Small Business Month '26 | Seeing Through Your Customer's Eyes | 29 Oct

Welcome to Small Business Month: Seeing Through Your Customer's Eyes

Customer service is more important than ever as a way to keep and win customers.

Some staggering facts emerge from Australian customer research undertaken by hello22.ai:

consumers spent more than 123 million hours on hold in 2024-2025
79% say they'll take their business elsewhere after a poor /slow service experience
82% expect phone support to respond in under 2 to 3 minutes
In small business: AI adoption is real - but uneven

This session is designed to highlight innovative ways for small businesses to enhance their service offerings and think beyond traditional frameworks.

Seeing Through Your Customers" Eyes

This session presents an opportunity to explore how culture, context and lived experience shape service needs - and how small, well-placed interventions can improve outcomes.

The evening will include a facilitated panel discussion around:

Customer Context — understanding who your customers are.
Service Trajectories — understanding their experience over time.
Customer Needs — recognising the help, service, support or care required.
Critical Moments — identifying where small interventions matter most.
Practical Innovation — improving services without major investment.
Insight Activation — turning customer understanding into action.

The key theme that will emerge is that better customer insight is not necessarily about collecting more data. It is about understanding the customer more deeply and knowing precisely when, where and how to act.

Dr Moira Scerri

Dr Moira Scerri is a Senior Lecturer at UTS Business School, specialising in service innovation and complex sociotechnical systems. Her research explores how culture, context and lived experience shape customer needs. Drawing on extensive industry experience, she helps businesses translate customer insights into practical improvements that strengthen services and outcomes.

Andrew Wilson who has recently joined the Global Council for Responsible AI as a Responsible AI Advisor.

Key event sponsors

Agenda

5.30 - 5.45 Welcome and Introduction
5.45 - 6.15 Keynote Presentation
6.15 - 6.30 Interactive Q & A
6.30 - 7.30 Networking/ Close

Here are some images from our recent networking events

Remember Members and Guests are welcome to attend.
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This CBD business community is working for business

This Chamber of Commerce is actively involved in advocating for businesses, providing access to training opportunities, identifying collaboration opportunities and supporting businesses by providing access to information and local and government support.

Membership Counts

Members and Non-Members can participate in our events and programs.

A strong Chamber needs strong Membership.

If you are not yet a Member join online and start taking advantage of our Member Growth and Concierge services to grow your network & business even faster.

Be even better connected

Expanding business networks & thought leadership programs including monthly After 5 Networking; coaching & networking through the CBD Women in Business Network; creating business referral opportunities through the CBD Roundtable series and bringing businesses together through the annual CBD Expo
Increasing the visibility of your business through inclusion on the Member Directory
Log into the CBD Memberzone to connect with members, make offers and research opportunities
Access to market-leading business legal and HR services to support your business through the Business NSW Business Hotline

Add to this:

accredited Diploma training through aEX Institute at discounted rates*, Contact nicola.curtin@aexinstitute.edu.au
discounted health insurance through Westfund Health Insurance offering members a 5% discount + a 2 month waiting period waived on Extras cover
discounted rates for BIDLOGIQ services. Please visit their webpage www.bidlogiq.ai to book a demo and/or connect with mike.pascale@bidlogiq.ai for any follow-up inquiries.