What I Learned @LivePerson Aspire EMEA This Year

By Rachel Freeman, Head of Operations

When an event is called Aspire the bar is raised for high expectations, and I must say I was not disappointed. At the LivePerson Aspire EMEA 2013 conference, venue, programme, catering and buzz were all of high calibre. The catch phrase was “making meaningful connections” and whilst I did not go away having made any new BFFs, I certainly spoke to quite a few interesting industry pros about improving communication and creating better customer experiences. In fact there were three common themes everyone “aspired” to for 2013. I thought I’d share them with you and see if you shared the same sentiments.

• Customer experience is now more important than ever. It was refreshing to see that so many companies were genuinely concerned about their customers’ journey and were keen for tools to help them understand and make improvements. Forrester Research’s Harley Manning touched on these points during his session asserting that we need to remember that sales, account and technical teams all have valuable insight and input. It pays to take the time to bring representatives from these teams together to share ideas, strategies and perspectives. In the end, you’ll get a more holistic view of what customers want from your brand and be able to design a more effective strategy.

• Mobile is hot, hot, hot. Not surprisingly, everyone wanted to get a better understanding of how their customers are using mobile devices. They’re seeing the trends and need to adapt, but have found it slow going in some areas, particularly because departmental silos restrict access to the information that customers really want. However, customers could care less about how their companies operate on the backend. They simply want the information, when they want it, and companies are struggling to find ways to deliver.

• Customers drive our business. Everyone agreed that we need our customers more than they need us. With so many choices, it’s essential we put ourselves in the shoes of the customer and deliver a customer experience that goes beyond their expectations. In this new era, service and experience has become the differentiator and everyone is anxious to find ways to communicate their value on this front.

If you’ve never been to LivePerson Aspire, make plans to attend next year. It’s a great place to make connections and get the pulse of your peers on key issues affecting the industry. Plus, the event is a lot of fun too. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple and other rock legends were played between speakers, allowing us to not only conduct business, but to rock out along the way and bang on some drums at the end of the day. But don’t tell my CEO. He may want to go in my stead next year!