Zoyeb Batliwala, Director Operations – Client Services and Customer Success – at Apna: “At the heart of every decision, the customer’s voice should be the loudest”

Zoyeb Batliwala says he has one mission: “to harness RecruitmentTech, marketplaces and SaaS to connect people, skills, jobs and companies”. That sounds like several missions to us, but they’re all necessary in his role as Director Operations of Clients Services and Customer Success at Apna, India’s leading job platform.

Along with “RecruitmentTech”, Zoyeb has also introduced us to a new leadership philosophy of “disagree and commit”. In three words, this successfully summarises the challenge faced by so many teams: while everyone is entitled to strong views on strategy and delivery, ultimately you must go forward as one team.

Zoyeb is also a great advert for companies and individuals refusing to be bound by stereotypes. As an engineering graduate, he could easily have been pigeon-holed into a category – and to pigeon-hole himself – but instead Zoyeb pivoted to customer experience. As our interview below shows, he brings with him a different perspective that has helped to drive him and his team to deliver innovative, excellent customer service.

Recommended reading: Dan Draper, CEO at CipherStash: “If it’s not a hell yes, it’s probably a no!”

Could you please introduce yourself to our audience? What motivated you to pursue a career in customer experience, and how did you embark on your journey in this field?

Hello, I’m Zoyeb Batliwala, a seasoned leader in marketplace operations with a rich background in building high-performing teams and designing customer experiences in the recruitment technology sector.

My foray into customer experience was somewhat serendipitous. After completing my engineering degree, I dabbled in technical sales, which unknowingly prepared me for a customer-centric career. In 2014, I was eyeing a non-customer-facing role at a Series A-funded recruitment tech startup. However, my flair for engaging with customers, honed during my sales stint, caught the attention of the hiring team. They saw the potential for me in customer experience – a domain I had not considered before.

Embracing this unexpected turn, I stepped into the customer experience realm, setting the stage for what would become a decade-long journey of connecting professionals to meaningful opportunities through innovative customer service strategies. This unexpected pivot not only defined my career trajectory but also ignited my passion for enhancing customer interactions through technology and empathy.

What are your thoughts on the escalating integration of AI in customer experience and its potential influence on the future of customer service at large?

The integration of AI in customer experience marks a transformative era in customer service, offering unparalleled efficiency, consistency and scalability in handling customer queries. AI’s superiority lies in its objective, continuous and repetitive processing capabilities, which outperform human capacity, especially when managing vast volumes of inquiries.

However, to fully harness AI’s potential, there’s a pressing need for organisations to streamline their knowledge bases. This consolidation process involves not just aggregating existing information but also continuously updating it through dedicated content creators. As products and services evolve, so too must the knowledge powering AI systems, ensuring they remain as relevant and effective as possible.

The future impact of AI in customer service hinges on two pivotal factors: the comparative costs of AI implementation versus traditional customer service staffing and the availability of professionals skilled in integrating AI within customer service frameworks. While AI can drastically reduce operational costs by automating routine tasks, the initial investment in AI technology and the ongoing need for specialised talent to maintain and improve AI systems can be significant.

Furthermore, as AI becomes more embedded in customer service processes, there’s a potential for it to reshape the job landscape, necessitating a shift towards roles that emphasise human empathy and strategic oversight over routine task execution.

Recommended reading: Dunja Riehemann, CMO of ProGlove: “AI in its current form is not a magic wand”

How do you ready yourself for an AI-driven landscape as a customer experience leader? What new skills do you need?

As a customer experience leader gearing up for an AI-driven future, I prioritise a deep dive into the mechanics of Large Language Models (LLMs) and the strategic management of knowledge bases. This dual focus ensures not only an understanding of AI’s capabilities but also its practical application in enhancing customer interactions. The core skills necessary for thriving in this landscape extend beyond the technical aspects of training AI models. They encompass a comprehensive approach that includes:

• Technical Proficiency with AI: Understanding the principles of AI and machine learning, especially LLMs, is foundational. Leaders must be adept at grasping how these models are developed, trained, and deployed to tailor customer service solutions effectively.
• Strategic Content Management: Crafting and continuously updating knowledge bases is vital. This skill involves structuring information in a way that AI can easily process and retrieve, ensuring that responses remain accurate and relevant as products and services evolve.
• Feedback Loop Integration: An iterative process of incorporating customer feedback into AI model training is critical. This involves analysing responses, identifying areas for improvement, and refining AI interactions to better meet customer needs.
• Ethical and Empathetic AI Use: Beyond the technical and strategic skills, leaders must navigate the ethical considerations of AI deployment in customer service, ensuring that AI complements rather than replaces the human touch. This includes fostering empathy and understanding in AI responses and aligning with customer expectations for personalised and considerate interactions.
• Change Management: As AI transforms customer service operations, leaders must be skilled in managing change, guiding their teams through transitions, and fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability.

Adapting to an AI-driven landscape requires a blend of technical knowledge, strategic content management, and a commitment to ethical considerations. By focusing on these areas, customer experience leaders can leverage AI to enhance service outcomes while maintaining the human empathy and connection that customers value. This comprehensive skill set not only prepares leaders for the challenges of an AI-enhanced future but also positions them to drive meaningful improvements in customer experience.

Could you share some of your most noteworthy accomplishments that you take particular pride in?

One of my most cherished accomplishments in the customer experience realm has been the development and implementation of an insights collection process from daily chat support interactions. This achievement stands out for me because it required comprehensive alignment across the organisation, from frontline agents to our CEO.

The challenge was not just in collecting feedback but in categorising cases in such a way that it genuinely captured the voice of the customer. This process enabled us to distil actionable insights that have been instrumental for our product and business teams, allowing for deeper dives into customer needs and experiences.

The success of this initiative lies in its impact; it has fostered a culture of continuous improvement and customer-centric innovation within the company. It’s a testament to the power of listening and responding to customer feedback, and I take great pride in the role I played in making it a reality.

Recommended reading: These three questions are always asked in job interviews

What core values have played a pivotal role in shaping your approach to customer experience?

In shaping my approach to customer experience, two core values stand out, albeit unconventional: the awareness of social media’s impact and the constant navigation of customer expectations versus service offerings.

The fear of negative social media repercussions has underscored the importance of proactive customer service and the need to exceed customer expectations in a transparent and public arena. This vigilance has driven us to refine our service offerings continually, ensuring they not only meet but anticipate customer needs.

Additionally, the challenge of aligning with diverse customer expectations, especially in a market like India where expressing needs can be nuanced, has fostered a culture of empathy, active listening and adaptability within my teams.

These experiences have instilled a rigorous customer-centric philosophy, prompting us to constantly innovate and tailor our services to address unarticulated needs and ensure customer satisfaction in a dynamic and demanding marketplace.

What piece of advice would you offer to fellow customer experience professionals that has been particularly beneficial to you personally?

The advice that has been a cornerstone of my approach to customer experience, and which I’d share with fellow professionals, is to always question, “How does this benefit the customer?”

In the realm of customer experience, we are the advocates for the customer, a responsibility that demands our unwavering commitment to their best interests. This guiding principle has profoundly influenced my career, earning me and my team recognition as trusted advisors to CXOs and Product Managers.

Our dedication to capturing and acting on customer feedback has enabled us to conduct beta releases and controlled experiments that have shaped pivotal product features. This approach has not only garnered respect and clout among peers and customers but has also underscored the value of a customer-first mindset in driving organisational success. It’s a reminder that at the heart of every decision, the customer’s voice should be the loudest.