That's Genius!

Without regular maintenance, your contact center's back-end software can pile up, causing a drop in performance and even larger issues down the line. Even more concerning, if you are planning a move to the Cloud, you want to ensure you don't carry legacy problems and dirty data with you.  McGee-Smith Analytics President & Principal Analyst Sheila McGee-Smith and Blackchair CEO & Co-Founder Jason Owen share their tips for keeping your CX software clean and adaptable for future challenges.   Ready to rethink what's possible in CX? Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or anywhere you get podcasts.

Over the past decade, social media became a primary way for consumers to connect with large-scale businesses. It offers public transparency to customers which empowers their voices, and it gives companies an opportunity to build trust among their followers.  In this episode, B2B tech influencer and content creator Evan Kirstel shares his insights on how some companies use social media to its full potential and how others use it in ways that could harm their brand identity.   Ready to rethink what's possible in CX? Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or anywhere you get podcasts.

In the modern customer service world, it's more important than ever that brands make it clear that they stand for more than just profits.  So how exactly can a company ensure that customers know that it stands for something?  I recently sat down with Aspirational Futures Founder and CEO Sally Eaves to discuss doing the right thing as a company. In this episode of Dare to Reimagine, Sally shares insight on the importance of building a comprehensive ESG strategy, what motivates employees to become brand ambassadors, and why it's necessary to replace box-checking with actual change.  Join us as we discuss:  How ESG investment promotes conscious consumerization  Setting expectations with employees about what the company stands for The importance of digital integration in a hybrid workplace environment

Nearly half of us would rather go to the dentist than call customer support. At heart, it's a trust issue, and consistency and predictability lies at the core of great CX. Hear our conversation with Shep Hyken, Chief Amazement Officer at Shepard Presentations, LLC: - Why customer experience and customer expectations must be equal - What “skimpflation” is and how brands should respond - How to use chatbots seamlessly and effectively for great CX More information about Shep and today's topics: - LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shephyken/ - Company website: https://hyken.com/ - I'll Be Back by Shep Hyken Ready to rethink what's possible in CX? Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or anywhere you get podcasts.

The first thing you should do when a customer complains — Thank them. They're pinpointing issues that the team can now fix. But if you want the kind of team that embraces complaints and goes to work with enthusiasm, there must be a focus on the employee experience. Nick Glimsdahl, Director of Contact Center Solutions at VDS, joins me today to discuss his new book and all the reasons why the employee experience should be your main area of focus for a better customer experience. Join us as we discuss: 138 pages of nothing & the digital transformation Lessons learned about customer experience & service Moving a contact center to the cloud How to do employee retention right Tip of the week for listeners Ready to rethink what's possible in CX? Subscribe to every episode of Dare to Reimagine on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or your favorite podcast player.

When dealing with every single customer, you have to understand that individual end-to-end customer journey. That requires a single source of truth — which most companies don't have. Zeus Kerravala, Founder and Principal Analyst at ZK Research, joins me today to discuss using data to integrate sales and service. Join us as we discuss: Why sales and service should become best friends The importance of data integrations, especially with the contact center A word of wisdom to the vendor community Why you need a Chief Experience Officer An urgent need to be agile, adaptable, and scalable Ready to rethink what's possible in CX? Subscribe to every episode of Dare to Reimagine on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or your favorite podcast player.

When dealing with every single customer, you have to understand that individual end-to-end customer journey.  That requires a single source of truth — which most companies don't have.  Zeus Kerravala, Founder and Principal Analyst at ZK Research, joins me today to discuss using data to integrate sales and service.  Join us as we discuss: Why sales and service should become best friends The importance of data integrations, especially with the contact center A word of wisdom to the vendor community Why you need a Chief Experience Officer An urgent need to be agile, adaptable, and scalable   Ready to rethink what's possible in CX? Subscribe to every episode of Dare to Reimagine on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or your favorite podcast player. 

The ground is shifting beneath us. Because of the pandemic, massive advances have been made in digital engagement and automation. And those twin pillars have led us back to a hot topic from six years ago — the customer journey. When we talked about the customer journey before, we didn't really know what to do with our data. But now, we have ways to leverage it in a myriad of paradigm-shifting ways. In this episode, I'm joined by a titan of the CX and contact center world, Sheila McGee-Smith, president and principal analyst at McGee-Smith Analytics, to talk about some of these emerging trends. Join us as we discuss: - Who should be making contact center decisions - How customer data platforms help extend customer personas - The role analytics plays in driving service strategy - What the biggest trends will be in 2022 Resources mentioned during the podcast: -The Long-Distance Leader by Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel Ready to rethink what's possible in CX? Subscribe to every episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website. Listening on a desktop and can't see the links? Just search for Dare to Reimagine in your favorite podcast player.

Do you have the unifying trifecta of method, message, and martech working for you? Or is your customer journey somehow still siloed — with your contact center the least aligned of all? In this episode, I interview Neil Valentine, chief revenue officer at Lucency, about creating a unified customer journey that integrates the contact center into the marketing and sales flow.

Working tools into your retail experiences that allow you to connect with your customer through their mobile device on their preferred digital channels is a tall order. Integrating technology into the customer experience must start with a customer-centric strategy that focuses on layers of gratification. In this episode, I interview Melissa Gonzalez, CEO and founder at the Lionesque Group, about empowering the retail experience with human connection through technology. Join us as we discuss: The surprising survey results about personal mobile devices in stores The overlap between retail strategy and hospitality Starting with the customer when developing your technology strategy What makes a successful tech-enabled retail experience Check out this resource we mentioned during the podcast: Shout-out to Nike  Ready to rethink what's possible in CX? Subscribe to every episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.  Listening on a desktop and can't see the links? Just search for Dare to Reimagine in your favorite podcast player.

What would you rather do — go to the dentist or call customer support? Forty-eight percent of us say they'd rather have the root canal. Creating customer amazement by delivering consistent, predictable above-average service is what brings people back to your business again and again. In this first episode of Five9's newly rebranded Dare to Reimagine podcast, I interview Shep Hyken, chief amazement officer at Shepard Presentations, about the role of amazement in customer experience. Join us as we discuss: - The keys to creating amazement in customers - Being slightly better than average, aka the extra degree - Empowering employees to deliver excellent service - Embracing the basics: appreciation, feedback, and improvement Check out this resource we mentioned during the podcast: I'll Be Back by Shep Hyken Ready to rethink what's possible in CX? Subscribe to every episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website. Listening on a desktop and can't see the links? Just search for Dare to Reimagine in your favorite podcast player.

We're proud to launch our rebranded podcast, Dare to Reimagine. As part of our Reimagine CX campaign, our vision is to bring bold new ideas from the innovators who are transforming customer experience and changing the way businesses connect with customers. In this trailer episode, podcast producer Jordan Alford chats with Dare to Reimagine host Genefa Murphy, Five9 CMO, about what to expect in each episode. We talk about: -The three reasons behind the Dare to Reimagine podcast rebrand -Customer experience and customer service leaders and practitioners -Making AI more than a buzzword Join us in sparking CX imagination on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website. Listening on a desktop and can't see the links? Just search for Dare to Reimagine in your favorite podcast player.

At Five9, we want to make customer service a human experience. And we've identified seven factors that go into human-centered customer service: Know me. Respect me. Meet me. Empower me. ... For the rest, you'll have to listen to this episode of That’s Genius! where we talked with Scott Kolman, senior vice president of marketing Five9, about: The seven factors of human-centered customer service Why customers switch brands The 3 key stakeholders in customer experience Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

People everywhere have had to go home during COVID. Although technology is not as widespread in Mexico as in developed countries, more and more customers need the cloud. Finance remains regulated but retail, healthcare, financial services, technology, and business services are all moving online. On a recent episode of That’s Genius!, we talked with Gilberto Godinez, CEO & founder of GRUPO ITS (PCSNets Mexico), about: The partnership between GRUPO ITS and Five9 The pandemic's impact on the marketplace in Mexico What cloud adoption been like during this pandemic in Mexico Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

The latest episode of “That’s Genius!” is a very special one. They’re all special, but for this episode, we got to sit down and talk with our newest hire, Five 9’s new Chief Marketing Officer, Genefa Murphy. Genefa has one of the more unique marketing career journeys we’ve seen in a while, so she seemed like a natural fit for an interview. Our conversation centered around: How she’s enjoying the Five9 culture during her first few weeks Her biggest surprise in joining Five9 What drives her passion for the marketing work that she’s doing Her favorite books, authors, food, and so much more Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

To a large extent, AI is a buzzword. The trick — and the challenge — is finding the practical implementations of AI for contact centers. If you can show how AI helps customers during COVID, you get extra credit. On a recent episode of That’s Genius!, we talked with Martin Cross, Group CTO at Conn3ct, about: What the "stabilize, enhance, transform" journey is all about How COVID accelerated the migration to new platforms 3 practical ways to deploy AI in a contact center Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

COVID provided the inflection point for the transition from legacy to the cloud. Even before the pandemic, companies were slowly moving toward cloud because it had gotten to a level of resilience, features, functionality, security, and uptime that persuaded the legacy base to trust it. The movement had already begun. Add in a pandemic and AI, and suddenly you have all the ingredients for a perfect storm. On a recent episode of That’s Genius!, we talked with Thomas John, Vice President of EMEA Channels at Five9, about: Why AI is helping companies transition to the cloud How Five9's tools automate, inform, and even provide simple answers for customers The ways different levels of channels benefit the end customer Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

In 2020, contact centers underwent their biggest stress test yet. People had to figure out how to continue their operation with their agents working from home, a remote office, or even a hotel. Did their technology support this kind of diffuse team? Then, they had to handle a surge of anxious callers. Scary times for some companies, but exciting for many others. What's next for the enterprises that can pass the stress tests of 2020? On a recent episode of That’s Genius!, we talked with Vikas Bhambri, SVP, Sales & CX @ Kustomer about: Why a barrier exists between CRM and contact centers How contact centers are being more proactive in engaging customers The current and future role for AI and automation in contact centers Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

The pandemic changed everything. The pandemic changed nothing. I'm not being philosophical. That's a realistic picture of contact centers in 2020. The pandemic sent agents home, ate up more of their time, and moved their data to the cloud. But in fact, all those trends were already in place. COVID just accelerated them. What's up next for revolution in contact centers? On a recent episode of That’s Genius!, we talked with Dave Michels, principal analyst and founder of TalkingPointz, about: Key trends in the enterprise space in 2020 Who's accelerating cloud strategies as part of digital transformation Most beneficial tools for contact centers as work from home models start to solidify Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

During the pandemic, 75% of people have changed brands. 75%. Just let that number sink in for a minute. Rowan Trollope, our Five9 CEO, shared that state from McKinsey as part of his address at our CX Summit. Given that trend, it's imperative that companies of all sizes automate their processes to better track customer engagement. On a recent episode of That’s Genius!, we talked with Mike Bourke, senior vice president, product at Five9, about: How workflow automation helps you understand customer pain What it means that the contact center is the new front door The new Five9 tool that can help you know what your customers are feeling Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Remember racing into the kitchen as a kid to grab the phone off the wall as soon as it rang? Answering the phone was fun because almost always it was someone inside your world, someone who had a legitimate reason for calling you.  That's no longer true.  But voice remains the most powerful and important channel. How can you keep it from breaking down? On a recent episode of That’s Genius!, we sat down with Jeff Woodland, director of vertical marketing at Five9, to talk about: Why consumers are losing trust in outbound calling How we can solve the phone problem for customer service What it will look like when people can manage their incoming call traffic better Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Contact centers drive a lot of the core strategy for a big, diverse telecommunications company such as AT&T. Because these companies need speed and agility, they're taking a cloud-first approach. The pandemic is only accelerating that strategy.    On a recent episode of That’s Genius!, we sat down with Mike Rajich, director of contact center & CX products at AT&T, to talk about his experiences with Five9 and his thoughts about: Why AT&T chose Five9 to power its cloud contact center solution How the pandemic has changed things for AT&T's contact centers Where Mike sees the work-from-home model going The next big thing Mike predicts will happen within the contact center. Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

In Q2, we brought on 75 new hires at Five9. These people say they're excited to be here, and they look forward to participating in our unique Five9 culture. We know we're not perfect, but we're always improving. In May of this year, we did an engagement survey while COVID was bearing down on us, and we were all working from home. It was a tough time. For most tech companies in our space, 50% engagement would be good. At Five9, 92% of our employees said they were engaged.  On this episode of That’s Genius!, we sat down with Tricia Yankovich, SVP, HR at Five9, to talk about Five9's culture and why our employees engage. We covered such topics as: How new applicants find out about Five9 Top line results from our employee engagement survey What we can expect next from an employee welfare perspective Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

90 days into her job, Five9's new vice president of product marketing, Terry Fortescue, has already planned the virtual CX Summit, gone on a hiring spree, and acquired a new Labrador puppy. Despite coming on board in the middle of a global pandemic, Terry has taken to Five9's unique culture. Though due to COVID-19, she has never actually met anybody in the office, she can still feel the warmth coming from the team.   On a recent episode of That’s Genius!, we sat down with Terry to talk about her experiences with Five9 and her thoughts about: The highlights of her first 90 days on the job The virtual CX Summit coming up on September 16 What we're planning for 2021. Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

COVID threw the entire business world for a loop.  A lot (okay, more than a lot) of companies went into triage mode.  Asking themselves, “How do we sustain our services and how to we make sure that there’s minimal disruption to our business?”  It exposed a lot of weaknesses inside of organizations that they didn't know where there, and is forcing companies to take a hard look at a cloud-based solution, rather than a premises-based one.  But remote work isn’t easy. Which is why we reached out to someone who has written some incredibly insightful stuff on the work-from-home solutions, including the things nobody will tell you.  On this episode of That’s Genius!, we talk with Greg Hanover, CEO at Liveops all about:  Standing up 6,000 virtual contact center agents within 72 hours for a crucial government agency at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic The weaknesses that COVID has exposed in a lot of contact center organizations Why a business continuity plan is a MUST for any organization The 5 things nobody will tell you about succeeding at remote work Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

This is normally the time of year that the halls at Five9 are packed with our summer interns.  And while a lot of other companies have done away with the summer intern program all together, here at Five9, we couldn’t possibly just NOT have our summer interns.  So we did what we do best.  We adapted. We decided to pivot.  And on the most recent episode of theThat’s Genius! Podcast, we sat down with three of our summer interns, for a discussion all about: What life has been like as a work-from-home intern What stood out about Five9 when it came to choosing an internship What they hoped to get out of the whole process Their next steps after completing the internship program Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

If you were scheduled to go to a conference in 2020, odds are you’re out of luck. Everybody in the business world is canceling conferences and pivoting to virtual events. And Five9 is no different.  This year’s CX summit is on track to draw over 3,000 attendees, over a 300% increase of last year’s summit in Las Vegas.  On this episode of That’s Genius!, we talk to Ryan Kam, the CMO here at Five9, about  this year’s CX summit, and the four virtual tracks that await attendees:  “Is my customer experience a more human experience?”  “What’s possible in the cloud with Five9?”  “Super powering your agents”  “Under the hood: Five9 technology and innovations.”  Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

The pandemic has proven that CXOs and companies with agile mindsets will likely succeed, while those set in their ways get left behind. It’s the nature of the beast. And the pandemic has been an ultra-beast. In this episode of That’s Genius, Michael sits down with Founder & Principal Analyst of ZK Research, Zeus Kerravala. Zeus gives us the lowdown on how the pandemic has impacted the role of the CXO. Plus, Zeus and Michael discuss: How to maintain the highest level of customer service with a remote workforce Why CXOs need to continue modernizing the customer experience even post-pandemic How consistency in employee experience cultivates a better customer experience Hear ep. 29 w/ Zeus Kerravala here. To hear this episode and more like it, subscribe to That’s Genius! on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

If you want to go faster, go alone. If you want to go farther, go together. That’s the mindset of Five9’s VP of Business Development, Walt Rossi. Strategic partnerships with other tech companies have made it possible to bring holistic solutions to Five9 customers. In this episode of That’s Genius, Walt and Michael discuss: How partnering with CRM companies has given Five9 agents a more holistic view of their customers Why Five9 built a marketplace even some of their competitors can sell on How partnering w/ Google has impacted Five9’s approach to AI Explore Five9’s app marketplace here. To hear this episode and more like it, subscribe to That’s Genius! on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

Canadians are camping on the couch like everyone else during the pandemic. Working from home is the new reality, like it is around the world. That's one reason we're seeing a dramatic acceleration in Canadian enterprises turning to the cloud. This acceleration comes on top of 30% year-over-year growth that we've been witnessing for the past five years. Canadians have seen the difference that the cloud contact center solutions can deliver to their businesses. And they realize that if you can't communicate with customers the way that they prefer to be communicated with, you're really going to struggle in the market. On a recent episode of That’s Genius!, I sat down with Chris Silver, Five 9's vice president for Canada, who shared his thoughts about:  What's driving Canadian enterprises to adopt cloud technology How the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting Canadians' transition to the cloud What the post-pandemic trends will look like in the Canadian marketplace Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Are you still working from home?  Before COVID-19 swept across the United States, less than 20% of contact center agents were being supported by a cloud-based solution.  Those 20% had an easy time making the switch to a WFH model. The other 80%?  They had a bit rougher of a go.  It’s hard to equip agents with physical phones, physical servers, firewalls, and VDI instances, rather than just issuing laptops.  Which begs the question: What will this WFH scenario look like a year from now?  Sheila McGee-Smith thinks that for the most part, it’s here to stay. She was a guest on the podcast recently and talked all about:  Why a cloud-based solution was so important in moving to a WFH model Why she thinks that more and more companies are going to keep people home How hiring practices are going to change as a result of this pandemic Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

“Organizations are spending $275B a year to deliver an experience that a lot of times, most people don’t like. That feels like an opportunity to me.”  These are words that you want to hear from your CEO.  Rowan Trollope is the CEO of Five9, and was the guest on our most recent episode of the podcast. It’s our 50th episode and also happens to be the 2 year anniversary of Rowan as the CEO at Five9. Join us as he talks all about:  Why the contact center is going to change more in the next 5 years than it has in the past 25.  Key takeaways from his first 2 years at Five9 What makes the culture at Five9 so unique and special So much more Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Have you ever wanted to be a part of the gig economy? Well, now might be your best chance. With more companies implementing the best WFH solutions, employees are moving to a gig mindset.  This is just one of the themes Anand Chadrasekaran, Executive VP of Product Management & Design at Five9, has seen emerge from the pandemic. In this episode, Michael and Anand discuss: 3 major business themes Anand has seen come out of the pandemic How advanced telecommunications have supported industries from healthcare to manufacturing Why being born in the cloud makes it easier for companies to map out their business continuity plans Catch our previous interviews with Anand on That’s Genius! Acquisitions and Applications: One Year of Success  Acquisitions and APIs: The First 90 Days at Five9 (pt 1) Reinforcement, not Replacement: The First 90 Days at Five9 (pt 2) To hear this episode and more like it, subscribe to That’s Genius! on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

During these turbulent times, there has been one constant our team has encountered:   Channel partners trying to figure out what their new normal is.   Really, that’s what we’re all striving for… normalcy.   In this episode, Casey Dunigan, Director of Channel Sales at Five9, shares what his new normal has been working from home and how the Five9 FastTrack Program has helped partners regain some of that normalcy, too.   Plus, Casey discusses:   - Success stories of partners who’ve taken advantage of FastTrack   - The benefits of migrating to the cloud in-full   - 3 pillars every business needs in order to enable a successful remote workforce   - What he believes the next 3-6 months will look like for partners To hear this episode and more like it, subscribe to That’s Genius! on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

No matter what we tell ourselves, we all want a unique, personalized experience when interacting with companies.   And, honestly, that’s what the agents at those companies want, too.   In this episode of That’s Genius, Michael catches up with Jasco’s Executive Line of Business leader, Andre Schoeman.   The two discuss:   - How strategic partnerships help businesses gain a holistic view of their customers and improve CX   - Enabling agents as they work from home   - What workforce management is looking like in a remote work world   - What operating conditions are going to look like post-pandemic To hear this episode and more like it, subscribe to That’s Genius! on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

For a lot of people, working from home sounds like a dream.    Roll out of bed, put on slippers, grab the coffee and the laptop and just sit in sweats on the couch all day?   Who wouldn’t want that?    But as anybody who has worked from home for longer than a few days knows, that starts to get really old, really fast.    You can only go so long without showering and putting on real clothes before you start to question reality.  Not to mention that it’s probably not great for you (or your employer).  On a recent episode of That’s Genius!, we sat down with David Cashman, who had some thoughts about:   - The way the customer expectation has changed in the light of COVID-19   - A fully remote workforce, and what that means for your organization   - The future of remote work after COVID-19 Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

The last time we had Anand Chandrasekaran on the That’s Genius! Podcast, he had been with Five9 for just over 100 days.    Now, he’s closing in on his first year.  Time flies when you’re in quarantine (or something like that).    So what have been the biggest victories Anand has seen since joining the team at Five9?    Acquisitions.   Anand joined host Michael Rose for the first of a 2-part interview, where they covered:   Anand’s biggest takeaways from his first year at Five9 The 4 key applications from their acquisition of Whendu Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Once upon a time, the customer contact center was simple.  It was about 3 things: 1. How quickly can we identify the customer?  2. How quickly can we get them off the phone?  3. What is this interaction going to cost us?   Now, it’s 2020, and while contact centers are still concerned with cost, these steps are no longer the driving force behind decision making.    So what has changed?    Frank Wassenbergh & Kevin Sheehan, Managing Partners at CloudLinx, think it’s a combination of 2 key factors, and they came on the podcast to talk all about:    The role technology is playing in the CCaaS space Why a negative review is far more meaningful than a positive one Why you can’t be ignoring any of the social media channels And so much more Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

In December, Zoom had 10 million daily meeting participants.  In March, when they launched their Master Agent program?  300 million.  In 3 months, they ended up with 30 times the participants and became a household name overnight. Even your grandparents know how to use Zoom.  How many cloud-based video communication platforms can you say that your grandparents understand, or even know exists?  On the most recent episode of That’s Genius!, we hear from Kevin Thomsen, Head of Master Agents at Zoom, and Jake Butterbaugh, VP Global Channel Sales, Five9, about:   Zoom’s Master Agent program What the future holds for video conferencing  Why the pandemic is going to catapult the true remote workforce to the top of the pile.  Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

“Okay, but our contact center is getting the job done as we are. Why should we consider migrating it to the cloud?” It’s a fair question.  Cloud migration requires a certain level of skill and expertise that a lot of companies simply don’t have.  But when you find a company that does?  It will take your customer experience to the next level.  How? So glad you asked. Michael Ramsey, VP of Product Management for Customer Workflow Products at ServiceNow, was a guest on this episode of the That’s Genius! podcast.    He talked through: How customer service/experience has changed in the last 10 years The benefits of moving your customer contact center to the cloud The need to balance empathy with advancement when it comes to AI Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

How do you transition more than 100,000 contact center agents to a work from home setup? And do it without sacrificing the customer experience? In this episode of That’s Genius!, Michael Rose chats with Five9 President, Dan Burkland, about how contact centers can stay safe while providing internal and external customer support during the COVID-19 pandemic.   He talks about:   Transitioning to a Work From Home environment Moving fast to meet changing needs across the globe How cloud-based solutions affect business continuity management Balancing work-at-home and on-prem in our new normal   Additional Resources COVID-19 Resources 10 Tips for Engaging New Agents from Home Five9 FastTrack Program To hear this episode and more like it, subscribe to That’s Genius! on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

Having the right space for your home office is one thing.  Having the most reliable technology to get the job done is another. In this episode of That’s Genius!, Michael catches up with Poly team members Declan Doyle (Global Alliance Sr. Manager) and Peter Jakobsen (Director of Global Alliance GTM).   The three discuss: How Poly’s business pivot in 2008 is benefitting them today The benefits and challenges of working from home Why the most reliable tech is essential for agents and other remote workers How to secure your work space from an AV point of view To hear this episode and more like it, subscribe to That’s Genius! on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

Technology, consumers, and employees.  These are the three biggest factors shaking up the modern contact center. In this episode of That’s Genius! Michael chats with ClearView president, Paul Liljenquist about the impact of recent changes to the contact center.   They discuss: How to navigate all the new channels customers are using to get in touch Best ways to help agents make sense of the data they’re encountering How gamification is impacting performance within contact centers How dashboarding empowers agents To hear this episode and more like it, subscribe to That’s Genius! on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

Agility in the workplace is needed now more than ever. In a time of so many employees working from home, the benefits of the cloud are undeniable. In this episode of That’s Genius! host Michael Rose catches up again with Scott Kolman, SVP of Corporate & Product Marketing for Five9.  The two discuss: Why the cloud is such a powerful tool for small and large businesses alike How the cloud offers more agility in times of emergency The strengths of a cloud-based contact center The benefits of the cloud for remote workers   See the Dimension Data report here. To hear this episode and more like it, subscribe to That’s Genius! on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

Customer service has come a long way.  It used to be that if a customer needed help, they had to either make a phone call or come into your physical building.  Customers are leery of coming into contact with anybody if they don’t have to.  Thankfully, a lot of businesses have already set themselves up for customer service success, as Paul Selby highlighted recently on an episode of That’s Genius!    He talked all about:  The key technologies that are helping customer service drive The way that AI and analytics can drastically improve the customer service experience, particularly at this uncertain time.  The 3 biggest improvements to the customer service landscape over the last 10 years.  Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius! episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Ready to up your customer service game?   Want to deliver a maniacal customer focus? Ask yourself these questions:   1) How can this customer get the most out of our solution? 2) What is this customer telling me they need? 3) How can my customer maximize our partnership?   Jake Butterbaugh, VP - Global Channel Sales at Five9, joined us on this episode to help answer these questions and more.   We also talked about: What a maniacal customer focus looks like The partner ecosystem The #1 thing customers really want Channel business as a global business The last decade in omnichannel Never miss an episode and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Lies or truths?   1) “Work and fun don’t mix” 2) “Call center agents should be miserable” 3) “On-prem is more reliable than the cloud”   We invited Erin Wilson, Director of Solution Consulting at Five9 onto this episode, and she told us why all of the above … are lies.    What we talked about: Cloud-based solutions vs. on-premises Beating the four-nines uptime Why call center agents can — and should — have fun at work Being yourself at work Workplace culture   Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: Erin’s book, The Sapient Salesman   Never miss an episode and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

The recent resurgence of focusing on customer experience has been supported by more than just millennials.   Turns out, everybody wants a better customer journey. And technology is sitting behind the wheel.   In this episode of That’s Genius! I speak with co-author of Outside In and the CEO of Bodine & Co., Kerry Bodine. She shares her perspective on the rise of the customer journey manager.   Plus, we cover:   What’s led to the resurgence of the customer journey Why focusing on the customer journey isn’t just for B2C How technology has added exponential value to the customer journey   Resources mentioned in this episode:  - Upcoming webinar on customer journey.    - The Ultimate Question.   To hear this episode and more like it, subscribe to That’s Genius! on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.  

It’s impossible to ignore the flexibility and scalability the cloud offers to contact centers today.   Even with all the amazing changes the cloud offers, Five9’s approach to partnerships has held steady, resulting in strong alliances across the globe.   In this episode of That’s Genius! Sabine Winterkamp — Sr. Director of International Marketing at Five9 — updates us on the growth and trends we’re seeing in the cloud contact center space.   Plus, she covers:   Five9’s secret sauce for strong global partnerships Cloud contact center trends in Europe Big events for Five9 in 2020   Learn more about CCW Berlin here. To hear this episode and more like it, subscribe to That’s Genius! on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or tune in on our website.

How many nights a year do you stay in a hotel? For a lot of us, not many. For Nick Delis, who was a guest on the That’s Genius podcast recently, the answer is over 150.   That’s half the year.    So it makes sense that he would have a thing or two to say about customer service, and which brands are doing it well, and which ones are falling short.  Nick was on the show recently and we talked all about:    What he looks for in customer service. Which brands are doing an outstanding job. Why it’s often the smallest things that make the biggest difference in customer service.    Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

The contact center is the front door to every eCommerce business. And you typically only get one chance to answer that door with a fantastic experience or risk losing that customer for good. In 2019, we talked a lot about the customer experience, the human experience, and how contact centers are increasingly the make-or-break factor in whether or not retail survives. In 2020, we want to continue that conversation, as well as continue talking about how technology like AI is uniquely poised to help contact centers bring a new level of service, empowering agents and customers alike. Featured highlights from some of our 2019 guests: Rowan Trollope Jonathan Rosenberg Dan Burkland Tricia Yankovich Kendra Riley Stephen Fioretti Anand Chandrasekaran Zeus Kerravala   We want to hear from you! Send us your questions, comments, and suggestions for the show on Twitter: @mwroseglobal or @five9 Listen to this and all our other That’s Genius episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or check our website.