Experts of Experience: Episode #47 – Instilling a Customer-First Mindset at BILL

Release Date: September 11, 2024
Presented by Salesforce Customer Success

Introduction

In Episode #47 of Experts of Experience, hosted by Lauren Wood from Mission.org, the spotlight is on Sophia Pogreb, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at BILL. Sophia brings over two decades of expertise in operational roles within leading financial technology firms. The episode delves into how BILL cultivates a customer-first mindset across its rapidly growing organization, leveraging both cultural initiatives and emerging technologies like AI to enhance customer experience (CX).

BILL’s Customer-First Philosophy

Sophia Pogreb opens the conversation by emphasizing the foundational role of customer focus at BILL. She explains, “putting customers first is very much a value and part of our culture” (02:37). BILL, founded 18 years ago by Rene Lacert, automates financial operations for small businesses, streamlining processes like accounts payable and invoicing. This automation allows small business owners to concentrate on their core passion: serving their customers.

Lauren Wood shares a personal endorsement, stating, “I have experienced that simplicity firsthand and I really appreciate it” (02:58), highlighting the real-world impact of BILL’s solutions.

Key Initiative: Customer Obsession Sessions

Sophia introduces “Customer Obsession Sessions” (04:09), a cross-functional approach to maintain empathy and connection with customers despite scaling. These sessions involve:

• Analyzing Customer Workflows: Observing how customers interact with BILL’s products.
• Collaborative Discussions: Teams evaluate if the processes meet customer expectations and brainstorm enhancements.
• Continuous Improvement: Ongoing dialogue ensures that customer feedback drives product development and operational strategies.

Lauren praises this initiative, noting its effectiveness in keeping customer focus alive across diverse teams (06:37).

Empowering Employees to Stay Connected

A pivotal aspect of BILL’s strategy is ensuring every employee, regardless of role, remains connected to customer needs. Sophia outlines several mechanisms:

1. Product Usage: Encouraging employees to use BILL’s products (“eat the dog food”) to understand firsthand the customer experience (04:40).
2. Customer Insights Sharing: Regularly disseminating customer feedback and pain points across the organization.
3. Advocacy Team: A dedicated team within customer experience and support that aggregates and communicates customer data in accessible formats (07:23).

She states, “As the company grew, we’ve been keen on maintaining that empathy and connection to the customer” (04:09), underscoring the importance of structured roles in sustaining customer-centricity.

ROI of Customer Focus

Measuring the return on investment (ROI) for customer-centric initiatives can be challenging. Sophia explains, “the awareness throughout the organization” and “prioritizing improvements based on customer feedback” (08:54) serve as qualitative indicators of success. By focusing deeply on specific customer workflows, BILL ensures meaningful enhancements that resonate with customers, such as simplifying the process of adding a bank or improving payment status visibility.

Leveraging AI for Enhanced Customer Experience

The discussion transitions to the integration of AI in bolstering customer experience. Sophia highlights the use of tools like Thematic for digesting qualitative feedback and enhancing advocate efficiency (13:08). While customers at BILL value human connections, AI assists support staff by:

• Providing Relevant Information: AI copilots present pertinent articles and content to support advocates during customer interactions (15:11).
• Enhancing Training: AI aids in quality assurance and training, ensuring advocates are well-equipped to address customer needs effectively.

Lauren emphasizes the dual benefit of AI in understanding customer sentiments and bolstering employee performance (14:52), highlighting the balance between technological efficiency and human empathy.

Balancing Productivity with Empathy

A nuanced challenge discussed is maintaining high productivity without compromising empathy. Sophia shares BILL’s approach:

• Prioritizing Quality of Service: Investing in better tools and systems to support advocates rather than merely reducing handle times (38:54).
• First Contact Resolution: Valuing the customer's time by ensuring issues are resolved promptly and effectively, even if it requires longer interactions occasionally (39:23).

Lauren relates this to Zappos’ philosophy from Delivering Happiness, advocating for meaningful customer interactions over rigid efficiency metrics (39:23). Sophia concurs, emphasizing the importance of understanding the context behind customer interactions to continually refine support strategies (41:24).

The COO Role in Championing Customer Centricity

Sophia elaborates on her multifaceted role as COO, which currently encompasses data operations and risk management. She views the COO position as pivotal in advocating for customer needs within the executive suite. Sophia mentions, “the COO is a key champion of customer focus and almost looking out for our customers” (21:18).

Expansion to Chief Customer Officer

BILL’s recent appointment of Sarah Acton as Chief Customer Officer underscores the company’s commitment to customer-centricity. Sarah’s expanded role integrates marketing and revenue, ensuring cohesive strategies that sustain customer engagement from acquisition to retention (23:45).

Empathy as a Core Organizational Value

Empathy is ingrained in BILL’s culture through various initiatives:

• Hiring Practices: Prioritizing candidates with a demonstrated passion for customer-centric roles.
• Company-Wide Engagements: Organizing events and sessions that reinforce the importance of customer empathy, such as dedicating company-wide meetings to customer-focused agendas (32:07).
• Employee Experiences: Encouraging employees, including executives, to participate in customer support activities to gain firsthand insights (36:28).

Lauren shares her own practices for fostering empathy within organizations, such as having team members experience customer service roles temporarily to internalize customer challenges (32:39).

Real-World Impact and ROI of Customer Focus

Sophia articulates the broad impact of a customer-first approach:

• Business Metrics: Improved retention rates, reduced churn, higher NPS and CES scores, and enhanced product engagement.
• Employee Satisfaction: Attracting and retaining talent passionate about customer service.
• Market Differentiation: Serving a historically underserved segment—small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)—with tailored support and services.

She asserts, “customer focus, relentless, customer focused... has to be table stakes” (25:48), indicating that prioritizing customers is essential for sustained business success, especially in the SMB sector.

Closing Insights and Advice

As the conversation nears its end, Sophia shares a personal anecdote illustrating the critical importance of aligning support strategies with true customer needs. She recounts a situation where promoting self-service options clashed with a customer’s immediate need for assistance, teaching a valuable lesson about prioritizing empathetic support over efficiency (38:31).

Final Advice for Customer Experience Leaders

Sophia advises leaders to:

• Start with the Customer: Every decision should begin with considering the customer’s perspective and needs (45:07).
• Foster Empathy Across Teams: Ensuring that every department understands and prioritizes customer experience.

Lauren echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that a customer-centric value system simplifies decision-making and drives business success (45:51).

Conclusion

Episode #47 of Experts of Experience offers a comprehensive exploration of BILL’s strategies to embed a customer-first mindset within its organization. Through structured initiatives like Customer Obsession Sessions, dedicated advocacy teams, and the intelligent use of AI, BILL maintains deep customer empathy even as it scales. Sophia Pogreb’s insights underscore the importance of leadership roles in championing customer-centric values, the tangible ROI of prioritizing customer needs, and the delicate balance between operational efficiency and empathetic service. This episode serves as a valuable guide for businesses aiming to elevate their customer experience and foster a culture centered around customer success.

Notable Quotes:

• Sophia Pogreb (02:37): “Putting customers first is very much a value and part of our culture.”
• Lauren Wood (02:58): “I have experienced that simplicity firsthand and I really appreciate it.”
• Sophia Pogreb (04:40): “Whatever you are doing right, you may be a backend engineer or a fraud risk operations professional. We want you to have our customers on your mind every day, all day.”
• Sophia Pogreb (25:48): “Customer focus, relentless, customer focused... has to be table stakes.”
• Sophia Pogreb (45:07): “Better start with the customer. Every time.”