Podcasts about contact center

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #273, we welcomed Varun Sharma, Co-Founder & CEO of Enterpret based in New York, NY. Enterpret provides custom AI to transform how you understand customers – from feedback chaos into clear, confident action. Harness superintelligence that feels like intuition, so your product and CX leaders never miss a signal.The Enterpret platform supercharges teams via advanced LLMs to help brands like Notion, The Farmer's Dog, and Perplexity build better products and experiences.In this episode, Varun and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #273 Highlight Reel:**1. On a mission to connect product leaders with their customers2. Pioneering customer intelligence with AI 3. Understand your customers wants & needs 4. Creating actionable reporting to lift your CX & EX 5. VOC support to help grow your business Click here to learn more about Varun SharmaClick here to learn more about EnterpretHuge thanks to Varun for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & contact center space into the future. For all of our Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content, strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's top-performing customer focused companies? Check out the CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building an AI-powered foundation for the future. Thanks to all of you for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

Is your contact center ready to become a profit center? Agility requires not just adopting new technologies like AI, but also fundamentally rethinking how we structure our teams, measure success, and interact with customers. It demands a willingness to experiment, learn, and adapt quickly in a constantly evolving landscape. Today, we're going to talk about how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the contact center, transforming it from a cost center into a driver of customer loyalty and revenue growth. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Chang Chang, Senior Director, Product, Cloud CX Solutions at Cisco's Webex Customer Experience Solutions. About Chang Chang Chang Chang, Senior Director, Product, Cloud CX Solutions, Cisco's Webex Customer Experience Solutions.  Chang is a senior director of product management in the Webex Customer Experience Solutions business at Cisco. With over 14 years of product leadership experience, Chang has held key roles at Intuit and Mighty Audio (an early-stage startup), as well as a management consultant at PwC. Chang holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson. Chang Chang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/changjonathanj/ Resources Cisco's Webex Customer Experience Solutions: https://www.webex.com/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

UC Today's Kieran Devlin sits down with Gidi Adlersberg, Voca CIC Business Line Manager at AudioCodes, to explore what Microsoft's new Unify certification really means for Teams-based contact centers. With a decade at AudioCodes and a frontline role in developing Voca CIC, Gidi offers rare insight into how Azure-native integrations, SDK-driven stability, and AI standardisation are reshaping the CX landscape. If you're planning your next-generation customer experience strategy, this is an essential watch.Microsoft's Unify model is rapidly becoming the benchmark for Teams contact center integration — but what makes it different, and why does it matter? Gidi unpacks the technical and strategic implications, from five-nines reliability to the future of Azure-native voice.In this conversation, Gidi shares:

Is your contact center ready to become a profit center? Agility requires not just adopting new technologies like AI, but also fundamentally rethinking how we structure our teams, measure success, and interact with customers. It demands a willingness to experiment, learn, and adapt quickly in a constantly evolving landscape. Today, we're going to talk about how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the contact center, transforming it from a cost center into a driver of customer loyalty and revenue growth. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Chang Chang, Senior Director, Product, Cloud CX Solutions at Cisco's Webex Customer Experience Solutions. About Chang Chang Chang Chang, Senior Director, Product, Cloud CX Solutions, Cisco's Webex Customer Experience Solutions.  Chang is a senior director of product management in the Webex Customer Experience Solutions business at Cisco. With over 14 years of product leadership experience, Chang has held key roles at Intuit and Mighty Audio (an early-stage startup), as well as a management consultant at PwC. Chang holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson. Chang Chang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/changjonathanj/ Resources Cisco's Webex Customer Experience Solutions: https://www.webex.com/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Summary In this conversation, Amas Tenumah, Bob Furniss and Brad Cleveland discusses the three levels of value that contact centers create: efficiency, customer satisfaction and loyalty, and strategic insights provided by AI. He emphasizes the importance of these levels in improving products, services, and processes. Takeaways there's three levels of value that contact centers create Level one is efficiency customer satisfaction, loyalty, if we do a good job it's the strategic insight that AI can provide it can still tell us, hey, here's a trend I'm seeing Here's an opportunity to improve products and services AI doesn't have to be perfect to provide value Strategic insights can drive business improvements Understanding trends is crucial for growth Contact centers play a vital role in customer experience Titles Unlocking Value in Contact Centers The Role of AI in Customer Service Sound bites "Level one is efficiency" "customer satisfaction, loyalty, if we do a good job" "it's the strategic insight that AI can provide" Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Contact Center Show 00:27 AI and Its Impact on Customer Interactions 00:31 Future Jobs in the Contact Center Industry

What if your contact center is sitting on all the data, tools, and talent it needs to create daily moments of operational magic—but you're still only experiencing a fraction of what's possible? For years, leaders have been limited by blind spots—seeing only a handful of interactions each month and building processes around survival instead of success. But with full visibility into every call, chat, and customer moment, your center can finally eliminate the darkness that once restricted performance. This episode shows how modern QA, AI-assisted coaching, and real-time insight open the door to faster operations, cleaner processes, happier employees, and customers who feel the difference immediately. Listeners will discover: • How shifting from limited insights to full interaction visibility transforms coaching, performance, and employee confidence almost overnight. • The measurable signals that show whether your center is experiencing real “operational magic”—from lower costs to higher loyalty to cleaner processes. • What every leader should expect—and demand—from vendors offering AI, QA, and agent-assist tools in today's contact center environment.

What if your contact center is sitting on all the data, tools, and talent it needs to create daily moments of operational magic—but you're still only experiencing a fraction of what's possible? For years, leaders have been limited by blind spots—seeing only a handful of interactions each month and building processes around survival instead of success. But with full visibility into every call, chat, and customer moment, your center can finally eliminate the darkness that once restricted performance. This episode shows how modern QA, AI-assisted coaching, and real-time insight open the door to faster operations, cleaner processes, happier employees, and customers who feel the difference immediately. Listeners will discover: • How shifting from limited insights to full interaction visibility transforms coaching, performance, and employee confidence almost overnight. • The measurable signals that show whether your center is experiencing real “operational magic”—from lower costs to higher loyalty to cleaner processes. • What every leader should expect—and demand—from vendors offering AI, QA, and agent-assist tools in today's contact center environment.

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #272, we welcomed Matt Rubright, Chief Customer Officer at Jam.dev based in Seattle, WA. Jam powers the complete software development lifecycle, with AI that eliminates 84% of bug reproduction tasks, so your engineers can ship clean code faster.Jam AI adds the relevant logs and steps to make every bug report actionable. With integrations with best-in-class issue trackers & other product management tools, Jam fits right into EPD workflows.In this episode, Matt and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #272 Highlight Reel:**1. Salesforce utilization management in today's world 2. Why you might be over-building your CRM3. Implementing tech changes within an organization 4. Building playbooks to guide your team & create consistency 5. Leveraging 360 feedback to build high-performing teamsClick here to learn more about Matt RubrightClick here to learn more about Jam.devHuge thanks to Matt for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & contact center space into the future. For all of our Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content, strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's top-performing customer focused companies? Check out the CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building an AI-powered foundation for the future. Thanks to all of you for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

Listen to Sean Gilmour, Principal Product Manager Lead for Advance Calling - Microsoft Teams, and Pratichi Dash, Product Manager - Dynamics 365 Contact Center Voice and Conversational AI , explain Teams Phone Extensibility (TPE), Unify and how they enable a single, unified phone system across UCaaS and CCaaS.• What TPE is, how it works with Azure Communication Services, and why the Unify certification matters for a level playing field• How Dynamics 365 Contact Center uses TPE to reuse existing Teams Phone architecture and Operator Connect carriers• Coexistence with Azure PSTN/Direct Routing today, with Microsoft recommending TPE going forward• Practical AI today: agent-assist with summaries, translation and guidance, plus the roadmap towards intelligent IVR and smarter routing• Seamless call movement between Dynamics agents and Teams SMEs for faster resolutions across the organisationThanks to Numonix, this episode's sponsor, for their continued support of Empowering.Cloud

Everyone knows AI needs your data to truly work. But, what about your company's reasoning?

In this episode, Peter Maddison and Dave Sharrock welcome Rick Delisi, Lead Research Analyst at Glia and co-author of "The Effortless Experience" and "Digital Customer Service," to discuss how AI is transforming customer service in banking and credit unions.Rick reveals why the future of contact centers isn't about eliminating human interaction; it's about automating the routine so humans can focus on building real relationships. Learn how banks are breaking the age-old trade-off between efficiency and customer experience, and why starting with internal-facing AI tools is the safest path to transformation.Discover the surprising truth about which customer satisfaction metric actually predicts loyalty (hint: it's not what most companies are measuring), and why customer expectations for AI are shaped more by bad experiences with other companies than by anything your organization does.THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS:1. AI for Everyone, Not Just Customers: AI can transform your entire organization, from helping frontline agents with real-time guidance, to giving managers instant analysis capabilities, to enabling executives to make data-driven strategic decisions. The most successful implementations use AI across all levels: customers, agents, managers, and executives.2. Start Internal, Then Scale Outward: Begin with internal tools that help agents, managers, and executives first. This builds confidence, allows teams to experience the technology firsthand, and creates incremental improvements that build organizational trust. By the time you roll out customer-facing AI, your entire team understands and trusts the system.3. The best predictor of customer loyalty isn't satisfaction scores or Net Promoter Score, it's the Customer Effort Score. Ask customers, "How much effort was required for you to get what you needed?" after each interaction. Low-effort experiences drive loyalty, and this metric gives you actionable insights into where to improve your service processes.CONTACT US:Email: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.comDefinitely Maybe Agile explores the complexities of adopting new ways of working at scale, covering digital transformation, agile practices, and DevOps in enterprise environments.#AI #CustomerService #Banking #DigitalTransformation #ContactCenter #CreditUnions #CustomerExperience #Glia #FinancialServices #AgileTransformation

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #271, we welcomed Marcus Smith, CEO at Cloud Trailz based in Atlanta, GA. Cloud Trailz offers their customers Saleforce help without all of the hassle by providing professional, expert users that come with the playbooks required to achieve utilization & success with the world's largest CRM. In this episode, Marcus and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #271 Highlight Reel:**1. Salesforce utilization management in today's world  2. Why you might be over-building your CRM 3. Implementing tech changes within an organization  4. Building playbooks to guide your team & create consistency  5. Leveraging 360 feedback to build high-performing teams Click here to learn more about Marcus Smith Click here to learn more about Cloud TrailzHuge thanks to Marcus for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & contact center space into the future. For all of our Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content, strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's top-performing customer focused companies? Check out the CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building an AI-powered foundation for the future. Thanks to all of you for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

Hey CX Nation,In this week's CXWeekly Update episode I walk through some ideas, goals & CTAs that me & the team at CXC have been focused on.Full candor, we're in a full blown sales sprint to the end of the year to close 2025 with a bang & tee up the best year yet in 2026.We're also working on a ton of new customer focused business content -- including my 2nd book "Make Happiness A Habit" that we are launching in the New Year. Don't worry we have a ton of amazing guest interviews coming down the pipeline over the next couple of weeks.Part of our goal at CXC is to create some of the best customer focused business leader content, including short episodes like these CXWeekly updates that are digestible, actionable & most importantly entertaining for all of you.Huge thanks for all of you who helped to celebrate our 5 year anniversary of building CXChronicles, it's been a hell of a journey. Approaching 300+ episodes of customer focused business contentWorked with 150+ companies across the world helping make customer & employee happiness a habitPartnered with biggest players in software & technology including Salesforce, Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, & Freshworks.Launched CXC Healthzone Intelligence Platform, go see how your company's CX stacks up the rest. If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player and leave us a review today.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, CX/CS/RevOps services, our customer & employee focused community & invite them to join the CX Nation!For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused video content & short-reel CTAs to improve your CX/CS/RevOps performance today (politely go smash that subscribe button).Contact us anytime to learn more about CXC at INFO@cxchronicles.com and ask us about how we can help your business & team make customer happiness a habit now!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

Episode Summary Broadcasting live from the ICMI conference in Orlando, Amas and Bob discuss the evolving role of AI in contact centers, the ongoing struggle for strategic recognition, and welcome special guest Bianca, who shares her unique perspective on running HR as a contact center at Michigan State University. Key Topics & Timestamps 00:00 - Opening & Conference Impressions Podcast introduction (running since 2020, available on all platforms) Day 2 reflections from ICMI conference The shift in AI messaging: less prominent on vendor backdrops than previous year 03:00 - The Strategic Positioning Problem Why contact centers remain viewed as cost centers despite being more strategic than ever The CFO's perspective and the "drive to zero" mentality AHT obsession vs. strategic value creation 05:21 - The Power of Storytelling Bob's insights on communicating with executives The binder story: metrics vs. narrative Marketing's lesson: taking credit for soft impact Getting CFOs to sit with agents (the "three clicks vs. 19 clicks" story) 10:01 - Guest Interview: Bianca Pryson Background: retail, waitressing, Urban Outfitters merchandiser How she "fell into" HR customer service at MSU Managing a 3-person contact center handling 10,000+ calls and 10,000+ emails annually 14:35 - Putting the Human Back in Human Resources Training team on de-escalation and service basics Philosophy: servant leadership + customer-centric approach Treating unit HR as primary customers The "useless in email" turnaround story 21:24 - The Tips Debate Amas's controversial proposal: tips for contact center agents Bianca's counter: extra PTO as tips Under $50 purchase discussion (travel charger vs. Neti pot) 23:38 - When HR IS the Contact Center "Who polices the police?" Zero complaints or escalations since taking the role Using Genesys (not yet using AI capabilities) 26:00 - Technology & Generational Preferences Gen Z wants chatbots and modern tech Contact center as talent pipeline HR chatbot pilot program coming 28:15 - Final Advice Help HR understand the contact center's role Internal customer service = external customer service Contact centers should be talent funnels for the organization Guest Bio Bianca  is the HR Customer Service Experience Manager at Michigan State University, where she leads a team serving over 50,000 students, 6,000 faculty/staff, and 10,000+ retirees. With a background in retail management and customer service, she transformed MSU's HR service delivery by implementing contact center best practices and achieving zero escalations since taking the role. Key Takeaways AI isn't going away - it's just not the flashy selling point it was; companies are focusing on service improvement outcomes instead Stories > Metrics - National Speakers Association wisdom: spend 80% of time on stories, 20% on data when communicating with executives Contact centers remain undervalued - despite increased strategic importance, most still lack a "seat at the table" and are viewed as cost centers Internal service = External service - Research shows poor internal customer service directly leads to poor external customer service The contact center talent pipeline - Smart organizations use contact centers as funnels to develop and promote talent throughout the organization Small contact centers face unique challenges - With only 3 people handling 20,000+ annual interactions, operational efficiency becomes critical Gen Z wants technology - Modern contact center tech is a competitive advantage for attracting younger talent This episode was recorded live with a studio audience at the ICMI Conference in Orlando.  

Host: Bob Furniss (without co-host Amos) Guest: Daniel Thomas, Informa Location: ICMI Conference Expo Floor Guest Background Daniel Thomas approaches contact center industry from a research background Surveys audiences and writes research reports Has "front row seat" to industry transformation Conducts the annual State of the Contact Center survey About the State of the Contact Center Report Comprehensive benchmark study surveying contact center professionals Covers multiple verticals including: Training and skills Compensation and salary Technology use Leadership perceptions Strategy Tracks year-over-year progress Recent additions include AI and workforce training questions Key Surprising Findings 1. Contact Centers as Strategic Intelligence Hubs Major shift: Contact centers increasingly viewed as "strategic customer intelligence hubs" rather than cost centers Described as "customer intelligence and nervous system" No other department has closer customer proximity or more customer data C-suite now acknowledges value with direct data funnels informing executive decisions 2. AI Perceptions and Impact 72% believe AI will transform roles, not replace them Only ~25% think AI will lead to workforce reductions AI expected to handle "level one, rote, monotonous, repetitive work" Agents will focus on: Complex needs and edge cases Soft skills: empathy, communication, problem solving, critical thinking 90% of surveyed leaders believe humans necessary as AI overseers Gartner prediction: 40% of agentic AI projects will fail by 2027 (often due to neglecting human oversight) Agent Evolution Agents increasingly viewed as: Consultants Solutions architects Higher-tier problem solvers "White glove service" providers Rising expectations due to AI support Agents becoming intelligence providers to C-suite More analytical roles: identifying trends, patterns, creating intelligent summaries Top AI Implementation Concerns Customer resistance (top concern) Data accuracy Data privacy and security Lack of proper AI governance Workforce and Quality Management Insights Workforce Models (Nearly Equal Three-Way Split) In-office full time Hybrid Fully remote Models remain transitional and subject to change Increased scheduling flexibility critical for retention Quality Focus Shift Traditional metrics: CSAT, utilization, average handle time New priority: Agent experience rising in importance Recognition that internal customer experience drives external customer experience Customer Satisfaction Challenges Current CSAT surveys often lack nuance Can't distinguish between: Poor agent performance vs. poor company policy Single bad experience vs. overall satisfaction Need for more qualitative feedback mechanisms "Watermelon effect": High metrics but poor actual experience Channel Evolution Significant jump from multi-channel to omni-channel implementation Growth in non-traditional channels: Social media SMS/text Video Technology enabling unified customer history across channels Key Takeaways Successful organizations treat contact centers as "valuable strategic sources of intelligence" Organizations not recognizing this value are "dropping the ball" and will "see the consequences" Contact centers serve as the "hub" and "nervous system" reaching everywhere in the organization When no one knows the answer, they turn to the contact center Notable Quotes "If your agents aren't excited about AI, then you actually haven't communicated to them how enriching and transforming it could be" "Agents are increasingly going to play a role where they are the eyes and the ears... providing the intelligence back to the C-suite" Contact centers as "the strongest data... the hub... the nervous system that reaches in everywhere else"

Summary In this conversation, Amas, Luke and Bob explore the evolving complexity of contact centers, challenging the notion that they are becoming simpler. They emphasizes that while the intention may be to simplify processes, the reality is that sophistication often leads to increased complexity. They also highlights the reliance on outdated metrics, such as those managed in Excel, which can contribute to agent burnout and friction with customers. They advocate for a shift towards more effective lead metrics to enhance the overall efficiency and satisfaction in contact centers. Takeaways Contact centers are perceived as becoming simpler, but they are actually becoming more complex. Sophistication in processes can lead to increased complexity. There is a challenge in addressing the complexity of contact centers. Many organizations are still reliant on outdated tools like Excel. Using lead metrics can help prevent agent burnout. Improving metrics can reduce friction with customers. The conversation highlights the need for modernization in contact center operations. Understanding complexity is crucial for effective management. Agent burnout is a significant issue in the industry. A shift in metrics is necessary for better outcomes. Sound Bites "Sophistication also brings complexity." "We are still for the most part stuck in Excel." "Lead metrics could stop agent burnout." Live from Orlando at ICMI Expo 

Stop losing leads to spam flags and regulatory fines. In today's hyper-regulated outbound world, AI and TCPA compliance are no longer optional—they are the core engines of revenue growth. In this must-listen episode, Sales POP! host John Golden sits down with Nima Hakimi, CEO of Converso, to break down how to achieve superior results while staying 100% compliant. Nima shares actionable insights from two decades of experience, including how his team leverages machine learning for caller ID reputation management and contact rate optimization (with up to 50% reported uplifts).

In this UC Today interview, host Kieran Devlin sits down with Robert Handel, Senior Vice President of Cloud Strategy at LDI, to explore how channel partners can future-proof customer experience strategies. With LDI leveraging Intermedia's Contact Center and AI solutions, the conversation dives into how partners can differentiate, drive measurable outcomes, and position themselves for long-term success in the evolving CX market.AI isn't just a buzzword—it's reshaping the contact center in real, tangible ways. In this in-depth conversation, Robert Handel shares how LDI is using Intermedia's AI-driven contact center tools to improve both customer and agent experiences while delivering new revenue opportunities.Watch the full video to discover:Partner-first strategies: Why Intermedia's business model empowers partners like LDI to lead with customer experience.AI in action: From post-call sentiment analysis to real-time agent assistance, how AI is transforming workflows and training.Measurable outcomes: Case studies where AI-enabled call recording, transcription, and analytics drove customer satisfaction, efficiency, and sales growth.Partner advice: How to approach AI-enabled contact center projects consultatively, avoiding common pitfalls around security and data management.Robert also shares a forward-looking view of where AI is headed in the contact center, highlighting why a consultative, cybersecurity-conscious approach is key for partners looking to succeed.Next Steps:If you're a partner exploring how to differentiate with AI-powered contact center solutions, now is the time to act. Watch the full interview, share your thoughts in the comments, and explore Intermedia's partner resources to learn how you can bring measurable CX improvements to your customers.

Pastor Katie sits down with Yankton Contact Center director Rebecca Meier to talk about their new location, Fashion Show, celebrating 50 years, and upcoming volunteer opportunities!

  Summary In this conversation, Amas Tenumah and Bob Furniss discuss the evolution of contact centers, the impact of CRM systems like Salesforce, and the role of AI in enhancing agent performance. They reflect on the historical context of CRM, the challenges faced by agents, and the future of customer service technology, particularly focusing on the Agent Force initiative. The discussion also touches on the sentiment within the Salesforce community and the potential for new competitors in the market.   Takeaways Salesforce has become a dominant player in the CRM space. The evolution of contact centers has been significant over the years. AI can enhance agent performance rather than replace them. Understanding customer needs is crucial for effective service. The Agent Force initiative aims to improve agent capabilities. There is a negative sentiment towards Salesforce in the contact center community. The cost of building technology is decreasing, making competition more feasible. AI's role in customer service is still evolving and needs to focus on agents. Salesforce must communicate its value to agents to maintain loyalty. The future of customer service technology is uncertain but full of potential. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Context Setting 01:29 The Evolution of CRM and Contact Centers 06:05 Current Trends in Salesforce and AI 11:13 Agent Force and the Future of Customer Service 15:54 Prognosis for Salesforce and the Industry

At Viirtue Connect in Nashville, Jason Moravec, Senior Channel Account Manager at Xima Software, joined Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, to discuss how Xima's advanced contact center solutions are helping MSPs expand revenue, strengthen customer relationships, and enhance user experience. Xima Software delivers cloud-based contact center and customer experience platforms designed to integrate seamlessly with leading UC systems like NetSapiens, which powers Viirtue and other Crexendo partners. “We focus on helping businesses communicate more effectively across every channel—voice, SMS, email, chat, and WhatsApp,” Moravec explained. “It's all about elevating the customer experience.” Through its integration with NetSapiens, Xima offers white-label, multi-channel contact center solutions that partners can brand as their own. The platform enhances standard UC capabilities with detailed analytics, cradle-to-grave reporting, and intelligent call routing—all designed to help MSPs deliver a premium service that customers can't easily replace. “Contact centers are incredibly sticky,” Moravec said. “When partners win the contact center, they often win the entire business. It's one of the most profitable and high-value parts of the UC ecosystem.” Xima also integrates AI and speech analytics to improve agent productivity and customer outcomes. From sentiment and tone detection to AI-powered chatbots and voice assistants, the platform uses automation to reduce call volume, speed up responses, and provide data-driven training insights. “Our AI isn't about replacing humans—it's about getting people to the right place faster and making agents more effective,” Moravec emphasized. For MSPs and Viirtue partners, Xima's solutions represent a powerful opportunity to differentiate, expand service offerings, and grow recurring revenue. To learn more about Xima Software, visit www.ximasoftware.com.

This week we have a group of CX and BPO experts who recently visited Georgia. This nation of 3.6m people is positioned on the Black Sea, at the intersection of Europe and Asia, and is working hard to position itself as an attractive destination for CX and BPO sourcing. Peter Ryan talked to people who travelled with him to visit Georgia this year to explore questions such as the ease of doing business there, the opportunity for multilingual CX, and how Georgia is attracting more digital and high-tech talent. Featured in the discussion: Elona Ymeri Service Delivery Manager, Assist Digital Tirana, Albania https://www.linkedin.com/in/elonaymeri/   Traci Freeman Managing Member, Believe Consulting Johannesburg, South Africa https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracifreeman/   Jasen Shirley Head of Customer Service and Sales, North America/Canada, SIXT Riverview, Florida, US https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasen-shirley-688a651b8/ ------------ https://www.investingeorgia.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/enterprisegeorgia/ https://www.enterprisegeorgia.gov.ge/ SUMMARY: Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss a recent visit to Georgia sponsored by Enterprise Georgia, highlighting the country's potential as a CX and BPO destination. The trip involved 15 stakeholders, including Jason Shirley, Ilona, and Tracy Freeman, who all shared their impressions in the discussion. Key points include Georgia's cultural alignment with the West, fast internet, co-working spaces, and ease of business setup. The Government Services Center was praised for its efficiency and customer service. The discussion also touched on Georgia's multilingual workforce, advanced skills, and the potential for complex services. Comparisons with Jamaica and other established BPO destinations were made, emphasizing Georgia's readiness for higher-value outsourcing.

AI is a key driver of innovation in the Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) space, significantly improving agent efficiency and customer experience.  However, when the rate of technology change outpaces the applicable legal frameworks, uncertainties and opportunities for disputes arise. In this 11-minute podcast, LB3 partner Laura McDonald joins Tony Mangino for an update on AI driven legal developments in the CCaaS space and to discuss strategies to mitigate the legal risks inherent in the technology.  If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Network Services Transactions and Information Technology Advisory Services webpages.

In the first episode of Women, Working Smarter, host Jennifer Docken (Product Marketing Manager, Calabrio) welcomes Ritu Maheshwari (VP of Product Management, Calabrio) to talk about her journey from engineering to product leadership. Ritu shares how mentors shaped her path, why building strong teams matters most, and what excites her about the future of AI in the contact center. From leadership lessons to the power of Excel, this episode is full of insights on how women are shaping customer experience today, and how AI and technology will help us all work smarter tomorrow.

In this UC Today interview, host Kieran Devlin sits down with Robert Handel, Senior Vice President of Cloud Strategy at LDI, to explore how channel partners can future-proof customer experience strategies. With LDI leveraging Intermedia's Contact Center and AI solutions, the conversation dives into how partners can differentiate, drive measurable outcomes, and position themselves for long-term success in the evolving CX market.AI isn't just a buzzword—it's reshaping the contact center in real, tangible ways. In this in-depth conversation, Robert Handel shares how LDI is using Intermedia's AI-driven contact center tools to improve both customer and agent experiences while delivering new revenue opportunities.Watch the full video to discover:Partner-first strategies: Why Intermedia's business model empowers partners like LDI to lead with customer experience.AI in action: From post-call sentiment analysis to real-time agent assistance, how AI is transforming workflows and training.Measurable outcomes: Case studies where AI-enabled call recording, transcription, and analytics drove customer satisfaction, efficiency, and sales growth.Partner advice: How to approach AI-enabled contact center projects consultatively, avoiding common pitfalls around security and data management.Robert also shares a forward-looking view of where AI is headed in the contact center, highlighting why a consultative, cybersecurity-conscious approach is key for partners looking to succeed.Next Steps:If you're a partner exploring how to differentiate with AI-powered contact center solutions, now is the time to act. Watch the full interview, share your thoughts in the comments, and explore Intermedia's partner resources to learn how you can bring measurable CX improvements to your customers.

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #269, we welcomed Valerie Li,  Co-Founder & CEO of Duckie.ai based in San Francisco, CA.Duckie. ai is a no-code platform for customer support teams to build their own AI agents to deflect tickets and automate repetitive processes.In this episode, Valerie and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that Michele & her team think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #269 Highlight Reel:**1. AI-Driven Support Is The Future 2. Enhancing CX and EX Through AI 3. Building Customizable AI Support Bots4. Leveraging Engineering For Strategic Growth 5. AI-Powered Customer Feedback Analysis  Click here to learn more about Valerie LiClick here to learn more about Duckie.aiHuge thanks to Valerie for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring her work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & contact center space into the future. For Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & leave a 5 star review so we can find new members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content, strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks to name a few) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's top-performing customer focused companies? Check out the CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building an AI-powered foundation for the future. Thanks to all of you for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

Summary In this conversation, Amas Tenumah and Bob Furniss discuss the intricate relationship between marketing and call center operations, particularly during high-demand periods like holidays. They share personal anecdotes about challenges faced in fulfilling customer orders due to marketing miscommunications and emphasize the importance of building strong relationships between marketing and contact center teams. The discussion highlights the need for effective communication, data sharing, and collaboration to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.   Takeaways The holiday season can create significant challenges in call center operations. Marketing decisions can directly impact call center workload and customer satisfaction. Building relationships with marketing teams is crucial for effective communication. Data sharing between marketing and contact centers can improve customer service. Understanding operational limitations is essential for marketing strategies. Regular meetings between marketing and contact center teams can foster collaboration. Customer feedback is valuable for shaping marketing strategies. Effective communication can prevent misunderstandings and operational chaos. A cooperative approach can lead to better resource allocation and planning. Engaging with customers directly can provide insights that benefit marketing efforts.  

Send us a textJoin us for an inside look at Expivia Digital and the current state of contact center technology. We share our 30-year journey from running contact centers to consulting on CCaaS platform selection, AI quality assurance, and NICE CXone implementations. As members of NICE's Executive Advisory Board, we discuss the biggest trends shaping the industry in 2025: usage-based pricing, AI automation, agent experience, and how to cut through vendor promises to find technology that actually delivers ROI. Whether you're evaluating platforms, implementing AI, or trying to optimize your current stack - this is the real talk contact center leaders need to hear.Come check us out at Expiviadigital.com Through Expivia Digital, Tom works with contact center leaders on CCaaS platform selection, AI implementations, and NICE Studio and integration services. Same honest, vendor-neutral advice you hear on the Call Center Geek podcast, applied directly to your specific operational challenges. Schedule a consultation at ExpiviaDigital.com to discuss your contact center technology strategy. Click here:expiviadigital.comFollow Tom: @tlaird_expiviaJoin our Facebook Call Center Community: www.facebook.com/callcentergeekConnect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlairdexpivia/Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@callcenter_geekLinkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9041993/Watch us: Advice from a Call Center Geek Youtube Channel

Get ready for an all-new series from Calabrio's Working Smarter podcast! Hosted by Jennifer Docken, this series celebrates women leading the way in tech, contact centers, and customer service. In the preview episode, Jennifer teams up with Ritu Maheshwari from Calabrio to kick things off and share what's to come.

Hey CX Nation,Here's the first CXWeekly Update from CXC in a long time!This week's episode I walk through some ideas, goals & CTAs that I've learned from the 5 years of building CXC.Don't worry we have a ton of amazing guest interviews coming down the pipeline over the next couple of weeks.Part of our goal at CXC is to create more customer focused business leader content, including short episodes like these ones that are digestible, actionable & most importantly entertaining & valuable for all of you.Full candor, we also wanted to celebrate our 5 year anniversary of building CXChronicles. We are approaching 300+ episodes of customer focused business content, we've worked with almost 150+ companies across the world helping them make customer & employee happiness a habit & we are now partnered with some of biggest players in software & technology including Salesforce, Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, & Freshworks to name a few. If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player and leave us a review today.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, CX/CS/RevOps services, our customer & employee focused community & invite them to join the CX Nation!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.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused video content & short-reel CTAs to improve your CX/CS/RevOps performance today (politely go smash that subscribe button).Contact us anytime to learn more about CXC at INFO@cxchronicles.com and ask us about how we can help your business & team make customer happiness a habit now!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

Summary: For decades, leaders have debated whether the contact center should be a cost center, a profit center, or something in between. In this episode, Amas and Bob cut through the noise and tackle the question head-on: Is the contact center truly a profit center—or are we just telling the story wrong? Amas argues that the CFO decides the labels, not us, and that contact centers suffer from being terrible storytellers compared to marketing. Bob reinforces that stories, not spreadsheets, are what move executives to invest in customer experience. Together, they break down how leaders can turn raw data into persuasive narratives that actually secure budget, influence the C-suite, and prove value. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why the “profit center” debate hasn't gone away—and probably won't. The crucial difference between value creation and revenue generation. How marketing gets credit (and budget) despite spending every dollar they touch. Why endless Excel spreadsheets put executives to sleep—and what to do instead. The art of translating metrics into stories that CFOs and CEOs actually care about. Practical steps for contact center leaders to elevate their influence in the boardroom. Key Quotes: “The CFO decides what's a cost center and what's a revenue center. We are just bad at telling our story.” – Amas “People don't remember your statistics. They remember your stories.” – Bob “Marketing spends money all day, but they've convinced the world they're indispensable. We should learn from that.” – Amas Episode Highlights: (01:00) Revisiting the old debate: profit center vs. cost center. (02:30) Why marketing gets treated differently—and why service leaders should care. (04:30) The deadly sin of sending executives binders of metrics. (06:00) How to tell stories executives will remember—and fund. (09:00) Using customer stories to anchor your data. (11:30) Why your relationship with marketing and the CFO matters most. (12:45) Teaser: Amas & Bob will be recording LIVE at the ICMI Contact Center Expo in Orlando, Oct 27–30. Resources & Links: Amas's blog post: “Contact Centers Are Not Revenue Centers” [link] Learn more about the ICMI Contact Center Expo

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message If you're a regular Bloodworks Northwest donor, you probably get calls from our staff at the Contact Center. Ever wonder who's on the other end of the line? Well, Bloodworks 101 producer John Yeager did. And wait till you hear some of the stories the woman in charge of the Center has to tell. 

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #267, we welcomed Michele Shane, SVP Business Development at UJet.CX based in San Francisco, CA. UJET is a next-generation cloud contact center platform that leverages AI to modernize the customer experience. The UJet.CX platform & services embed intelligent automation at every touchpoint, empowering agents, optimizing customer journeys, and transforming operations into real-time insight engines.In this episode, Michele and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that Michele & her team think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #267 Highlight Reel:**1. Human-centric approach to CX & growing your business 2. Power of people over technology & building your vision 3. Slow is smooth & smooth is fast 4. Importance of constant feedback from customers, employees & builders 5. Taking action on the right bits of customer feedback Click here to learn more about Michele ShaneClick here to learn more about UJet.CXHuge thanks to Michele for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring her work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & contact center space into the future. For Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & leave a 5 star review so we can find new members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content, strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks to name a few) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's top-performing customer focused companies? Be one of our Pioneer users of the recently launched CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building an AI-powered foundation for the future. Thanks to all of you for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

Great luxury brands compete on more than quality — they win on the experiences customers remember most. This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Gaelle Devins, Chief Customer Officer at Breitling, shared how the Swiss watchmaker sustains loyalty by pairing world-class craftsmanship with emotional connection — and what leaders in any industry can take from it.  Key takeaways from the episode:  ✅ Emotional connection turns purchases into loyalty.  ✅ Flow Leadership aligns People, Purpose, and Performance to fuel growth.  ✅ Consistency across customer touchpoints builds trust. Tune in and discover how emotional connection can be your strongest business strategy. Get a copy of Gaelle's new book Flow Leadership, which introduces a framework built on People, Purpose, and Performance.   Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today's Customer. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.   

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, John Solomon, CMO of Therabody, shares how the company rebuilt its brand around the customer. By shifting from product-first to customer-first, Therabody expanded relevance, built trust, and strengthened loyalty. AI then pushed personalization even further—turning product use into connected experiences that grow with each customer. Highlights from our conversation:  ✔️ Leveraging customer feedback to guide Therabody's rebrand and audience-first strategy  ✔️ Applying AI to deliver personalized wellness experiences at scale  ✔️ Designing products and experiences around customer needs  ✔️ Building cultural relevance through talent partnerships that strengthen brand connection

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #266, we welcomed Adam Coffey, Founding Partner of The Chairman Group based in Dallas, TX.The Chairman Group™ is a consulting firm founded by Adam Coffey.  Adam spent 21 years building 3 national companies for 9 private equity firms.  During his career Adam completed 58 acquisitions and had $2.4 billion in successful exits.  As an author, Adam's books "The Private Equity Playbook" (2019) (2024), "The Exit Strategy Playbook" (2021) and Empire Builder (2023) all became #1 Amazon Best Sellers.His mission today is to help business owners, private equity firms and executives maximize outcomes. In this episode, Adam and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that Adam & his team think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #266 Highlight Reel:**1. The "Pilot's Philosophy": Know Your Destination 2. Fixing what matters most in any customer experience 3. Focusing on the "high-value" work as a Founder/CEO 4. Avoiding arrogance & mastering the art of delegation 5. Dreamers vs. Does -- stop dreaming & start doing Click here to learn more about Adam CoffeyClick here to learn more about The Chairman GroupHuge thanks to Adam for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & private equity space into the future. For Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & leave a 5 star review so we can find new members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content, strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks to name a few) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's top-performing customer focused companies? Be one of our Pioneer users of the recently launched CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building an AI-powered foundation for the future. Thanks to all of you for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

AWS Morning Brief for the week of September 15th, 2025, with Corey Quinn. Links:Enforcing organization-wide Amazon S3 bucket-tagging policiesECS Exec is now available in the AWS Management ConsoleAWS Control Tower now supports Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)Introducing AWS CDK Refactor (Preview)Accelerate serverless testing with LocalStack integration in VS Code IDEAWS WAF now includes free WAF Vended Logs based on request volumeAWS recognized as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) with Amazon ConnectIntroducing universal installers for AWS CLI v2 on macOS

Hot off the press from Calabrio's largest annual user conference, C3 in Dallas, comes the launch of Calabrio Workforce Intelligence - the next evolution of Workforce Management. With AI at the core, not bolted on, Calabrio Workforce Intelligence introduces capabilities like Predictive Actions, Agent Assist, and more to help organizations make smarter, proactive decisions at scale. In this episode, Magnus Geverts, VP of Product Marketing, explores the history of WFM and explains why Calabrio Workforce Intelligence is more than just an upgrade - it's the evolution that outpaces change and redefines the future of the industry.

If you're on the fence about franchising—or expanding your portfolio—this one's for you. We break down who actually wins in franchising, the real traits of top owners, why “required service” beats “sexy concept,” and how to play the long game with guardrails, data, and community. Michael Wagner, president of Roof Scientist at Homefront Brands, joins me to unpack (kidding

If you're on the fence about franchising—or expanding your portfolio—this one's for you. We break down who actually wins in franchising, the real traits of top owners, why “required service” beats “sexy concept,” and how to play the long game with guardrails, data, and community. Michael Wagner, president of Roof Scientist at Homefront Brands, joins me to unpack (kidding

This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Keith Farley, SVP of Individual Voluntary Benefits and Head of Customer Care Centers at Aflac, shares how the company blends AI and empathy to transform customer experience in insurance. Insurance is one of the oldest industries, yet it faces modern pressures of speed, digital expectations, and customer trust. Rather than choosing between technology and humanity, Aflac integrates both—using automation for efficiency and empathy to deepen trust, directly linking CX to growth. 3 Key Takeaways on CX from Aflac Empathy at scale: A dedicated support line for first-time cancer diagnoses ensures compassionate guidance during the toughest calls. AI with guardrails: Automation speeds routine claims, while humans handle complex or denial cases to protect trust. CX as ROI: Simpler processes drive acquisition, while empathy and trust strengthen persistency and long-term value. Tune in to the full episode to hear how Keith Farley makes customer experience a measurable growth strategy at Aflac. Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today's Customer. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.   

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #265, we welcomed Mario Baddour, President & CEO of InteLogix, based in Park City, UT. InteLogix provides customer experience (CX) solutions and accounts receivable management (ARM) operations that enhance customer loyalty and revenue for their clients. They combine human engagement with digital tools and automation to minimize customer effort and boost loyalty by offer long-term value through scalable CX and both first-party and third-party ARM operations.Their mission is to make lives better by engaging, listening, and resolving consumer concerns and obligations with empathy and innovation. And advocate for their clients brands and reputations as their own.In this episode, Mario and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team at InteLogix think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #265 Highlight Reel:**1. Focusing on building an elite Team above all else to drive success & growth 2. Solving problems for your customers & providing constant value  3. Structuring & configuring your data before finding the optimal tech-solutions 4. Building & deploying living playbooks to propel your team forward rapidly 5. Taking customer data & feedback to drive product development Click here to learn more about Mario BaddourClick here to learn more about InteLogixHuge thanks to Mario for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer contact space into the future.For Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & leave a 5 star review so we can find new members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content, strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks to name a few) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's top-performing customer focused companies? We launched CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building the pillars upon an AI-powered foundation for the future. Huge thanks for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

Cheryl Paarwater is the Managing Director at Enerlytics & Call Lab BPO. She is based in Cape Town, South Africa. Cheryl has championed CX in South Africa for many years and is a board member of BPESA - the trade promotion agency for business process service companies in South Africa. In this conversation with Peter Ryan, Cheryl explores how BPO and CX has created many opportunities for employment in South Africa - and beyond - and this has created a very positive socio-economic ripple effect. People leaving informal jobs and entering contact centers pay tax, support their family, and help to support other businesses selling services to those working directly in BPOs. As AI is gradually introduced in many CX processes, there is a fear in the industry that entry-level positions may no longer be staffed by humans. The most immediate effect is a reduction in the number of jobs created, but what are the wider effects of thinking that we can just replace people with bots? https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryl-paarwater/ https://call-lab.com/   SUMMARY:  Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on customer experience (CX) jobs, particularly in South Africa. Cheryl Paarwater, CEO of Call Lab, highlights concerns about AI replacing human roles, which could exacerbate unemployment and social issues. Despite AI's potential to automate 10-15% of roles, Peter notes that many AI projects fail, citing a 42% failure rate in 2020. Cheryl emphasizes the need for AI to enhance human roles rather than replace them, suggesting AI could improve education and support high-value interactions. They stress the importance of a balanced approach to AI implementation in CX.

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #264, we welcomed Mika Yamamoto, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Freshworks based in San Mateo, CA. Freshworks Inc. (NASDAQ: FRSH) builds uncomplicated service software that delivers exceptional customer and employee experiences. Their enterprise-grade solutions are powerful, yet easy to use, and quick to deliver results. Their people-first approach to AI eliminates friction, making employees more effective and organizations more productive.Over 72,000 companies, including Bridgestone, New Balance, Nucor, S&P Global, and Sony Music, trust Freshworks' customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) software to fuel customer loyalty and service efficiency.In this episode, Mika and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that her team at Freshworks think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #264 Highlight Reel:**1. The power of reflection & attention to the customer journey you're building 2. Enhancing customer experience through employee engagement  3. Building your playbook on tech-stack efficiency and utilization 4. Breaking down silos to build world-class customer & employee experiences 5. Investing in "Voice of Customer" (VOC) & "Voice of Employee" (VOE) Click here to learn more about Mika YamamotoClick here to learn more about FreshworksHuge thanks to Mika for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring her work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.For our Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content,  strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks to name a few) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of nearly 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's best CX-driven companies? We recently launched CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building the pillars upon an AI-powered foundation for the future. Huge thanks for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

AT&T serves more than 100M customers with the support of 140,000 employees. Keeping customer centricity alive at that scale takes real focus. On this week's Modern Customer Podcast, Jenifer Robertson, EVP & GM of AT&T Mass Markets and Mobility, joins the show. Jenifer was AT&T's first Chief Customer Officer, launching its customer-centric transformation, and she's been a champion for the customer voice ever since. Here's how AT&T is putting the customer at the center at massive scale: ✅ Personalization at scale — AT&T drills down from markets to households so every customer feels seen and heard. ✅ AI in action — improving customer satisfaction, first-call resolution, and containment, while virtual experts begin to support retail. ✅ Omnichannel without friction — creating a single view of the customer across digital, app, retail, and call centers. ✅ Trust as the foundation — with The AT&T Guarantee, the first in the industry to cover both fiber and wireless. Her perspective is clear: great customer experience doesn't cost more—it costs less.

In this Technology Reseller News podcast, Doug Green interviews Jill Blankenship, CEO of Frontline Group, and Thomas McCarthy-Howe, CTO of Strolid, about their collaboration on vCons (Virtualized Conversations)—a new file format that could transform how conversations are captured, stored, and analyzed in the contact center. A vCon is a standardized file (currently under IETF review) that stores the full content of a conversation—recording, transcript, participants, and metadata. Unlike traditional call recordings or after-call notes, vCons provide secure, portable, and queryable data that can be easily integrated into AI systems. For Frontline Group, this means agents no longer need to spend time typing summaries after calls. “vCon captures every part of that conversation,” Blankenship explains. This allows agents to focus on empathy and listening, while supervisors and customers benefit from richer, more accurate insights. For Strolid, which manages high-volume conversations in the automotive sector, vCons provide new visibility into customer frustrations and operational challenges. McCarthy-Howe notes: “Because vCons capture everything, it's easier to bring all the data together so the blindness gets cured.” The applications extend beyond sales and support. In critical services such as 2-1-1, where people call for help with food, housing, or emergencies, vCons can ensure every call is captured, flagged for urgent needs, and analyzed for emerging trends—all while prioritizing data privacy and portability. Blankenship emphasizes that AI should not replace people, but empower them: “We're training our staff to be AI managers—coaching, tweaking, and escalating when needed. It's the people behind the AI that bring the true value.” This partnership demonstrates how AI, human expertise, and open standards can combine to make conversations more accurate, secure, and impactful across industries. Learn more at frontline.group and strolid.com.

Missed calls lead to customer frustration and lost revenue. Voice AI changes this. With voice AI, these missed opportunities can be transformed  into meaningful conversations that build loyalty and drive growth. On the latest The Modern Customer Podcast, I had a conversation with @Carson Hostetter, EVP & GM of AI + CX at @RingCentral, about how companies are using voice AI to: ✅ Replace outdated IVR menus with human-like dialogue ✅ Protect revenue by ensuring no call is missed ✅ Turn conversations into proactive customer service and business growth   Carson knows the stakes. As RingCentral's former CRO, he helped grow ARR from $1.4B to $2.4B and scaled its enterprise business from $5M to $500M. Now, he's applying that same growth mindset to AI.

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #263, we welcomed Maxime Marchand, Senior Director of Product Management at GoTo based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As the leader in cloud communications and IT, GoTo addresses real-world challenges with practical innovations and a customer-first mindset. They offer secure, reliable, and AI-enabled solutions that are simple to adopt for small and midsize businesses and scalable to enterprises worldwide. Customers around the world rely on our products—GoTo Connect, LogMeIn Rescue, LogMeIn Resolve, GoTo Webinar, Grasshopper, and more—for consistent high performance and unbeatable uptime on any device.In this episode, Maxime and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team at GoTo think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #263 Highlight Reel:**1. Organizational alignment through product management  2. The journey from engineer to CX leader  3. How speed, alignment & focus create growth opportunities 4. One-stop platform for managing customer communications 5. Constant customer listening to drive growth Click here to learn more about Maxime MarchandClick here to learn more about GoToHuge thanks to Max for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content,  strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, & Zendesk) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation!Want to see how your customer experience stacks up to others, ask us about the CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights from companies across the world. Huge thanks for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

Are you overlooking the simple AI-driven changes in your contact center that could deliver career-changing ROI? Every leader is under pressure to cut costs, improve service quality, and support agents — and the latest AI tools promise to do it all. But success isn't about the technology itself; it's about how you apply it to speed up service, improve accuracy, and build a stronger coaching culture. In this episode, you'll learn: The measurable ROI behind post-interaction summaries, Auto-QA, and real-time assist. How “faster, better, cheaper” works only when paired with culture and coaching. The hidden risks of waiting too long to adopt AI in your contact center.

In this episode of CX Decoded, Editor-in-Chief Dom Nicastro sits down with Miranda Collard, Global Chief Client Officer at TP, to explore her remarkable journey from headset-wearing agent to C-suite leader. With over 30 years in the contact center industry, Collard shares hard-earned insights on how frontline experience shapes leadership, why AI's real impact often happens behind the scenes, and how emotional intelligence can be scaled as a CX differentiator. Listeners will also hear how empowering agents and turning insights into action can transform customer journeys in 2025 and beyond. Whether you lead a global CX organization or a small team, this conversation offers practical strategies for blending technology, empathy and execution to deliver experiences that truly last.