CustomerX Con 2021

Session Leaders:
Jeff Ernst
Dana Alvarenga

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We will start with an energizing, COVID-safe networking activity. Then we’ll share executive perspectives on how and why Customer Marketing must do more than just collaborate with other departments, they must work seamlessly with everyone in the company in 2022 and beyond to orchestrate deeper customer-to-customer, customer-to-company, and customer-to-market engagement. You’ll here about a series of CustomerX Research Studies on the relationships between Customer Marketing and 1) Customer Success, 2) Sales, and 3) Marketing.

Session Leaders:
Deena Zenyk
Liz Richardson

Serving up a grand buffet of activities and benefits to your customer rockstars but unsure what to cook up for your more finicky fans? Dedicated customer advocacy programs feed the healthy appetite of your most engaged customers but leave the majority unfed. It’s time to think beyond members-only dining experiences and tap into the potential of bite-sized advocacy.

In this session, advocacy connoisseurs Deena Zenyk and Liz Richardson, will share their secret sauce for:

• Thinking beyond traditional advocacy programs – time for new dishes
• Meeting advocates where they’re at – no reservation required
• Serving up a sushi-style conveyor belt of appetizing opportunities for your more reluctant eaters

Come hungry!

Session Leaders:
Tim Newborn
Barbara Thomas

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What is “White Glove Services”? Firstly the term is antiquated, so let’s call it what it is, Priority Services! Priority Services embrace excellence in care, service, or attention. Priority service is a method of providing products and services that need more attention. Self Service is a method of providing do-it-yourselfers access to information needed for self-fulfillment that’s cost-effective and fast. Watch and listen while they go 3 rounds head to head in a lively debate on topics covering:

• Should you provide Priority Services to all levels for support? Is there a dollar cut off? Is there a supported service cut off? Self-service set up on some functions.
• Best practices, training, transparency, communications, FAQ, how-to videos
• Scalability – insights on tech vs human efforts and utilization

We will break out into 5 or 6 teams to discuss critical Customer Marketing topics that are nominated by you.

Session Leaders:
Lauren Turner

Improv is so much more than offbeat comedy–it’s an art form that uses a foundation of skills that can be applied in just about any situation: active listening, pivoting, teamwork, and empathy. This interactive workshop will have you learning the fundamentals of improv for better teamwork and relationship building-with both colleagues and customers–and having lots of fun in the process!

Session Leaders:
Ursula Liff
Kyle Yantis
Mike Jeffs
Cristina Seckinger
Michael Sciano

Ursula, Michael, Mike, Cristina and Kyle share best practices for launching new or remastered customer voice programs. This panel will discuss topics around strategic partnerships within their companies, data valuation and validation, technology do’s and don’ts, third party resources, branding, and hard lessons learned. Join us for insights from true day-in-the-life practitioners.

Session Leaders:
Kim Plank

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This session shows you how to infuse Customer Voice into every marketing and sales activity your company performs. Learn how to empower your demand gen, social media, field marketing, product marketing, sales, and partner teams with robust customer voice marketing content. You learn how to leverage a comprehensive Customer Voice strategy that goes along with the Product Marketing Bill of Materials (BoM) that will help you differentiate yourself in the marketplace.

Session Leaders:
Shelby Dunlap

Category creation is both incredibly difficult and incredibly rewarding. Creating a new category requires the ability to identify and satisfy a problem in a way that can’t be solved with any existing solution. The best way to get your message into the market? Through real results from your customers. This happens through big idea thinking, swift execution, and creative customer activations that validate a new category is forming.

In this session learn the market indicators to look for that a category is forming, how to infuse ‘voice of customer’ into brand and GTM strategies, and practical plays to activate customers to participate as thought leaders, advocates, and evangelists in the new movement.

Join us for music, specialty drinks, food, networking, and some fun games.

Session Leaders:
Alison Bukowski

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Sales speaks sales. Marketing speaks marketing. Product speaks…well, you get the picture. Even executive leadership speaks its own language. And it is our job to not only understand each language, but become fluent enough to advocate for our programs, efforts and strategy in the language that our internal stakeholders understand. In this master class session, Alison Bukowski, Director of Customer Advocacy for Menlo Security, will focus on the hot buttons for several internal stakeholders–from reporting and metrics, to generating leads and helping customers connect). Together, we will dive into the key initiatives, while also translating that to the work that we’re doing every day. Once we start speaking the right language, we remove roadblocks, gain buy-in, have more successful meetings, and start engaging customers in meaningful ways (and ways in which they want to be engaged).

Before the conference starts, we will have each of you designate specific people you want to meet for a 1-on-1 conversations.

Session Leaders:
David Coates

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During this session, David will outline how a strategic approach to campaigns delivered clear business impact. This session will share a number of practical key takeaways, key topics will include:

• Setting the Scene – Building a relevant and integrated campaign that supports customers and drives results
• Focusing on the Bigger Picture – how the team was able to work together to build a campaign that captured the customers’ imagination and supported the funnel too
• It’s not about us! Addressing the “what’s in it for me” factor early and often!
• Measure, Measure, Measure – understand how the team went about building clear objectives for short term and long term success
• Maintaining the Momentum – get a sneak peek into how the team shifted from a standalone campaign into an ongoing program that’s priming the pump for all elements of marketing in 2022

Session Leaders:
Connie Wong
Brian Gladstein

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Garnering Executive Support at Every Stage of your Program: To get a customer advocacy program off the ground, you need both someone to champion it and an executive to sponsor and support it. In this session, we’ll present both sides of igniting an advocacy program that can have a huge impact across the company. Connie will talk about how she made the business case for the program. Brian will shed light on how executives decide whether to sponsor new initiatives when marketing teams are already stretched thin.

Session Leaders:
Heather Pritchett, Mariam Payne, Marco Cruz Godinho, Maria João Azeredo

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Fast growth means rapidly changing priorities and demands. Tight interlocks with stakeholders has been one of the keys to help us scale and delivery value globally. In this session the OutSystems Customer Voice team will talk candidly about our journey and lessons learned with automation, processes and coordination with other teams that has gotten us to a company-wide recognized value driver for the business.

Session Leaders:
Host: Jeff Ernst
Panel:
– Allyson Havener, TrustRadius
– Palmer Houchins, G2
– Doni Lerner, IT Central Station

Join us for an engaging panel discussion with senior executives from TrustRadius, G2, and IT Central Station, who will answer questions like:

• How do peer reviews influence different types of buyers today and how do you see that changing in the future?
• What are the essential components that Customer Marketers must include in their peer review strategies?
• What does the future look like for peer reviews and the sites?

We will break out into 5 or 6 teams to discuss critical Customer Marketing topics that are nominated by you.

Session Leaders:
Jeff Ernst
Dana Alvarenga

Join CustomerX Community Leaders Jeff and Dana to talk about the exciting events, conferences, meetups, and research projects coming up in the next few months.