Podcasts about CX

Dave shares 5 unique ways his team leverages AI across 3 brands to make products more personal, streamline operations and optimize marketing efforts — without the usual image editing tips that everyone talks about. Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. More Staffing connects ecommerce founders to top Filipino talent across supply chain, operations, CX, marketing, finance, and creative. More Staffing helps you build a team with real depth, at a cost structure that makes it viable for a brand at any stage. Check out MORE. Staffing today to get all of your open positions filled for Q3. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 02:30 - Creating a custom Shopify app  04:00 - Challenges from developing custom apps 05:30 - Using Cursor for app development 07:00 - Using Cloudflare for hosting apps 09:00 - Designing custom inventory management tools 17:00 - Using AI for video creation and how Dobby Ads produces quality content 21:00 - Efficient PPC management with manual oversight and AI automation 25:00 - Hiring professionals in the Philippines with MORE. Staffing 30:00 - Experimenting with OpenClaw and its potential  Resources & Links: Dobby Ads MORE Staffing Cursor IDE Railway Laravel Framework Cloudflare DigitalOcean

Your contact center agents are not the only people responsible for your customer experience. Every person in your company who touches a product, a process, or a decision is shaping how your customer feels about your brand, whether they realize it or not. Chris Morrissey, General Manager of Customer Experience at Zoom, calls this horizontal CX, and it starts with one question every leader should be asking every employee, every quarter: how did you use what you learned from customers to make a better decision? When that question becomes routine, "not my job" stops being an option. This episode covers what it takes to build that accountability across every role, every channel, and every technology decision your company is making right now. What You Will Learn Why measuring individual interactions instead of full customer journeys causes teams to celebrate outcomes that are actually failures Which voices of the customer most companies are collecting but never routing to the teams making product, marketing, and service decisions Why keeping customers is a bigger revenue lever than acquiring them at scale, and why most recognition and compensation structures have not caught up to that reality What it takes to make store staff, product owners, and agents show up as one brand to a customer who does not care about your org chart Why the pressure to adopt AI fast may be creating a problem worse than the one companies are trying to solve Have a question or thoughts to share? Leave a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/StacySherman Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies.

Airline customer satisfaction increased 3% year over year. That's one of the strongest gains across the travel sector, according to new research from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Forrest Morgeson, Director of Research Emeritus at ACSI, shares what's driving those gains and how airlines are improving across multiple customer touchpoints—from mobile apps and reservations to in-flight internet and access to information throughout the travel journey.

John DiJulius explains why so many leaders believe their customer experience is improving while customers feel something very different. Summary: In this episode of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast, Denise Thompson and John DiJulius unpack one of the most dangerous gaps in business today: the difference between what leaders think customers are experiencing and what customers are actually feeling. A 2026 customer experience report referenced in the episode found that 66% of CX practitioners believe customer experience improved last year, while only 17% of consumers agree. That gap is not just a measurement issue. It is a leadership issue. John explains why survey scores, dashboards, and internal reports can create false confidence. He also discusses why customer feedback often fails to become customer intelligence, how silos distort the experience, and why frontline employees are often closest to the truth but least empowered to fix recurring friction points. The episode challenges leaders to stop judging customer experience from the conference room and start getting closer to the real customer journey. Companies that want to build loyalty, reduce friction, and create a true competitive advantage must measure what matters, listen to what customers are actually saying, and follow through with systems, standards, and accountability. Takeaways There is often a major gap between what companies think they are delivering and what customers actually experience. Leaders may be investing in CX, tracking scores, and launching initiatives, but customers may still not feel meaningful improvement. Survey scores alone are no longer enough. John argues that survey fatigue has made traditional feedback less reliable. Many customers do not complain; they simply leave. Customer feedback and customer intelligence are not the same. Feedback tells you how someone feels about an interaction. Customer intelligence helps you understand who the customer is, what they need, what they value, and where friction exists. Frontline employees often know the problems before leadership does. Contact center teams, sales teams, and customer-facing employees hear recurring complaints daily. The problem is that many companies lack a system to capture and act on that intelligence. Silos create customer experience breakdowns. Departments often optimize for their own numbers, but customers experience the company as one organization. Implementation is where most CX initiatives fail. Launching the idea is easy. Measuring, training, coaching, reinforcing, and holding people accountable is the hard part. Leaders need to become their own customers. Ordering your own product, calling your own contact center, testing your own digital journey, and experiencing your own process can expose friction dashboards miss. Customer experience is not a short-term ROI play. Cost-cutting, discounting, layoffs, and acquisitions may improve short-term numbers, but they can damage the long-term experience. AI can help leaders hear the real customer voice. Customer sentiment analysis can reveal recurring issues across calls, chats, emails, and support interactions without relying only on low-response surveys. The ultimate question is not, "Are we working on CX?" It is, "Would our customers say it is actually better?" Quotes "Customer experience can't be judged from the conference room alone." "If customers are not feeling the improvement, then the work isn't finished." "Survey scores can create false confidence if they are not connected to the real customer journey." "Feedback is one thing. Customer intelligence is another." "The frontline often knows where the friction is. The question is whether leadership has a system to hear it and fix it." "EX equals CX. What employees experience, customers will experience." "Don't just ask, 'Are we working on customer experience?' Ask, 'Would our customers say it is actually better?'" "Implementation is the hard part. Launching the idea is easy." "Some customers do not complain. They just quietly leave." "Leaders need to roll up their sleeves and get closer to the customer." Chapters List 00:00 – Introduction: The Gap Between CX Perception and Reality Denise introduces a major disconnect between what CX professionals believe and what consumers report feeling. 01:58 – Why Companies Think Experience Is Improving John explains why there may be a lag between CX initiatives and customer perception, but also why leaders may be missing the real experience. 03:43 – Why CX Initiatives Fail After Launch John discusses flavor-of-the-month initiatives, poor execution, and the importance of measurement, training, coaching, and accountability. 04:52 – How Leaders Become Disconnected from Customers John explains how growth, P&L pressure, and short-term decision-making can distance leaders from the actual customer experience. 06:54 – The Role of Silos in Customer Experience Gaps Denise and John discuss how departments can unintentionally create friction when they do not understand one another's impact on the customer. 08:48 – Signs of a Customer Experience Delusion John challenges companies that rely too heavily on surveys and NPS without understanding what those metrics may be missing. 10:26 – AI, Customer Sentiment, and Real-Time Intelligence John explains how AI can help companies identify recurring customer issues through calls, emails, chats, and sentiment analysis. 11:45 – Customer Feedback vs. Customer Intelligence John defines customer intelligence and explains why different customer avatars have different needs, expectations, and pain points. 14:14 – Why Companies Collect Feedback but Fail to Act Denise and John discuss why employees and customers stop giving feedback when nothing changes. 16:51 – How Leaders Can Stay Close Without More Surveys John recommends AI sentiment analysis, contact center focus groups, and direct conversations with frontline employees. 18:41 – Becoming Your Own Customer Denise shares an example of executives testing their own product experience and finding major improvements before launch. 20:04 – How to Know CX Strategy Is Working John explains the importance of a return-on-experience dashboard, employee energy, task forces, and internal alignment. 21:54 – Consulting CTA Denise explains how The DiJulius Group helps organizations uncover friction, build systems, and create consistency at scale. 22:43 – The Danger of Relying Only on Survey Scores John explains why low response rates and incomplete survey answers can distort the truth. 23:27 – What Companies Should Do This Quarter John recommends speaking directly with VIP customers, creating a CX champion, forming a task force, and following a proven methodology. 24:44 – Closing Challenge Denise challenges leaders to ask whether customers would say the experience is actually better. Links: The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors:  tdg.click/claudia Ask John!  Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode:  tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/ Contacts:  Lindsey@thedijuliusgroup.com , Claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com If you want to learn how world-class organizations build cultures customers cannot live without, explore The Experience Revolution Membership. Inside the membership you'll gain access to livestream workshops, practical frameworks, and proven strategies used by organizations around the world. Learn more at https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Learn More If your organization is working to improve customer experience but struggling to connect it to measurable business outcomes, The DiJulius Group can help. Visit: https://thedijuliusgroup.com Listen to more episodes: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/the-customer-service-revolution-podcast/ Subscribe We talk about topics like this each week; be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.  

The annual CXOutsourcers Mindshare event took place in Ottawa, Canada, earlier in May 2026 (May 18-20). Peter Ryan took a microphone onto the conference floor to capture ideas and comments from the delegates in Canada for this CX-focused event. https://cxoutsourcers.com/ In this episode of CX Files you will hear comments from: Sean Duncombe - COO, Neuroframe (USA) https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanduncombe/ Nathalie Siphengphet - CMO and VP Strategy, NQX (Canada) https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliesiphengphet/ Yanique Grant - Chief CX Specialist, ElevateCX (USA) https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaniquewagrantcx/ Seandette Wiltshire - Founder, The Contact Hub (Barbados) https://www.linkedin.com/in/seandette/ Dave Rumble - various roles including Director and Chair Maistro Group and board advisor to NDH Group (UK) https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-rumble-4a4a09b/ Krzysztof Herdzik - Co-founder and Chief Expert, Nalu Experts (Poland) https://www.linkedin.com/in/krzysztofherdzik/ Fauad Nasir - CEO and Founder, EmpireOne BPO (Canada) https://www.linkedin.com/in/fauad-nasir/ Anna Yotova - Head of Innovation and co-founder, CALLBOXS (Bulgaria) https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-yotova-2471aa17b/ Veronica Richards - VP at WW Calls Canada (Canada) https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-richards-9b26969/ Faye Joubert - CRO, iTalk International (South Africa) https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayevaldajoubert/ Terez Rijkenberg - Executive Coach (UK) https://www.linkedin.com/in/terezrijkenberg/ Vinay Parmar - MD, Customer Whisperers (UK) https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinayparmar/   Note: the order listed here is the order the voices feature in the podcast - there is no secret formula about the order. It's the order in which Peter sent the audio files to Mark Hillary to be included in this episode.

Companies are embracing AI faster than ever before, and many leaders are realizing that successful transformation depends just as much on people and culture as it does on technology. This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Dr. Michael Housman, AI builder, founder of AI-ccelerator, and author of Future-Proof: Transform Your Business with AI or Get Left Behind, shares practical ways companies can use AI to accelerate innovation, improve customer experience, and prepare for the future of work. We also discuss why successful AI adoption depends as much on leadership, employee buy-in, and culture as it does on the technology itself.

Everyone's racing to be "AI-first." The problem? Customers didn't vote for it. In this episode, we unpack a practical decision framework for when AI should lead, when humans must lead, and how to avoid automating the very moments that drive loyalty (or churn). We also get into a surprising twist: why AI can sometimes sound more empathetic than people—and what that says about how most service teams are set up today. What you'll learn in this episode Why "AI-first" is usually a cost initiative pretending to be a strategy A simple way to decide human vs AI based on the emotional and situational stakes Where automation genuinely improves CX (and where it quietly wrecks trust) Why AI can come across as more patient and empathetic—and why that's a warning sign Best Quote from the Episode: "AI-first' is not a strategy. It's a cost program wearing a strategy's suit." - Colin Shaw Resources Mentioned Colin Shaw - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinrjshaw/ Professor Ryan Hamilton - http://linkedin.com/in/ryan-hamilton-49b3321  About the Hosts: Colin Shaw is a LinkedIn 'Top Voice' with a massive 286,000 followers and 87,000 subscribers to his 'Why Customers Buy' newsletter. Shaw is named one of the world's 'Top 150 Business Influencers' by LinkedIn. His company, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been selected four times by the Financial Times as a top management consultancy. Shaw is co-host of the top 1.5% podcast 'The Intuitive Customer'—with over 600,000 downloads—and author of eight best-sellers on customer experience. Shaw is a sought-after keynote speaker. Follow Colin on LinkedIn. Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World's Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book launch in June 2025 called "The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things" Harvard Business Press Follow Ryan on LinkedIn. Subscribe & Follow Apple Podcasts Spotify

Today's episode of the Punk CX podcast features a recent conversation I had with Chris Angus, VP Sales EMEA at 8x8, a leading contact center and communications software provider. Chris and I talk about why AI is now table stakes in CX, but trust is not, where organizations are falling down when it comes to establishing trust with their customers, responsible AI, why human oversight is essential to great CX, auditability, transparency and why governance and clearer guardrails will shape the next phase of AI in CX. This interview follows on from my recent interview – Using orchestrated serendipity allowed one brand to improve its conversion rate by 15% – Interview with Gregg Johnson of Invoca – and is number 587 in the series of interviews with authors and business leaders who are doing great things, providing valuable insights, helping businesses innovate and delivering great service and experience to both their customers and their employees.

Get ready for a special episode of Tapod, where we sit down with Christian Ward – Chief Customer Officer at Daxtra. We talk tech in recruitment. And how many recruitment functions are wasting this valuable asset. We talk about how powerful data is for recruiters, how AI supports data processing and where the future lies. We have so much information at our hands – how do we unlock the candidate data vault? Christian's here to let us in on the secret.

Most loyalty programs are designed around rewards: points and discounts that give customers a reason to return. That design produces a specific problem. When the incentive expires or another brand matches it, the customer accepts the offer and does not return. The companies that retain customers year over year treat loyalty as a relationship, not a transaction. Most companies have not made that shift yet. In this episode of Doing CX Right℠, Stacy Sherman examines that problem with Martin Villanueva, Global Head of Personalization and Loyalty at IKEA. They explain why most loyalty budgets stay underfunded, what that costs in long-term revenue, and the specific steps leaders need to take first. You will learn how to: Position loyalty as a growth engine, not a cost center, when making the financial case to the C-suite Use customer journey mapping to align CX, support, personalization, and marketing teams around a single experience Design a value exchange that gives customers a clear reason to share their data Apply AI to personalization in a way that increases relevance, not just message volume Measure customer loyalty through repeat purchase rate, active member rate, CLTV, and whether customers are sharing more data over time as a signal that they believe the brand delivers value Final Thoughts Customer acquisition costs rise every year. A loyal customer base reduces dependence on that spending. The leaders who make that investment first hold an advantage that competitors cannot easily replicate. Have a question or thoughts to share? Leave a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/StacySherman Learn more at DoingCXRight.com and subscribe to the newsletter for more actionable strategies.

Many organizations are moving faster on AI than they are on strategy, alignment, and operational execution—and customers feel the difference. This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, customer experience expert, author of the USA Today bestselling book Experience Is Everything, and Experience Investigators Founder Jeannie Walters explains why AI alone will not improve customer experience. Drawing from her book Experience Is Everything, she explains how leaders can align mindset, business goals, employee empowerment, and operational discipline to create stronger customer experiences and measurable business outcomes.

Burnout doesn't come from “not being able to handle it.” It happens when CX work becomes an endless stream of urgent requests with no clear priorities. In this episode, we unpack why customer experience leaders burn out trying to solve everything at once, and how a clear CX mission and strategy create the guardrails to prioritize, push back, and lead proactively instead of reactively.We also explore what strategy looks like in practice: focusing on outcomes that matter most, aligning CX work to business goals, and building small habits that keep you grounded. If you're not sure where to start, we walk through a simple reset: picture what “wins” you want one year from now, then work backward into practical next steps. And because CX asks a lot of empathy from you, we close with an essential reminder: show yourself the same compassion you expect your teams to show customers, and build small habits that help you stay centered before taking on one more thing.If this resonates, share it with a CX leader, subscribe so you don't miss what's next, and leave a rating or review to help more leaders find the show.Resources Mentioned:Order your copy of Experience Is Everything -- http://experienceiseverythingbook.comLearn more about CXI Membership™ and apply -- http://CXIMembership.comExperience Investigators -- https://experienceinvestigators.comEnjoyed the show? Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a quick review to help others find us. Leave your review at ratethispodcast.com/xact.Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie Walters, CCXP, CSP on LinkedIn!)

It's your weekly episode of the Scoop from Tapod with all of your TA & Recruitment news from here and abroad. We cover all sorts of headlines, including…  Bunnings Chief wants us to consider hiring reformed offenders; LinkedIn cuts blown totally out of proportion; Tech companies are hiring back laid-off staff; Women suffer more over AI role encroachment and have lost trust in employers; putting on a brave front at work may force you towards the bottle; EY roll back paid parental leave perks and much more.Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us on The Scoop. 

Banking is one of the hardest categories in marketing.Trust is fragile. Customer expectations are shaped by every app on their phone, not just other banks. And every interaction has the potential to redefine the relationship.In this episode of That's What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne sits down with Laura Lynch, CMO of Bank of Ireland, to explore what it actually means to build a modern banking brand in 2026.Laura takes us inside Bank of Ireland's recent brand transformation, including the thinking behind the new “Right With You” platform, the role of customer experience in shaping strategy, and why the bank deliberately avoided category clichés in its latest advertising work.The conversation also explores:Why Laura stepped out of traditional marketing roles before becoming CMOHow customer trust is rebuilt after the banking crisisThe balance between AI, personalisation and human connectionWhy marketers can become too focused on attribution and performance metricsThe challenge of creating distinctive advertising in regulated categoriesHow Bank of Ireland uses customer insight, segmentation and CX to shape growthThe role of leadership, resilience and timing in building a marketing careerLaura also shares the inside story behind Bank of Ireland's latest campaigns, including the strategic use of humour, movie references, and why every line, casting decision and creative choice was intentionally designed to create distinction.For marketers working in financial services, regulated industries, or legacy brands navigating change, this is a fascinating look at how modern brand building actually works inside one of Ireland's most important organisations.Timestamps:00:00 – Why trust in banking has to be earned every day02:00 – Laura Lynch's path to becoming CMO of Bank of Ireland06:30 – Leaving traditional marketing to build customer experience capability10:00 – Going “all in” to land the CMO role13:00 – Leadership, intensity and avoiding groupthink16:30 – The reality of leading marketing inside a major bank18:00 – Rebuilding customer trust after the banking crisis20:00 – Why banking competition has fundamentally changed21:30 – Inside Bank of Ireland's new brand strategy24:00 – Building “Right With You” with customers and colleagues27:00 – Why the strategy had to stretch the organisation29:00 – The making of the new Bank of Ireland advertising32:00 – Using humour to talk about fraud and financial confidence35:00 – Creating distinctive work in a regulated category37:00 – AI, personalisation and the future of marketing teams39:00 – Why performance marketing alone is not enoughBrought to you by TracksuitTracksuit is the always-on brand tracking platform helping marketers understand brand health, measure impact, and make better decisions over time.

This week on Tapod, we catch up with Bernt Schindler – Head of Talent Acquisition at Holcim Australia and Director at APACAI. AI is threatening to completely change the landscape in TA & Recruitment and Bernt is here to help us navigate the really interesting bits. Lauren and Craig can't seem to agree on anything, and they all take you on a fascinating journey through what's real and what's not. Thanks to Daxtra for partnering with us this month. 

As a leader, you often spend so much time on the strategies and tactics that keep your brand growing that it's difficult to keep up with what's going on in the background with the platforms and the companies behind them.That's why I'm always glad to talk with our guest today, who is both focused on the business of CX as well as the business behind CX and the SaaS platforms driving so many customer experiences. I'm excited to talk again with our Resident Expert on the CX and MarTech platform landscape. We talked right at the beginning of 2026 as a look back at last year. Now that we've had a quarter behind us in 2026, it's time to talk about how this year is shaping up and what we can expect in the months ahead.To help me discuss these topics, I'd like to welcome, Bill Staikos, Founder at Be Customer Led. About Bill Staikos Bill Staikos is a senior customer experience executive with over 20 years of leadership across financial services, consulting, and technology. He has held senior roles at American Express, Freddie Mac, JP Morgan, and BNY Mellon, where he led global initiatives to transform client and employee experiences. A former SVP at Medallia, Bill helped organizations turn insights into measurable outcomes.Recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice and one of the Top 50 Global CX Influencers, Bill is also the founder of the Be Customer-Led podcast and is now preparing to launch The Multimodal Experience. Known for his pragmatic, impact-driven approach, Bill advises leading brands, including Apple, Bank of America, Marriott, and T-Mobile, on connecting customer experience to business growth. Bill Staikos on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billstaikos/ Resources Be Customer Led: https://becustomerled.com/ The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 We're proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873fDon't miss We Make Future - the International Festival of Innovation in AI, Tech, and Digital Marketing, June 24-26 in Bologna. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/c80991afff416bb2The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1 Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could the 2026 Mazda Cx-90 Phev Premium Plus Be One of the Most Overlooked Three-Row Suvs on the Market Right Now? John Rush and Richard Rush take a closer look at Mazda's plug-in hybrid SUV and uncover a mix of premium comfort, impressive features, surprising performance, and a few real-world quirks drivers will definitely want to hear about. From the upscale interior and hybrid technology to questions about everyday practicality, fuel savings, cargo flexibility, and overall value, this review goes far beyond the brochure. There's more to this CX-90 than first impressions—and some of what they discovered may completely change how shoppers view plug-in hybrids. Catch the full review from John Rush and Richard Rush on Rush To Reason and Drive Radio before making your next SUV decision. Have a question about a car review or a general automotive question? Call the KLZ560am studios in Denver during the Drive-Radio program on Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm MT at 303-477-5600 or text 307-200-8222. Listen live on the KLZ560am app or at https://Drive-Radio.com.

AGENDA: 00:05:11 — Anthropic freezes secondary sales, requiring board approval for all transfers. 00:10:45 — Why Anthropic is buying capacity from Elon Musk. 00:15:35 — Anthropic's massive $200B revenue commit to Google. 00:18:55 — Goldman Sachs predicts a 24x surge in token consumption driven by agents. 00:31:05 — Will AI labs eat the app layer? The threat to Legal and CX verticals.  00:37:55 — SaaS public markets: HubSpot tanks 18% while Monday.com finds its footing. 00:42:40 — Growth theft: How Clay is commoditizing ZoomInfo's data business. 00:46:25 — Cerebras prices IPO at $150–$160 with a $48B market cap. 00:52:15 — Real Venture Capital: Celebrating the early bets by Foundation and Benchmark. 00:58:30 — Ramp's valuation vs. the Chapter 7 collapse of e-commerce card Parker. 01:06:20 — Success and Sacrifice: Is mental health the price of building a $20B company?  

Stephanie Reeves Millner is a Global EVP at TP. She is based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. It is worth noting from the start of this podcast episode that Stephanie is talking in a personal capacity in this interview. CX and BPO processes are usually seen as a cost to most businesses. Stephanie argues that there are a number of strategies that can be used to drive up revenue, protect existing revenue, and increase customer loyalty. Applying all these strategies together can turn a CX cost center into a revenue generation center - moving from planning service to sales. In this conversation with Mark Hillary, Stephanie explains this service to sales concept. She also talks her her use of LinkedIn video to promote and share her own ideas - why is it so valuable to share raw and unfiltered content full of original ideas? https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemillner/ https://www.tp.com/   Summary: Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the shift from viewing customer interactions as a cost to recognizing their revenue-generating potential. Stephanie Reeves Millner, a global EVP at TP, emphasizes the importance of human engagement in customer care, highlighting revenue protection, creation, trust, and loyalty. She advocates for a brand performance engine over a cost center, focusing on retention, repeat purchases, and lifetime value. Millner also discusses the role of AI in augmenting human decision-making and the need for agents to have autonomy in upselling. She shares her experience with videos on LinkedIn, which have gained traction and provided valuable insights to her audience.

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #281, we welcomed Carl Lenocker, Senior Customer Success Executive at Splunk, based in San Francisco, CA. He is also the Chief Unicorn at Rockstar Unicorn Consulting. Carl has an interesting story as he's a a top-1% Customer Success Executive ($50M ARR) who built a career by owning relationships, telling the truth early, and tying outcomes to dollars—not dashboards.He's also the author of Success Plan for Life, where he breaks down how the same principles used to protect multi-million-dollar enterprise accounts can be applied to career, wealth, love and long-term leverage.In this episode, Carl 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 #281 Highlight Reel:**1. What it takes to be a top 1& CSM 2. Bringing CX & customer success into your future investments3. Where are things headed for CS in the next 1,000 days?Click here to learn more about Carl LenockerClick here to learn more about SplunkHuge thanks to Carl 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? 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 TodayTweet us @cxchroniclesCheck out our Instagram @cxchroniclesClick here to checkout the CXC websiteEmail us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

AudioCodes' Gidi Adlersberg on VOCA CIC, Customer Experience, and the Practical Path to Better Service, Podcast, For the channel, that creates a meaningful opportunity. Partners and MSPs are looking for ways to bring AI to market in forms customers can understand, deploy, and measure. AudioCodes is making the case that conversational AI can be monetized when it is tied to practical use cases, clear service improvements, and better day-to-day communications performance. @Doug Green “Let's empower them to be confident in being able to provide good service,” said Gidi Adlersberg, Head of the VOCA CIC business line at AudioCodes. In a recent Technology Reseller News podcast, I spoke with Adlersberg about how conversational AI is being applied in real enterprise environments and how channel partners and MSPs can monetize AI while improving both customer experience and employee experience. AudioCodes is well known in the market as a voice company with deep roots in enterprise communications infrastructure. As Adlersberg explained, the company spans everything from connectivity to AI, serving enterprises, service providers, and channel partners with both traditional voice infrastructure and newer voice AI solutions. That broad background gives AudioCodes a practical perspective on where AI fits and where it can deliver measurable value. A key theme in the discussion was that many customer service journeys today are still frustrating by design. Too often, callers are routed through systems intended to keep them from ever reaching a live person, even when the recorded prompts suggest otherwise. That disconnect between what companies say and what customers actually experience creates friction, dissatisfaction, and missed opportunities. Adlersberg said AudioCodes is focused on addressing those pain points step by step. Rather than claiming to solve every behavioral issue directly, the company's approach is to remove the obstacles that keep employees from delivering the service customers actually need. The goal is to make teams more confident, more responsive, and better equipped to handle the calls that matter. That is where the broader value of VOCA CIC comes into view. The platform is not simply about adding AI for its own sake. It is about helping organizations improve outcomes in both CX and EX, customer experience and employee experience, by using AI in ways that are grounded in the reality of business communications. For the channel, that creates a meaningful opportunity. Partners and MSPs are looking for ways to bring AI to market in forms customers can understand, deploy, and measure. AudioCodes is making the case that conversational AI can be monetized when it is tied to practical use cases, clear service improvements, and better day-to-day communications performance. This conversation is part of an ongoing series with AudioCodes on conversational AI and the customer calling experience. What continues to stand out is that AudioCodes is approaching the market not as an AI newcomer, but as a company extending long-established voice expertise into a new generation of intelligent communications. Learn more: www.audiocodes.com

AI-Powered, Human-Centric Customer Experiences  Shep interviews Aaron Cannon, co-founder and CEO of Outset. He talks about how AI-moderated research moves beyond traditional surveys to deliver relevant, nuanced customer feedback and customer-centric experiences.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How is AI-moderated research interviews are transforming customer feedback?  What are the main differences between AI-moderated interviews and standard surveys?  In what ways can AI provide a deeper understanding of customer motivations and experiences?  How does "visual intelligence" add value to customer experience research?  How can AI help companies reduce survey fatigue among customers?  Top Takeaways:    AI-moderated research gathers insights from customers through interviews that feel more like a conversation than a traditional survey.   Traditional surveys usually ask participants to pick a number, an option from a multiple-choice question, or to rank something. AI-moderated research goes beyond this by digging deeper and asking follow-up questions, enabling customers to provide the full picture by explaining their choices in their own words.   Trust is very important in collecting feedback. While opt-in participation should be the norm, make sure to let your customers know that their data privacy and security are a priority when they share their feedback.   AI tools help marketing and CX teams expand their reach by making it possible to have in-depth conversations with thousands of individual customers without needing a large team. This means organizations can cover a wide range of backgrounds and opinions, including outliers, to understand their customers better.   Context makes feedback more actionable. For example, if a customer's flight is delayed, AI can include this context in conversations so that it can collect feedback that is more specific and personalized.   AI-moderated research can feel more like a two-way conversation than just checking boxes on a form. AI can even escalate issues, so human support can jump in when needed.   Plus, Shep and Aaron discuss how listening to diverse customer voices can help companies make smarter decisions and gain happier customers. Tune in!  Quote:   "When the right questions are asked, people are willing to share deeply, even with AI. Good questions elicit thoughtful, honest responses."    About:    Aaron Cannon is the co-founder and CEO of Outset, an AI-moderated research platform that helps enterprise teams at companies like Microsoft, Uber, and Google gain deeper customer insights.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

American Express is using AI-powered personalization to help frontline teams deliver faster, more relevant support while preserving the human connection behind premium service. This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Anthony Devane, EVP and Head of Global Support Enablement and Control, Global Servicing at American Express, shares how his team is scaling AI and GenAI across servicing, travel, chat, and digital experiences while balancing personalization, trust, compliance, and customer expectations. A thoughtful conversation on how leading brands are using AI to reduce friction, strengthen customer relationships, and scale premium service across global operations.

What's on your mind? Let CX Passport know...What your customers feel in the moment and what they tell you later are two different things. Dr. Laura Beavin-Yates has spent years measuring the gap ... and the science behind it will change how you think about experience design.What you'll learn in this episode:-Oxytocin isn't the love hormone - it's the meaning hormone, and it fires in negative experiences too.-Post-experience surveys don't measure the experience. They measure memory, filtered through whatever mood the customer is in three days later.-Brain synchronicity means a fully immersed contact center agent pulls the customer in with them.-Six moments of full oxytocin release per day predicts whether a person reports thriving - not just coping.-Biometric data can be anonymized and still tell you everything you need to know about what your customer actually felt.CHAPTERS00:00 Oxytocin and what meaningful connection actually means03:08 Negative experiences and how the brain stores them06:17 Measuring oxytocin without a needle - 20 years of research08:56 Why post-experience surveys miss the real story13:32 Practical CX applications - resorts, stadiums, contact centers16:24 Employee experience and brain synchronicity18:08 First Class Lounge23:27 Neuroscience, neuro marketing, and CX - the connective tissue27:15 Privacy, anonymization, and the ethics of biometric data31:09 The Six app and six moments for thriving33:43 Where to find Laura and ImmersionGuest LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-beavin-yates/Immersion: https://www.getimmersion.com/Related EpisodeThe One With The Magic...Really!...The Orlando Magic! - Katie Miller E23: https://www.cxpassport.com/1736603/episodes/8911630Listen: https://www.cxpassport.comWatch: https://www.youtube.com/@cxpassportNewsletter: https://cxpassport.kit.com/signupI'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and should not be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding your specific situation. The opinions expressed by guests are solely theirs and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of the host(s).

In this exciting episode, we catch up with the insightful Eric Mystery, who returns to share his journey into AI transformation at Zapier. Eric, a longtime expert in customer education and deeply entrenched in AI's evolution, now combines these passions to bridge the gap between AI aspiration and real-world implementation for Zapier customers and internal teams.We dive deep into why mastering AI and digital tools is less about specific platforms and more about cultural adaptation and a "maker mindset." Eric emphasizes that the ability to quickly switch tools, adapt, and learn new technologies is the number one skill set in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. He shares practical advice for navigating restricted environments, building personal solutions, and leveraging AI to supercharge customer education, moving from simply consuming content to actively creating and iterating. If you're pondering the future of customer experience and education through an AI lens, this episode offers invaluable perspectives. Support the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value  from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review.  Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic

Most SaaS leaders are asking the wrong question. They obsess over NPS and CSAT scores, celebrate high satisfaction ratings, and then watch customers quietly disappear. In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with Rick DeLisi — co-founder of The Effortless Experience, creator of the Customer Effort Score (CES), and Chief Evangelist at Glia — to challenge one of the most dangerous myths in customer experience: that satisfaction equals loyalty.Rick reveals why the real driver of customer retention isn't how happy customers feel — it's how hard they had to work to get what they needed. He introduces the concept of "insidious disloyalty," explains why product failures are actually service failures in disguise, and lays out how AI can dramatically reduce customer effort when deployed correctly. For SaaS founders focused on retention, this episode is a fundamental shift in how to think about keeping customers.Key Takeaways4:22 — **The wrong question** — Rick explains why CSAT and NPS are company-centric metrics that don't predict future loyalty. The right question: "How much effort was required for you to get what you needed?"6:35 — **Insidious disloyalty** — Customers who leave without saying a word are more dangerous than those who complain. Silent churn gives you no opportunity to recover the relationship or learn from the failure.10:04 — **Customers want to stay** — Customers don't want to switch vendors. The goal isn't to build loyalty — it's to stop destroying it with high-effort experiences.11:23 — **Mitigate disloyalty, don't try to promote loyalty** — Promoting loyalty is less fruitful than eliminating the friction that causes customers to start looking elsewhere.14:37 — **There's no such thing as a product failure** — Every product failure immediately becomes a service issue. Future loyalty is shaped by how the service team responds, not by the failure itself.29:15 — **The biggest misconception about customer service** — Not every interaction is a relationship-building moment. Forcing fake friendliness on transactional interactions feels disrespectful, not warm.31:41 — **Neither extreme works** — Full automation fails just as surely as requiring humans for everything. The winning approach is intelligently routing issues to AI or live agents based on complexity.41:59 — **Surveys are just the entry point** — Quantitative survey scores tell you almost nothing. The real insight comes from qualitative follow-up conversations, and you need far fewer than you think.45:35 — **What customers are actually loyal to** — Customers aren't loyal to your company. They're loyal to their own decision to become your customer. Probe how your product makes them feel about themselves.45:58 — **The reframe** — Stop asking what customers think of you. Start asking how customers feel about themselves as a result of choosing you.Tweetable Quotes"The single question you can ask right after a service interaction to predict future loyalty: How much effort was required for you to get what you needed?" — Rick DeLisi"Insidious disloyalty is the customer who quietly disappears in the night. No explanation. No opportunity to recover. You didn't even learn anything." — Rick DeLisi"Trying to promote loyalty is far less fruitful than mitigating disloyalty." — Rick DeLisi"There's no such thing as a product failure. The moment something breaks, it becomes a service issue — and your customer's future loyalty depends on how you handle it." — Rick DeLisi"Customers aren't loyal to your company. They're loyal to their own decision to become your customer." — Rick DeLisi"Stop asking what customers think of you. Ask how customers feel about themselves as a result of being your customer." — Rick DeLisi"Your success in marketing is getting a customer to think about you 1% more. Your success in service is the moment they forget it was ever a problem." — Rick DeLisi"AI should be a part of every interaction — making things easier for customers, easier for your frontline, and more efficient for your company." — Rick DeLisiSaaS Leadership Lessons1. The metric you're measuring may be the reason you're losing customers. CSAT and NPS are lagging, company-centric indicators. They make you feel good but don't predict churn. Customer Effort Score — how hard someone had to work to get what they needed — is the far more accurate signal. Build your CX measurement strategy around effort, not satisfaction.2. Silent churn is the most expensive kind. Customers who leave without complaining are more costly than angry ones. Vocal detractors give you a chance to save the relationship and learn from it. The quiet exits give you nothing. Map your customer journey specifically to identify where insidious disloyalty can take root — low engagement, repeated friction, unanswered needs — before customers start shopping elsewhere.3. Your job isn't to create loyalty. It's to stop destroying it. Customers who sign up with you are already loyal — they just made the decision to trust you. Your real job is to protect that trust by removing friction at every touchpoint. Every high-effort support interaction is a crack in the foundation of a relationship that took real sales effort to build.4. Every product bug is a customer service test. When something breaks, customers don't remember the bug — they remember how you handled it. A fast, effortless resolution can actually strengthen loyalty. A slow, frustrating one will cost you the relationship even if you technically solved the problem. Invest in your service response capability as seriously as you invest in product quality.5. AI reduces effort — but only when it knows its lane. Generic AI frustrates customers. Vertical, context-aware AI resolves routine issues instantly and hands off complex ones to live agents with full context already loaded. The bar for good AI in service is simple: does it make the customer's experience easier or harder? If a customer has to fight through your automation, you've made the problem worse.6. In B2B SaaS, your champion's ego is part of the product. The person who bought your software has personal equity in that decision. When your product makes them look smart, delivers real ROI, and gives them a competitive edge internally, they become your best retention tool. When it doesn't, they quietly stop defending you. Probe how your product makes your champions feel about themselves — not just how it performs on paper.Guest Resourcesrick.delisi@glia.comwww.glia.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-delisi-1122257/Episode SponsorThe Futureproof Series - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfkXKUPZ5xuOqMPR7_gzGybncTtavyR1NThe Captain's KeysSmall Fish, Big Pond – https://smallfishbigpond.com/ Use the promo code ‘SaaSFuel'Champion Leadership Group – https://championleadership.com/SaaS Fuel ResourcesWebsite - https://championleadership.com/Jeff Mains on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffkmains/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jeffkmainsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/thesaasguy/Instagram - https://instagram.com/jeffkmains

Tyler Gardner has been in the contact center world since he was 18, taking calls for DiscoverCard off a paper dial sheet. Today, he runs customer experience for Cuyana, the premium women's clothing and handbag brand — and he's learned one thing that hasn't changed in 25 years: if the fundamentals aren't right, no technology will save you. Before Cuyana rolled out AI-assisted email and voice support, Gardner spent months mapping processes, updating knowledge-base articles and making sure every workflow was documented. His rule: if it's not written down, it doesn't exist. On this episode of CX Decoded, Gardner breaks down what it actually looks like to run a small-but-mighty CX team for a luxury brand, why phone calls aren't dying, how sentiment analysis is replacing the post-call survey as the real signal and what's next — chat AI, SMS, and a push into international commerce.

What does customer centricity really look like in fast-growing emerging markets? In this episode, we answer a listener question from a fintech support professional in the Gambia navigating rapid growth, limited resources, and constantly evolving customer expectations. We explore how organizations can build trust at scale by creating a customer-centric culture rooted in leadership, listening systems, and daily operational discipline. We also discuss why frontline support teams are critical in emerging-market fintech, serving as the real-time voice of the customer and a powerful driver of business insight and loyalty. If this helps you lead customer experience, subscribe, share the episode with a teammate, and leave a rating or review so more CX leaders can find it.Resources Mentioned:Order your copy of Experience Is Everything -- http://experienceiseverythingbook.comLearn more about CXI Membership™ and apply -- http://CXIMembership.comExperience Investigators -- https://experienceinvestigators.comEnjoyed the show? Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a quick review to help others find us. Leave your review at ratethispodcast.com/xact.Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie Walters, CCXP, CSP on LinkedIn!)

Greg recently moderated and participated as a speaker in a panel discussion organized by Simply Contact. It was a highly relevant webinar focused on healthcare customer experience. The discussion explored the complex challenges healthcare organizations face today — from fragmented systems and regulatory constraints to the ongoing need for truly patient-centric processes. Greg shared insights from his work in Swiss hospitals, Aleksandra Budynek brought in her frontline perspective from patient support, and Daniel Wardell provided a deep dive into technology and compliance aspects of healthcare CX. Together, they offered complementary perspectives that made the conversation both practical and thought-provoking. Many thanks to Simply Contact for making this discussion possible and allowing Greg to share it more broadly. Top 3 learnings:  Patient-centric design is crucial: Healthcare CX must focus on patient needs, not just staff efficiency or internal processes. Trust and empathy drive outcomes: Building trust through empathy and clear communication is key to positive patient experiences. Compliance shapes patient experience: Compliance must be integrated from the start, not treated as a separate or secondary concern. Links:  https://www.linkedin.com/events/7444735543533494272/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/simplycontact/ Please, hit the follow button and leave your feedback: Apple Podcast: https://www.cxgoalkeeper.com/apple Spotify: https://www.cxgoalkeeper.com/spotify About the host: Gregorio Uglioni is a seasoned transformation leader with over 15 years of experience shaping business and digital change, consistently delivering service excellence and measurable impact. As a Partner at Forward, he is recognized for his strategic vision, operational expertise, and ability to drive sustainable growth. A respected keynote speaker and host of the well-known global podcast Business Transformation Pitch with the CX Goalkeeper, Gregorio energizes and inspires organizations worldwide with his customer-centric approach to innovation. Follow Gregorio Uglioni on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorio-uglioni/ Forward Partners AG: https://www.forwardwith.ch

Customer Experience isn't short of activity—it's short of new ideas that actually land. In this episode, Colin and Ryan dig into why genuinely fresh thinking in CX struggles to break through, how industries get stuck in "normal science," and why it feels like we're doing more measurement… without more progress. They explore what a real disruption looks like, the warning signs that a paradigm is reaching diminishing returns, and how leaders can break out of the loop. Best Quote  "When a paradigm hits its limits, the next move isn't 'do more.' It's think differently—and be willing to ruffle a few feathers." Colin Shaw: Key Takeaways Are we measuring more because we're improving—or because we don't know what else to do? If satisfaction is stagnating, what "accepted" CX beliefs might be holding us back? What would a real CX disruption look like—and are we brave enough to recognize it when it shows up? Why You Should Listen If you've felt like CX is turning into an echo chamber—same language, same frameworks, same playbook—this episode gives you a sharper lens on why that happens and what to do next. You'll hear how paradigm shifts actually work, the signals that the current model is running out of runway, and practical ways to find (and foster) ideas that can genuinely move the industry forward. Resources Mentioned Colin Shaw - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinrjshaw/ Professor Ryan Hamilton - http://linkedin.com/in/ryan-hamilton-49b3321  ACSI National Customer Satisfaction (Q3 2025 press release): https://theacsi.org/news-and-resources/press-releases/2025/11/13/press-release-national-acsi-q3-2025/ PwC Global Workforce Hopes and Fears (psychological safety): https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/workforce/hopes-and-fears.html About the Hosts: Colin Shaw is a LinkedIn 'Top Voice' with a massive 286,000 followers and 87,000 subscribers to his 'Why Customers Buy' newsletter. Shaw is named one of the world's 'Top 150 Business Influencers' by LinkedIn. His company, Beyond Philosophy LLC, has been selected four times by the Financial Times as a top management consultancy. Shaw is co-host of the top 1.5% podcast 'The Intuitive Customer'—with over 600,000 downloads—and author of eight best-sellers on customer experience. Shaw is a sought-after keynote speaker. Follow Colin on LinkedIn. Ryan Hamilton is a Professor of Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and co-author of 'The Intuitive Customer' book. An award-winning teacher and researcher in consumer psychology, he has been named one of Poets & Quants' "World's Best 40 B-School Profs Under 40." His research focuses on how brands, prices, and choice architecture influence shopper decision-making, and his findings have been published in top academic journals and covered by major media outlets like The New York Times and CNN. His work highlights how psychology can help firms better understand and serve their customers. Ryan has a new book launch in June 2025 called "The Growth Dilemma: Managing Your Brand When Different Customers Want Different Things" Harvard Business Press Follow Ryan on LinkedIn. Subscribe & Follow Apple Podcasts Spotify  

Mike Herzing and Jeremy Birenbaum tackle this week's biggest automotive stories: Honda's massive EV losses and the resulting delays to mass-market models, rumors of Ford reviving the Ranchero name, and Mazda filing trademarks for new CX crossovers. They also review the blisteringly quick 2026 Cadillac Optiq V‑Series EV and sit down with GM's Maria Thomas about training the next generation of technicians. The episode finishes with classic car and hot rod Q&A from Jeremy, news on body‑on‑frame vehicles making a comeback, and a lively roundup of tips and tales for enthusiasts and everyday drivers alike.

We're live from the floor of eTail Toronto 2026! In the first half of our special two-part coverage, we're digging past the buzzwords to find out what is actually driving retail innovation in 2026. Host Jeremy Goldman sits down with three industry leaders to discuss everything from boardroom AI mandates to the digital rebellion of the next generation of consumers. Featured in this episode: - Dave Stevens (CTO, Groupe Dynamite): How to achieve "10x the CX" by stripping away AI noise and focusing on exposure therapy for internal teams. - Stacey DeSantis (Content Marketing Manager, Home Hardware): Solving the "Chicken Parm problem" by prioritizing authenticity and getting to the point fast for AI search. - Paul Briggs (Principal Analyst, EMARKETER): The data behind the Canadian market, from last mile delivery hurdles to the future of automated grocery replenishment. Whether you're a CTO drafting a tech strategy or a marketer fighting for authenticity, this episode is packed with real-world takeaways you can use today. Listen now and keep an ear out for Part 2 coming soon!

What makes great service? It's one of those things we instantly recognise when we experience it, but struggle to define. And while organisations spend huge amounts of time trying to design seamless customer experiences, the reality is that service doesn't happen in strategy documents or training manuals. It happens in real time, between real people, in messy and unpredictable situations where eventually the playbook runs out. Episode OverviewIn this episode, Christian is joined by Will Tarrant, CEO of Freeman Group, who focus on helping organisations close the gap between what they promise customers and what actually gets delivered in reality. Drawing on decades of experience across hospitality, aviation, healthcare and destinations, Will explains why compliance-based training can sometimes increase hidden risk, why empowerment without judgment can quickly become chaos, and why the real differentiator in service is rarely the process itself — it's the human response when something unexpected happens. Along the way, the conversation explores:Why “making people feel a certain way” is the real job in hospitalityThe hidden risks created by over-reliance on scripts and SOPsWhy organisations often confuse solving problems with compensating customersThe psychology of customer perception and expectationHow hotels, airports and even destinations manage emotional experiencesWhy breakfast might be the best indicator of a hotel's qualityThe tension between automation and human interactionWhy good service recovery is about judgment, not generosityAs Will puts it: “Compliance-based training reduces visible risk, but it increases hidden risk.” Although framed around hospitality and customer service, this episode is really about something much broader: how humans make decisions when the script no longer applies.Guest Profile - Will TarrantWill Tarrant is the CEO of Freeman Group, a consultancy that helps organisations design and deliver service cultures that align operational reality with brand promise. The company works globally across hospitality, aviation, healthcare, retail and tourism destinations. LinksWill on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/willtarrant/Freeman Group website - https://freemangroupsolutions.com/AI-Generated Timestamped Summary00:00 — Introduction: Why service failures create risk02:30 — Closing the gap between promise and reality07:00 — Hospitality is about making people feel something11:30 — The hidden risk of compliance-based training13:00 — What happens when the playbook runs out15:00 — Scripts, authenticity and service style16:00 — Measuring service quality19:00 — Perception is reality20:00 — Why empowerment needs structure22:00 — Seeing service everywhere24:00 — The timeless mechanics of good service26:00 — Automation versus human interaction29:00 — “The customer is always your customer”30:00 — Solving problems versus compensating customers33:00 — Inheriting other people's problems36:00 — Hiring for judgment, not just experience39:00 — The changing status of hospitality careers43:00 — Humans as the source of unpredictability47:00 — Why hotel breakfast matters50:00 — Choice overload and decision fatigue53:00 — Applying service thinking beyond hospitality55:00 — The gap between marketing and operational reality

Justin sits down with Nils Vinje, business growth guide and longtime customer success leader, to talk about the single biggest thing holding most growing companies back: everything still depends on the CEO.Nils spent the early part of his career on the leading edge of the customer success movement — convincing his first employer to ditch the "account manager" title back in 2011 — and has since coached hundreds of CS and CX leaders through the challenge of making their function legible to the rest of the organization. These days he works with CEOs and their leadership teams using the Pinnacle system, a five-principle framework built around people, purpose, playbooks, performance, and profit.In this conversation, Nils and Justin get into what running a CX org teaches you about leadership that no other function can, how to read the label from outside the bottle, and why the hardest decisions in any company are usually the ones everyone already knows need to be made.He also shares what he'd ask anyone standing at a crossroads in their career — and why the answer has nothing to do with money.Chapters[00:00] Intro and What Nils Does Now [01:42] What Leading a CX Org Teaches You About Leadership [03:30] The Single Biggest Challenge Every CS Leader Faces [05:01] Who Nils Works With and When to Bring in Outside Help [07:08] The Pinnacle System — Five Principles for a Well-Oiled Machine [09:38] Delivering Hard Truths with Grace [11:00] The People Problem Most CEOs Won't Solve [13:08] Why Being Inside the Bottle Kills Objectivity [14:29] The First Question Nils Asks Anyone at a Career Crossroads [16:25] What's Next for Nils and the Growth Bottleneck Blueprint [18:34] Never Stop Adding Value

Why Human Leadership Is the New Competitive Advantage in the Age of AI Summary: AI is changing how companies operate, scale, and compete. But according to Dr. Brynn Scarborough, the future will not belong to the companies that automate the most. It will belong to the companies that intentionally develop the human leadership skills AI cannot replace. In this episode, John DiJulius sits down with Dr. Scarborough, Founder and CEO of Alchemy Leadership Lab, to discuss the leadership infrastructure companies need in an era of rapid transformation. Brynn shares lessons from scaling a North American business unit from $20 million to $65 million in revenue, doubling the workforce, tripling profitability, and leading the organization through a private equity buyout. John and Brynn explore why learning and development can no longer be treated as a compliance exercise, why resilience must be intentionally built, and why the skills once labeled "soft" are becoming the most valuable capabilities in business. They also discuss AI's impact on workforce optimization, leadership development, experience engineering, succession planning, and the growing need for leaders who can create trust, connection, and momentum under pressure. This conversation is for CEOs, founders, CX leaders, HR executives, and anyone responsible for building a leadership bench strong enough for what is coming next. Guest Bio Dr. Brynn Scarborough is the Founder and CEO of Alchemy Leadership Lab. She spent more than 13 years scaling a North American business unit from $20 million to $65 million in revenue inside a $110 million global structure, doubling the workforce, tripling profitability, and leading the organization through a private equity buyout. She holds a Doctorate of Business Administration and an MBA from the University of Tampa's Sykes College of Business. Her doctoral research focused on leadership resilience and how organizations can engineer sustained high performance without burnout, founder dependency, and key person risk. Through Alchemy Leadership Lab, she works with founders, CEOs, PE operating partners, and C-suite leaders at key growth inflection points, including succession, scale, acquisition, and AI-driven transformation.   Key Takeaways AI may optimize processes, but it cannot replace the human leadership required to guide people through change. Companies that reduce headcount or flatten organizations without developing remaining leaders risk creating future capability gaps. Leadership development must be continuous, not episodic. Resilience, emotional intelligence, and executive agility are becoming essential leadership traits. Gen Z is asking for career development, and companies that invest in it have a stronger chance of retaining emerging talent. The next generation of leaders may not gain experience the same way previous generations did, so organizations must intentionally design growth paths. Transformation fails when companies focus only on systems and processes but neglect behavioral change. Human connection will become a premium differentiator as more business interactions become automated.   Resources Mentioned:   brynn@alchemyleadershiplab.comWebsite: www.alchemyleadershiplab.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/brynnscarboroughInstagram: www.instagram.com/alchemyleadershiplabBook a Discovery Call: calendly.com/brynn-alchemyleadershiplab/20min-discovery-call  Links: The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors:  tdg.click/claudia Ask John!  Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode:  tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/ Contacts:  Lindsey@thedijuliusgroup.com , Claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com If you want to learn how world-class organizations build cultures customers cannot live without, explore The Experience Revolution Membership. Inside the membership you'll gain access to livestream workshops, practical frameworks, and proven strategies used by organizations around the world. Learn more at https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Learn More If your organization is working to improve customer experience but struggling to connect it to measurable business outcomes, The DiJulius Group can help. Visit: https://thedijuliusgroup.com Listen to more episodes: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/the-customer-service-revolution-podcast/ Subscribe We talk about topics like this each week; be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.

Andrew Hall is the founder and CEO of Ethenta. He is based in Portugal. The "DREAM" service from Ethenta is a strategic framework designed to help organizations transition from traditional hierarchies to intelligent, agentic networks. It is aimed at enabling "+65% Productivity" through "Enterprise Agentic AI Transformation" Mark Hillary called Andrew to ask about Agentic AI and how a focus on AI across the organisation may have a profound impact on CX. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewghall/ http://ethenta.com/   Summary: Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the challenges in the CX industry, including increased airfare costs and the bankruptcy of Spirit Airlines. They introduce Andrew Hall, who has formed a new company, Ethenta, focused on agentic AI. Ethenta's "DREAM" methodology helps organizations reimagine their business processes by capturing and synthesizing data from various sources, including interviews and historical data. The tool provides a visualization of the enterprise's "corporate psyche," aiding in decision-making and root cause analysis. Andrew emphasizes the importance of intelligent people using AI to augment, not replace, human intelligence.

Vivimos en la era de la imagen, donde a menudo se valora más la estética que la solución técnica que esconde un vehículo. En este análisis, rompemos una lanza por los "marginados" del automovilismo: coches que fueron el blanco de mofas por su apariencia, pero que representan la perfección desde el punto de vista de la ingeniería y la funcionalidad. 1. Porsche 914 (1969-1976) A pesar del esnobismo de los puristas, el 914 ofrecía un equilibrio que el 911 envidiaba. Su configuración de motor central le otorgaba un momento de inercia polar bajísimo, permitiendo un paso por curva plano y seguro. Fue tan avanzado que Porsche limitó sus versiones de 6 cilindros para no humillar a sus hermanos mayores en pista. 2. Renault Twingo Gen 1 (1993-2007) El "huevo" de Le Quément revolucionó la habitabilidad urbana. Con solo 3,4 metros, su interior modular permitía desplazar los asientos 17 cm o convertirlos en una cama doble. Fue el primer monovolumen urbano real que priorizó a las personas sobre el hierro. 3. Citroën Berlingo (1996-2008) Frente a la moda SUV, la Berlingo ofrecía una honestidad radical. Utilizando el chasis de turismo del C4 y el eficiente motor 2.0 HDi, demostró que el verdadero lujo familiar son las puertas correderas y el aprovechamiento inteligente del espacio vertical con soluciones como el techo Modutop. 4. Fiat Multipla (1998-2010) El diseño de Roberto Giolito es un manifiesto de la función sobre la forma. Con una estructura de "space frame" y suelo plano, logró meter a seis adultos y su equipaje en solo 4 metros. Sus faros en el escalón del parabrisas y sus vías anchas lo convertían en un coche con un aplomo en carretera sorprendente. 5. Honda Insight ZE1 (1999-2006) Un biplaza híbrido de aluminio que buscaba la eficiencia absoluta. Con un peso de 835 kg y un motor VTEC de mezcla pobre, era capaz de trabajar con una proporción de aire y gasolina de 25:1. Una obra maestra técnica que batió al Prius en ligereza y aerodinámica. 6. Audi A2 (1999-2005) La visión de Ferdinand Piëch de crear el coche más eficiente mediante el "adelgazamiento". Fabricado en aluminio (Audi Space Frame), el A2 era inoxidable y extremadamente aerodinámico (Cx 0,25). Un coche adelantado a su tiempo que Audi vendía a pérdida debido a su compleja fabricación. 7. Toyota Prius Gen 2 (2003-2009) Su genialidad reside en la transmisión transaxle. Al sustituir cajas de cambio convencionales por un juego de engranajes planetarios, Toyota eliminó embragues, correas y motores de arranque. Es el referente absoluto en longevidad mecánica y fiabilidad térmica. 8. Dacia Logan Gen 1 (2004-2012) Técnicamente perfecto por su simplicidad. Diseñado bajo el proyecto X90 para resistir las peores carreteras del mundo, utilizaba piezas simétricas y un salpicadero monobloque para evitar desajustes, heredando suspensiones robustas de los rallyes. 9. Toyota IQ (2008-2015) Un alarde de empaquetamiento extremo. Con menos de 3 metros, el IQ utilizaba un diferencial invertido y un depósito de combustible plano bajo el suelo para maximizar el espacio interior sin sacrificar la seguridad de 5 estrellas EuroNCAP. 10. Mazda 3 Skyactiv-G (2013-2018) Mazda se rebeló contra el downsizing con su tecnología Skyactiv. Lograron una relación de compresión de 14:1 en un motor atmosférico gracias a un colector de escape 4-2-1 optimizado, demostrando que la eficiencia se puede lograr mediante la ingeniería térmica pura y no solo mediante turbocompresores. Conclusión La perfección técnica es la armonía entre lo que un coche promete y lo que realmente entrega. Estos modelos cumplieron sus objetivos con brillantez, recordándonos que, cuando la ingeniería manda sobre el marketing, el resultado suele ser un vehículo eterno y brillantemente ejecutado.

What's the bigger blind spot for most brands' digital experience: knowing that a customer is struggling, or understanding why and being able to help them in that exact moment? Agility requires not just identifying customer friction quickly, but having the tools to resolve it in the moment. It's about shortening the gap between insight and action to create better experiences, faster.Today, we're going to talk about a strategic evolution in digital experience management: moving beyond passively observing user behavior to actively intervening and guiding users toward success, directly within the product. We'll explore how this shift is being accelerated by strategic acquisitions and how it empowers product, marketing, and CX teams to solve problems in real time.To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Jason Wolf, President at Fullstory. About Jason Wolf Jason Wolf is an accomplished technology executive with over two decades of experience driving strategic growth and operational excellence across the technology sector. As President of Fullstory, Jason leads sales, customer success, support, professional services, partnerships, and revenue operations.Before joining Fullstory, Wolf served as Ping Identity's Chief Revenue Officer, leading an international team that cemented the company's position in intelligent identity solutions that make digital experiences secure and seamless. Preceding his time at Ping Identity, Wolf spent over 15 years at SAP, where he held several executive positions, ultimately culminating in his role as CRO, overseeing the business's spending management and network line. His career also includes valuable experiences at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and as a consultant for Ernst and Young. Jason Wolf on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-wolf-ismatsap/ Resources Fullstory: https://www.fullstory.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 We're proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's the bigger blind spot for most brands' digital experience: knowing that a customer is struggling, or understanding why and being able to help them in that exact moment? Agility requires not just identifying customer friction quickly, but having the tools to resolve it in the moment. It's about shortening the gap between insight and action to create better experiences, faster.Today, we're going to talk about a strategic evolution in digital experience management: moving beyond passively observing user behavior to actively intervening and guiding users toward success, directly within the product. We'll explore how this shift is being accelerated by strategic acquisitions and how it empowers product, marketing, and CX teams to solve problems in real time.To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Jason Wolf, President at Fullstory. About Jason Wolf Jason Wolf is an accomplished technology executive with over two decades of experience driving strategic growth and operational excellence across the technology sector. As President of Fullstory, Jason leads sales, customer success, support, professional services, partnerships, and revenue operations.Before joining Fullstory, Wolf served as Ping Identity's Chief Revenue Officer, leading an international team that cemented the company's position in intelligent identity solutions that make digital experiences secure and seamless. Preceding his time at Ping Identity, Wolf spent over 15 years at SAP, where he held several executive positions, ultimately culminating in his role as CRO, overseeing the business's spending management and network line. His career also includes valuable experiences at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and as a consultant for Ernst and Young. Jason Wolf on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-wolf-ismatsap/ Resources Fullstory: https://www.fullstory.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 We're proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check 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

Retail is moving toward more automation, and for customers, the experience is increasingly defined by how those systems perform. At Trader Joe's, the experience is shaped differently. It builds loyalty through in-store interaction and human connection. This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Mark Gardiner, author of Build a Brand Like Trader Joe's, shares insights from his experience working inside the company and what it reveals about delivering customer experience through people.

Drupal founder and Acquia executive chairman Dries Buytaert joins CX Decoded fresh off DrupalCon Chicago to break down how AI is disrupting every leg of the open source ecosystem — the platform, the agency world, and the contributor community. Plus: why the current deal between publishers and AI crawlers is broken, and what CX leaders should actually be doing about content discoverability.

Learn how to prove customer experience ROI by measuring Return on Experience, customer retention, referrals, earned sales growth, complaints, and loyalty. Summary: Customer experience leaders are facing a new reality: it is no longer enough to say customer experience matters. Executives want proof. In this episode of the Customer Service Revolution Podcast, Denise Thompson and John DiJulius discuss why CX leaders are being asked to connect experience initiatives directly to business outcomes like retention, referrals, loyalty, complaints, customer effort, close ratios, and revenue growth. John explains why customer satisfaction is too low of a bar, why NPS and surveys alone do not tell the full story, and why organizations need a clear Return on Experience dashboard to prove the financial impact of customer experience. He also breaks down why journey mapping often fails, how inconsistency damages brand trust, and why broken handoffs quietly cost companies revenue. The episode gives customer experience leaders a practical way to move from "warm and fuzzy" to measurable, executive-level business impact.   Key Takeaways 1. Customer satisfaction is too low of a bar Satisfied customers are not necessarily loyal. They may simply be customers who were not frustrated enough to complain. Leaders need to measure whether customers are staying, buying again, referring others, and spending more. 2. CX leaders need to prove financial impact Customer experience competes for budget against sales, marketing, IT, AI, and other departments. If CX leaders cannot show measurable business outcomes, they risk being viewed as optional. 3. Return on Experience should be measured clearly A strong ROX dashboard should connect CX efforts to business metrics such as retention, referrals, complaints, close ratios, first-contact resolution, customer effort score, reviews, and average annual spend. 4. Journey mapping fails when it only captures operations Most journey maps focus on standard operating procedures. The real opportunity is adding experiential standards, identifying service defects, improving handoffs, and creating above-and-beyond moments. 5. Inconsistency quietly destroys trust When the customer experience depends on which employee, department, or location a customer reaches, the brand becomes unpredictable. John calls this "employee roulette." 6. Handoffs are where CX is won or lost Customers and employees should not have to restart the relationship every time they move from one person or department to another. Warm handoffs create continuity and trust. 7. Earned sales growth may be one of the best CX metrics Tracking how much revenue comes from repeat customers and referrals gives companies a clearer view of whether the experience is actually driving loyalty and growth. Resources Mentioned Return on Experience dashboard Earned Sales Growth podcast Earned Sales Growth blog Customer Experience Executive Academy The DiJulius Group consulting services Links: The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors:  tdg.click/claudia Ask John!  Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode:  tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/ Contacts:  Lindsey@thedijuliusgroup.com , Claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com If you want to learn how world-class organizations build cultures customers cannot live without, explore The Experience Revolution Membership. Inside the membership you'll gain access to livestream workshops, practical frameworks, and proven strategies used by organizations around the world. Learn more at https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Learn More If your organization is working to improve customer experience but struggling to connect it to measurable business outcomes, The DiJulius Group can help. Visit: https://thedijuliusgroup.com Listen to more episodes: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/the-customer-service-revolution-podcast/ Subscribe We talk about topics like this each week; be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.  

Today's episode of the Punk CX podcast features a series of interviews that I conducted with Adobe executives while at Adobe Summit last week in Las Vegas. I talked to Luc Dammann, President EMEA, Adobe and his colleagues Nina Caruso, Group Product Marketing Manager, Real-Time CDP, Adobe and Vivek Pandya, Lead Insights Analyst, Adobe and we covered the big themes and takeaways from the event, whether we are at an inflection point when it comes to agentic AI, why we should be thinking about people and process over technology, the latest trends in AI and CX, how they are impacting brands, and what brands should be doing about it. You can catch up with all of the sessions from Adobe Summit on demand here. This interview follows on from my recent interview – The future of storytelling – Interview with Charles Melcher – and is number 584 in the series of interviews with authors and business leaders who are doing great things, providing valuable insights, helping businesses innovate and delivering great service and experience to both their customers and their employees.

In this episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, David Kinzelman, Chief Customer Officer at United Airlines—the world's largest airline, known for its extensive international network, operational scale, and continued investment in digital innovation and customer experience—shares how the company scales CX through operations. At United, CX isn't a layer on top of the business—it's built into how the system runs. From putting the customer at the center of operational metrics to continuously eliminating friction across the journey, decisions are made with customer impact in mind. David shares how United:

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #280, we welcomed Josh Schachter, SVP @ Gainsight, Creator of [Un] Churned Podcast & Writing Book on how the world's most exceptional founders build businesses centered around human relationships. On July 21st, 2025 Gainsight announced it acquired Update.ai: Accelerating the Age of Atlas Agents. This also brought forward Josh Schachter, founder of UpdateAI and one of the first to build in post-sales AI, stepping in as SVP & GM of Atlas. Josh is a product thinker through and through – someone who's lived the day-to-day pain of customer teams and built UpdateAI from that front-line perspective. In this episode, Josh 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 #280 Highlight Reel:**1. AI is here to amplify human effort, not replace it entirely2. Defining & living your core business values3. Learning from podcast interviews & conversations 4. Building a business into an acquisition target for larger companies5. Learning from public companies & their NPS performanceClick here to learn more about Josh SchachterClick here to learn more about GainsightClick here to learn more about UpdateAIClick here to learn more about [UN] Churned PodcastHuge thanks to Josh 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? 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 TodayTweet us @cxchroniclesCheck out our Instagram @cxchroniclesClick here to checkout the CXC websiteEmail us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!

What's on your mind? Let CX Passport know...What happens when a pensions company decides to fight regulatory complexity with game shows, cartoons, and podcasts? Claire Bristowe made it work ... and has 30,000 hours of employee participation, six gold awards, and a two-month waitlist for live call listening to show for it.What you'll learn in this episode:How regulation in financial services became a CX asset, not a barrierWhy fun was the only strategy that could reach the disengagedWhat 53 research sessions taught Claire before she launched anythingHow live call listening creates accountability that outlasts the sessionWhy one sentence in a letter was worth 1.3 FTECHAPTERS00:00 Regulation as a CX asset in financial services02:53 Bringing customers into legal document design05:42 64 customers applied to review three documents08:35 Why fun became the strategy ... and how it was chosen11:55 Where Claire actually started: 53 research sessions13:51 Live call listening: the highest-engaged initiative16:00 First Class Lounge19:08 Targeting the disengaged ... not just the willing22:10 Balancing immediate reaction with long-term roadmap23:21 The promoter team: 34 colleagues across the business25:48 Accountability after the session ends28:20 Small changes, real financial results30:14 Connectivity as a CX team's hidden valueConnect with Claire Bristowe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-bristowe-ccxp-102026135/Listen: https://www.cxpassport.com Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@cxpassport Newsletter: https://cxpassport.kit.com/signupI'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and should not be taken as legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding your specific situation. The opinions expressed by guests are solely theirs and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of the host(s).

Research shows that children who develop healthy relationships with money early in life end up in significantly better financial shape as adults, yet most schools still don't teach personal finance. We explore practical strategies for instilling sound financial habits in kids and how those habits compound over a lifetime.Today's Stocks & Topics: CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (CX), Market Wrap, Salesforce, Inc. (CRM), Comcast Corporation (CMCSA), Space X IPO, Is a Custodial Investment Account Right for Your Kids?, National Healthcare Properties, Inc. (NHP), Defense Spending, Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund Admiral Shares (VEMAX), Palomar Holdings, Inc. (PLMR).Our Sponsors:* Check out Anthropic: https://claude.ai/invest* Check out Pebl: https://hipebl.ai* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/invest* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code INVEST20 for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

The guys take on three debates for this episode! First, Rob in WY is trying to get his arms around all his cars - what to sell and how to do it? Joel in MN is in nearly the same predicament, and wants something different. Then, Jonathan in Texas wants a cheap manual car to teach his daughter the art of stick shift, but also use it to commute. Audience questions on social media ask who is the third buyer for massively depreciated EVs, can you import forbidden fruit car parts from Europe, and which is better to drive - the Mazda CX-5 or CX-50? Audio-only MP3 is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and 10 other platforms. Look for us on Tuesdays if you'd like to watch us debate, disagree and then go drive again! 00:00 - Intro 00:59 - Camaro Is Coming Back In 2027! 09:44 - VW Introduces Chinese Concepts And Kills ID.4 Production In U.S. 14:14 - Hyundai Premieres Chinese-Market ‘Earth' And ‘Venus' Concepts 16:15 - Driven: 2026 Lexus NX350 F Sport AWD 20:39 - Hooked On Driving Events April 2026 25:51 - Car Debate #1: Corralling The Herd 50:08 - Car Debate #2: Too Cheap To Ignore 1:05:50 - Car Debate #3: Teaching The Kids To Drive Manual 1:21:47 - Audience Questions On Social Media Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe to our two YouTube channels. Write to us your Topic Tuesdays, Car Conclusions and those great Car Debates at everydaydrivertv@gmail.com or everydaydriver.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've all been sold the dream of AI transforming the customer experience, but what if the most common approach is actually making it worse? Agility requires more than just implementing new technology; it demands a deep understanding of the human interactions that technology is meant to support. It's about adapting your tools and processes to enhance human judgment, not just automate it. Today, we're going to talk about moving beyond the hype of AI in customer experience. We'll explore how to ground an AI strategy not in the technology itself, but in the real, human moments that define a brand, and discuss why empowering your frontline team might be the most critical, and overlooked, component of a successful CX transformation. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Michelle Cooper, CMO at NiCE. About Michelle Cooper Michelle Cooper on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleleecooper/ Resources NiCE: https://www.nice.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check 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

We've all been sold the dream of AI transforming the customer experience, but what if the most common approach is actually making it worse?Agility requires more than just implementing new technology; it demands a deep understanding of the human interactions that technology is meant to support. It's about adapting your tools and processes to enhance human judgment, not just automate it.Today, we're going to talk about moving beyond the hype of AI in customer experience. We'll explore how to ground an AI strategy not in the technology itself, but in the real, human moments that define a brand, and discuss why empowering your frontline team might be the most critical, and overlooked, component of a successful CX transformation.To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Michelle Cooper, CMO at NiCE. About Michelle Cooper Michelle Cooper on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleleecooper/ Resources NiCE: https://www.nice.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703 Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74 Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3 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://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba Check 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.