Ian Golding, Leading Customer Experience Expert – Companies Must Be Honest and Open Toward Their Clients

(Ian Golding) FIRESTARTER 22 is the first regional conference with the topics of Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX). It will be held in Belgrade on November 15-16, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and brings us world names in the field of advanced and strategic Customer Experience and Employee Experience, which are topics that are today a prerequisite for the sustainable growth of companies.

The conference is organized by CEXAS – Customer & Employee Experience Association of Serbia, whose founders are certified consultants with long-lasting experience, including representatives of Skills Innovative Learning Experience that focuses on people development for 26 years now.

The conference program includes lectures by world-leading experts with rich practical experience, including Ian Golding, who is the first Customer Experience trainer in the world, lecturer, consultant and author of the bestseller "Customer What?", with whom Ekapija, as a media partner of the FIRESTARTER conference, had the opportunity to talk exclusively.

eKapija: How would you define Customer Experience and why is it essential for successful businesses today regardless of the industry?

– Customer experience (CX) is the representation of EVERYTHING an organisation does that enables customers to interact with its products and services.

Every employee has a role to play in the delivery of the experience in some way – even those who do not directly interact with customers. For many years now, organisations have found it increasingly difficult to differentiate on their products and services alone – in a crowded marketplace, unless products and services are unique, differentiation on the product or service is almost impossible.

To differentiate into the future, organisations need to differentiate on the entire experience they deliver to their customers – not just products and services.

eKapija: You are one of the keynote speakers at the FIRESTARTER conference in Belgrade on 15-16 November, the first conference covering the topics of Customer and Employee Experience in our region. Could you reveal some highlights you plan to share with the audience in Belgrade?

– I am extremely excited to be involved in the first event of its kind in the region. The desire to learn and evolve is extremely high in this part of the world – I look forward to validating things that people, may already know; sharing things with them that they do not know; but most importantly, in the spirit of ‘Firestarter’, I want to light a fire inside of people – and to get that fire burning very brightly!!!

I will look to share some global best practice theory on CX and explain what needs to be focused on in 2023 and beyond.

eKapija: The client has been considered the center of business focus in many organizations but is it enough? Based on your vast experience, how would you describe the difference between customer relations and Customer Journey?

– There is still confusion around the world regarding the difference between customer SERVICE and customer EXPERIENCE – they are not the same thing. The way we service customers or clients is just one of many things an organisation does that makes up the entire experience – in the same way that sales is, marketing is, operations is, and so on.

To deliver sustainable growth, an organisation needs to understand and constantly improve the ability of the end to end customer journey to consistently meet the needs and expectations of customers.

eKapija: You are the author of a best-selling title “Customer What?”. It is “the honest and practical guide to the customer experience”. Could you please explain the importance of honesty in the Customer Journey?

– The only way an organisation can improve what it does, is to recognise and acknowledge where it is today. We live in a world of constant change – if organisations fail to recognise that and the need to adapt to those changes, they run a very significant risk of losing their relevance. It is therefore essential that an organisation is prepared to be honest and open with themselves, their employees and their customers as to the reality of today and what needs to be done in the future. This requires sincerity and authenticity – and the courage to face the truth head on!

The conference program includes two dynamic days with the participation of more than 40 experts, through 20 lectures and case studies, 4 panel discussions and other formats through which experts will transfer their knowledge and experience and encourage dialogue.

You can find more information about the conference, program and lecturers here.

CEXAS-Customer & Employee EXperience Association of Serbia

Skills doo Beograd

Hyatt Regency

Ian Golding

CEXAS Customer Employee Experience Association of Serbia

Skills Innovative Learning Experience

conference Firestarter 22

Customer Experience

CX

Employee Experience

EX

Customer What

Customer Relations

Customer Journey