Beyond Alignment: Why Great Brands Unite Around the Customer Experience
Everyone talks about being “customer-first,” but few companies operationalize it with the discipline and depth it requires. In this episode of GTM NewsDesk, Rachel Elts Downey joins Mark Kilens to unpack what customer obsession really looks like with ZoomInfo’s SVP of Customer Experience, Kirsty O’Sullivan. From intelligent onboarding to voice-of-customer without surveys, this conversation redefines what it means to earn loyalty.
Alignment Isn’t Enough—You Need to Be United: Too many teams operate in silos while claiming to be “aligned.” But customers don’t care how you’re structured—they care how they feel. ZoomInfo’s approach goes beyond departmental handoffs to create a seamless, human-centered experience built around shared value plays and success metrics.
Tailored Onboarding Starts with Listening (and AI): Instead of relying on clunky handovers and repetitive conversations, ZoomInfo uses AI to compile buyer pain points, tech stack, and sales conversations into account summaries. This allows onboarding teams to meet customers where they are—fast—and design success journeys based on actual GTM readiness.
Customer Trust Is the New Competitive Edge: With skepticism rising around AI-generated content and advertising, brands must prioritize human connection and meaning. Whether through community involvement, authentic content, or deep listening, modern buyers want to feel seen—not segmented.
A New Way to Capture Voice of Customer—Without Surveys: Rather than chase survey responses, ZoomInfo analyzes thousands of real-time customer interactions using sentiment and topic classification. The result? Actionable customer insights at both the individual and macro levels—without asking for more of their time.
Connection beats coordination. When teams are united by shared truths and actionable data, customers feel it—and they recommend you because of it.
“A lot of companies are doing the right things on paper—but they’re not united.” — Kirsty O’Sullivan
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
