Super Saturday Recap: Customer Experience is the Ultimate Goal

In addition to educating attendees about the charitable activities of Retail ROI and presenting a heartfelt session from Katie Meyler, founder of Liberian non-profit More Than Me and a 2014 Time Person of the Year for her Ebola prevention efforts, this year’s ROI Super Saturday event in New York focused squarely on customer experience. A variety of industry experts across a range of panel discussions all returned to the crucial need for technology-enabled, seamless customer experience.



“We look at new technology very holistically, because it causes walls between online and brick-and-mortar to dissolve,” said Monica Dorcel, principal enterprise architect at Nordstrom Inc.



“Look at your unique customer experience needs and plug in the right technology,” advised Kenneth Silay, VP of technology and innovation at Chico’s FAS Inc.



“Retailers overlook tactical innovation in important areas like processes for handling call centers,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, VP and principal analyst for Forrester.



In addition, a session on security advised retailers that data breaches have become an inevitable part of business. Also, simple compliance with standards like the EMV standard for payment card security is a starting point, not the end of security efforts.



“Security isn’t an IT problem, it’s a business problem,” said Bryan Sartin, director of the RISK team at Verizon Enterprise Solutions. “You need a forensics team, cyber insurance, and a legal position. Compliance doesn’t mean you’re totally protected. You have to cover third-party vendors and all network touch-points.”