In an interview with Insights Success, Brian Shore, CEO, ZOOM International, shares valuable insights from the experiences he gained during his entrepreneurial journey. Moreover, he broadly discusses the services offered by his company.
Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between Brian and Insights Success:
How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to appeal to the target audience?
First and foremost, we guide our customers by helping them answer one simple question, “How did each specific interaction make the customer feel?” This sounds rather simplistic on the surface, but it comes as no surprise that many great and well admired software companies focus entirely too much on their tech stack or usage metrics and not nearly enough time on the impact to people.
At ZOOM, we start with capturing the Emotion of the Customer (EOC) by leveraging one of the most comprehensive survey platforms in the industry (Email, SMS, IVR, Manual & Outbound Dial) and work backwards towards connected points of coaching. Our goal is to provide actionable insights using technology and repeatable workflow that highlight the most successful customer interactions from the customers’ perspective rather than the agent or supervisors. We know from our own experience that doing so will turn unconscious organizational competence distinctly conscious allowing those successful interactions to be used as a benchmark, and training tool.
Pinpointing the least successful interactions from the customers’ perspective also provides actionable information such as identifying gaps in personal coaching or process pitfalls which can be rectified. We refer to this as 360-degree insights where the agent, supervisor and customer all weigh in creating a full picture of each encounter. Most organizations can achieve only a portion of this type of actionable intelligence using multiple products from multiple companies or manually intensive processes.
Describe some of the vital attributes that every entrepreneur should possess.
When asked, “What is the secret to success?” My response is typically, “When I find it, I will certainly let you know!” In all seriousness, entrepreneurs need to possess a variety of traits to sustain and persevere through the many setbacks, disappointments, self-doubt and moments of personal failure. First, one must understand why they want to build something and clearly understand their own core values. If you understand why you are doing something and how it ties into what you care about the most (values) then you are well equipped to accomplish almost anything.
The second most important trait is perseverance coupled with a combination of ignorance, stubbornness and near delusion. Building something is tough, not only physically tough… mentally tough. Failure is a relative term and usually associated with the moments when we quit on ourselves. I’m perfectly ok with making mistakes but I’ve never been ok with giving up or not finishing what I started. At the risk of sounding trite, the third point is the most important and applies to anyone in any field professionally or personally. You can have almost anything you wish for in life but you have to help the person in front of you get what they want first. There are no tricks or shortcuts and people can sense authenticity very quickly so try to help others achieve their goals, ambitions and desires.
What were the past experiences, achievements or lessons that have shaped your journey?
There are so many lessons learned over the years that I am struggling to choose the most pertinent ones. The first experiences that come to mind involve my amazing parents and their advice and personal challenges. My parents used to refer to their divorce as their greatest failure but if you look at their lives today, they wouldn’t be with their current partners or be the people they are today without it. If you are an entrepreneur, married, a parent or a friend, sometimes we have to let the situation play out because very few situations are as bad as they seem in the moment.
The Dutch have a great saying, “The soup is never eaten as hot as it is served.” Sometimes when we think we have failed, we are really just walking down our path and learning from it along the way. I’ve had so many amazing mentors, teachers, friends and people who chose to see the best in me and I wouldn’t do what I do without them. No one does anything alone so surround yourself with like-minded people that assume positive intent and want the best for you.
Where do you see yourself in the near future and what are your future goals?
The future is difficult to predict but I am incredibly excited about the opportunities to become a better steward to our 150+ employee families within ZOOM, our 350+ Partners world-wide and our 2,000+ Customers in 94 Countries that permit me to do what I love. It’s easy to serve their needs because they provide so many amazing opportunities for all of our families. While ZOOM has my 100% focus and attention, my personal hobby is angel investing and helping aspiring business leaders flourish. On a purely personal level, becoming a more mindful Husband and Father tops the list. My Children will ultimately provide the litmus test for my life after I am gone.
What is your advice for budding and emerging entrepreneurs?
Focus on why you want to be an entrepreneur and your core values – not the outcome. Choose people you trust and love to go on the journey with you as you will need them more than you know along the way. Keep your personal expenses low so you can prioritize the needs of the company. Find the best partner in life possible that has your back. My wife, Rachel, has helped me through my toughest moments and I’m eternally grateful.
