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How data and technology fuel the customer experience and global expansion with Rivian’s Diane Lye

The chief information officer for the electric vehicle innovator sat down with host Nicole Saunders to discuss the importance of finding meaning in your work and how empowering employees helps create better customer experiences.

By Mark Smith, Staff Writer

Last updated March 27, 2024

Conversations with Zendesk podcast episode 14

As chief information officer for electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian, Diane Lye has a front-row seat in the carbon-free transportation revolution. A veteran of companies such as CapitalOne and Amazon, Lye has enjoyed a varied career as a demographer and statistician, among other roles.

In this episode of Conversations with Zendesk, Lye spoke about leadership lessons she’s learned over her career, why it’s so important to find meaning in your work, and the challenges Rivian faces as it expands globally while fine-tuning the customer experience.

“We have a lot of big ideas about how we want to improve our customer experiences across sales, servicing, and support,” Lye said. “We’re beginning to think about what is the next generation, what will the next step look like?”



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As Lye and her fellow Rivian employees focus on improving the customer experience, they’re driven by a singular mission: to produce innovative, stylish vehicles that will help drivers move away from fossil fuels.

“If we destroy the Earth’s atmosphere, it’s forever,” Lye said. “We have to make sure that our planet is the place we can be forever. That’s the mission that drives 15,000 Rivians to work very hard every single day.”

Be sure to catch the next episode of Conversations with Zendesk on November 29, when Erika Tabacniks of LinkedIn talks about customer success management best practices, and more.

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