2 min read
![Grant Ansell, new CEO of Smoke Customer Intelligence](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Grant-Blog-Cover.jpg?width=764&height=400&name=Grant-Blog-Cover.jpg)
1 min read
SmokeCI Announces New Leadership Appointment
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
[Johannesburg April 2024] Smoke Customer Intelligence, a leading provider of Customer Experience and Employee Engagement solutions, today announced a...
![Coworkers appluading each other.](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Recognition-2.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Recognition-2.jpg)
3 min read
The Ripple Effect of Non-monetary recognition of Your Employees
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
As a CEO or owner of a company, you understand the importance of recognizing your employees for their hard work and dedication. But oftentimes, it...
![Manager sitting at desk under pressure](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Mistake.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Mistake.jpg)
2 min read
Common Day-to-Day Mistakes That Leaders Make And How to Avoid Them
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
In today's fast-paced business world, it can be tempting for leaders and managers to focus on the big picture and overlook the importance of small,...
![Micromanaging boss with unhappy staff](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Micro.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Micro.jpg)
2 min read
Micromanagement Versus Empowerment: Finding Balance As a Manager
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
As a manager or team leader, it can be challenging to strike the right balance between micromanaging and empowering your team. On one hand, you want...
![Mix of different people](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Personal-1.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Personal-1.jpg)
2 min read
The trend of hyper personalisation in CX
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
As part of our 11 part trend series, we examine hyper personalisation as a trend that continues to impact customer experience.
![Young person presenting to a room of trainees](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/upskill.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=upskill.jpg)
2 min read
Embracing Upskilling: A Strategic Imperative for Managers
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations are faced with the ongoing challenge of keeping up with technological advancements,...
![Engaged employees](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Engaged-1.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Engaged-1.jpg)
2 min read
Your employee engagement strategy depends on how you enable career growth in your business
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
Employee engagement has become a key priority for HR executives in recent years. While there are many factors that can contribute to employee...
![Quality of work as shown by a row of thumbs up](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Quality.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Quality.jpg)
2 min read
How Committed Employees Drive Quality Work
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
Committed employees are an invaluable asset to any organization. Their unwavering dedication, passion, and drive have a direct impact on the quality...
![Engaged woman working at her desk with a tablet](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Interesting.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Interesting.jpg)
2 min read
Keep Jobs Interesting and Exciting: Balancing Engagement and Performance
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
As managers and team leaders, it is essential to create an environment where employees find their jobs interesting and exciting. When employees are...
![2022 Calendar on a desk](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2022.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=2022.jpg)
2 min read
4 Key CX Stats you need to know for 2022
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
Customer experience has become far more than a buzzword – it is a proven competitive advantage when looking to attract and retain customers for the...
![City overlaid on a person using a digital device](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Double%20exposure%20of%20success%20businessman%20using%20digital%20tablet%20with%20london%20building%20and%20social%20media%20diagram.jpeg?width=1000&height=667&name=Double%20exposure%20of%20success%20businessman%20using%20digital%20tablet%20with%20london%20building%20and%20social%20media%20diagram.jpeg)
6 min read
CX in financial services (and what you should be doing)
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
It’s hardly a surprise that organisations across industries are prioritising Customer Experience (CX) as key to their strategies in the coming years....
![Lamp over a box with icons for learning popping out](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/7thing.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=7thing.jpg)
2 min read
Five Customer Experience lessons learnt during 2021
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
2021 has been another year full of strangeness, loss, and a new way of working, living, and interacting with others. As a new COVID-19 variant rears...
![Contact centre agents at work](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Operationalised-VOC-Data.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Operationalised-VOC-Data.jpg)
2 min read
Operationalising customer feedback in your contact centre
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
The contact centre is the heart of most businesses – often handling more customer interactions than any other touchpoint in your business. Much...
![Man looking at statistics with a VR headset with their female manager next to him.](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Tech.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Tech.jpg)
4 min read
If your agents are cherry-picking customers to survey, you have a human behaviour problem, not a technology problem.
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
Often, your contact centre is your most prominent point of contact for your customers. It is the area of your business that handles everything from...
![Woman shouting at a man ignoring her while looking at his tablet.](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Problems.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Problems.jpg)
3 min read
How to overcome the obstacles facing your VOC programme
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
We have all seen the articles and research declaring that the ROI of customer experience being quite staggering – brands with superior customer...
![wooden people representing the concept of intermediaries.](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Intermediaries.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Intermediaries.jpg)
4 min read
Customer Experience at arm’s length. It’s all about your intermediaries.
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
For many, creating customer experience is not as simple as delivering great service to the end customer making a purchase. Today's interconnected and...
![Grinch arm with a christmas bauble.](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Grinch.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Grinch.jpg)
6 min read
Don't let the Grinch steal Christmas. A complete guide to Detractors.
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
There are few Christmas stories more iconic than Dr Seuss's "The Grinch who stole Christmas" that was first published in 1957. The story written in...
![Employee Engagement The Santa Way](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/santaclauseworkinghard.jpg?width=852&height=480&name=santaclauseworkinghard.jpg)
7 min read
Employee Engagement the Santa way. Why the Elves are happy at work.
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
The story goes that Santa employs a large workforce of elves, who spend the majority of the year in production lines building all sorts of toys. As...
![Planning Journey](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Journey.jpg?width=650&height=450&name=Journey.jpg)
4 min read
No idea how to build a Customer Journey Map? Here are our top tips
![Picture of Sarah Lubbe](https://www.smokeci.com/hs-fs/hubfs/IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg?width=30&name=IMG_5420-Edit%20-%20Copy.jpg)
Customer experience is undoubtedly invaluable for any brand wanting to stand out from its competitors, but great customer experience is not...