PPB December 2020

president and CEO of Accolades, Inc.; and Roni Wright, MAS, vice president of The Book Company, will begin their three- year terms as trustees in January following PPEF’s meeting. Griffin has spent 30 years in the promotional products industry and currently leads her Atlanta, Georgia, distributor company. She has been engaged extensively in volunteer work in her community, including serving on the boards of the Young Women’s Christian Association of Greater Atlanta, the Atlanta Business League, the United Sisterhood of Wheat Street Baptist Church, and the Vacation Bible School on Wheat Street. Griffin also served on the boards of the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, the Callanwolde Arts Center Foundation, the Hispanic Corporate Council of America and NSAC Jack and Jill America. She alsomentors young women attending Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, her undergraduate alma mater, where she serves as a trustee, and Spellman College in Atlanta. Wright has more than 33 years in the promotional products industry and leads the sales effort for The Book Company’s book category, andmanages regional sales rep companies and distributor relations. Her volunteer work in the industry includes terms on the PPAI board of directors, the Regional Association Council and the Leadership Advisory Committee, as well as many committees, advisory groups and taskforces. She also previously served on the PPEF board, in 2008-2011, and was its board chair in 2010. PPEF’s officers are members of its 18-member Board of Trustees and will serve a one-year term. The 2021 executive committee includes: • Carrie Pitre, MAS, The Magnet Group, Chair • Dana Porter, MAS, SAGE, Immediate Past Chair, • Matt Bertram, Fields Manufacturing, Chair Elect, • Lindsey Davis, MAS, Raining Rose, Vice Chair – Strategic Planning & Budget • Janet McMaster, MAS, Geiger, Vice Chair – Fundraising • Sydra Newell, SnugZ USA, Vice Chair – Marketing & Recognition • Dustin Wicks, HALO Branded Solutions, Vice Chair – Scholarship Funded by PPAI and generous donations from companies and individuals within the promotional products industry, the PPEF scholarship program enables youth and professionals to continue their education at the collegiate level. The Association and industry patrons have a long-standing commitment of service to the promotional products industry, and this fund supports those who demonstrate the same commitment. 1/28/2020 PCT January22, 2020 https://www.magnetmail.net/actions/email_web_version.cfm?ep=Zj0mdX5iQ5t2XLwu0XQh60btm6WNuyI3Dw6H9a8TDDMH9u-LVIW2W6Zg90WM8C … 1/2 Top-ShelfTipNo. 15: “Makeevery interaction count,even the smallones.Theyareall relevant.” ShepHyken FiveTrendsThatWillReshapeCustomerService Howoftendoyou consider the customer serviceyour teamprovides? Ifyouwant togrowandmaintainyour customerbase in the comingdecade,you can’t let your customer service stagnate.PeterDaisyme, co-founderofHostt, says that consumersare four timesas likely tobuy froma competitoraftera service issue than theyareaftera productone. Sohow canyoumake sure thatyoudeliver stellar customer service?By stayingon topof trendsand innovating. In this issueof PromotionalConsultantToday ,wediscuss the five trends thatDaisyme sayswill reshape customer service. 1.Socialmediawillbecomedefaultchannels. AsmillennialsandGenZersmakeupa largerand larger shareofyour market, socialmediaoutreach is likely tomakeupmore thanhalfofyour customer-service requests, saysDaisyme.Those runningyour socialaccountsneed tounderstandyourproductor service likeveteranmembersofyour customer-service staff.Daisyme recommendsusing chatbots to field commonquestions,which freesup time foryour teammembers to tacklemore complexquestions. 2.Automationwillget thehuman touch. AutomationandAIarehot topics inevery sector,and customer service is noexception,notesDaisyme.However,when customershear “customer-serviceautomation,” they thinkofautomated menusand spammy robocalls.From theuser’sperspective, that sortofautomation isworse thannoneatall.Automation willbeamust,according toDaisyme,but it’sbestused toaugmenthumanworkers. 1/28/2020 PPBNewslink January 1, 2020 https://www.magnetmail.net/actions/email_web_version.cfm?ep=Zj0mdX5iQ5t2XLwu0XQh60btm6WNuyI3Dw6H9a8TDDMnnyMz4pR8_YX5drGCxGn… 1/5 January 2, 2020 Send news to JamesK@ppai.org TopNews . Business Leaders'BiggestConcern In2020 IsRiskOf Recession A new survey reveals that theworld's chief executives view the risk of a recession as their biggest external concern in 2020. Attracting and retaining talent ranks as their top internal concern. They also feel unsettled by trade uncertainty, political instability andmore intense competition from disruptive technologies.However, they plan to counter such forces by developingmore innovative cultures and new business models. Readmore Business Leaders' Biggest Concern IndustryNews . Trump ToSignPhase-One TradeDealWithChinaOn January15 On Tuesday, President Trump tweeted that hewould sign a phase-one trade dealwith China on January 15 in a ceremony at theWhiteHouse and vowed to later travel to Beijing to begin talks on phase two. The news comes aftermore than a year of tariffs stemming from concerns about China's intellectual property theft and trade practices. Readmore Trump To Sign Phase-One TradeDeal PPAINews . NextMonth,PPAIWebinarSeries LooksAtProfessional Branding Throughitswebinarseries,PPAIprovidesindustryprofessionalstools, bestpracticesandactionableidealsthattheycanusetobuilduptheir businessesandexpandtheirskillset.OnJanuary29at1pmCT, "Branding:NotJustIcingOnACupcake"offerstoolsandideasfor brandingasaprofessionalandasabusiness.Thewebinarrosteralso featuresawiderangeofideas,updatesandothertopicsimportantto promotionalproductsindustrypractitioners.Allsessions,exceptfor certaineventrecordings,arefreetoPPAImembersandinclude MAS/CAS credits. | DECEMBER 2020 | 105 CONNECT