Heya, Indy!

I promised a recap from the 2018 CEM Conference in Indianapolis.  “What gets measured gets managed.”  Oh, be still my nerdly heart.

One of the great aspects of this conference was the ability to network with so many amazing (yes, amazing) like-minded people.  Stories featured dedicated teams puzzling through difficult situations, focusing on providing excellent customer service.

Themes official and unofficial:

  • Data Integrity
  • Customer Service
  • Modernizing Services (shout out to Kansas KPERS for going above and beyond to engage with their newest members!)
  • Member/Customer Education (Go subscribe to the INPRS Youtube channel!)
  • Change Management
  • Customer Engagement
  • Blockchain (Blockchain??  Blockchain.)
  • Cyber Risk
  • Communities of Practice
  • Dashboards

The standout session was an exercise on an all-too-real possibility:  The Data Breach.  Indy native Jeff Hutson of INPRS did an excellent job of setting the stage for our small groups:  You receive an unverified message that hackers from the “dark web” have accessed your system and are demanding a ransom or else they’ll auction your members’ information to the highest bidder.  You have three minutes to select group members to serve in various roles and form a response.  Go.

And then this cheerful Hoosier immediately ratchets up the anxiety.  Oh, that plausible scenario?  It’s attracted news coverage and they’d like an interview.  They’re going live with you or without you.  In an hour.

An online watchdog is live-tweeting your response.  Your call centers catch  fire with callers demanding answers.  A concerned outside party set up a response website without your oversight, unhindered by facts.  Your board wants an emergency meeting, now.  Local news departments arrive at your headquarters demanding access to this public meeting.

Yikes.  *mops brow.  

Those things aside:  Indianapolis is beautiful!  Indy, where have you been all my life?  I had no idea:

Museums

Canal Walk

Monuments

Restaurants, Restaurants, Restaurants!

I had the fortune to sit next to a public pension recipient on one leg of a flight.  She advised, “Hoosiers are so polite and friendly!  You should really walk the city – go to the parks and the zoo while you’re here.”  Well, I missed the zoo but I did manage to take in some sights during our free time.

I can confirm:  Indy, you’re lovely.  I’ll be back for seconds.

 

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