9 insights from Social Media Manager at Swisscom — a Khoros customer

Through the Voice of the Khoros Core Q&A series, we highlight the insights, thoughts, and experiences of our Khoros Core program members. We will learn their favorite things about working with Khoros and get a glimpse into who they are as professionals and digital customer engagement innovators.

What is your favorite thing about working with Khoros and how does Khoros enable you to do your job better?

It comes down to two points. First, it’s amazing that Khoros integrates with Google, Facebook, Apple, and Twitter. This helps us take on new channels and features to provide customer service at scale, on the channels our customers already use. Second, I love the analytics features. We can detect incidents on social media early on and measure sentiment about our products on each step of the customer journey. That data helps us better understand our customers and how to improve their experience.

How does your company try to create a unified digital customer experience?

We have a dedicated team of experts focused on improving our customers’ digital experience. Their approach is simple: Ask the customer what they want, and work to provide it. When we ask today what customers expect from us in terms of customer experience, we can prepare to provide that experience tomorrow.

What is the most important thing you've learned over the last year in your role and how did it change the way you work?

I tried to embrace an agile mindset. Start small and think big — try something, and instead of planning every step beforehand, improve as you go For example, we took on Google myBusiness reviews at scale for over 120 shops within three weeks. We didn’t talk a lot about the process; we just started. And simply by doing that, we immediately began improving.

What are some of the challenges that your industry faces with digital customer engagement, and how do you solve them?

I think the biggest challenge is digitization in general. It moves forward so quickly, and it’s challenging to keep pace with our customers’ expectations. A tool like Khoros helps us to reduce the complexity of the VUCA-world. Swisscom focuses on delivering the best products. We have an industry-leading TV product with exciting entertainment packages, Switzerland’s best network, and a lot of other amazing features. Delivering the best customer service goes hand-in-hand with that. That’s a core value of our company which I truly love — we operate with a customer-first mindset, all the time.

What’s one thing you were certain about early in your career, but your opinion/position has changed?

I always wanted to be a music teacher. I loved music from an early age, and even today it still has a very big impact on me. But my music teacher mentioned once that if you choose to do something as a living, you lose it as a hobby. That helped me to realize that I don’t want to lose that hobby and that I wanted to focus on something else.

Which living person do you most admire and why?

Tuomas Holopainen, the keyboardist of the Finnish metal band Nightwish. He writes all their songs, and seriously, they’re pieces of art. I have been to more than 10 concerts, and it’s always something I look forward to. It's like a wellness vacation for my ears — and the coolest thing about it is that I always go with my father. We share the same music taste and since the first Nightwish concert back in 2004, we always go to the concerts as a "men's trip".

Which three words describe you best and why?

Enthusiasm, Positivity, Engagement. Enthusiasm is definitely the word that best fits me. That’s why I loved working as a radio presenter/ journalist. Every day I met new people with new stories. There were always a lot of emotions involved, and whenever I felt the "fire of another person for a certain topic" I was also very enthusiastic about that. For that reason, I shouldn't watch too many travel documentaries because at the end I am always like: "I need to go there!"

What’s the best way to start the day?

I use the “Calm" app to meditate for 10 minutes every day. These are guided meditations and every day it touches a new topic. Meditation just helps me to focus so much better. I am much more “in the moment” during the day and in meetings. It doesn't feel like a race from one meeting to another. This way I can enjoy the day more. I also think it’s made me tremendously more empathetic. By being "still" and not always have the urge to respond, I can really understand my communication partner better. I’ve already felt a change after 20 meditation sessions.

What is your favorite place you’ve traveled to or where do you look forward to traveling to the most?

I’ve been to New York City four times. I am a big fan of the New York Rangers. One of my favorite moments was a game between the Rangers and the New Jersey Devils. Derek Stephan scored a hat trick for the blueshirts and I was able to see Henrik Lundqvist in the net. I also love the food — especially Sweetgreen salads and Shake Shack burgers. I love the vibe in NYC. There is a certain energy in the air combined with all the cultures living in one place — it feels like the middle point of our planet.

Interested in hearing more from Khoros Core program members like Joël? Stay tuned for more Q&As featuring top business professionals and see how they’re teaming up with Khoros to push the industry forward every day! To learn more about the top digital channels and how you can reach your customers on their channel of choice, read The Digital Channels Guide.