Last week I did something spontaneous. I decided to attend the CMSWIre Connect Conference (produced by Simpler Media Group) the night before it began. I was fortunate that the conference was being held in Austin, so travel and lodging were not a factor. I may have decided sooner, but it just wasn’t on my radar. Earlier that day I received an email from a Meet-Up Group promoting the event. Something told me that I should take a closer look and when I did I was immediately engaged. How could I have missed this?
The 3-day conference was focused on Customer Experience (CX), alongside a separate, but related conference happening concurrently that focused on Employee Experience (EX). I scanned the content, quickly calculating the quality and relevance of the topics and presenters. I was beginning to swoon over the agenda, so after a few minutes of mindful contemplation, I made the commitment. Coaching Tip: Trust Your Instincts.
So, I decided to attend. What were my biggest takeaways?
It’s Already Here
Yes. I am quoting Bill Paxton from the movie Twister and I am also talking about AI, and if you fear either of these things, we should probably talk. I wouldn’t fully describe myself as an “AI Advocate,” but I wanted a description that felt right. So, of course, I asked AI and it suggested “AI Curious.” This feels good, I can be curious. In fact, I am AI Curious and I try not to approach anything from a place of fear.
At the CMSWIre Conference, it was clear that AI has an immense amount of potential to help our society and there are a lot of really good people working to make AI safe. Don’t get me wrong, there were also plenty of concerns being expressed. People worry about the speed of development, whether or not ethics can be deployed (and if so, who’s ethics?), and issues around trust. But what I heard at this conference was more about possibilities than worst-case scenarios. I heard the phrase “augmented intelligence” instead of artificial intelligence. I thought that was interesting and aligned with how I have been using AI tools in my business. I also heard the statement (and I am not sure who to attribute, but it wasn’t me) “AI will not replace people. People who use AI will replace those who don’t.” This statement hit home.
Key Takeaway #1: I don’t want to be afraid of technology, I want to contribute to making it better. I can’t do that if I don’t understand it.
Your Customer Knows
Whatever you think you understand about CX, if you are not in direct contact with your customers and clients, then you might not know as much as you thought you knew. One of the great things about this conference was the diversity of individuals who attended. Someone came from as far as Guam to attend this conference! There were designers, CX and otherwise, marketers, HR leaders, product specialists, sales teams, C-suite executives, entrepreneurs, and technologists from all different industries – so many incredibly smart people trying to understand the strategies and nuances of improving the customer experience. All of them expressed one thing consistently, you have to be close to your customer to truly understand them. One fantastic presenter I saw was Carmen Simon, a cognitive neuroscientist who talked about memory and motivation, busting through some of my long-held beliefs on strategic presentation design. She was brilliant and engaging and taught me a lot about things I already thought I knew. I love that.
Key Takeaway #2: If you want to know your customers, then get to KNOW your customers.
Your Employees Know, Too
At the same time that CMSWire Connect was happening, there was another concurrent conference called ReWork Connect and it was focused on EX. The relationship between the employee and the customer is undeniable. So much so that each can be directly impacted by the other. While I was not attending the EX portion of the event, there was enough overlap that I had the benefit of meeting attendees from both events. Much of the content also felt transferable, in terms of the challenges and opportunities being addressed and where they intersected. For me, looking through the lens of how Tapas can bring value, I heard a lot of people talking about the need for organizations to become very aligned with their core values and purpose. Companies need to be thinking strategically about how their value systems can be activated and how to empower employees to express these values. Organizational culture matters and as we at Tapas have long suspected, the issues aren’t about the logos – it’s about the ethos of your company.
Key Takeaway #3: Your Employee is your first customer. How are you engaging them with your brand purpose and are they empowered to activate organizational values?
Bonus Takeaways: ICE-T is pretty fucking amazing. As a GenXr, he has been an iconic part of our culture for nearly my entire life. His words were enjoyable, inspiring, and profane, I mean profound. I was honored to listen to him speak and then get the chance to capture that moment. Also, I may never wear heels to a conference again.
This conference was a great experience for so many reasons, but the most important reason was that it expanded my perspective on how I can best serve my own customer. I am optimistic about the potential for the future. I know that sometimes it feels like there are a lot of reasons to doubt humanity, but this event gave me a chance to reset and have a little more faith.
Maybe I’m just idealistic, but I believe in the power of manifesting through positive action. The world is what we make of it, and I hope to play a role in making things better.
If you are an entrepreneur or business leader seeking to shift or expand your perspective in the way you approach your business, schedule a free Spark Session, and let’s talk.
Author: Stephanie Crain – Corporate Mystic | Innovation Coach | Radical Consultant | Master Jungian Coach | Success Mindset Specialist
