Handshakes and Hugs at Customer Contact East: The Power of Connection

Frost & Sullivan's Customer Contact East in Fort Lauderdale brought together industry leaders for four days of learning, growth, connection and exposure.

In today’s fast-paced world, social interactions can shape our relationships and opportunities. I recently took a few days away from work to attend and speak at Frost and Sullivan’s Customer Contact East in Fort Lauderdale. The conference brought together customer experience leaders from across the globe. By embracing this opportunity, I was able to connect and learn the best practices of leaders who are trailblazers in their respective industries. Each leader that I came across showing a willingness to engage, welcome each other, and create positive connections.?

The conference offered the chance to foster understanding and most importantly, build relationships that transcended initial impressions.?

Opening Reception?

The conference kicked off with an opening reception on Sunday night and the ability to meet and shake hands with industry peers. Research has shown the science behind collaborative get-togethers. Handshakes reduce stress levels and evoke a sense of trust and cooperation. The physical touch involved in a handshake releases oxytocin, which promotes bonding and social connections. This chemical reaction not only boosts mood but also creates a sense of comfort and familiarity, setting a positive tone for the interactions that follow.

Thoughts Leaders from Across the Globe?

On day 1, we heard from John McCahan , Vice President of Customer Care for FTD shared the perspectives of what each member of the C-Suite considers when it comes to customer experience and instilled a lesson in increasing lifetime customer value. Timothy Rauschenbach , Vice President of Patient Engagement for Millenium Physician Group taught us how to foundationally transform the culture of our organizations. Michael Price, Vice President of Global Member Services for Virgin Pulse gave us the 5 foundational blocks that drive customer experience. We wrapped up the day with best-selling author Kyle McDowell who taught us about instilling the value of “WE” and the importance of principle-based leadership.?

Day two brought an insightful keynote by Haley Morse , Chief Customer Officer at 贝克休斯 , shifting our perspective in creating personalized interactions and strategically utilizing digital tools. Nate Brown , Co-Founder of CX Accelerator offered up an engaging and dynamic Crowdsource on keeping pace with dynamic customer psychology. Colin Crowley gave us food for thought on how to build a technology stack suited for customer experience innovation. Patrick Kokoruda, MHA, CCSL , Vice President, Clinical Access Management/Contact Center for Geisinger guided us through a success story on transforming patient care and engagement. Finally, Julie Weingardt , Chief Operations Officer at Turo , closed the afternoon sessions by providing us with a fresh perspective on why implementing a customer first approach promotes growth and customer retention.?

The Beach Olympics

The highlight of the conference was the Beach Olympics, which encouraged competition, collaboration, and critical thinking. We came together as a team with people we had never worked with before, testing our athleticism, intellect and temperament for fun in a variety of challenges.

It also taught me, the proverbial introvert, how to color outside the lines. Completely out of my comfort zone, we did a choregraphed dance for 45 seconds on the beach in front of hundreds of beach watchers cheering us on. If you know me, you know this was out of my comfort zone. Kudos to my dance partner and team captain Aaron Craig , vice president of sales for ProcedureFlow . You are lucky to have such a skilled relationship builder working for you, who also was an excellent leader of our Olympics team.

Finally, not to be missed on day three was an engaging opening keynote from Darren Stavely , Vice President of Operations at FLEETCOR , who encouraged us to remember how to put people at the forefront of all we do and focus on humanizing our organizations, our operations, and the bottom line.

Embracing Every Handshake: A Gesture of Inclusivity at Customer Contact?East?

Frost and Sullivan put together an immersive, dynamic and engaging experience for Customer Experience and Patient Experience leaders that broke down walls, helped bridge the gap between leaders across industries, and created an atmosphere of openness and cooperation. By embracing every handshake, and wonderful opportunities like this one, we have the power to transform simple actions in our organizations into profound statements of excellence and experience to enable the future of customer contact, customer success and customer experience.?

If you have a great takeaway from the event, please drop it in the comments.

Let’s challenge ourselves to continue these conversations long after the conference has ended?—?and take advantage of the opportunities to promote continuous learning, connection, collaboration and exposure. Let’s continue the conversations that we started at Customer Contact East with 弗若斯特沙利文公司 , knowing that these experiences make a difference in fostering connection, relationship building and exposure across our industries to last all year long.