Panel Debate: ‘Women at the Helm: Navigating the Future of CX and Technology’
Following our second annual Global Gathering Conference, over the next month we’ll be sharing key outputs from the keynotes, WiCX Talks, and discussions that took place, ensuring our vision for a human-centred future spans much further than just our community walls…
Our panel debate ‘Women at the Helm: Navigating the Future of CX and Technology’ sparked a lively discussion between our four guests, bringing their perspectives on our future in the face of rapidly advancing technology, from the frontlines of CX leadership.
Featuring Alexandra Acosta, Katie Costello, Lina Yahya, and Shameem Smillie — questions submitted by conference attendees revolved around the challenges and opportunities of our technological future, with AI obviously being a major talking point.
Overall, the panel had a positive perspective on the potential impacts of AI on human-centric innovation. There were some stark warnings about the risks of losing our human touch amidst cost-cutting automation — alongside several rallying cries to use our unique character traits as women to advocate for connection and inclusion.
Q: How well is the CX industry doing with AI right now?
Katie: It’s all around quality, service and ethics. Our leadership team is currently embedding the first in-house CX team at Waitrose. We’re taking a design-led approach, with a lot of testing and learning. A great example is using machine learning to remind our customers to buy their Persil when they’re likely to need it. We’re using AI to understand global food trends. There’s a lot of noise — but we’re passionate about using tech as an enabler of innovation.
Lina: As the national bank of the UAE, RAKBANK wants to change the banking industry when it comes to customer experience. We’re excited to use tech to optimise journeys, customise, and personalise.
Shameem: While we do have to answer to the bean counters and big cheeses — our mission is to make tech everybody’s friend.
Q: In the near future, do you believe AI will enhance or diminish the human touch?
(The audience voted in favour of ‘enhance’)
Lina: Customers should not feel AI. If they do, something’s wrong. If they can feel the empathy of a human with the efficiency of AI, you’re on the right track.
Katie: If AI is applied correctly, it should absolutely enhance the quality of care our customers experience. However, the big risk comes with organisations being swept up in the hype and going too far with automation without considering the impact on experience.
“Let people hear feedback from the customer's mouth… a face to the account. Call transcripts, hearing the emotion behind the experience.”
— Alexandra Acosta
Q: What are the challenges and barriers of being a female leader in CX right now?
Shameem: I’m used to being the only female in the room, and certainly the only female of colour. I’ve experienced extreme racism and misogyny — but being the underdog has made me stronger. I have to be resilient, and I’m also able to empathise and put myself in customers' shoes.
I see things differently from my colleagues, which has helped me get ahead. I’ve spent lots of hours crying in toilets, but I’ve learned to embrace the emotional side of me. I wear it as a badge of honour, and that’s enabled me to be successful. Can I get a hand up from the women in this room who have been labelled over-emotional, aggressive, and passionate for the same behaviour as a male colleague?”
Lina: I’ve not shied away from being vocal about my emotions. Sometimes I’ve had to walk back into the room and reinstate my power after crying in the bathroom. Everything changed for me when a manager told me that the reason he put me in charge of a difficult, resistant unit was because I’m a woman, and he actually wanted me to create positive change. So don’t be shy of your emotions. We need emotional people to make change. Follow your gut. There are instincts within you that tell you to do the right thing.
Clare: I like to think about being different as being powerful. The power of being a decision-maker with empathy, compassion, and kindness.
Q: Storytelling and personal narrative are so powerful for engaging stakeholders. How have you been incorporating storytelling into your strategy?
Alex: I’m big on simplifying the story and using the language that customers would. We need to talk to people like they’re human. If we put too much data and words on PowerPoint slides, it won’t come to life. And with anonymous surveys, we can use demographic information to bring in the human element.
Q: How do we build in the voice of the customer?
Katie: The first and the last impression point in the store are so important. We went deep into research to understand what our customers want from the future of payment. We knew that 9/10 customers would consider self-payment, but they told us clearly it needs to be easy, and they need to be able to speak to a human if necessary. So, our customers would come along on this with us, but listening to their voices was essential for successful adoption.
Lina: We should make sure we’re bringing in technology to help our customers, not just ourselves. Automation and innovation are the reality of what’s coming — but how can we implement it while serving our customers above all?
Q: When the business needs to save money, innovation is inevitable. For example, banks are phasing out their physical location. But how can we make this the best thing possible? How can we create ways to encourage customer behaviour towards the tech innovations the business wants?
Katie: One of our key enablers is CX innovation. We’ve seen an unprecedented acceleration of tech, and Waitrose is a huge cheerleader for CX strategy. The brand is aligned behind one vision for the customer, and the experience we want to give them. There’s one roadmap that everyone is on, which helps us prioritise innovation in line with our customers' needs and desires.
“Everyone has the ability to remove barriers. Keep the doors open for the people coming up behind us. We have to make sure we send the lift back down to make our industry the inclusive, human-centric sector we want it to be.”
— Shameem Smillie
Q: What’s one final message you’d like to share as we close?
Alex: Nothing can ever replace you as a human. Your soul, your power, your emotions. Nothing can replicate what you bring to the table as a human being.
Katie: Reflect on your readiness for the innovation ahead. And never underestimate the power of your network.
Shameem: Everyone has the ability to remove barriers. Keep the doors open for the people coming up behind us. We have to make sure we send the lift back down to make our industry the inclusive, human-centric sector we want it to be.
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Meet our panellists
Lina Yahya, EVP for Customer Excellence and Protection, RAKBANK
Lina joined RAKBANK in 2003 and held several managerial positions before becoming the EVP for Customer Excellence and Protection in November 2015.
She is a certificate Market Culture Practitioner and has been a key player in redefining the customer experience strategy and objectives into a journey of excellence. Lina successfully managed to integrate customers’ needs and expectations into the conceptualisation of the bank’s products and services. Additionally, she played an instrumental role in RAKBANK winning the Dubai Service Excellence Scheme’s ‘Best Service Performance Brand Award for Banking Services Business’ for two years in a row, as well as the much coveted ‘Dubai Quality Appreciation Award’, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Lina has over 25 years of experience across various retail banking functions including auto loans, Islamic banking, setting up the Cross SellingPlatform, and implementing the Consumer Protection Framework for the organisation. She’s a mother of four boys, an avid reader, and loves to travel.
Shameem Smillie, CCaaS Consultant & Contact Centre Expert
A subject matter expert in CCaaS (Contact Centre as a Service) and contact centre technologies and operations who has partnered with many organisations to deliver successful digital transformation projects. Shameem's holistic approach and passion for Customer and Employee Experience focus on continual business and innovation improvement whilst supporting a culture of empowerment and inclusivity.
Alexandra Acosta, Senior Analyst, Guest Experience, Target
Alex is an accomplished Consumer Insights and Customer Experience professional who specialises in Retail. As a retail fanatic and very active consumer herself, she has a robust passion for all types of customer analytics. Marrying multiple data sources, taking a consultative approach with stakeholders, and putting herself in partners’ shoes, she deeply analyses and concisely presents data to help stakeholders clearly understand opportunities and delighters, fostering empathy and driving customer-centric actions.
Her purpose is to help customers, peers, and team members overcome barriers by creating exceptional environments and experiences. With thoughtfulness and inclusivity at the forefront of her values, she prioritises the empowerment of her team across all levels, encouraging team members to confidently take ownership of their work and try new things as a means of success.
Katie Costello, CX Management & Planning Lead, Waitrose
With 25 years in the retail grocery industry working for Waitrose, Katie has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in this fast-paced industry. Katie has most recently led the establishment of the first in-house Customer Experience Management team at Waitrose and is passionate about aligning the brand's business and customer experience-led goals. Katie has a proven track record of enabling effective working practices, working across business units to drive collaboration while instilling a high-performance customer-centric culture. Katie has designed and delivered innovative, compelling customer propositions and is accomplished at optimising physical channels through working on key programmes to drive propositional change and ensure continuous business development.
