disruption, whether by economic uncertainties, an increased pace of natural disasters and civil unrest, health threats, or population migration. CRM is a critical tool to enable the kind of collaboration needed for effective government-citizen engagement and collaboration to address these kinds of issues. Learn how the city of Cary, N.C., tackled the challenge.

Is customer experience just as important in the federal government as it is in the private sector? You bet it is. This case study session examines how the Department of Health & Human Services’ Program Support Center was able to fill in the gaps in its customer experiences based on feedback it received highlighting a need to communicate more often and more effectively with customers. The agency learned a lot of lessons and established a number of industry best practices along the way and shares them in this session.

Why do organizations seek to design effective multichannel customer journeys? Customers demand it. Technology has enabled consumers to use various channels of interaction at the time and place and in the manner they choose. To defend or retain market share and to potentially increase top-line growth and cost take-outs, businesses are pressured to comply with whatever their customers desire. Using illustrative case studies from Mattel Toys, Verizon, and others, HRG reveals why organizations should invest in customer analytics and journey design software solutions and how much to budget through 2018; how to measure the productivity and effectiveness of customer analytics and journey design initiatives, and how often to do so; how to prioritize specific customer analytics and journey design initiatives against software selection criteria; what percentage of company revenues to commit to customer analytics and journey design programs; and how to evaluate and ultimately select customer analytics and journey design vendors or consulting firms.

Is the future of customer experience revolutionary or evolutionary? How can the advancements in AI help businesses tell better stories that are more relevant in the eyes of customers? With advances in machine learning, prescriptive analytics, and mobile technologies, businesses have the tools to redesign their customer experiences and deliver contextualized, self-directed journeys across all channels, journeys that will foster loyalty and encourage advocacy. This session highlights how the blending of AI and storytelling will enhance customer experiences and improve digital immediacy.

Learn from a panel of sports business executives from teams and agencies in the field how to engage fans who are already digitally mature and looking to be more involved. Sounds easy, but not when you are a midsized business with a small budget and enterprise level expectations. Hear what the teams do and how they collaborate with others to get it done.