Episodes
Hello, My Curious Colleagues...! In this week’s “Curiously Quick” episode (#111) on the @My Curious Colleague podcast, I share my thoughts on AI in consumer relations and the contact center. My thoughts, albeit brief, are covered in three key areas. Listen to today’s episode for more details and in these past episodes noted here: 1. Helping the Agent—exploring Voice AI, Agent Assist, and Reason Codes (Ep. #82, Speech Analytics with CalZilla).2. Helping the Consumer—from chatbots to virtual...
Published 11/12/24
Published 11/12/24
  In this BONUS episode of the My Curious Colleague - #cpgcx Podcast, Denise and @Ibrahiem Atshan (Abe) discuss a Sneak Peek of the upcoming SOCAP/Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals’ Data and Analytics Workshop. Abe provides a line of sight into the workshop sharing insights into the event's structure, key sessions and the generous event sponsors. Abe also reflects on his journey to becoming the President of the Northeast Regional chapter of SOCAP, emphasizing the value of volunteering...
Published 10/07/24
In Episode 110 of the My Curious Colleague Podcast...Denise Venneri (host/creator of the pod) discusses the importance of effectively reviewing packaging artwork in the consumer relations role. Denise emphasizes the need to approve and create artwork that can reach consumers, And provides guidance on specific information to focus on, such as contact details, hours of operation, and language support. She also highlights the importance of checking nutrition facts, ingredient statements,...
Published 09/11/24
🔬In this conversation Ep #109 of the My Curious Colleague CPGCX podcast, Denise Venneri🔍My Curious Colleague and Tamanna Ramesh, MS, MBA discuss working effectively and successfully with product developers in the contact center. Tamanna shares her background in food science and product development, as well as her passion for empowering women and minorities in STEM. They explore product development key concepts plus the process of product development, from generating ideas to...
Published 09/03/24
🎆My new podcast episode #108 of the My Curious Colleague 🔍 #CPGCX  podcast is now available! Listen in as Andrea C. McLean, MA, BCC, CPEC , Founder at ACM Coaching Group and I delve into the world of personality assessments and coaching. 🔗Links here: https://lnkd.in/g42HNUrp https://lnkd.in/e738cff A couple of highlights: 🌟 Discover the power of self-awareness and growth with personality assessments! P.S. take the PrinciplesYou assessment tool for Free! 🚀 Join Andrea McLean on the podcast...
Published 07/02/24
In this episode, #107, Denise and Nicole Nutile of Wiley discuss how to incorporate sustainability or "going green" into daily life and the workplace, emphasizing the importance of small, impactful changes.  Nicole Nutile shares her journey from working in operations to becoming the global co-chair of the Wiley Green Group, driven by her passion for eco-friendly practices. She highlights surprising statistics about plastic pollution and other types of litter, emphasizing the urgency of...
Published 06/25/24
Hello My Curious Colleagues! This Tuesday 6/11/24, on Episode #106 of the My Curious Colleague Podcast, I’m Curious about…Creating FAQs that Boost your Agent’s Confidence & Your Consumers’ Experience.  🌟 Tune in to discover how to craft the perfect FAQ that empowers your agents and enhances your consumer's experience.  Here's a sneak peek of some of what you'll learn: 🔹 🗣️Voice Matters: Ensure your FAQs reflect your brand's voice, especially for social media channels. 🔹 🔐 Transparency is...
Published 06/11/24
In this week’s episode, I'm Curious about…”Supporting the Food Service side of the business in the Contact Center .” My guest, @Victoria Cherne, is a true Pioneer in this area. Vicky is Manager of Consumer Affairs and Customer Concerns at Land O'Lakes and active on the Board of Directors of our industry group, @SOCAP (Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals) as VP, Member Services.  Links here to Episode #105:  Apple Podcast: https://lnkd.in/eg8CASq Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eqSQKJx   Here's...
Published 05/28/24
This week on Ep #104 I'm Curious About...On-Shoring to Blended Shoring & Everything in Between: Contact Center Operations Set-up Options w/Michael Ferrari, Chief Client Officer - Avantive Solutions 🌍 Explore new horizons: Discover the benefits of various operations set up -  onshore, offshore, nearshore and blend shoring - to enhance customer support and efficiency. 💡 Think outside the box: Learn how innovative strategies like blend-sourcing can revolutionize your approach to outsourcing...
Published 05/21/24
🚦 My guest is my colleague, Chris Drury, Director of Customer Care at Blount Fine Foods.  Chris has quickly made his mark & his contributions to the Consumer Care Industry and currently serves as President of the SOCAP Board of Directors…   We both share an interest in – to quote Chris – “leveraging data to build continuous improvement in product design” and we’ll be digging in (you know I love the details…!) how this comes to life via a “Traffic Light Report” Chris developed.   Come back...
Published 05/14/24
👁️This week I’m Curious about...Benefits & Challenges of Gaining a Line of Sight to your Brand's Marketing Plans for Contact Centers. Episode #102 of the @my curious colleague podcast. Topics covered include:·        🛣️ Navigating the Marketing Landscape: Understanding your brand's marketing plans in a contact center is crucial for success. It allows managers to anticipate call volume, ensuring proper staffing and effective communication with consumers. This foresight helps align the team...
Published 05/07/24
In this episode (#101), I'm diving into the world of digital coupons in the CPG contact center. I had the pleasure of speaking with George Patilis, Managing Director at TPG Rewards, to learn all about barcode-based digital coupons (aka Barcode Bucks) and how they're transforming the way brands engage with customers. Here are some highlights from our conversation: 🛍️ Widespread Network -Barcode-based digital coupons are accepted at major retailers, includingWalmart, Kroger, CVS, and more,...
Published 04/30/24
This week I’m Curious about… how contact centers track consumer response to reformulated products. Check out this week's episode, where we dive into the nuances of tracking CPG reformulations in the contact center. Here's what you'll learn: 🔎 Consumer Acceptance: Discover how contact center data can offer early insights into how consumers react to product changes, whether it's a new taste, texture, or ingredient. We'll discuss the challenges and opportunities of tracking consumer feedback. 📊...
Published 04/23/24
This week on Episode 99 I'm curious about... Coupon Reimbursement in the CPG Contact Center...       💸 Coupon Reimbursement Process Explained!: Dive into the world of coupon reimbursement within CPG contact centers (also known as service recovery) – an essential discussion for specialists, brand enthusiasts, and leaders of smaller contact centers!  ·        😊 Making Customers Smile: Uncover the heartwarming impact of coupon reimbursement in ensuring consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Learn...
Published 04/09/24
Hey there, My Curious Colleagues! 👋 This week's podcast episode (#98) on Tuesday 3/26/24 is one you won't want to miss! 🎧 Join me as I chat with the amazing @Alison Cayne, founder of @Haven's Kitchen.  Alison shares her inspiring journey from starting a recreational cooking school in New York's Flatiron District to revolutionizing the way we approach cooking at home with her innovative pouch sauces (and she teases out her new platform – AIOLI’s -available now!) 🌶️ Her passion for...
Published 03/26/24
I thought I'd re-share my Book Opening of Dan Gingiss' latest book: Experience Maker: Creating Remarkable Experiences your Customers Can't Wait to Share"... PS: Exclusive offer created for us by Dan is mentioned in the podcast and below... Enjoy! ********************* I got something in the mail I want to share with you… It’s the new book by my colleague Dan Gingiss. In Episode #11 Redux (Bonus) of the My Curious Colleague Podcast, I literally open the package I received with Dan’s latest...
Published 03/02/24
  🍽️ This week I'm CUROUS about... Home, Kitchen & Food Trends. My resident Cooking, Kitchen & Food Trends Adviser here on the @my curious colleague podcast is back..! Join me this Tuesday, 8.29.23 for Ep 96 w/my guest & colleague, @Jane Freiman, Founder of @smart kitchen group.  And she’s bringing info on a health & wellness innovation contest w/a $10K prize… AND… she’s making our colleagues an offer for a 1:1 trends consult for the first 5 people who reach out to Jane…So...
Published 08/29/23
  This week on the @My Curious Colleague podcast (Ep 95), I’m CURIOUS about… chatbots/virtual assistants…! To help me with this is my guest and colleague @Joe Mazur, Director Consumer Care at @Michelin North America. We’re digging in to Michelin’s online chatbot/virtual assistant named "Mitch."  So fun… so don’t miss out listening 🎧 to this one…! Podcasts links here:  🍎 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-curious-colleague/id1565590157 🦒Spotify:...
Published 08/22/23
  🌽 This week on the @My Curious Colleague podcast…I’m CURIOUS about… Customer Service/CX in a Retailer’s Delivery/PIck-up channel.  To help me... is my guest and colleague, @Brendan Schema, a Finance intern at Kroger Delivery and a standing Junior at @University of Michigan -Dearborn campus. To anyone who has leveraged Click & Collect/Pick up or ordered Home Delivery from their retailer - I for one have - will find this episode interesting…!   Podcasts links here:  🍎 Apple Podcast:...
Published 08/15/23
  🧭This week I’m CURIOUS about… ways to approach Operational Excellence in the Consumer Affairs space. To help me... is my guest and colleague, Catherine Guidi-Scherm, Operations Manager of Consumer Care at the Campbell Soup Company.   Cathy’s operational leadership style focuses on balancing system requirements, agent autonomy, and effective training to enhance both agent satisfaction and overall operational efficiency in the consumer care space. She really made me think 🤔about some of the...
Published 08/08/23
  🎀Hello my curious colleagues! This week I’m curious about…Benchmarking Social Media Engagement, Systems & Operation Team’s Leadership. To help me, learn…we've got my colleague – @Rakeb Araya - System Project and Operations Manager at @General Mills Consumer Care…! Rakeb is a true Consumer Relations devotee, just like me, and I couldn't be more excited to welcome her to the show. Get ready for an informative conversation! Join us for this episode (Ep 92) packed with valuable best...
Published 08/01/23
  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐This week on the My Curious Colleague 🔍 #CPGCX #podcast I’m curious about… "How to deepen consumer feedback #insights  in the Ratings & Review channel to optimize product & experience." About 10 years ago Social Media was the sexy, shiny channel… and recently #ratingsandreviews appears to have been crowned 👑the royal, shiny one, IMHO. So, to help us understand… here comes my colleague, Gautam Kanumuru, co-founder and CEO of Yogi, a consumer sentiment analysis...
Published 07/25/23
💲Ad colleague (Liquid I.V.): Ready to shop better hydration, use my special link https://zen.ai/SinqBS8cKs39-6K30by4J74mczzMi1puDBVjpsZcu-M and use my special code at checkout [code MYCURIOUSCOLLEAGUE} to save 20% off anything you order.   🎈This week on the My Curious Colleague 🔍 #CPGCX  podcast, my guest is my colleague, Alexandra Watkins – a brand naming expert…! She is the outspoken founder of Eat My Words, the only branding firm on the planet that specializes in creating brand names that...
Published 07/18/23
💲Ad colleague (Liquid I.V.): Ready to shop better hydration, use my special link https://zen.ai/SinqBS8cKs39-6K30by4J74mczzMi1puDBVjpsZcu-M and use my special code at checkout [code MYCURIOUSCOLLEAGUE} to save 20% off anything you order.   You know about Recycling, right…? but how about “UP-Cycled Ingredients”…? Listen in to a quick primer and tangible tips from my returning colleague, Susan Mayer, regarding UP-cycled Ingredients & its potential impact for food & beverage labels,...
Published 07/10/23