Next Matter

We asked Christiane Müller (ABOUT YOU) about the secret to implementing AI in customer service. Her answer: Start small, listen closely, and let the team provide feedback on what’s working and what's not. In Episode 13 of Cards Against Complexity, Christiane talks to Jan about her approach to integrating AI within CS tasks at ABOUT YOU, starting with a pilot program. In that program, Christiane tested AI tools with two small CS teams and analyzed how this impacted the team’s performance and workflows. This doesn’t mean they just looked at numbers: Christiane’s team prioritized qualitative feedback from agents and used it to refine tools and processes. No AI rollout is perfect, and that’s why you need to embrace a trial-and-error mindset, learning from mistakes and adapting as you scale AI for your team (without compromising customer experience). If you want to listen to the full conversation and learn how to use your team’s feedback to improve your AI implementation, check the comment section below 👇

The wait is over: Season 2 of the Cards Against Complexity podcast has started, with Zendesk as a sponsor! Last week we teased the brands that are joining us to discuss complex service challenges, with Jan Hugenroth as our host. Today, you get the names behind the Season 2 episodes, recorded from a pop-up studio booth at Service Summit. These CX leaders will tackle complex CX scenarios, from making AI more human by telling dad jokes to becoming more customer-centric by letting customers decide the prices of your products: 🔴 Julia Vornberger (S.OLIVER GROUP) 🟠 Ben Ellermann (MUUUH! Group!) 🟡 Christian Roeb (TOP SERVICE Deutschland) 🟢 Christiane Müller (ABOUT YOU) 🔵 Thomas Promny (Trailblazer Summits) 🟣 Claudia Scherer (NürnbergMesse Group) 🟤 Björn Bauer (Zendesk) ⚫ Johanna Ahrens (Cisco) ⚪ Matthias Bös (valantic) 🔴 Melanie Bielefeld (TUI) 🟠 Ronald Gerber (Tomorrow) 🟡 Torsten D. Frühling (HAWESKO Holding SE) 🟢 mathieu steiman (Calabrio, Inc.) New episodes drop weekly, so don’t miss the Next Matter site and this LinkedIn page to listen to each episode!

If Customer Service is like swimming in cold water, then the best way to train a new agent is to throw them straight into the ticket pool! 🏊 That’s one of the best metaphors we’ve heard on the Cards Against Complexity podcast. In the latest episode, Susanne Bornemann from OBI Group Holding expands on why working on real tickets is the ultimate crash course when onboarding an agent. Tickets are the core of customer management. They’re the perfect opportunity for agents to resolve unique customer requests while mastering a variety of potential issues within your customer experience. Susanne’s career is a testament to how the right tools (and a bold mindset) drive digital transformation at a retail giant like OBI, as she did using Zendesk to power their ticketing system. Check the comment section to listen to Susanne and Jan Hugenroth discuss how to build a future-ready CX organization, recorded live from Service Summit!

If life was a Next Matter workflow, the step for year 2024 would be completed now ✅ It’s been a big year for Next Matter—but it’s our team (a few of them are in this picture from our Prague offsite) that made it happen. 17 countries, 21 nationalities, and one goal: to help more businesses do service right, every single time. Thank you to every Next Matter team member for bringing dedication, solving customer challenges, and pushing boundaries this year. But thanks also to our customers, for growing with us, to our partners, for helping us shake up the automation space, and to our investors, for trusting the journey! Next year will be packed with… 🚀 New product features to help you achieve service excellence 🎙️ Podcast episodes to learn from industry leaders 🚌 Creative initiatives like the Next Matter campervan or our pop-up podcast studio to bring workflow automation straight to where you are 🗺️ Another company offsite around the corner (destination booked, no spoilers yet) …and so much more! 🕘 Next workflow step: 2025!

🚨 Season 2 of the 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 podcast has started, with Zendesk as a sponsor, recorded live from Service Summit. And just like in Season 1, the lineup is 🔥 In Season 2, these service teams are stepping up to tackle complex service challenges with a twist of humor and valuable insights on customer experience: 🟢 Zendesk 🟠 Cisco 🔴 valantic 🟡 TUI 🔵 Tomorrow 🟤 Trailblazer Summits ⚫ NürnbergMesse Group ⚪ HAWESKO Holding SE 🟢 Calabrio, Inc. 🔴 S.OLIVER GROUP 🟡 MUUUH! Group! 🔵 TOP SERVICE Deutschland 🟠 ABOUT YOU 🎙 Picture this: Real conversations with world-class leaders discussing complex scenarios with Jan Hugenroth. With a few laughs along the way. But here’s the catch—today, you get the brands. Next week, you get the names of all guests in Season 2. Hint: They’re leaders you definitely want to hear from.

empathy (noun) /ˈɛmpəθi/ The ability to understand and share the feelings of another. 👉 But let's be real: empathy is so much more than a soft skill. It’s the essential human variable that makes relationships work. Empathy in customer service is no different. And the beautiful thing is, technology is here to help with that – to help service teams bring MORE empathy to their customers, while tech takes care of the busy work! In this episode, Björn Bauer from Zendesk shares his reflections with Jan on the necessity of empathy in customer service, and the capacity of tech to bring even more empathy to customer interactions. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eCsByhAM

🧊🔎 In CX, KPIs are just the tip of the iceberg, and you need to look below the surface to fix the real problems. Here's Georgia Tsiamanta sharing her approach to solving CX challenges in the Cards Against Complexity podcast: it’s all about looking beyond what the customers say and understanding the struggles underneath. Yes, you might want to say “Let’s improve our first response time ASAP”, but the real issue could be CS team structure or first-level support staffing. Metrics and KPIs only tell part of the story, but you need to dig deeper to find the full picture. Fixing CS problems requires understanding your company’s situation, analyzing processes, setting realistic goals, and implementing changes step by step before making promises. 🎙️ Listen to Georgia (CX Ops by Georgia Tsiamanta) and Jan Hugenroth exploring how CX consultants can uncover toot issues, align with business challenges, and create realistic strategies here 👇 https://lnkd.in/dWEQn8Dk

👇 15 customer experience leaders you should follow in 2025: Every time a company thinks they’re on the path to a perfect customer experience, some new automation opportunity (like Next Matter) raises the bar for how much value they can provide to a customer. These experts raise the bar in the same way with their insights on prioritizing customer value or using customer education to drive retention. Swipe through the carousel to meet some of the CS experts who prove that automation and human touch don’t just coexist—they enhance each other. And, if you want to read the entire list of experts (Kristen Hayer, Nick Mehta, Kristi Faltorusso, Gemma Cipriani-Espineira, Daphne Costa Lopes, Rachel Provan, Chad Horenfeldt, Marie-Louise Gaughan, and others), check out the link in comments.

🔥🌶️ Hot take: Those companies that cut down on CX tools to save costs end up spending *more* in human hours. Why? The latest episode of the Cards Against Complexity podcast explains why! Georgia Tsiamanta shares a reality many CX leaders face: some companies still believe that investing in customer service tools is expensive. And, as Georgia explains to Jan Hugenroth, this thinking needs a shift. → Outdated processes and manual work end up burning more budget on human hours than those CS and automation tools ever would. → Efficiency isn’t about “surviving with less”. It’s about doing more with smart investments. → That’s why the right tool stack allows teams to automate routine tasks and focus on the high-value work that makes or breaks a customer’s loyalty. 👇 Tune in to the podcast here: https://lnkd.in/dWEQn8Dk

In banking, customer service is almost a lifelong relationship. Does that statement sound bold? If so, you need to listen to the latest episode of the Cards Against Complexity to hear Ronald Gerber (Tomorrow) explore the journey of customer service in banking, with Jan Hugenroth as a host. Banks are often there in many major milestones in your life, from opening your first account to buying a house, raising a family, and eventually retiring. That’s why, as Ronald explains: ✨ Customer service needs to be outstanding in this industry, in order to build trust at those important stages of the customer’s (life) journey 📱 In a world where simple service issues can often be self-served via banking apps, the human interactions with your customers become defining moments with your bank 🤝 If, in those moments when users do need a human agent, customers can rely on you as a brand, they’re far more likely to remain loyal 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/dKJiy5ZE