#59: Maintaining customer centricity by knowing when to automate with Jeanne Duca, BCN

Podcast Summary

Podcast: B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success
Episode: #59: Maintaining Customer Centricity by Knowing When to Automate with Jeanne Duca, BCN
Host: Greg Kihlström
Guest: Jeanne Duca, Chief Marketing Officer, BCN
Date: September 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode tackles a central challenge in B2B marketing: balancing the drive to automate with the need to preserve a human, customer-centric approach. Host Greg Kihlström speaks with Jeanne Duca, CMO of managed network and technology provider BCN, about how companies can retain genuine personal relationships in an increasingly technology-driven, automated landscape. Key topics include building trust, listening to multiple stakeholders, measuring customer-centricity, balancing security and simplification, and resisting the urge to over-automate.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Human Touch vs. Automation in B2B Marketing

[03:01]

BCN’s Ethos: Jeanne explains that BCN has thrived for over 30 years by emphasizing personal, relationship-based interactions over pure automation.
Indirect Model: BCN goes to market exclusively through the indirect channel (technology advisors), not direct sales, making strong partnerships essential.
Strategic Use of Technology: Automation is used to enhance solutions and communications—but never replace the human relationship.
Quote:

“Our business is really relationship-based… We will never lose that human touch and that relationship portion of our focus.”
— Jeanne Duca [03:48]

2. The Power of Listening — Internally and Externally

[05:37]

Multi-Audience Structure: BCN serves channel partners, end customers, and upstream service providers/carriers. Each requires tailored listening.
Three-Legged Stool: Jeanne highlights that happy employees enable happy partners, which leads to happy customers.
Continuous Feedback: Regularly listening to what each group needs shapes BCN’s strategy and execution.
Quote:

“Listening and making sure that all of our teams are focused on doing that has really been central to my work here as the Chief Marketing Officer.”
— Jeanne Duca [07:05]

3. Building Trust and Making Business Easy

[07:49]

Emotional Building Blocks: Trust, transparency, and consistency are keys, even in highly technical businesses.
Ease of Business: Jeanne points to BCN's high Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 65, more than double the industry average, attributed to being “easy to do business with.”
Support at All Levels: Top-to-bottom support, flexible processes, and focus on customer/partner needs build long-term loyalty.
Quote:

“People want to work with us because we are flexible, we’re agile. You have support from the top down… Our NPS score is a 65, which is more than double the average in our industry.”
— Jeanne Duca [07:49]

4. The Limits of Personalization and When Not to Automate

[10:07]

Listening First, Personalization Second: BCN is “not big into hyper-personalized content;” instead, the team listens and delivers what partners and customers actually need.
Check-Ins Are Key: After delivering, BCN checks back to ensure needs were met, which deepens relationships.
Quote:

“If you listen to people, they tell you what they need; you deliver what they need, and you check back in… that’s the most efficient way.”
— Jeanne Duca [10:59]

5. Metrics Beyond NPS: Measuring True Customer-Centricity

[13:02]

KPIs & Longevity: In addition to NPS, referrals, organic growth/expansion, and customer tenure (average of over 10 years) are critical indicators.
Advocacy Matters: Organic advocacy is seen as a key (if qualitative) KPI for relationship health.
Quote:

“When people talk about you when you’re not in the room… that’s advocacy. And when you have that kind of advocacy, I think that’s a KPI that may not be as quantifiable, but it really is one of the most important.”
— Jeanne Duca [13:42]

6. The Balance Between Security & Simplification

[13:57]

Transparency Over Cleverness: Jeanne recommends clarity and honesty about complex solutions over trying to “simplify” or “sugarcoat” security offerings.
Single Point of Contact: BCN differentiates with curated, complex solutions that are delivered simply (one contract, one team, one bill).
Quote:

“We don’t try to be clever, we try to be clear... That is what ends up simplifying the process for people.”
— Jeanne Duca [14:31]

7. Pushing Back on Over-Automation

[16:51]

Stakeholder Communication: Jeanne discusses how to frame automation through the lens of partner and customer benefit. If automation doesn’t measurably improve experience, she advocates for restraint.
Holistic Approach: Success comes from combining people, processes, and technology—not just relying on the “next big thing.”
Quote:

“Our lens is always: is this making things better for our partners or our customers? ... Always take a step back and not rush—because that’s never true. It’s never one thing.”
— Jeanne Duca [17:44]
“Technology can do great things, but... it’s really the people and the process that end up making it successful.”
— Greg Kihlström [18:36]

8. Practicing Agility as a CMO

[19:01]

Time to Think: Jeanne schedules daily time away from meetings to reflect on priorities and upcoming challenges.
Redefining Agility: For her, agility is not about speed, but about thoughtful adaptability and readiness to pivot.
Quote:

“Agility for me means taking the time to think every day… I don’t think [being agile] has to mean you’re fast… it has to mean you have the ability to pivot, you’ve thought through alternatives, and you can, you know, marshal the forces that are necessary to do whatever is needed.”
— Jeanne Duca [19:01]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Our business is really relationship-based… We will never lose that human touch and that relationship portion of our focus.”
— Jeanne Duca [03:48]
“Listening and making sure that all of our teams are focused on doing that has really been central to my work here as the Chief Marketing Officer.”
— Jeanne Duca [07:05]
“Our NPS score is a 65, which is more than double the average in our industry.”
— Jeanne Duca [07:49]
“If you listen to people, they tell you what they need; you deliver what they need, and you check back in… that’s the most efficient way.”
— Jeanne Duca [10:59]
“When people talk about you when you’re not in the room… that’s advocacy. And when you have that kind of advocacy, I think that’s a KPI that may not be as quantifiable, but it really is one of the most important.”
— Jeanne Duca [13:42]
“We don’t try to be clever, we try to be clear... That is what ends up simplifying the process for people.”
— Jeanne Duca [14:31]
“Our lens is always: is this making things better for our partners or our customers? ... Always take a step back and not rush—because that’s never true. It’s never one thing.”
— Jeanne Duca [17:44]
“Technology can do great things, but... it’s really the people and the process that end up making it successful.”
— Greg Kihlström [18:36]

Timestamps for Key Segments

[03:01] – Human-centricity and automation at BCN
[05:37] – Listening to partners, customers, and the internal team
[07:49] – Trust-building through ease of doing business and the NPS metric
[10:07] – Avoiding unnecessary personalization and acting on feedback
[13:02] – Measuring success: KPIs, advocacy, and customer tenure
[13:57] – Balancing security and simplification
[16:51] – Making the case against “automate everything” thinking
[19:01] – Redefining agility for the modern B2B CMO

Tone & Takeaways

The episode maintains a conversational yet pragmatic tone, advocating for intentionality over trend-chasing. Jeanne Duca’s approach centers on authentic engagement, thoughtful use of technology, and never losing sight of the true needs of customers and partners—even as automation becomes more prevalent.

Key Takeaway:
B2B organizations can maintain customer centricity and drive loyalty by being relentlessly focused on listening, simplifying complex relationships, and applying automation only where it truly enhances the human experience.

Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Human Touch vs. Automation in B2B Marketing

[03:01]

BCN’s Ethos: Jeanne explains that BCN has thrived for over 30 years by emphasizing personal, relationship-based interactions over pure automation.
Indirect Model: BCN goes to market exclusively through the indirect channel (technology advisors), not direct sales, making strong partnerships essential.
Strategic Use of Technology: Automation is used to enhance solutions and communications—but never replace the human relationship.
Quote:

“Our business is really relationship-based… We will never lose that human touch and that relationship portion of our focus.”
— Jeanne Duca [03:48]

2. The Power of Listening — Internally and Externally

[05:37]

Multi-Audience Structure: BCN serves channel partners, end customers, and upstream service providers/carriers. Each requires tailored listening.
Three-Legged Stool: Jeanne highlights that happy employees enable happy partners, which leads to happy customers.
Continuous Feedback: Regularly listening to what each group needs shapes BCN’s strategy and execution.
Quote:

“Listening and making sure that all of our teams are focused on doing that has really been central to my work here as the Chief Marketing Officer.”
— Jeanne Duca [07:05]

3. Building Trust and Making Business Easy

[07:49]

Emotional Building Blocks: Trust, transparency, and consistency are keys, even in highly technical businesses.
Ease of Business: Jeanne points to BCN's high Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 65, more than double the industry average, attributed to being “easy to do business with.”
Support at All Levels: Top-to-bottom support, flexible processes, and focus on customer/partner needs build long-term loyalty.
Quote:

“People want to work with us because we are flexible, we’re agile. You have support from the top down… Our NPS score is a 65, which is more than double the average in our industry.”
— Jeanne Duca [07:49]

4. The Limits of Personalization and When Not to Automate

[10:07]

Listening First, Personalization Second: BCN is “not big into hyper-personalized content;” instead, the team listens and delivers what partners and customers actually need.
Check-Ins Are Key: After delivering, BCN checks back to ensure needs were met, which deepens relationships.
Quote:

“If you listen to people, they tell you what they need; you deliver what they need, and you check back in… that’s the most efficient way.”
— Jeanne Duca [10:59]

5. Metrics Beyond NPS: Measuring True Customer-Centricity

[13:02]

KPIs & Longevity: In addition to NPS, referrals, organic growth/expansion, and customer tenure (average of over 10 years) are critical indicators.
Advocacy Matters: Organic advocacy is seen as a key (if qualitative) KPI for relationship health.
Quote:

“When people talk about you when you’re not in the room… that’s advocacy. And when you have that kind of advocacy, I think that’s a KPI that may not be as quantifiable, but it really is one of the most important.”
— Jeanne Duca [13:42]

6. The Balance Between Security & Simplification

[13:57]

Transparency Over Cleverness: Jeanne recommends clarity and honesty about complex solutions over trying to “simplify” or “sugarcoat” security offerings.
Single Point of Contact: BCN differentiates with curated, complex solutions that are delivered simply (one contract, one team, one bill).
Quote:

“We don’t try to be clever, we try to be clear... That is what ends up simplifying the process for people.”
— Jeanne Duca [14:31]

7. Pushing Back on Over-Automation

[16:51]

Stakeholder Communication: Jeanne discusses how to frame automation through the lens of partner and customer benefit. If automation doesn’t measurably improve experience, she advocates for restraint.
Holistic Approach: Success comes from combining people, processes, and technology—not just relying on the “next big thing.”
Quote:

“Our lens is always: is this making things better for our partners or our customers? ... Always take a step back and not rush—because that’s never true. It’s never one thing.”
— Jeanne Duca [17:44]
“Technology can do great things, but... it’s really the people and the process that end up making it successful.”
— Greg Kihlström [18:36]

8. Practicing Agility as a CMO

[19:01]

Time to Think: Jeanne schedules daily time away from meetings to reflect on priorities and upcoming challenges.
Redefining Agility: For her, agility is not about speed, but about thoughtful adaptability and readiness to pivot.
Quote:

“Agility for me means taking the time to think every day… I don’t think [being agile] has to mean you’re fast… it has to mean you have the ability to pivot, you’ve thought through alternatives, and you can, you know, marshal the forces that are necessary to do whatever is needed.”
— Jeanne Duca [19:01]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Our business is really relationship-based… We will never lose that human touch and that relationship portion of our focus.”
— Jeanne Duca [03:48]
“Listening and making sure that all of our teams are focused on doing that has really been central to my work here as the Chief Marketing Officer.”
— Jeanne Duca [07:05]
“Our NPS score is a 65, which is more than double the average in our industry.”
— Jeanne Duca [07:49]
“If you listen to people, they tell you what they need; you deliver what they need, and you check back in… that’s the most efficient way.”
— Jeanne Duca [10:59]
“When people talk about you when you’re not in the room… that’s advocacy. And when you have that kind of advocacy, I think that’s a KPI that may not be as quantifiable, but it really is one of the most important.”
— Jeanne Duca [13:42]
“We don’t try to be clever, we try to be clear... That is what ends up simplifying the process for people.”
— Jeanne Duca [14:31]
“Our lens is always: is this making things better for our partners or our customers? ... Always take a step back and not rush—because that’s never true. It’s never one thing.”
— Jeanne Duca [17:44]
“Technology can do great things, but... it’s really the people and the process that end up making it successful.”
— Greg Kihlström [18:36]

Timestamps for Key Segments

[03:01] – Human-centricity and automation at BCN
[05:37] – Listening to partners, customers, and the internal team
[07:49] – Trust-building through ease of doing business and the NPS metric
[10:07] – Avoiding unnecessary personalization and acting on feedback
[13:02] – Measuring success: KPIs, advocacy, and customer tenure
[13:57] – Balancing security and simplification
[16:51] – Making the case against “automate everything” thinking
[19:01] – Redefining agility for the modern B2B CMO

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Summary

Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Human Touch vs. Automation in B2B Marketing

2. The Power of Listening — Internally and Externally

3. Building Trust and Making Business Easy

4. The Limits of Personalization and When Not to Automate

5. Metrics Beyond NPS: Measuring True Customer-Centricity

6. The Balance Between Security & Simplification

7. Pushing Back on Over-Automation

8. Practicing Agility as a CMO

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Tone & Takeaways

Summary

Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Human Touch vs. Automation in B2B Marketing

2. The Power of Listening — Internally and Externally

3. Building Trust and Making Business Easy

4. The Limits of Personalization and When Not to Automate

5. Metrics Beyond NPS: Measuring True Customer-Centricity

6. The Balance Between Security & Simplification

7. Pushing Back on Over-Automation

8. Practicing Agility as a CMO

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Tone & Takeaways