
Episode #149
Why Poor Customer Service Shows Businesses Don’t Understand Their Customers | Damian Stirrett, ServiceNow
Episode Summary In this episode of The Cashflow Show, host Clayton M Coke speaks with Damian Stirrett, UK and Ireland Group Vice President and General Manager of ServiceNow. They discuss the growing disconnect between what executives believe about customer experience and what customers actually feel, the limits of AI when used only for speed, the continuing need for human empathy, and how fragmented systems drive frustration and churn. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction and welcome 00:26 – Damian’s role and what ServiceNow does 00:55 – Why businesses fail through poor processes 01:24 – Shifting customer expectations 01:53 – AI convenience vs lack of empathy 02:22 – Customers want both speed and human contact 03:18 – The risk of over-automating 04:17 – Time wasted on broken customer service 05:16 – Fragmentation and siloed systems 05:45 – Barriers to using AI for empathy 06:44 – Misdiagnosing the customer experience problem 07:43 – Why AI still fails in conversations 08:08 – Three shifts businesses need to make 09:32 – How ServiceNow addresses fragmentation 10:56 – Risks of not improving customer experience 12:51 – Is investing in better experience expensive? 13:49 – Where to find the research Key Discussion Points 47% of executives report high customer churn due to poor experience 53% of UK consumers will switch after just one bad experience 51% of UK consumers cite lack of empathy as a top frustration 87% still want the option to speak to a human, yet only 7% of executives prioritise phone support UK consumers lose 455 million hours a year to poor customer service Only 16% of UK executives have made meaningful progress using AI to improve emotional connection The need to design for experience first, then apply AI Moving from siloed systems to a unified “system of action” Key Takeaways Customers now expect both speed and human empathy AI improves convenience but often fails on emotional connection Fragmented systems and siloed data are major sources of customer frustration Loyalty is lost faster than ever — one poor experience is often enough The cost of not fixing customer experience is higher than the cost of investing in it Notable Quotes “Customers want the choice between speed… and talking to a human. They want both. And right now, most businesses are only delivering one.” – Damian Stirrett “ AI is a tool… but on its own, it doesn’t build relationships or repair broken processes.” – Damian Stirrett “ 53% of UK consumers say that they would switch to a competitor after just one poor or slow experience.” – Damian Stirrett Actionable Insights for Businesses Design customer experience first, then deploy AI to support it Use AI for routine tasks so human agents can focus on complex and emotional issues Break down data and process silos so agents have full context Empower frontline staff with the tools and authority to resolve issues first time Treat customer experience as a commercial priority, not just a cost centre Resources ServiceNow UK research and information: www.servicenow.com/uk The Cashflow Show can be reached here : Website: www.thecashflowshowpodcast.com Email: thecashflowshowpodcast@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecashflowshow Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecashflowshowpodcast To sponsor or advertise on The Cashflow Show Podcast, contact us at thecashflowshowpodcast@gmail.com Clayton M Coke can be found here: LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/claytoncoke Email: info@prmsltd.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/prmsltd Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prmsltd/ Our theme music is called "The Mediator - aka Theme from The Cashflow Show" [PRS] and " Better Call Clayton" [PRS] “What are YOU like?”, “60 Second Shoot-Out” &"What About The Tech?" are all intellectual properties of Dialogue [London] Ltd (c) Clayton M Coke/PRMS Ltd/Dialogue [London] Ltd | All Rights Reserved ★ Support this podcast ★

