Melanie Disse Consulting

🎄 Meri Kirihimete me te Hape Nū Ia! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! May 2025 be the year we’ve all been waiting for, enjoying happiness, prosperity and good health! We’ll be off on leave and out of the office from 21 December and back at work for you from 6 January. ✨ Have a wonderful festive season, with lots of love, joy and happiness. I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year, rejuvenated and ready to tackle 2025. Melanie Disse Consulting  #MerryChristmas #HappyNewYear #outofoffice #celebration #endofyear

✨ It’s the middle of the month of December, and that means a few things... Christmas, summer / winter holidays, and of course, predictions! It also means it’s “Did you know…” time again, and in this last DYK for 2024, we’re looking into one of our 2025 CX Predictions in more detail. We hope you’ll enjoy our DYK # 25 “Did you know... that CX must become a team sport to be successful?” 🤝 If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll know that we started to introduce the idea of “CX is a Team Sport” earlier this year, and we’ll continue to share more about this next year. Quick summary of our DYK: 👉 Driving business growth with AI-powered CX only works if we break down data & technology but also cultural siloes, and embrace CX as a team sport.  👉 As an organisation, we must collectively and holistically understand and intentionally design experience for our customers and our people. 👉 Technologies and KPIs must be aligned to drive customer AND business needs, not purely driving success in siloed areas. ➕ A couple of additional resources! Don’t miss this one! 👇 #CX #customerexperience #VoC #CXtransformation #technology #AI #GenAI #CXisaTeamSport

👥 There's nothing quite like meeting and working with people face to face. While a lot of my work is done remotely, I always try to meet people in person for stakeholder interviews. This week, I went on a road trip to kick off work with a new client. It's always such a great phase in a project when we familiarize ourselves with a client's organisation, their technology, processes, and of course their people and culture. 🤝 No two projects are the same, and every organisation is different and unique. It's only by having these conversations that we deeply understand where the organization is currently at, and what we need to consider to improve. I sometimes joke that I love my job as I’m paid to learn and grow every single day. Even with 26 stakeholder interviews in 2 ½ days, I still walk away with a smile on my face ❤️ Melanie Disse Consulting #CX #customerexperience #consulting #HumanTouch #facetoface

❤️ If there's one thing I love, it's talking and hearing about CX! As an independent Consultant and Technology Advisor, it's part of my job to be on top of market activities and trends. 🗨️ I regularly speak with industry peers, industry bodies, technology vendors, CX professionals across different industries & maturity levels to gain a solid understanding of the market across ANZ, as well as globally. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of moderating an executive round-table lunch again, something I greatly enjoy. It enables everyone to ask questions and share experiences and learn from each other. The power and value of these conversations is not to be underestimated! 🔥And, of course, we discussed a hot topic! You guessed it, all about leveraging technology (AI) to enhance the experiences our customers and agents have with the business, while streamlining operations and driving efficiency gains 💪 what's not to like!? It was great to see so many familiar faces around the table and meet new CX practitioners over a wonderful lunch. Thanks to everyone who attended to make it a wonderful experience! And a big Thank You also to Sharon Melamed from Matchboard for organizing it all, and our amazing host Zoom. And did you know.. Zoom does so much more than video conferencing, and has become a powerhouse in the CX space!? ❓What topic would you be interested in for an executive round-table lunch? Let us know in the comments below 👇 And if you're interested to know what's happening in the world of CX and technology (hello there #AI) don't be shy to get in touch! ✉️ 🗨️ Melanie Disse Consulting  #CX #VoC #technology #analytics #GenAI #customerexperience #insights #contactcenter

✨ It’s almost December, and time to kick off the CX Christmas conversations! December not only means that predictions are due soon (!!) but also signals the beginning of the Christmas shopping rush! And that is not always a pleasant CX! Last night, I had the pleasure of (virtually) attending the Marketing Association’s Monthly MeetUp “Delivering on Your Brand Promise this Christmas” hosted by the Brand and Customer Special Interest Group. And you guessed it, it was all about creating great #CX and delivering on your #brand promise during the very busy and often stressful silly season. 🎄 Stressful for customer, but of course for staff as well! In particular during the challenging cost of living crisis. 👏 I always love seeing people I know on stage, and it was a real pleasure to listen to Cole Armstrong last night. Cole is a Behavioural Strategist at his company NeuroSpot and shared great insights into the workings of human behaviours. Having spent time at Foodstuffs myself many moons ago, I found listening to him and a #FMCG panel including Foodstuffs North Island Limited and Farro rather insightful. Here are some key takeaways for #retailers to create memorable CX, even during very stressful and busy times: 👉 Customer research is key to understand customer needs, changes, and track feedback before, during and after the busiest season of the year. Then, analyse performance and determine what to start, stop, or continue doing. 👉 Ensure stores are stocked and manned to weather the storm. Farro’s support office staff spends the last week before Christmas in store to help out! 👉 Christmas is a period of mental overload and decision making can be overwhelming. Help your customers by simplifying the decision-making process. 👉 Train staff for the different needs of the season, e.g. arm them with knowledge on seasonal products. 👉 Honor the peak end rule and finish on a high. Not the entire experience has to be amazing, focus on the moments that matter. 👉 Stay true to your brand and play to your strength. Whether that’s focusing on the value message for budget conscious shoppers or sprinkling some Christmas magic for delight and surprise moments. What is Christmas like in your industry? How are you planning to delight your customers this year? #customerexperience #Christmas #christmasrush #customerfeedback #VoC

🎇 And that’s a wrap! What an absolute pleasure it was to be part of the 2024 International Customer Experience Awards as a judge! Today (NZT) / tonight (GMT) the awards ceremony took place to announce and celebrate all the CX rockstars with a passion and dedication for great CX. 🌏 The ICXA are now the biggest CX awards anywhere in the world! This year, 108 companies and 102 judges from around the world were part of the ICXA24, across 51 categories. 👏 A huge thank you to Ian Golding and Nienke Bloem CCXP CSP for running the show on the night, and of course to Awards International, Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), and all sponsors for making it happen. It was a truly inspiring experience to be part of. And even though I wasn’t there in person for the awards ceremony, watching online, I still felt the buzz and excitement in the room! Well done everyone, from finalists to judges, sponsors, and everyone else involved 👏 I thoroughly enjoyed it. 🥳 Congratulations also to Bruce Temkin for winning the ICXA Lifetime Achievement Award - what an achievement and well deserved indeed!   The highlight for me, of course, was the announcement of the winners of the category I judged: Best use of Technology – over 5,000 employees. And the winners are: 🥉 Bronze: Saudi Electricity Company 🥈 Silver: E.ON Deutschland 🥇 Gold: e& UAE   And the overall winner for ICXA 2024 is: CarTrawler 🏆 Congratulations to all finalists and winners. It’s well deserved, and a great recognition of the wonderful work you do.   Let’s continue to celebrate the amazing work organisations around the world deliver to create better experiences for all of us! 🥂 Cheers to that!    Melanie Disse Consulting #ICXA24 #CX #customerexperience #technology #ICXA #judging #CXawards #ICXAbuzz24 #awardsinternational

💥 This month we’ve got a somewhat controversial topic to explore in our monthly “Did you know…” (DYK) series; the topic of tNPS. Just to be clear, we’re not evaluating NPS as a metric, we’re looking specifically into tNPS. Spoiler alert:  ❌ You’re better off not using tNPS! What you’ll learn: 💡 ✅ What the 3 key CX metrics are and what tNPS actually is ✅ Why tNPS is a challenging concept  ✅ Why tNPS shouldn’t be used as a KPI for contact centre agents  ✅ The negative impact tNPS has on your insight quality (!)  ✅ Real life examples As always, don’t be shy to get in touch for any questions, or to have a chat to see how we can help you! Check out our DYK # 24  “Did you know that tNPS is harming your insights quality!?” below 👇 #CX #VoC #customerfeedback #surveys #metrics #NPS #tNPS #KPI #CXmeasurement 

🌟 What an inspiring night it was last night as the live online judging of the finalists commenced for the International Customer Experience Awards 2024!  Judging took place in the GMT which meant a 10pm - 4am work day for me here in Aotearoa New Zealand. But I’m not complaining, I thoroughly enjoyed it! 🫶 🏆Our finalists had wonderful projects to present, engaging presentations and we had lively Q&A’s. I wish every finalist Good Luck for the Final Awards Ceremony on 21 November. 🤞 I thoroughly enjoyed scoring the written entries back in October, and it was a real honour to be part of the judging committee last night. We had so many amazing companies with fantastic projects using technology and data to drive CX improvements. But also driving a cultural mindset shift around what CX is, and the value it delivers to customers and the business by bringing everyone within the organisation along on the journey. Well done everyone! 💪 ❤️A huge Thank You also to my fellow judges Lorna M. and Sandra Mathis, CCXP, PMP. It was a real pleasure to meet you and to be judging alongside you, in an amazing all female judging panel from around the world!  I also want to thank Awards International for the great event, our room admin Lorraine Francisco for keeping us all on track and supporting us throughout the night, as well as Danilo Kusmuk and Filip Lampic for looking after us judges in the leadup to the event. Let’s continue to celebrate the great work organisations around the world are delivering to create better customer experiences for all of us! 🥂 Melanie Disse Consulting  #icxabuzz24 #CX #customerexperience #technology #ICXA #judging #CXawards

🫶 I’m still buzzing with joy and gratitude as I’m reflecting on last week’s Future CX and Future Contact Center Summits in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland. Being able to network, connect and learn more about CX for two full days was a real privilege. 💡We had amazing speakers, insightful presentations, interactive breakout sessions, and lots of networking time. I thoroughly enjoyed moderating a keynote panel with amazing panellists, and also moderating an interactive breakout session, giving hands on advice to attendees while facilitating conversations about CX. It truly is at the heart of what we do at Melanie Disse Consulting. While technology is important in creating great customer experiences, what really stood out for me over the two days was the power of human connection. ❤️ I love spending time with industry peers, and it was a real pleasure to reconnect with old friends and make new connections. 🤝 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘟 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘟 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 "𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳", 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘟! 👏 A huge Thank You to the event organisers Rajat Gehlot and Rebecca Webb from Aventedge, as well as all the amazing sponsors: ✔️ Elias Kanaris & Bashar Basheer from CCNNZ, ✔️ Daniel Pickering from Probe CX, ✔️ Thomas Lorenzo and Maya Mandir from InMoment, ✔️ Richard Winterburn from Digital Island, ✔️ Rakesh Prabhakar from Zoho, ✔️ Phil Heys and Renee Noble from flexhive by Hudson (thank you for the amazing dinner we had!) and many more. ❓Were you at the event? What was your key takeaway? #CX #VoC #technology #event #human #customerexperience #CXisateamsport #contactcenter 

🚀 And we’re off to a great start at the Aventedge Future CX Summit at the Hilton Hotel in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. I very much look forward to 2 days of learning, networking, sharing knowledge, moderating, and most importantly, having fun! Liz Pinfold Reed 🦄 is already on stage as this year’s chairperson with her opening address in full swing. If you’re here as well, please do join us for a couple of sessions that I’m moderating: ✅ Keynote panel discussion at 10am “Harnessing AI and Data Analytics for Enhanced Customer Experience” ✅ Interactive breakout session at 11.45am “Leveraging Unsolicited Feedback to Drive CX Improvements” 🔥 Both extremely hot topics in the CX world right now and I thoroughly look forward to it. Hope to see you here! Melanie Disse Consulting #CX #VoC #technology #analytics #AI #GenAI #event #customerexperience