Bringing Hallmark Moments To The Business World | Patrick McCullough

Hey CX Nation,

In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #260, we welcomed Patrick McCullough, President of Hallmark Business Connections, based in Kansas City, MO. 

Just like you rely on Hallmark to strengthen your personal relationships, you can count on them to keep your business going and growing.

We help businesses by turning customers into advocates, employees into champions and companies into more connected environments all through the power of an unexpected Hallmark card.

Nothing better than a "tangible thank you" in a world where everything seems to be moving towards digital. 

In this episode, Patrick and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team at Hallmark Business Connections think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.

**Episode #260 Highlight Reel:**

1. Hallmark cards -- the game changer in a digital world
2. Leveraging traditional mediums to grow your business & CX efforts
3. Why tangible gifts & notes are still extremely beneficial in business
4. Expanding your tool-kit for customer & employee shout-outs
5. What we can learn from Hallmark about remaining relevant over decades

Click here to learn more about Patrick McCullough

Click here to learn more about Hallmark Business Connections

Huge thanks to Patrick for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.

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Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Experience, Customer Success & Revenue Operations?

Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.

Transcript

Summary

Hallmark Business Connections Interview

Adrian interviewed Patrick McCullough, President of Hallmark Business Connections, who shared his background in marketing and advertising before joining Hallmark 10 years ago. Patrick explained that Hallmark Business Connections helps clients build better relationships with their customers and employees, leveraging the brand's 20-year history and marketing expertise. The discussion touched on how Hallmark's business has evolved beyond traditional greeting cards to offer comprehensive customer experience solutions.

Hallmark's Business Relationship Building

Patrick explained that Hallmark Business Connections has been helping large companies, including Fortune 1000 firms, build better relationships with customers and employees through personalized physical and digital cards for 30 years. He highlighted that while the greeting card industry is in decline, the participation rate remains consistent across generations, with 80% of households still engaging in card sending. Patrick emphasized that Hallmark's brand recognition and ability to provide both small-scale and large-scale personalized communications make it a valuable tool in companies' relationship-building toolkits, even in an era of digital communication.

Hallmark's Digital Transformation Journey

Patrick discussed the evolution of Hallmark Business Connections over the past decade, highlighting its transformation from a traditional print agency to a more technologically advanced business. He emphasized the importance of scale efficiency and digital product development, which he identified as key areas for improvement. Patrick also mentioned the integration of Hallmark's creative resources and research capabilities, which have been beneficial for the business. He attributed the success of these initiatives to the hard work of his team and his role in amplifying their ideas.

Hallmark's Hybrid Work Model

Patrick discussed Hallmark's headquarters in Kansas City and their hybrid work model, with about two-thirds of staff based there alongside manufacturing and fulfillment operations. The company maintains a legacy software development team in Minneapolis, and Patrick emphasized their commitment to both in-office collaboration and remote work flexibility. CXChronicles noted that while some industries thrive with modern remote work, others prefer traditional office environments, and Patrick acknowledged the success of their hybrid approach despite the challenges of managing different locations.

Hallmark's Headless Salesforce Implementation

Patrick explained Hallmark Business Connections' tech stack, which includes hallmarkbusiness.com, Care (a call center software), Connect (a distributed marketing solution), and Breakthrough (a direct marketing service). He described their decision to build a headless app on top of Salesforce Commerce Cloud, which took about 18 months to initially build. Patrick emphasized that this foundational approach has allowed them to build and iterate on their products more efficiently, with recent implementations taking only a few weeks for new clients.

Strategic Software Selection and Integration

Patrick emphasized the importance of doing hard things correctly to avoid future complications, contrasting with businesses that often take shortcuts. CXChronicles agreed, highlighting how clients often face larger projects due to foundational issues not being addressed properly. They discussed the strategic selection of tools, warning against accumulating unnecessary software that could drain resources. Patrick noted the current turmoil in the enterprise software market, attributing it to businesses reassessing their software stacks, and mentioned Microsoft and Salesforce's dominance and the integration of new tools like Microsoft's scheduling app. He concluded by emphasizing Hallmark's focus on building unique, differentiated software that aligns with its value proposition.

Hallmark's Process-Driven Customer Focus

Patrick discussed Hallmark Business Connections' approach to processes, emphasizing that they are embedded in the company's culture as a means of accountability and enabling customer needs rather than being seen as red tape. He shared an example of how the company used its processes to create a successful marketing campaign for a swimsuit brand, focusing on serving the client's needs while maintaining quality. Patrick also highlighted Hallmark's market-back approach, where products and services are developed based on customer feedback, and the importance of both quantitative and qualitative feedback from clients and customers to measure success.

Personalized Customer Service Success Story

Patrick shared a story about Spire's customer service representatives who are trained to recognize key moments in customer interactions, such as birthdays or family losses, and follow up with personalized Hallmark cards. He described how a customer who received such a card was so moved that she called into a local radio show to share her positive experience, highlighting the power of these relationship-building touchpoints. Patrick emphasized that while quantitative feedback is important, qualitative feedback from customers is equally valuable for understanding the impact of these initiatives and building stronger customer relationships.

Hallmark's Intentional Cultural Practices

Patrick discussed Hallmark's unique family-like culture, which has been maintained for over 150 years as a privately held company. He explained that Hallmark prioritizes employee feedback and engagement, with an 85% satisfaction rate among corporate staff. Patrick emphasized the importance of intentional culture that balances employee satisfaction with business outcomes, while also serving customers and owners. He encouraged listeners to consider implementing similar intentional cultural practices in their own businesses.