Keeping the customer happy is the hallmark of effective customer experience, as speakers at American Marketer's AMCX conference will explain. Image credit: Customer Experience Group
Meet David Truog, vice president and research director for CX/UX at Forrester, and opening keynote speaker at AMXC: Customer Experience New York Sept. 25
David’s research focuses on customer experience (CX), particularly experience design (XD). What should companies do to understand in depth people’s needs, motivations, and perceptions of their interactions with the organization’s brands, products, services and systems? And how should they design experiences to make them radically easier, more effective, and more emotionally resonant? David leads Forrester’s team of analysts focused on these two essential CX competencies: research and design.
Forrester's David Truog is the industry's top expert on CX/UX
Previous work experience
David has held a variety of roles in his more than 10 years at Forrester. As an analyst, he primarily covered the design and development of Web sites and software. He then led a team of eight in creating a new product that became Forrester’s fastest growing in its first year. He later became a research director for the interactive marketing research team and then led research quality and operations, a team of 60. In 2016, David returned as a research director to Forrester’s CX research team, on which he had started as an analyst.
Education
David holds a BA with honors in cognitive science from Amherst College, where he focused on cognitive psychology, philosophy of mind, and artificial intelligence and wrote an thesis that predicted the ascent of neural networks (deep learning algorithms) two decades before they displaced traditional approaches to artificial intelligence. He also holds an MA in the history of ideas from St. John's Graduate Institute, Santa Fe. Prior to college, David grew up in France, where he earned a baccalauréat from Lycée des Eaux Claires and discovered his passion for software development and UX design.
Here are details of David’s session at AMCX:
8:15 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Opening Keynote
Unlocking the Power of Experience Excellence
More brands than ever are striving for better customer experience to improve – or even just maintain – loyalty. Customer expectations also seem to keep rising, making it an ever more daunting challenge to improve CX enough. Does better CX really drive loyalty? And do customers really expect more than they did in the past? Yes and yes. But how can brands shape experiences, since by their nature, the quality of an experience is in the eye of the beholder? And how do brands that are CX leaders manage to deliver great experiences? What is the role of emotion and storytelling in the quality of experiences? And what specific competencies and concrete actions are required to create the right experiences reliably?
Speaker: David Truog, vice president and research director for CX/UX, Forrester
Won’t you join us at AMCX: Customer Experience? See the full agenda below.
Join senior executives at the inaugural AMCX: Customer Experience conference, an event hosted Wednesday, Sept. 25 by American Marketer that is focused on the critical role of customer experience in business.
Speakers at the daylong event include senior executives at Apple, Piaget, Forrester Research, InterContinental Hotels’ parent IHG, Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, Christie's, South Coast Plaza, UBS, Taj Hotels’ The Pierre, IBM, Pernod Ricard, Magellan Jets, Gaggenau, Altiant, Shanker Inc., Customer Experience Group and the Luxury Institute.
Venue: UBS Building, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10019. Venue courtesy UBS.
Price of the conference is only $795 and includes breakfast, lunch and snacks throughout, with plenty of networking opportunities. Please email ads@napean.com for the lunch keynote, lanyard and table-drop sponsorships.
Agenda is below.
AGENDA
AMCX: Customer Experience
An American Marketer and Luxury Daily event focused on the critical role of customer experience in the quickly evolving world of business
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019
Venue: UBS Building, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10019
7:30 a.m. – 8 a.m.
Breakfast and Registration
8 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
Welcome Address
Customer Experience is Differentiator in Sea of Sameness
Speakers:
Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, American Marketer and Luxury Daily
Seth Rutman, vice president for wealth management, JPR Group, UBS International
8:15 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Opening Keynote
Unlocking the Power of Experience Excellence
More brands than ever are striving for better customer experience to improve – or even just maintain – loyalty. Customer expectations also seem to keep rising, making it an ever more daunting challenge to improve CX enough. Does better CX really drive loyalty? And do customers really expect more than they did in the past? Yes and yes. But how can brands shape experiences, since by their nature, the quality of an experience is in the eye of the beholder? And how do brands that are CX leaders manage to deliver great experiences? What is the role of emotion and storytelling in the quality of experiences? And what specific competencies and concrete actions are required to create the right experiences reliably?
Speaker: David Truog, vice president and research director for CX/UX, Forrester
9 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
How and Why Customer Experience Needs to Change in the Digital Era
Many retailers’ customer experience strategies are no longer as relevant. Clients are changing faster than retailers, brands and associates can keep up. What is missing from many retailers’ approach is how to establish an emotional connection with clients. At the heart of the most successful companies are the customer service values that originated with the founder. What does it take for retailers to create a successful customer service experience that can be scaled and is sustainable?
- What retailers need to know about how high net-worth clients are changing
- Why successful client experiences need to be based on company values, not only standards
- How sellers can make an emotional connection with today’s high net-worth clients
- What does it take to create authentic client relationships?
- How technology can help or hurt
- What is the unique role of boutique manager in the success of client experience?
Speakers:
Missy Pool, head of flagship retail, Apple’s Madison Avenue store
Yvonne Lynam, president for the Americas, Piaget
Moderator: Martin Shanker, CEO, Shanker Inc.
9:45 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Networking Break
10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
How to Drive a Successful Customer Experience Transformation
The importance of emotions in delivering a good customer experience cannot be underestimated. Defining the emotional intention is key, as are looking at key performance indicators (KPIs) and measuring what matters.
Speaker: Christophe Caïs, CEO, Customer Experience Group
10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Delivering a Luxury Experience Driven by Data
Intelligent use of data, artificial intelligence and design can uplift the brand’s online and in-store experience for customers and prospects. Case studies to prove that include smart ecommerce by Ralph Lauren Asia Pacific, re-inventing customer experience and digital real-time marketing for Bulgari and driving digital strategy, usability analytics and search engine optimization for Tiffany & Co.
Speaker: Elizabeth Kiehner, IBM Apex global Leader/IBM design principal
11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Harmonizing the Customer Experience with the Human Connection
Brands should now prioritize investments that capitalize on the resurgence of human connection to resonate with current and new consumers. How to build authentic relationships, stimulate community connections and create moments of immediate value for consumers – all of which drive competitive advantage for The Ritz-Carlton hotel brand?
Speaker: Antonia Hock, global head, The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Fireside Chats
Wealth Management: What Customer Service Means to Millennials
The extensive comfort with technology and its use in self-education makes millennials as a generation a most self-directed group. In the context of affluent millennials on their path to wealth generation, how should financial brands create a need – indeed, a trustworthy environment – for financial advice and guidance? What does this group desire in terms of customer service and customer experience? How is the role of the financial advisor changing?
Speaker: Marielle Schurig, vice president for wealth management, UBS Financial Services
From B to C to Me to B: Optimization of Privacy and Personalization
Customers desire deep personalized experiences but feel creeped-out when marketers know everything about them, intercepting at every online and offline channel touch point to seek their attention. All-extracting technology and AI bring out fears of a dystopian future, but what is the line they should not cross? Also, critical innovations are beginning to emerge, and merge, that will put consumers and their respective trusted expert advisors back in the driver’s seat of commerce. Brands beware: the future is full of paradox.
Speaker: Milton Pedraza, CEO, Luxury Institute
In conversation with Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, American Marketer and Luxury Daily
12:15 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Networking Lunch
1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Anatomy of a Record-Setting Exhibition: The Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence Auction
Christie's realized a record $109.3 million for its late spring "Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence" auction in New York. How did the auction house generate global interest in Indian imperial and royal jewelry, arms, paintings and objects? From the marketing and traveling exhibitions of the nearly 400 lots to enlisting influencers and PR and masterful auctioneering in the sale room, the auction primed the target audiences to deliver an outstanding customer experience that culminated in a marathon 12-hour session with bids from in-person attendees and via online and phone. Ninety-three percent of the lots sold by quantity and 92 percent by value – all a testament to diligent preparation months ahead of the auction.
Speakers: Amy Wexler, chief marketing officer, Christie’s
In conversation with Christie’s jewelry specialist
1:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Re-Imagining Customer Experience for Hospitality
A deep dive into how InterContinental Hotels & Resorts parent IHG transformed its luxury portfolio and drove a 360-degree approach to customer experience within those brands. Bonus: a behind-the-scenes look at IHG’s recent acquisition of Regent Hotels & Resorts and a view to the brand’s completely re-imagined customer experience. How do luxury guest insights drive this transformation including new design, brand hallmarks, visual identity and service? Additionally, how does InterContinental continue to gain accolades in customer experience rankings worldwide? From high-tech to high-touch, deep organizational structure and obsession with customer experience matter.
Speaker: Ginger Taggart, vice president of global marketing for the luxury portfolio, IHG
2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
New Models: From One-Time Ownership to Subscriptions and Rentals
Get used to this concept: experiencing ownership. Wealth is commonly defined as the accumulation of valuable resources and intangible assets such as money, properties and goods. The concept of ownership, once at the center point of consumption, has evolved from owning to experiencing ownership. Consignment stores, rental or subscription models are not completely new but their sharp rise supported by technology is highlighting some key questions around this phenomenon once seen by marketers as weakening their brand value and fueling the counterfeit market. What are the key drivers and the underlying motivations? Does this translate into a desire to make luxury affordable or planet-friendly? Is there a lack of commitment from the new wealthy generation? What are the perceptional and attitudinal differences between the United States, United Kingdom and France toward rental and owned goods, fractional ownership beyond villas and real estate, and the rise and appeal of subscription boxes and services?
Speaker: Chris Wisson, knowledge director, Altiant
2:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Fireside chats
Transforming the Customer Experience Means Transforming the Sales and Support Teams
Brands and their marketing teams often drive customer experience transformation initiatives. But how to ensure that the customer-facing teams are delivering the same transformed experience that was envisioned? The need is to create a parallel, holistic training program that helps associates not only understand the product and brand promise, but immerses them in exquisite customer experience. This is often overlooked. Without it, however, any true customer experience transformation is doomed to fail.
Speaker: Victoria Macdonald, senior product trainer, Gaggenau
Transforming the Sip to an Experience
Wine and spirits are often in the background of an experience. The challenge is bringing those brands to the forefront, creating memorable impressions for even the most jaded high-net-worth consumers. How to give clients and consumers an opportunity to engage with each other and Pernod Ricard brands in an organic setting to create lifelong affinity?
Speaker: Kate Zaman, director of prestige – new business development, Pernod Ricard USA
In conversation with Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, Luxury Daily
3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Networking Break
3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Focusing on the Relationship, Not the Transaction
When cost is not the main motivation in the decision-making process for today’s luxury consumer, how do luxury brands differentiate themselves from the competition and maintain customer loyalty? Some of the most discerning customers today are those using private jets as their primary source for travel, and attracting these savvy flyers can be difficult and expensive. More difficult than attracting them to use the product for the first time is earning their loyalty so that they become frequent users and brand ambassadors amongst their very influential and powerful networks. It is key to focus on a purely private experience that is personalized specifically to the passengers on each on every flight. Understanding a client’s needs and expectations, and creating a curated experience without the client needing to ask, truly creates the feeling the passengers are right home on every flight. Focusing on the relationship with clients rather than the transaction has been a key recipe to high retention rates and decreased client acquisition costs.
Speaker: Anthony Tivnan, president/co-owner, Magellan Jets
4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Turning Shopping Into the Ultimate Customer Experience
South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA, is a global shopping destination with more than 250 boutiques, critically acclaimed restaurants, the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel and the celebrated Segerstrom Center for the Arts – all within a sparkling retail environment. As more retail transactions move online and to mobile, South Coast Plaza is proof that bricks-and-mortar retail can be a transformative experience for shoppers who seek emotional and joyous affirmation while making purchases that elevate their daily lives. How does this shopping center succeed in delivering deliberative and responsive customer experience to shoppers who want for nothing and yet come back for more?
Speaker: Debra Gunn Downing, executive director for marketing, South Coast Plaza
4:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Customer Experience Begins in the First 30 Seconds
Karl Lagerfeld used to measure distance in New York by how far everything was from The Pierre hotel. Yves St Laurent made The Pierre his home, as did Coco Chanel, Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher. Valentino made The Pierre the center of the fashion world. What was the draw? Originally founded more than 85 years ago as a “majestic monument to simplicity, beauty and refinement,” The Pierre still carries its glamour and grandeur like no other hotel can. Understanding how to continuously create an unforgettable experience for a highly discerning customer is what helps The Pierre command the trust, respect and loyalty of residents, guests and the trade. At the Taj Hotels-owned Pierre, the customer experience begins in the first 30 seconds they enter the lobby. The art is in understanding how guests from all over the world define the ultimate customer experience. The Pierre defines best practice measured against unique key performance indicators.
Speaker: François-Olivier Luiggi, general manager, The Pierre
5 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
3 Next Steps for AMCX Attendees
You have heard the experts. What to do next? How to make these ideas actionable?
Speaker: Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, American Marketer and Luxury Daily
Conference wraps
American Marketer reserves the right to alter the agenda or change the venue. Refunds will not be given after 12.01 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 23, 2019
Hotels in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood:
80 Columbus Park at 60th Street, New York, NY 10023; tel: 212-805-8800
Please click here for the Web site
Trump Hotel Central Park
One Central Park West, New York, NY, 10023; tel: 212-299-1000
Please click here for the Web site
Hudson New York
356 W 58th Street, New York, NY 10019; tel: 212-554-6000
Please click here for the Web site
JW Marriott Essex House New York
160 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019; tel: 212-247-0300
Please click here for the Web site
1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019; tel: 212-586-7000
Please click here for the Web site
455 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022; tel: 212-888-7000
Please click here for the Web site
40 West 40th Street, New York, NY 10018; tel: 212-869-4446
Please click here for the Web site
1535 Broadway, New York, NY 10036; tel: 212-398-1900
Please click here for the Web site
811 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019; tel: 212-581-1000
Please click here for the Web site
The Pierre
2 East 61st Street, New York, NY 10065
Please click here for the Web site