In this episode of “Customer Engagement – Examples of Excellence”, we meet Stephen Akadiri, SEO & Organic Growth Strategist. This episode takes a fresh look at Customer Lifetime Value, moving beyond a simple financial metric to a framework for relationships, loyalty, and advocacy.
Key discussion points include:
Breaking barriers to measurement: common pitfalls and how to combine qualitative and quantitative signals such as sentiment, referrals, and community engagement.
Identifying high-impact customers: focusing on those with the greatest advocacy potential, not just the biggest spenders.
Personalisation at scale: practical ways to deliver meaningful, trust-building experiences without draining resources.
Balancing growth horizons: meeting short-term revenue targets while investing in long-term loyalty.
The future of advocacy-driven brands: how community, technology, and purpose can transform loyal customers into ambassadors.
In this episode of the Engage Customer Examples of Excellence Podcast, host Will Lusted, Senior Account Manager at Kerv, sits down with Mike Tamblin, Front Office Manager at Guardian Financial Services.
With 17 years’ experience in financial services, Mike shares first-hand insights into Guardian’s transformation journey.
Discover how they’ve reimagined customer engagement, the challenges they’ve overcome, and what’s next for financial services innovation.
In this episode of “Customer Engagement – Examples of Excellence”, we meet Kelly Shippen who is Head of Customer Operations at Leeds Building Society
Kelly shares her diverse business experiences in various roles in the financial sector and how these have been very beneficial in preparing her for her current role at Leeds Building Society.
She tells us about her passion for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) and how that is incorporated into a strong focus on Neuro Diversity that is a key element in influencing Leeds’s customer experience and employee engagement.
She advocates strongly that it’s not just a tick box exercise and that a neuro diverse perspective is vital to create opportunities for people to thrive, belong in their business, and to learn more for customers and colleagues.
In this episode of “Customer Engagement – Examples of Excellence”, we meet Ben Briggs from Join the Dots, part of Salocin Group and Tom Ridges from Herdify where they share how real-world influence and word of mouth delivered to real-life communities are increasingly valuable and cost-effective routes to new customers. This approach combines data led, media campaign strategy with innovative AI technology to significantly enhance and improve campaign performance and customer experience.
They go on to explain that when postcode-level community hotspots are activated across every channel – direct mail, TV, digital, radio and Out of Home – the results are significantly superior to the old “spray and pray” model?
They share some impressive real-world examples of successes with organisations such as Abel & Cole and Kent, Sussex and Surrey Air Ambulance to demonstrate the speed, accuracy and financial benefits that this well-designed, targeted approach can achieve.
In this episode of “Customer Engagement – Examples of Excellence”, we meet Mark Rohan Co-Founder and COO of Klearcom, developers of the leading customer call path testing platform supporting IVR and Conversational AI deployments.
Mark shares how having co-founded Klearcom in 2018, he believes in making every conversation count and leading Klearcom’s mission to improve customer experience one conversation at a time across over 100+ global markets.
He emphasises that despite being a technology company, he believes that their relentless focus on delivering great customer experiences by encouraging enhanced team cooperation and developing inclusive cross-functional relationships, sets them apart from their competition.
Mark goes on to tell us that by having local teams in their 100+ markets, they can ensure that their testing regime simulates real-world scenarios and is relevant, culturally appropriate and includes all elements of voice design, testing and audio quality.
He concludes by telling us that IVR and Conversational AI both have a place in customer service interactions today, but that within the next 2-3 years, AI will play a larger role in handling customer interactions, while still ensuring that the human touch is still easily and readily available for critical conversations.
In this episode of “Customer Engagement – Examples of Excellence”, we meet Zoë Merchant Founder and Managing Director of Bright, an award-winning B2B marketing consultancy on a mission to make marketing more effective through agility and experimentation.
Since 2013, she’s helped major B2B brands ditch static strategies and embrace agile ways of working that deliver results faster, smarter, and more in tune with customer needs. Zoë shares how Agile marketing drives effectiveness through data-driven experimentation, cross-functional collaboration, and rapid optimization.
She emphasises the importance of balancing brand-building with demand generation for long-term success and how effective storytelling, reporting and communication skills are crucial for demonstrating marketing's business impact and securing resources and budget.
She goes on to tell us how AI presents opportunities to enhance marketing processes but must be implemented strategically with clear objectives and KPIs.
Zoë also shares advice on how to get started: why accredited agile marketing training builds confidence, and how small experiments, pilot campaigns and psychological safety pave the way for lasting transformational change.
In this episode of “Customer Engagement – Examples of Excellence”, we meet James Bulley Co-Founder and CEO of Trivandi an organisation that transforms ambitious visions into unforgettable experiences for major events, venues, destinations and sports organisations.
James shares how he founded Trivandi in 2013, from the success of the London 2012 Games, with the goal of bringing together the right expertise at the right time and having diverse teams that can drive innovation and synchronise strategy, design, project management, and operations
He emphasises that event delivery must serve its core purpose. For global summits like COP and G20, the physical space and guest flow should actively enable policy discussions and decision-making by leaders. When organised properly, the space itself becomes a powerful tool for achieving the summit's objectives.
Curious about artificial intelligence but don’t speak “tech”? Join renowned CX leaders Brian Manusama and Martin Hill-Wilson as they break down AI in clear, relatable language for business professionals, customer experience teams, and anyone eager to understand AI’s real-world impact-no coding required. Drawing on decades of industry expertise, Brian and Martin tackle the essentials: how AI works, what it means for jobs and business strategy, and how to make confident, informed decisions about adopting AI in your organisation. Expect lively discussion, practical analogies, and actionable insights designed to empower non-technical minds to join the AI conversation and shape the future of work.Whether you’re a leader, manager, or simply AI-curious, this podcast is your gateway to mastering the basics and seeing through the hype.
In this episode of the Engage Customer Podcast, host Martin Hill-Wilson sits down with Lee Fairhurst, RVP Sales at Zendesk, and Brad Matthews, Customer Service Operations Manager at Cotswold Outdoor Group, to explore how AI is transforming the customer experience landscape.
Drawing on insights from 2025 UK CX Trends Report, the conversation dives into the real-world impact of AI assistants, the resurgence of Voice AI, the rise of AI copilots, and the growing demand for personalised, human-like service. Discover how Cotswold Outdoor is embracing AI not just to streamline operations, but to deliver faster, more relevant, and more empathetic customer experiences across every touchpoint.
In this episode, dive deep into Greene King's remarkable digital transformation journey with Treasure Data’s Customer Data Platform (CDP).
Ben Scott, Digital Product Manager at Greene King, sits down with Ashwin Basu, Account Director from Treasure Data to discuss Greene King's digital transformation journey during the pandemic.
He shares the compelling story of how Greene King, a leading pub retailer in the UK, embarked on a digital transformation journey driven by customer data. The catalyst for this transformation was the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the company to reevaluate its digital strategy to adapt to changing consumer expectations and preferences.
Ben discusses how Greene King identified the need to improve their digital platforms and customer engagement strategies to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving industry. He highlights the challenges the company faced with fragmented customer data and how partnering with Treasure Data helped them consolidate and unify their data sources for a comprehensive view of customer behavior across various brands.
Listeners will gain insights into Greene King's tangible improvements in customer engagement, including significant increases in online bookings and the effectiveness of data-driven marketing strategies. Ben also delves into the importance of democratising data access within the organisation and leveraging AI technology for personalised customer experiences and predictive analytics.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in customer data, digital transformation, and the future of the hospitality industry, offering valuable insights and actionable strategies for organisations looking to harness the power of customer data for impactful results.
In our latest episode we meet Kieran Maguire, Football Finance Lecturer, Award winning Author and “Price of Football” Podcast Presenter.
Kieran shares how he has engaged with the often-opaque world of football finance as a way to help his students have a better understand of economics in a real-world scenario.
We get his thoughts on how the Premier League (PL) era has brought significant improvements in stadium safety and quality and how increased revenues have led to better fan facilities and experiences as well as enhancing the global appeal of the PL.
He shares fascinating stories of some of the clubs on football’s “naughty step” who have used “creative financing” to circumvent football’s Profitability and Sustainability (“P&S”) rules to fund player purchases and wages.
He uses his crystal (foot)ball to suggest it’s vital to continue to monitor the financial practices of football clubs, especially those with new or foreign ownership and to watch for potential changes to match locations or league structure that could impact fan experience.
In our latest episode, we meet Elizabeth Stokoe, author, leading expert on conversational analysis, and Professor and Academic Director of Impact at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK. Liz shares her considerable experience in analysing conversations in real interactions, the importance of understanding that every word matters, and the subtle differences that each word can make.
She tells us about the development of her research-based communication training method, called CARM (the Conversation Analytic Role-play Method), to help people assess conversations and use the practices that produce better conversations. Liz provides examples of the myriad elements that make up conversations and how using those elements more effectively in customer service interactions is vital for delivering great customer experiences.
Many of these examples and guides for having great conversations in all situations are found in her book Talk.
With AI moving so fast, it is important councils are investing in the right tools for their agents.
Our latest podcast episode takes a closer look at how artificial intelligence is being used to improve the way local government works.
Host Stacey O’Donnell, Customer Success Manager at Kerv chats with Kiran Lehal, Customer Delivery Manager at Walsall Council about their journey towards digital transformation, focusing on practical examples, challenges faced, and the impact on public services.
Whether you’re interested in technology, government, or the future of AI, this series offers thoughtful insights into its role in shaping public sector innovation.
In this episode of “Customer Engagement – Examples of Excellence”, we meet Neil Gregory, People and Service Director at Naked Wines, whose background as a tennis coach helping others to be their best, has prepared him well for his current role Neil shares his passion for developing a strong team culture based on key habits that bring out the best in his team to build strong personal relationships with their customers. And keep them coming back for more.
He tells us that his team are professional problem solvers and brand ambassadors that focus on conversations not transactions and who are empowered to do the right thing – for the customer.
While he feels that technology, and especially AI, can play a role in supporting customer engagement, the human touch remains an essential part of their interactions.
While also using technology for data and feedback, Neil feels that his team provide the best sources of information and they are encouraged and empowered to use this knowledge to positively affect the customer experience and enhance employee engagement.
In this episode we meet John Leighton, EasyJet's Customer Service Director, who has had a varied and impressive career in the travel, hospitality, and retail sectors. John shares his thoughts on the changes he has seen over his 22-year career and the key role that AI, relevant customer data, and other technologies have played in this evolution.
He tells us that while the airport journey is made up of a variety of touchpoints and experiences, the team at EasyJet focuses on the part of the journey where they can make a vital difference with courtesy, empathy, and a strong understanding of the customer's needs at that point of contact. He acknowledges that travel can be very stressful not only for passengers but also for staff, and that investing in employee engagement and support is a key part of ensuring that customers are taken care of when things don’t go to plan.
In this episode, we meet Mike Walker, Head of Marketing at RT7 Digital, a full-service specialist marketing agency for Amazon.
Mike dives deep into Amazon’s game-changing approach to customer satisfaction and its role in shaping the company’s success as a marketplace.
He explores the lessons other organisations can take from Amazon’s relentless focus on customer experience (CX) and how it has become a benchmark for innovation. The discussion highlights the rise of e-commerce as an essential retail channel, examining why it’s now indispensable for contemporary retailers.
With insights into the most transformative shifts in e-commerce, marketing, and sales, we unpack how these changes have redefined competition in the digital age.
Finally, Mike trace's the evolution of marketing and e-commerce platforms over the years, sharing strategies for brands to differentiate themselves and thrive in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace.
In this episode, our guest host Rachel Aldigheri is joined by Mums in Marketing's Founder, Claire Ferreira, to discuss the journey and impact of this unique community. Claire shares her personal story and what inspired her to establish Mums in Marketing. They delve into the nature of the community, describing the diverse backgrounds and experiences of its members. Claire reflects on the lessons learnt about growing a supportive and engaged community since its inception. They delve into the significant challenges faced by professionals in the marketing sector today, and how the Mums in Marketing community addresses these issues. Claire highlights the biggest benefits that members have gained from being part of this group, including networking opportunities, professional development, and emotional support. Finally, they explore the potential for similar communities to benefit other industries, emphasising the universal need for connection and support in professional environments.
In this episode, we meet Lucie Child, Head of Strategy, Planning & Control for Customer Care at The Very Group. Lucie shares her diverse business experiences across various companies and how these have been highly beneficial in preparing her for her current role at The Very Group.
She tells us about her passion for driving business change through deep customer understanding and market insight, and how this approach is instrumental in identifying customer experience issues and in defining and delivering initiatives to resolve them — resulting in measurable improvements.
Lucie also explains how her role as chair of the CCMA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Specialist Interest Group has provided her the opportunity to demonstrate the impact that truly inclusive workplaces can have on people's lives and the engagement that results.
In this latest episode, we talk to Georgia Aubrey, Co-Founder and Partnership Director at Lovetovisit, the Cardiff-based company that recently secured £3.2 million in VC funding to scale its platform for discovering and booking activities across the UK.
Georgia shared how, along with co-founders Fred and Alice (her twin sister), they recognised that consumers are looking for ways to connect with "in-person experiences in a post-pandemic world." She noted that, until now, there have been few easy ways for consumers to find such experiences.
She went on to explain how they also realised that much of the industry still relies on leaflets, and they wanted to make it more convenient and easier for people to find and book theatre trips, city attractions, local events, and festivals.
Georgia further explained how their mobile-optimised platform uses AI to send personalised recommendations to users, helping them discover their next trip and offering interactive maps to find out what else is happening nearby.
With more than 2,700 products currently listed on the platform, Georgia shared her ambitious plans to double that capacity year on year for the next three years.
In this episode, our host Charlie Skinner, Customer Success Manager for UCL at Kerv Experience, talks with Ian Calkin, who has worked at UCL for over 23 years.
They discuss UCL’s recent transformation journey with Kerv and the positive impact that this has had on engagement within the university.
