“Tech that positively impacts the business performance of our clients every day”. All change as Critizr becomes Goodays
Nicolas Hammer, Co-founder and CEO, Critizr, gives RTIH the lowdown on the customer satisfaction and experience management specialist’s decision to change its name to Goodays, launch an AI lab, and appoint a new Chairman.
RTIH: So, why the change of name?
NH: Like many tech businesses, where we started out over ten years ago is very different to where we are now.
There has been a huge amount of innovation and change since then to meet the needs of our clients - and we had a strong sense that Critizr wasn’t a good representation of who we are today and where we’re going.
Back in 2012 our main function was to help businesses respond to negative feedback.
Today our platform is integrated into businesses as a positive daily customer interaction management tool to make the customer experience better. We also have an ambitious and very upbeat team, so overall we felt that Critizr was just too negative.
It’s also kind of tricky to say if you’re not French which was becoming a barrier to our international growth plans. When we heard the name Goodays we all knew that we’d found our new identity. It’s positive and it perfectly sums us up: technology that positively impacts the business performance of our clients every day.
RTIH: You’ve been around for ten years now. What have been some of the highlights?
NH: I’m extremely proud of the relationships we have with our long-standing clients, and how we’ve evolved to consistently deliver a positive uplift in customer satisfaction and their business outcomes, often in very challenging market conditions.
Building a team of over 100 incredible CX experts in five countries around the world also makes me extremely proud.
Their energy and dedication to taking our business to the next level and serving our clients is one of the best parts of running this business, and they are also a brilliant bunch of people to work alongside.
The speed at which they brought the Customers Say Thank You and Proud of My Store campaigns to life as a tribute to retail workers during and after the pandemic is another highlight.
Finally, the biggest reward for me is meeting client teams in the field who tell me that the Goodays platform is a highly valued, daily habit that makes life better in their business.
In a sector where companies all too often invest in technology that’s too complicated to use or is ultimately ineffective, knowing that we have a near 100% use and effectiveness score with our users is the ultimate win.
RTIH: What have been the biggest challenges during that time?
NH: The pace of digital transformation in commerce is very fast, and we’ve challenged ourselves to always stay a step ahead to meet the needs of our clients.
That’s not the easy option, but we have always listened to the market and worked hard to keep our solution at the absolute forefront of what customers and brands need.
Building an international team with over 20 nationalities and many different languages comes with a few challenges but the vibrancy and diversity of our business as a result is well worth it.
International growth is an exciting opportunity for us, but the scope and maturity of each market is different, so there are of course challenges when it comes to our global growth plans, which we’re meeting with investment in intelligent, tailored strategies in each country.
RTIH: Tell us about your new AI lab
NH: It’s an innovation hub within the business dedicated to bringing the transformative power of artificial intelligence to the customer experience.
Rather than view AI as a threat to human service and values, we’re re-modelling it as a tool to overcome customer experience challenges and bring the people in commerce – customers, staff and executives – closer together.
But in summary, it will offer businesses a daily customer ‘pulse’ packed with insights about what customers are thinking and talking about, based on the thousands of interactions processed by the platform every day.
RTIH: You’ve recently appointed Martin Green as Chairman. What led you to bring him onboard?
NH: Martin is a real trailblazer in the CX tech world and no one knows the sector better than he does.
His experience and market knowledge will be invaluable for our growth plans and he’s already bringing fresh perspectives and exciting ideas that are making a positive difference.
We are thrilled that he chose to come onboard with Goodays for the next exciting phase of our development.
RTIH: You are out in force at Retail Technology Show 2023 this week. What have you got planned for the show and what are you hoping to take away from it?
NH: I’m delighted to say that we are once again sponsoring the VIP and media lounge at the show. It was a great experience for our team last year and this will be our first event under the new Goodays name in the UK.
We have a few surprises in store but our overall theme is optimism: what people feel hopeful about in retail, their inspiration and their big ideas for the future.
There’s a lot of difficulty and challenge in our sector at the moment, but there is also so much innovation, enthusiasm and talent rising up in response. That’s what we want to capture and celebrate at the show.
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