**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT**: Announcing the 2023 Smarter Services? Executive Symposium Theme: "Service Journeys"

ANNOUNCING THE 2023 SMARTER SERVICES? EXECUTIVE SYMPOSIUM THEME: “SERVICE JOURNEYS”        

The Smarter Services? Executive Symposium has become a year-round endeavor for the Service Council. While we may not be the largest conference (which is intentional to keep the conference intimate; although this year we welcomed 300+ industry practitioners), our commitment to the market is to present the world’s most qualitative gathering of service and customer support executives (75% of which are VP level+).

The format for the mainstage content includes case studies and expert panels, with keynotes from top practitioners across a variety of industries., The mainstage sessions are followed by a set of interactive problem-solving workshops aligned with key persona across the service organization (e.g., customer experience, field service, supply chain, workforce & talent, technology and more). Each discussion is practitioner-led to create a de-commercialized networking environment.

The event welcomes only 20 sponsors and solution partners are prohibited from speaking on mainstage. Sponsors do, however, support the collaborative breakout sessions with many of their featured customers spotlighted. This format has worked well for our community, leading to a 5:1 ratio of industry practitioner to solution partner, and attracting the most senior-level audience. This is, and will continue to be, our differentiation.

Having recently wrapped the 2022 Symposium in September, we immediately turned our attention towards 2023. We are so grateful to our members, advisory board (both industry and technology ) and solution partners who have greatly contributed to the event, ?making it the most popular service, field service and customer support/experience-oriented industry conference. (Link to '22 testimonials )

Over the last several years, we’ve appropriately themed the annual Smarter Services? Executive Symposium to align with the current state of the market in terms of critical topics (both issues and opportunities) we thought the community needed to both solve (challenges) and embrace (opportunities). The last 3 years have appropriately included:

• 2020: “Digital Journeys”: the pandemic era accelerated digital agendas
• 2021: “Service. Reinvented.”: the mid-pandemic era witnessed business model reinvention
• 2022: “Service. Forward.”: the post-pandemic era witnessed a shift to innovation and growth

Analyzing the current state of service and customer support strategies, I am equally encouraged by the continued growth and progress of service journeys while remaining concerned with the integration, alignment, and avoidance of conflict. As a result, we are pleased to announce the theme of the 2023 Smarter Services? Executive Symposium: “Service Journeys.”

The limiting factors to seamless “Service Journeys” remain:

• People
• Process
• Technology

Take for example, the shift-left we witnessed with respect to aligning with customer expectations and self-service channel preferences. From a process perspective, this approach had good intentions. However, execution of an integrated approach whereby customers can seamlessly transition from a self-service (FAQs, chat, etc.) > live agent (call center, technical support, etc.) > field service experience (if necessary) is often a dead end for customers (or the onus is placed on the customer to enable the multi-channel experience with customer effort skyrocketing).

Talent and skillset availability are equally challenging for chat, technical support agents and the field service engineer profession. From a technology perspective, there seems to be a universal challenge with respect to customer database access, as well as the siloes which exist within disparate databases (customer history, asset history, knowledgebase, etc.). As labor and capacity continue to be among the top issues facing service and customer support executives, the dependence on third-party administration of service, warranty claims and more serves to further alienate customers from providers.

Have you ever felt like you are brand new to the organization you’ve been a loyal customer to for decades? Speaking from the voice of experience, whether it be payroll administration support, an automobile windshield repair claim or a furniture delivery and assembly experience, the disconnection of the service journey can cause significant erosion, resulting in declining loyalty and, in many cases, customer defection.

While digital transformation has dominated the service and customer support leader’s agenda, concerns remain with respect to how functional and technical roadmaps converge, and the complexity of multiple/parallel journeys that are occurring rapidly/simultaneously.

The 2023 Smarter Services? Executive Symposium will serve the purpose of helping organizations progress from “best” to “next” practices in their service journeys The benefits of an aligned service journey are many and when alignment is achieved, the results can be extraordinary.

We will be announcing our initial confirmed keynote speaker lineup just following the New Year. Speaking of which, wishing you, your organization, your friends and family a joyous wrap up of the holiday season and safe and happy new year. Early bird registration will begin next month ?and our call for speakers (Nominate speaker ) is now open. We hope you can join us and help build awareness for next year’s conference.

Sincerely,

John Carroll

CEO

Service Council?

M: +1.617.717.8300

E: [email protected]