Customer Experience Optimization with Bridgepointe’s Scott Prater
02/06/24 • 41 min
On this episode of The Bridge, I’m joined by Scott Prater, Vice President of Customer Experience Technology at Bridgepointe. We’re discussing customer experience optimization and the ongoing race to meet customer expectations.
The Bridgepointe Customer Experience team enables organizations to deliver unrivaled results across every aspect of their CX programs, including technology implementation and business process outsourcing. The team’s deep industry experience gives clients a strategic approach to optimizing business outcomes while delivering best-in-class customer experience.
During our conversation, we got into how Scott addressed some of the most challenging customer experience problems at some of the world’s most well-known brands, the importance of customer experience (CX) optimization and why it’s in the news today, the impact of CX on a brand, and so much more.
Topics covered in this episode:- How CX has evolved due to changes in communication channels, including social media.
- Social media’s role in customer experience (CX) and its historical association with marketing departments.
- The evolution of social media from brand protection to a channel for customer care.
- The shift in approach by CX and CRM players towards incorporating various channels.
- Why having a single repository for customer journey data to improve data analytics and customer experience is important.
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on customer experience.
- The transformation of contact centers to accommodate digital channels and cater to younger generations’ preferences for non-voice communication.
- The changes in the audience for customer experience technology selection.
- The importance of collaboration between IT and business stakeholders in technology decisions.
- Common mistakes made by companies when implementing customer experience technology.
- The importance of measuring the impact of technology changes on key performance indicators (KPIs) to demonstrate the value of the investment.
- The trend of generative AI and its growing popularity in customer experience discussions.
- The importance of well-informed AI implementation.
- The challenges of navigating a cluttered AI landscape with numerous companies vying for attention and making ambitious claims.
- Scott Prater’s predictions for the next 18 months. Links for this episode: Success is a Choice by Rick Pitino
ABOUT SCOTT PRATER
Scott Prater is the Senior Vice President of Technology Solutions at BridgepointeCX, a premier provider of Client-centric, performance-based Customer Experience and Business Optimization Solutions. As a Global Information Technology Executive, Scott brings over 35 years of experience in various roles, including 22 years working with CX technologies. During this time, his focus has been leading successful initiatives in the contact center industry where he has held numerous leadership roles in Service Delivery, Sales and Client Account Management. Scott began his career in the space and defense industry and has brought the same focus and precision required to launch a satellite with him to successive roles in Customer Experience and IT. He has a proven track record leading and supporting transformational change in both technology and business processes and been consistently ahead of the industry curve as an agent of change. His broad vertical background includes managing Avaya’s largest ever client service delivery program for Home Depot and managing customer service technology transformation initiatives for Comcast, Moneygram, and NRG. Scott’s wide-ranging experience also includes leading the industry’s first ever large-scale hosted contact center VoIP implementation of 10,000 seats in 2002. This experience, as well as his international experience in areas such as satellite/RF communications, telecommunications, customer service and analytics, has provided him with unique knowledge and insights to solve our Client’s complex business challenges.
CONTACT SCOTT
On this episode of The Bridge, I’m joined by Scott Prater, Vice President of Customer Experience Technology at Bridgepointe. We’re discussing customer experience optimization and the ongoing race to meet customer expectations.
The Bridgepointe Customer Experience team enables organizations to deliver unrivaled results across every aspect of their CX programs, including technology implementation and business process outsourcing. The team’s deep industry experience gives clients a strategic approach to optimizing business outcomes while delivering best-in-class customer experience.
During our conversation, we got into how Scott addressed some of the most challenging customer experience problems at some of the world’s most well-known brands, the importance of customer experience (CX) optimization and why it’s in the news today, the impact of CX on a brand, and so much more.
Topics covered in this episode:- How CX has evolved due to changes in communication channels, including social media.
- Social media’s role in customer experience (CX) and its historical association with marketing departments.
- The evolution of social media from brand protection to a channel for customer care.
- The shift in approach by CX and CRM players towards incorporating various channels.
- Why having a single repository for customer journey data to improve data analytics and customer experience is important.
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on customer experience.
- The transformation of contact centers to accommodate digital channels and cater to younger generations’ preferences for non-voice communication.
- The changes in the audience for customer experience technology selection.
- The importance of collaboration between IT and business stakeholders in technology decisions.
- Common mistakes made by companies when implementing customer experience technology.
- The importance of measuring the impact of technology changes on key performance indicators (KPIs) to demonstrate the value of the investment.
- The trend of generative AI and its growing popularity in customer experience discussions.
- The importance of well-informed AI implementation.
- The challenges of navigating a cluttered AI landscape with numerous companies vying for attention and making ambitious claims.
- Scott Prater’s predictions for the next 18 months. Links for this episode: Success is a Choice by Rick Pitino
ABOUT SCOTT PRATER
Scott Prater is the Senior Vice President of Technology Solutions at BridgepointeCX, a premier provider of Client-centric, performance-based Customer Experience and Business Optimization Solutions. As a Global Information Technology Executive, Scott brings over 35 years of experience in various roles, including 22 years working with CX technologies. During this time, his focus has been leading successful initiatives in the contact center industry where he has held numerous leadership roles in Service Delivery, Sales and Client Account Management. Scott began his career in the space and defense industry and has brought the same focus and precision required to launch a satellite with him to successive roles in Customer Experience and IT. He has a proven track record leading and supporting transformational change in both technology and business processes and been consistently ahead of the industry curve as an agent of change. His broad vertical background includes managing Avaya’s largest ever client service delivery program for Home Depot and managing customer service technology transformation initiatives for Comcast, Moneygram, and NRG. Scott’s wide-ranging experience also includes leading the industry’s first ever large-scale hosted contact center VoIP implementation of 10,000 seats in 2002. This experience, as well as his international experience in areas such as satellite/RF communications, telecommunications, customer service and analytics, has provided him with unique knowledge and insights to solve our Client’s complex business challenges.
CONTACT SCOTT
Previous Episode
The Evolution of IT Cost Management with Eric Russo of Bridgepointe
On this episode of The Bridge, I’m joined by Eric Russo, Senior Vice President of Lifecycle Services at Bridgepointe. We’re talking about IT cost management and why it’s become a top priority, second only to cybersecurity.
The Bridgepointe Lifecycle Services team advocates for their client's success during every step of the technology lifecycle, from sourcing through implementation and ongoing expense/mobility management to negotiating their renewal. Having completed thousands of client projects resulting in millions of dollars in savings for clients, working with Bridgepointe’s Lifecycle Management Services team helps clients drive greater efficiency while proactively managing their technology costs.
During our conversation, we got into how the post-pandemic budget run-up is over, but the demands on it to deploy next-gen tech, like AI, have never been higher. We also parse out why cost management is a more important priority than data analytics, cloud, automation, and AI, and the role procurement experts play in optimizing technology spending.
Topics covered in this episode:
● Eric’s background and experience.
● Eric’s business superpower.
● The importance of cost management, optimization, and containment in the IT industry.
● Why many companies are focusing on reallocating budgets for digital transformation projects and AI initiatives.
● Why ROI is an essential factor in justifying technology investments.
● The importance of finding cost savings and optimization opportunities in technology spending and how it impacts business cases for technology investments.
● The impact of COVID-19 on the mobile landscape and how it varies for different customers.
● The challenges businesses face in rationalizing their communication investments and the role of Bridgepointe in helping businesses make informed decisions about which solutions to keep and transition to.
● The importance of understanding users' requirements and leveraging Bridgepointe's expertise in technical requirements gathering to make informed decisions.
● Bridgepointe's involvement in managing digital transformation, including the transition process and managing organizational changes.
● The increasing use of RFPs (Request for Proposals) by businesses to validate their technology decisions and how Bridgepointe helps customers navigate the RFP process.
● A shameless prediction for the next 18 to 24 months.
ABOUT ERIC RUSSO
At many large enterprises, IT departments are limited by their tech budget, headcount, and legacy systems that turn new initiatives into huge headaches. We’ve been helping the heads of these departments overcome these limitations for over 25 years.
We take a deep look at your tech stack, your operations, and what it all costs in order to find opportunities to improve. But we don’t stop there. Like other companies, we’ll analyze where you can improve and give you detailed, accurate reports and recommendations.
Unlike other companies, however, we’ll actually take some of that work off your plate. So that your headcount isn’t tied up managing thousands of invoices or wrangling the service and support for every desk phone or mobile device in your company. And you can finally see beyond the daily wave of “break/fix” projects and start on that digital transformation you’ve been planning.
CONTACT ERIC
Web. https://bridgepointetechnologies.com/team/ericrusso/
LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/erusso/
Next Episode
Using AI at Scale with Adam Weiner of Granite
On this episode of The Bridge, I’m joined by Adam Weiner, Vice President of Technology at Granite. We’re talking about using AI at scale and so much more.
Granite is one of the premier telecommunications solutions providers for businesses across the United States and Canada. With unparalleled North American coverage, Granite is the leading corporate phone service provider to multi-location companies through our scalable solutions, customized to manage their clients’ local, regional, and national locations. Through long-term commercial wholesale contracts, Granite offers dial-tone, infrastructure solutions, advanced data services, broadband, and security services to their customers at significant savings.
During our conversation, we get into why we need to solve little issues so they don’t become big ones, what Granite's Edge Boot device is all about, how the company's Granite 360 platform aims to provide transparency and flexibility for customers, and what using AI to scale really looks like.
Topics covered in this episode:
● How Granite's commitment to quality service and customer experience contrasts with larger companies that may struggle with scalability and product portfolio management.
● Granite's role in access aggregation and service provision in comparison to incumbent providers.
● What Granite’s differentiation in approach looks like in practice.
● An overview of Granite's portfolio expansion from traditional services like POTS and circuit aggregation to a full suite of managed services.
● The importance of integration in modern technology solutions and Granite's role in providing end-to-end support for customers.
● The introduction of Granite's Edge Boot device: what it is, how it works, and the multiple functionalities.
● Why Granite emphasizes providing solutions that offer resiliency, scalability, and diversity across carriers for competitive prices.
● Why the integration of various technologies from different vendors is a crucial aspect of Granite's service.
● Why international connectivity presents unique challenges.
● Predictions for the coming months.
Links for this episode:
Past episode: Mark Palmer of Granite
ABOUT ADAM WEINER
Information Technology professional with an unmitigable desire to be challenged. Adam has a proven track record of delivering unparalleled results while operating at the bleeding edge of what is possible, given a set of resources/requirements. A constant desire for technical and interpersonal self-improvement drives a ceaseless engine of growth and motivation. Gaining experience in varied and complex situations to complement theoretical and practical knowledge is his current focus.
CONTACT ADAM
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/the-bridgecast-with-scott-kinka-414620/customer-experience-optimization-with-bridgepointes-scott-prater-57648992"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to customer experience optimization with bridgepointe’s scott prater on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy