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How is one of the largest health systems in Texas using AI to transform patient experience? This episode of The Modern Customer Podcast explores how Memorial Hermann Health System is applying AI, predictive analytics, and digital tools to redesign care for millions of patients across Houston. The conversation features Alex Greengold, Chief Consumer Experience Officer at Memorial Hermann, who brings previous CX leadership experience from AOL and DISH, where he earned multiple J.D. Power awards. Watch the full conversation to see how AI, smart design, and culture are reshaping the future of care.
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #273, we welcomed Varun Sharma, Co-Founder & CEO of Enterpret based in New York, NY. Enterpret provides custom AI to transform how you understand customers – from feedback chaos into clear, confident action. Harness superintelligence that feels like intuition, so your product and CX leaders never miss a signal.The Enterpret platform supercharges teams via advanced LLMs to help brands like Notion, The Farmer's Dog, and Perplexity build better products and experiences.In this episode, Varun and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #273 Highlight Reel:**1. On a mission to connect product leaders with their customers2. Pioneering customer intelligence with AI 3. Understand your customers wants & needs 4. Creating actionable reporting to lift your CX & EX 5. VOC support to help grow your business Click here to learn more about Varun SharmaClick here to learn more about EnterpretHuge thanks to Varun for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & contact center space into the future. For all of our Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content, strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's top-performing customer focused companies? Check out the CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building an AI-powered foundation for the future. Thanks to all of you for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
The most dangerous number in customer experience isn't low—it's shiny. In this CX Pulse Check, we unpack why a single score can seduce teams into storytelling that investors love and customers don't feel, and we make a case for the harder, more honest work of proving value creation by cohort, not by kudos. With Rob Markey of Bain & Company and Harvard Business School, we discuss whether customer metrics predict growth or distract from it, and we separate real loyalty from repeat purchase.We go straight at the NPS debate: what the score can predict, where it fails, and how it becomes powerful only as part of a system that links feedback to actions that change renewal, cross-sell, referrals, and cost-to-serve. We talk airlines, captive markets, and the language games behind “loyalty” programs that purchase repetition without building emotional commitment. Then we get practical. You'll hear a little about how to read interaction telemetry for risk signals, and build models that translate service performance—wait times, abandon rates, repeat contacts—into forward revenue forecasts your CFO will respect.This is a great listen for leaders who want both heart and proof: real-time feedback to understand emotion and expectation shifts, behavioral data to see what customers actually do, and investor-ready visuals like tenure curves and revenue per customer by acquisition year. If you've ever wondered how to tell a CX story that earns budget because it earns returns, tune in to this conversation.If this resonates, follow the show, share it with your team, and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Then send in a question you want us to tackle next at askJeannie.vip.About Rob MarkeyAdvisory Partner, Bain & CompanySenior Lecturer, Harvard Business SchoolRob Markey (https://robmarkey.com) is a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and an advisory partner at Bain & Company. The creator of the Net Promoter System, he has spent more than three decades helping companies grow by earning customer loyalty and increasing the value of their customer relationships. He teaches Managing Service Operations in the MBA program at HBS and hosts the Customer Confidential podcast, where he speaks with leaders building customer-centric businesses.He is the co-author of The Ultimate Question 2.0 and a leading voice in the movement toward Customer Capitalism.Follow Rob on...LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robmarkey/Articles Mentioned:- The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI): Quarter 3, 2025 - A Threat Potentially More Damaging Than the Great Recession (American Customer Satisfaction Index) -- https://theacsi.org/news-and-resources/press-releases/2025/11/13/press-release-national-acsi-q3-2025/- CoStar (CSGP) Q3 2025 Earnings Call Transcript (The Motley Fool) -- https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2025/10/28/costar-csgp-q3-2025-earnings-call-transcript/Want to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)
Today on the Scoop the team from Tapod brings you all of the weekly TA & Recruitment News. We cover all sorts of headlines, including… The Australian government throws its hat into the AI world, the French Culture Ministry drugs interviewees, MI5 investigates recruiters, career opportunities for over 50's, Bunnings nails the 5-generation workforce, Australia's gender pay gap is improving, and much more! And don't forget to listen to the upcoming events!Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us on The Scoop.
Black Friday isn't a day anymore. It's a month-long pressure cooker – and it's forcing retailers to rethink everything from promotions to product pages.Correction note: In the episode I mention a jumper with 7% wool – the actual composition was 8% wool.Why Black Friday has morphed into “Black Month” – and what that constant promo pressure does to margins, teams and customer expectationsHow John Lewis is investing £800m to turn “stuffy department store” into experiential destination, complete with VIP member lounges that feel more like British Airways than traditional retailThe power of personal styling: a live story from a first-ever styling session at Aubin, and why curated outfits create genuine “dopamine dressing” moments for time-poor professionalsWhat luxury players like Joseph really want from tech and AI: tools that free staff to serve customers, not replace themHow AI is fast becoming your second customer – from ChatGPT's personal shopping and gift guides to the need for product pages that go beyond specs and capture story, emotion and use-caseWhy the next generation won't “Google it”, they'll ChatGPT it – and what that means for search, content and retail strategyIf you work in retail, ecommerce, CX, merchandising or digital, you're already living these tensions: discount pressure, demand for experience, and the rise of AI-driven discovery.This episode gives you a sharp, 13‑minute snapshot of where those trends are heading – and how brands like John Lewis, Aubin, Joseph, Tumi and M&S are shaping the next chapter.
El Mazda CX-6e se perfila como uno de los lanzamientos más importantes de la marca de cara a 2026. En este episodio analizamos todo lo que se sabe sobre este nuevo SUV electrificado, que promete convertirse en un pilar dentro de la estrategia global de Mazda. Su diseño, su posicionamiento y su planteamiento técnico apuntan a un modelo ambicioso que marcará un salto respecto a generaciones anteriores. Comentamos su plataforma, su enfoque en eficiencia y la combinación de electrificación con una conducción emocional —seña de identidad de Mazda—. El CX-6e no será solo un SUV más: será un escaparate tecnológico de la marca para demostrar cómo quiere afrontar los próximos años dentro del mercado electrificado. Además, analizamos cómo encaja dentro de la gama futura y por qué puede convertirse en uno de los modelos clave para entender el rumbo de la compañía hacia 2030. Desde diseño hasta tecnología, el CX-6e es una pieza que anticipa la Mazda del futuro. Escucha el episodio entero aquí: https://go.ivoox.com/rf/163396104 Escúchanos en: www.podcastmotor.es Twitter: @AutoFmRadio Instagram: autofmradio Twitch: AutoFMPodcast Youtube: @AutoFM Contacto: info@autofm.es
In this episode, we speak with Jacob Moelter, of SupportNinja. The conversation explores how support teams can move far beyond traditional ticket resolution and contribute directly to customer loyalty, operational clarity, and long-term business growth.In conversation with Lexden CX Head of Consulting, and CX Superheroes podcast host, Jacob explains how many organisations still view support as a cost centre. He shares how SupportNinja helps companies shift this mindset by redesigning support roles, workflows, and metrics so teams can focus on prevention, insight, and value creation. He outlines how frontline teams can become a source of product feedback, behavioural insight, and customer advocacy when they are trained, empowered, and connected to decision-making.You will hear specific examples from SupportNinja clients who have reduced customer effort by simplifying processes and improving knowledge flows. Jacob highlights how small changes, such as clearer ownership of customer issues or faster access to information, can reduce repeat contacts and improve resolution quality. He encourages leaders to ask where their support teams spend the most time and what insights they are collecting but not using.The episode also touches on the future of outsourced CX. Jacob describes how SupportNinja blends technology, human capability, and cultural alignment to deliver support that feels personal and consistent. He shares how companies can build scalable support operations without losing the human touch that customers expect.If you are assessing your support function, planning to outsource, or looking to elevate the role of customer service inside your organisation, this discussion offers practical and actionable guidance.Learn more about Jacob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmoelter/Explore SupportNinja: https://www.supportninja.com/Learn more about Lexden CX: https://lexdengroup.com/Learn more about Christopher: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-brooks-cx/
Gjesten min denne gangen er Helen Rigamonti. Hun er en av Nordens mest markante stemmer innen kundeopplevelse. Hun er forfatter, foredragsholder og leder med mer enn 25 års erfaring fra B2B, B2C og medlemsorganisasjoner. I denne episoden blir du bedre kjent med mennesket bak bøkene. Vi snakker om hva som driver henne, hvordan hun fant veien inn i CX-feltet, og hvilke hindringer som oftest stopper virksomheter fra å ta reelle, kundedrevne valg. Vi går også inn i hvorfor Helen mener at kundeopplevelse alltid starter og slutter med lederskap, og hva CX-ledere må gjøre for å få mer innflytelse i egne organisasjoner.Avslutningsvis diskuterer vi hvordan AI kan forbedre kundeopplevelsen uten å miste det menneskelige et tema der Helen kombinerer tydelighet med praktisk realisme.Dette er episoden for deg som vil forstå hva som faktisk kreves for å bygge en kundeorientert kultur som holder over tid.
How do you scale customer support from 10 people to more than 2,300—while keeping humanity, psychology, and operational excellence at the center? In today's episode, we sit down with Jason Katz, former early Peloton leader and now founder of Lentil Labs, to explore how customer experience transforms when technology, empathy, and data-driven insights collide.Jason shares the wild hypergrowth journey of Peloton's support team, the surprising lessons he learned rebuilding their entire support tech stack, and why he believes the future of CX is defined by operational efficiency, AI-assisted support, customer psychology, and intentional service design. We talk through the “peak-end rule,” how brands can engineer memorable customer moments, the right (and wrong) ways to use AI for delight, and why internal tools, not customer-facing ones, often determine whether teams deliver a 5-star experience.You'll also hear about Jason's new company, Lentil Labs, and his mission to build lean, powerful CX tools that fill the 15–25% “gap” every support team still feels, even with best-in-class platforms.----------------------------------------------------00:00 – Intro02:40 – Why Jason is only now on Numbers and Narratives04:20 – Peloton rocket ship: scaling support from 10 to 2,300 agents08:30 – Lentil Labs: why support teams still need that extra 15–25%12:00 – CSAT vs cost: what really matters in modern support ops13:10 – The Peak-End Rule: Kahneman, cold water, and remembered pain21:40 – Designing support journeys: peaks, friction, and AI handoffs31:40 – Surprise & delight.46:40 – Using AI to detect peaks, trigger escalations, and support your team52:30 – Ending well: service recovery, positive endings, and Jason's final advice
UC Today's Kieran Devlin sits down with Gidi Adlersberg, Voca CIC Business Line Manager at AudioCodes, to explore what Microsoft's new Unify certification really means for Teams-based contact centers. With a decade at AudioCodes and a frontline role in developing Voca CIC, Gidi offers rare insight into how Azure-native integrations, SDK-driven stability, and AI standardisation are reshaping the CX landscape. If you're planning your next-generation customer experience strategy, this is an essential watch.Microsoft's Unify model is rapidly becoming the benchmark for Teams contact center integration — but what makes it different, and why does it matter? Gidi unpacks the technical and strategic implications, from five-nines reliability to the future of Azure-native voice.In this conversation, Gidi shares:
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In this episode of Add To Cart, Jevon Le Roux joins Nathan Bush to share how Keeyu is turning customer service on its head. Instead of managing complaints, Keeyu's AI agents proactively detect and fix order issues (like stuck parcels, refund delays, and failed payments) before the customer ever asks, “Where's my order?”Today, we're discussing:Why most CX tools are stuck in reactive mode, and how Keeyu flips the modelThe moment Jevon and his co-founders realized they could automate complaint preventionWhat a “customer promise” is, and how Keeyu uses it to track every orderHow AI agents are solving operational issues across 50+ ecommerce systemsWhy leading retailers are using Keeyu to reduce ticket volume and team burnoutWhere ecommerce AI is heading, from automation to intent-based prioritizationConnect with JevonExplore KeeyuSMS us to request a guest!Support the showWant to level up your ecommerce game? Come hang out in the Add To Cart Community. We're talking deep dives, smart events, and real-world inspo for operators who are in it for the long haul. Connect with Nathan BushContact Add To CartJoin the Community
This week on Tapod we sit down with one of the leading minds in AI in Australia—Professor Toby Walsh, Chief Scientist at UNSW AI Institute. Fresh from his keynote presentation at ATC2025, the Good Professor guides us through the myths associated with AI as well as plenty of practical applications. If you are nervous, intimidated, or worried about where technology is headed, rest assured—we have you covered. Oh—and did we tell you the story about Toby and his little challenge with Russia?Thanks to Greenhouse for partnering with us this month.
Ryan Drummond takes us from Tulsa Tuff breakthroughs to a Pan Ams podium, shares how team support sharpened his race craft, and lays out the plan for Fayetteville and a two‑month European block. We ask for help funding the campaign so he can test himself against the world's best.• Tulsa Tuff tactics, solo bridge, omnium jersey• Marathon Nationals result and shifting failure• Comp Edge team camp, routines and pro habits• Green Mountain Stage Race leadouts for GC• Early USCX top tens and U23 podiums• Trek Cup U23 win and confidence shift• First elite CX podiums in mud and fast tracks• Northampton teamwork and role reversals• Pan Ams nerves, crash, and last-lap surge to third• U23 UCI ranking rise • Nationals goal in Fayetteville, Europe schedule• Funding needs for travel and World CupsThere is a link in the show notes if you want to help donate, if it's $10, $20, $100, $1,000, whatever you can to help him fulfill his dream and represent us as a state, our country, and racing in Europe where he's getting ready to head off toDONATE HERE!!!!!!!https://gofund.me/41f14dab8Instagram @ryan_drummond
Nick Jiwa is the founder and president of CustomerServ. He is based in Houston, Texas, USA. In this episode Nick talks to Peter Ryan about the importance of people in CX - in particular in BPOs. He asks why people have always been central to the customer experience, but now it sounds like everyone is just focused on AI and automation? It's time to refocus on people and culture because this is how brands connect with customers and this leads to the success they need - extra revenue, loyalty, retention etc... https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickjiwa/ https://www.customerserv.com/ The Call Center – Still a People Business (Nick Jiwa - Aug 12, 2025) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/call-center-still-people-business-nick-jiwa-sn5lf/ Summary: Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the importance of human interaction in customer experience (CX) with Nick Jiwa, founder of CustomerServ. Jiwa emphasizes that despite technological advancements, CX remains a people-centric industry. He criticizes large BPOs for prioritizing tech over people, noting that many have an identity crisis. Jiwa highlights the resilience of the call center industry, projecting its growth from $300 billion to $500 billion by 2030. He argues that AI will enhance, not replace, human roles, particularly in emotional and complex interactions. The conversation underscores the need for a refocus on people, culture, and leadership in CX.
Running behind on your Black Friday–Cyber Monday prep? Nik breaks down his entire last-minute BFCM checklist (the same one he uses with top ecom brands) so you can tighten up your site, email, paid media, social, and ops before the biggest shopping week of the year.From testing every CTA and auto-apply link, to optimizing mobile layouts, updating your promos, prepping CX macros, scaling retargeting, giving affiliates what they need, and avoiding common discount-logic disasters, this is your rapid-fire guide to executing a flawless BFCM.Whether you're listening on the go or scrambling between tasks, Nik gives you actionable steps you can implement today to maximize revenue and minimize surprises.Perfect for: founders, marketers, operators, and anyone running an ecom brand during the holiday season. What's Instant? They're the secret weapon to triple your email revenue with AI-powered flows. Instead of blasting the same cart reminders to everyone, Instant ensure every shopper gets a unique email experience: Copy, products, and offers that adapt to your shopper's behavior in real time. Emails sent at the exact moment that shopper is most likely to buy. 11+ abandonment flows live in minutes. Book a demo by Nov. 28 to get 50% off your first 60 days. Make this BFCM your biggest one yet: instant.one/limited Want more DTC advice? Check out the Limited Supply YouTube page for more insider tips. Check out the Nik's DTC newsletter: https://bit.ly/3mOUJMJ And if you're looking for an instant stream of on-demand DTC gold, check out the Limited Supply Slack Channel for Nik's most unfiltered, uncensored thoughts. Follow Nik: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mrsharma
The Cybersecurity Landscape in Austin In this episode, Alison Dixon shares insights into the fast-evolving cybersecurity environment in Austin, Texas. She discusses the rising importance of protecting both personal and corporate data amid growing cyber threats, emphasizing the dual challenge of convenience versus protection. Alison and Michael explore how AI complicates the landscape—accelerating innovation but also introducing new vulnerabilities. They underscore the urgent need for smarter, password-free security solutions and thoughtful tech adoption that prioritizes user safety. AI Integration with Intention Michael and Alison explore the importance of deliberate, strategic integration of AI into business operations. They agree that AI should serve genuine business value, not simply act as a marketing add-on. Clear processes and structured systems must precede AI adoption to avoid inefficiencies. Michael points out that transparency in AI systems, such as chatbots identifying themselves and providing human contact options, can significantly enhance customer trust. Both emphasize the need for balance, restraint, and purpose when embracing new technologies. Balancing AI Budgets and Cybersecurity Priorities The conversation turns to the tension between investing in AI and maintaining strong cybersecurity foundations. Alison warns that over-investing in AI while cutting cybersecurity budgets increases the risk of attacks like phishing and ransomware. Michael shares a real-life story about a senior manager's phone hack that illustrates the importance of vigilance and response protocols. Alison reinforces the need for proactive defenses and risk-reduction strategies rather than reactive training. AI Voice Scams and Public Awareness Michael recounts a growing trend of AI-driven voice scams, where criminals mimic loved ones' voices to exploit victims. He shares a case involving an elderly Toronto couple who lost nearly $100,000 to a voice fraud scheme, stressing the importance of using family “safe words” to verify identity. The discussion underscores how easily anyone—public figure or private citizen—can become a target, highlighting the growing sophistication of AI misuse. Human Factors and Preventive Strategies Alison and Michael discuss why human behavior remains the weakest link in cybersecurity. They argue that education alone is insufficient and that organizations should focus on eliminating risk exposure through stronger systems and policies. Practical steps such as multi-factor authentication, unique passwords, and an “assume it's fake” mindset can dramatically reduce vulnerability. Alison notes that leadership accountability and proactive system design are the true foundations of digital safety. The Role of Two-Factor Authentication and Holiday Vigilance In closing, Michael and Alison revisit the vital role of two-factor authentication (2FA). While it adds a few extra seconds to login, they agree it is a small price for peace of mind. They also caution that the holiday season often brings a spike in cyberattacks, as people let their guard down. Their message is clear: cybersecurity is not just about technology—it's about disciplined habits, awareness, and making security a leadership priority. Alison Dixon, the Chief Customer Experience Officer at Portnox, a leading zero trust network access control platform. Alison is at the forefront of shaping how technical, high-stakes industries like cybersecurity can deliver world-class customer experiences. With a background that spans HR, Sales Enablement, and IT, she brings a uniquely holistic view to customer success—balancing strategy, empathy, and execution. At Portnox, she's led the charge in transforming onboarding into a competitive advantage, expanding CX beyond support, and building programs that reduce churn and drive long-term value. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-dixon-msod/
WBSRocks: Business Growth with ERP and Digital Transformation
Send us a textThis week brought a surge of AI-driven innovation across CX, martech, enterprise software, and development tooling. Treasure Data introduced five new AI suites aimed at elevating customer experiences, while Uniphore unveiled a suite of AI marketing agents and Zeta Global provided more details on its Zeta Answers platform—each reinforcing the rapid expansion of AI across customer engagement. In the enterprise and ERP ecosystem, Accenture launched its Distiller agentic AI framework, Precisely rolled out AI-driven automation for SAP ERP, and Rimini Street extended support for all SAP ECC 6.0 and S/4HANA releases through 2040, signaling major momentum in long-term ERP modernization and support. On the engineering and DevOps front, Zencoder debuted Zentester, an AI-powered end-to-end testing agent designed to turn vibe coding into enterprise-grade engineering. Meanwhile, Acorn secured $12.3 million in Series A funding to accelerate its growth, Algolia released its MCP Server to enhance developer productivity, and Aravo expanded its Evaluate Engine with new features—collectively highlighting how AI, automation, and modernization continue reshaping every layer of the enterprise technology stack.In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry analysts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to analyze current enterprise software stories. We covered many grounds including the direction and roadmaps of each enterprise software vendors. Finally, we analyzed future trends and how they might shape the enterprise software industry.Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrKYmqgnWMgQuestions for Panelists?
The Hershey Company is transforming faster than ever—proving how CX and AI can modernize a 130-year-old brand at scale. This week on The Modern Customer Podcast, Tiffany Menyhart — Chief Customer Officer at The Hershey Company — shares how her team is reshaping customer experience across physical retail, e-commerce, and the rapidly expanding on-demand ecosystem. Hershey's results speak for themselves: ▪️ On-demand sales up 30%+ this year (and 60% growth over recent years) ▪️ 40%+ seasonal lifts with retail partners through strategic digital optimization If you're leading CX, digital, retail, or innovation strategy, this episode is a must-listen.
This week's podcast is about estimating the costs of providing GenAI products and services. And this is changing.You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.Here is the link to our Tech Tours.My approach to assessing GenAI operating costs is the below checklist.What is the cost of compute, including energy and cooling? Initial cost vs. ongoing?The core compute is going to drive a lot of the costs. Especially if you are using an AI cloud service provider. If you have a downloaded open-source model, then it's mostly the initial cost.These compute costs dependent on the requirements of the AI workloads:The compute requirementsThe timing requirementsThe memory requirementsWhat is the cost of creating and maintaining the desired correctness over time?How accurate and correct you need the foundation model to be is a big deal. And this factor determines how much of the operations are done by software versus humans. It can make the costs of GenAI products look a lot more like services than traditional software.My main questions are:How much does correctness matter? What level of correctness does the product need to compete? What is the cost of inaccuracy?How does correctness change over time? Is it stable and flat lining, advancing, naturally changing or deteriorating?How much of a long tail is there in the domain? Is the long tail a liability or a benefit?How much of the process is iterative? How much are humans in the loop?What is the initial cost of training and getting to the desired level of correctness?What is the ongoing cost of inference at the desired level of correctness? How much are humans in the loop?What is the cost and frequency of fine tuning and/or retraining?What are the cost implications of increasing scale?What are the scale advantages vs. disadvantages?Does the Jevon paradox apply? --------I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.Support the show
In this episode of Clover, I sit down with my former teammate Jordan Lea, now VP of Customer Experience at Plum, to talk about bold career leaps, people-first leadership, and building a meaningful career on your own terms. Jordan shares her journey from a tiny town in North Carolina with dirt roads and cornfields to moving to New York City with no job lined up, flying standby for interviews, taking an unpaid internship in fashion, becoming employee #5 at a fashion tech startup, and eventually finding her sweet spot in HR tech and customer experience.We dig into what it really looks like to grow up inside startups; wearing every hat, building resilience, and learning to say “give me whatever you've got” instead of “that's not my job.” Jordan talks about how she evaluates new opportunities by looking beyond the job description and title to the company's mission, timing in her personal life, and whether there's true alignment with what she cares about. We also get into culture (beyond the buzzword), psychological safety, and her “skill vs. will” framework for coaching and developing people. She shares practical advice for women who feel boxed in or underestimated at work, how to make intentional career pivots into new industries, and how AI can actually free CX teams to be more human, not less.You'll hear us talk about:Taking big leaps: moving to a new city with no safety net, changing industries, and asking “What's the worst that could happen?”Startups as a career accelerator: why being early-stage employee #5 shaped her leadership, adaptability, and ability to “Sherpa” others through growth.Skill vs. will: how she decides when to invest in someone's potential versus when there's a true mismatch.Building real culture: trust, authenticity, and psychological safety as non-negotiables, not just slide-deck values.Career pivots with intention: how to research new fields, show up prepared to conversations, and decide if an opportunity is a “go” or “no-go” for your life.AI + Customer Experience: using AI to streamline the boring parts so humans can focus on relationships, storytelling, and proactive support.Her surprisingly fun productivity hack (involving a giant medicine ball) If you're a woman in leadership, or aspiring to be one, who feels ready for your next leap but isn't sure what it looks like yet, this conversation with Jordan will give you both the mindset and the practical tools to start moving.Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn!
In today's episode, we talk to Antti Kangaslahti. Antti is a customer experience expert with over a decade of experience in top London agencies across a breadth of industries, including FMCG, technology, finance, telecoms, aviation, and education.We chat about the role of expectations in customer experience, why signature human experiences still matter in an industry increasingly obsessed with AI, and his philosophy of "maalaisjärki” - practical, no nonsense and no hype countryside intelligence from Finland
Today on the Scoop, the team from Tapod brings you all of the weekly TA & Recruitment News. We cover all sorts of headlines including… Workday not done with acquisitions, who wants a job paying $300k? AI updates on many fronts, NT raiding NZ for Cops, CSIRO wields the axe, hiring at the Jonas Brothers concert and much more. And don't forget to listen to the upcoming events!Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us on The Scoop.
Episode web page: https://bit.ly/49ucDxK Episode summary: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, UserTesting's VP of Design Jason Giles sits down with Tessa Forshaw and Rich Braden—co-authors of Innovation-ish and longtime instructors of design thinking at Harvard and Stanford—to explore what truly drives innovation and why most people hesitate to participate in it. Tessa and Rich break down the science behind “innovation hesitation,” share tools for unlocking creativity, and explain how empathy, rapid prototyping, and metacognition can make innovation more human—and less intimidating. Whether you're a product leader, designer, marketer, or team facilitator, this conversation provides practical strategies to build innovation habits, uncover deeper insights, and help teams think more creatively. What you'll learn in this episode: Why so many people experience “innovation hesitation”—and how evolutionary wiring shapes our fear of ambiguity A practical framework for understanding innovation across a spectrum—from jump shots to moonshots How empathy physiologically changes the way our brains process information What separates real insights from surface-level feedback How to use rapid prototyping to gather evidence instead of relying on opinions Why metacognition (thinking about how you think) dramatically increases creativity and idea quality Tools and prompts to help teams collaborate, synthesize insights, and tell better innovation stories About the guests: Tessa Forshaw is a cognitive scientist and co-founder of Harvard's Next Level Lab. She teaches design thinking, innovation, and creative problem solving at Harvard and previously at Stanford. Her research explores how empathy, cognition, and metacognition shape human-centered innovation. Rich Braden is a design strategist with a background that spans software engineering, marketing, and more than a decade of improv teaching. He teaches innovation and design thinking at Stanford and Harvard, blending creative methodologies with practical business experience. Together, Tessa and Rich are the authors of Innovation-ish: How Anyone Can Create Breakthrough Solutions to Real Problems in the Real World. Resources & links: Innovation-ish website – https://innovation-ish.com Tessa Forshaw on LinkedIn –https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessaforshaw/ Rich Braden on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardcoxbraden/ Jason Giles on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaygiles/ Harvard Next Level Lab – https://nextlevellab.gse.harvard.edu Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/ Learn more about Insights Unlocked – https://www.usertesting.com/podcast About the show: Insights Unlocked is the go-to podcast for marketing, UX, product, and CX leaders. Each week, we feature candid conversations with the builders and thinkers behind today's most impactful customer experiences. Brought to you by UserTesting.
CX Goalkeeper - Customer Experience, Business Transformation & Leadership
This episode shows how AI magnifies both strengths and gaps in customer experience. Rajat Chawla explains why AI exposes bad CX, how invisible effortless experiences look, and what leaders must do on culture, accountability, and journey design using Taco Bell, KLM, and Starbucks examples. About Rajat Chawla Some highlights about Rajat Chawla: - Asia's first Certified Customer Experience professional. - Founder of Koyopo, a CX and leadership consulting firm. - Worked with global brands like Google and Cisco. - Over two decades of experience in leadership, consulting, and coaching. - Helping organizations build customer-centric cultures that drive loyalty and growth. - Gallup-certified strengths coach, aligning authentic strengths with CX strategies. Resources Koyopo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chawlarajat/ Please, hit the follow button and leave your feedback: Apple Podcast: https://www.cxgoalkeeper.com/apple Spotify: https://www.cxgoalkeeper.com/spotify Follow Gregorio Uglioni on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorio-uglioni/ 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 an Associate 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
This week on Tapod we catch up with Jason Lau, Head of Talent Acquisition at hipages. From falling in love with the company 4 years ago when he joined on Valentine's Day, Jason takes us through recruitment processes at an innovative Tech business. Hiring mainly Sales and Tech roles, hipages current employer brand campaign is an absolute cracker and leans right in to the ‘feels' that allow prospective candidates to push behind the veil. We also explore CX with Hiring Manager boot camps, gender parity and being a certified ‘best place to work.' If you are looking for something very different—have we got something for you!Thanks to Greenhouse for partnering with us this month.
Download our “Tell a Better Story, Win Better Clients” E-book at https://working-towards.com/Bill Price is one of the most influential minds in customer experience — and he joined us to break down how AI is transforming CX, why 88 percent of customers never complain, and how companies can finally eliminate friction at scale.Bill was Amazon's first Global VP of Customer Service, where he helped build the customer-centric philosophy that powered Amazon's explosive early growth. Today he runs Driva Solutions and is the Founder & CEO of Intendra AI, a CX analytics platform that identifies intents, reduces operational drag, and uncovers the “silent sufferers” who quietly churn without ever contacting support.In this conversation, Bill shares insights on:• The real story of Amazon's early customer-centric culture• Why “the best service is no service”• How large language models are rewriting the rules of customer service• The 88 percent of customers who never complain — and how to find them• Why first-contact resolution is now misleading• How companies across hospitality, banking, ecommerce, and B2B services can proactively fix hidden friction• What Intendra AI is building today and where CX is going nextBill is also the author of four must-read books on CX:• The Best Service Is No Service• Your Customer Rules!• The Frictionless Organization• Zero Complaints⸻Guest LinksIntendra AIhttps://www.intendra.ai/Driva Solutionshttps://drivasolutions.com/Bill Price on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-price-drivasolutions/Bill's Bookshttps://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001JSHFSM/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=a36f7561-fb02-460d-a0ea-ad2cd221d6a4&ccs_id=98438664-2c15-4575-8e8d-dfaa695e3bbd
Today's episode of the Punk CX podcast features a discussion I recently had with Ray Gerber and Mark Smith, Co-Founders of the Institute for Journey Management (I4JM). We talk about customer journeys, where most people go wrong with them, some examples of customer journeys done right, where AI fits into all of this, the backstory to the Institute for Journey Management, the problem they are trying to solve, and their plans for the coming year. Disclosure: I've known Mark and Ray for sometime now and have a huge amount of respect for what they have achieved in the past and what they are aiming to do with the I4JM. As they were setting up the I4JM, they invited me to become a Founding Member. I accepted. This interview follows on from my recent interview – CX is reaching a tipping point – Interview with Jonathan Rosenberg of Five9 – and is number 563 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.
This week's podcast is about my trip to Xiaomi, Unitree and iQIYI.You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.Here is the link to our Tech Tours.---------I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment, legal or tax advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. This is not investment advice. Investing is risky. Do your own research.Support the show
How are AI-powered Interactions Transforming Daily Customer Experiences Shep interviews Tifenn Dano Kwan, Chief Marketing Officer at Amplitude. Tifenn talks about how AI and digital analytics are redefining customer experience through hyper-personalization and authentic interactions. This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more: What inflection points in technology have most impacted customer experience in the digital era? What is hyper-personalization? How has artificial intelligence transformed digital customer experiences? What future trends in AI could most impact customer service and experience? Should companies be transparent with customers about using AI-powered services? Top Takeaways: Artificial Intelligence has become one of the biggest game-changers for customer experience. It helps companies remove friction, enabling customers to get help faster and solve problems more easily. Embracing new tech in CX is about finding ways to make life easier for your customers. Moments like the rise of the web, and the growth of AI mark big turning points that companies must adapt to. Being open to change lets businesses create better experiences for customers and stay ahead of the competition. Customers want to be treated as individuals, not just a number. Personalization, especially when powered by AI, helps match customers with products, recommendations, or solutions that really fit them. AI can deliver hyper-personalized experiences that keep people engaged and coming back. But, businesses need to remember that personalization that feels authentic and respectful is what really wins customers over. Customers prefer when companies are transparent, especially about processes that impact their experiences. Modern customers can easily spot fake or insincere messages. Being authentic means communicating honestly and being open about how technology, like AI, is being used to serve them. Your AI is only as good as your data. If the information going into the system is wrong or messy, the results might mislead both the company and the customer! Good data leads to smart decisions and better customer outcomes. Whenever there's a major technological change, there's always concern about job losses. While AI can take over some tasks that used to require humans, it also creates new work opportunities. New jobs and skills will be in demand, especially in areas that support or expand what AI can do. The future of work is about adapting, learning, and growing alongside technology, not competing against it. Plus, Shep and Tifenn discuss use cases and opportunities for AI to improve the customer experience. Tune in! Quotes: "The goal of AI is to remove fiction and deliver delightful, seamless, and outcome-driven experiences for their customers." "Hyper-personalization is personalization at scale. The more in touch we are with our customers, the more likely we are to drive conversions." "AI is only as good as your data. If you have the wrong data, then you will have the wrong output. It is going to mislead you. More importantly, it will mislead your customers." "Embrace what's next. We are going to see significant evolution in the world of AI. Don't be afraid to experiment and test." About: Tifenn Dano Kwan is the Chief Marketing Officer at Amplitude. Before working at Amplitude, she was CMO at Collibra, Dropbox, SAP Ariba, and SAP Fieldglass. 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
WBSRocks: Business Growth with ERP and Digital Transformation
Send us a textThis week's customer experience and marketing technology updates highlight a clear shift toward deeper intelligence, tighter collaboration, and more secure enterprise-grade platforms. CallMiner strengthened its conversational analytics footprint with the acquisition of VOCALLS, while Contentstack expanded its composable ecosystem by launching the new Data and Insights solution. Mosaicx introduced the next generation of its Engage platform, and Salesforce continued its march toward unified workflows by embedding Slack directly into CRM collaboration. In the government and regulated markets, Talkdesk achieved FedRAMP authorization for its CX Cloud Government Edition, signaling a major milestone for secure cloud CX. Meanwhile, Treasure Data rolled out five new AI suites aimed at enhancing customer experiences, Uniphore unveiled a new suite of AI marketing agents, and Zeta Global provided fresh details on its new Zeta Answers offering—collectively reflecting increased innovation and maturity across the CX and martech landscape.In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry analysts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to analyze current enterprise software stories. We covered many grounds including the direction and roadmaps of each enterprise software vendors. Finally, we analyzed future trends and how they might shape the enterprise software industry.Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85vq3s9786EQuestions for Panelists?
Send us a textIn this episode of Navigating the Customer Experience, we sit down with Ty Givens, the dynamic Founder and CEO of CX Collective, a consultancy known for building customer experience programs that scale while still feeling human. With a career that began at just 18 years old, Ty walks us through her remarkable journey from her first customer service desk at Office Depot to leading global teams and eventually launching her own company nine years ago.Ty shares how an early promotion into workforce management shaped her analytical mindset and laid the foundation for her future leadership roles. After years of being called in to “fix” support operations, she recognized that real transformation requires more than one person—it requires systems, collaboration, and a dedicated team. That realization became the catalyst for starting CX Collective.One of her greatest rewards today is witnessing the tangible results of her team's work—whether it's improving a help center's searchability or strengthening an AI knowledge base. Ty describes herself as results-driven and energized by project-based outcomes that create long-term value for clients.Ty also opens up about the emotional challenges of leading support teams. Early leadership training at Intuit, combined with her MBA in Organizational Leadership, helped her develop a grounded approach centered on emotional intelligence, inquiry, and humility. Recognizing her strengths as an operator rather than a novice-leader coach, she began developing CX playbooks—practical guides that help leaders navigate common challenges, from time management to launching AI programs. These playbooks have become both her most essential tool and a source of self-reflection.Ty talks about the importance of community, staying curious about industry trends, and the advantage of having worked inside many different organizations. She also shares the fiction authors who shaped her love for storytelling—Eric Jerome Dickey and Carl Weber—and why their writing continues to resonate.We also explore what Ty is most excited about these days: celebrating her niece's freshman year at Tuskegee University and being stretched professionally as she leans into marketing her playbooks to a broader audience—an entirely new frontier after years of organic, word-of-mouth growth.Ty closes the conversation with two powerful affirmations from her grandparents that guide her through adversity: “You can do anything you put your mind to,” and “Lace up your bootstraps.” These messages remind her to stay grounded, confident, and ready to face whatever comes.Connect with us on X @navigatingcx and join our private Facebook community, Navigating the Customer Experience.
AI is reshaping how companies build and scale customer relationships. In this episode of The Modern Customer podcast, learn how to use AI to strengthen customer trust, speed up execution, and prepare for voice-driven and multimodal CX. Nicholas Thorne, co-author of Me, My Customer, and AI, breaks down practical strategies for modern leaders. Nicholas is also the co-founder of Audos, and a partner at prehype, known for helping entrepreneurs build and scale new ventures. What you'll learn: • How to prioritize the customer segment that drives your next stage of growth • How AI can safeguard executive focus and free you to engage directly with customers • How to turn trust and responsiveness into long-term strategic advantage • Why voice and multimodal CX are accelerating faster than expected — and how to prepare Tune in to explore how AI can accelerate growth while deepening customer trust. Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker, and author of three books on customer experience. Her new book is called The 8 Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership: The New Rules for Building A Business Around Today's Customer. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #272, we welcomed Matt Rubright, Chief Customer Officer at Jam.dev based in Seattle, WA. Jam powers the complete software development lifecycle, with AI that eliminates 84% of bug reproduction tasks, so your engineers can ship clean code faster.Jam AI adds the relevant logs and steps to make every bug report actionable. With integrations with best-in-class issue trackers & other product management tools, Jam fits right into EPD workflows.In this episode, Matt and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #272 Highlight Reel:**1. Salesforce utilization management in today's world 2. Why you might be over-building your CRM3. Implementing tech changes within an organization 4. Building playbooks to guide your team & create consistency 5. Leveraging 360 feedback to build high-performing teamsClick here to learn more about Matt RubrightClick here to learn more about Jam.devHuge thanks to Matt for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & contact center space into the future. For all of our Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content, strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's top-performing customer focused companies? Check out the CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building an AI-powered foundation for the future. Thanks to all of you for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
What's on your mind? Let CX Passport know...Curiosity from the lab. Creativity from marketing. Transformation across a global pharma giant. Trina Di Giusto brings a scientist's discipline and a storyteller's instinct to CX. She explains how decentralized teams can still create harmony, why AI is tempting but rarely the fix, and what it takes for change to stick in a complex organization.5 Insights From This Episode • Scientific thinking becomes a CX advantage… methodical meets imaginative • Pharma customers span patients, providers, payers, and regulators • Delegation without orchestration leads to fragmentation • AI only works when the underlying process is healthy • Real change lasts when vision, skills, incentives, resources, and action alignCHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Trina from Basel 01:27 When science meets storytelling 03:47 Logic in a creative world 05:50 Blurring science and marketing 08:29 Defining CX in pharma 11:18 Delegation versus orchestration 13:57 First Class Lounge 18:01 Why tech is not the fix 22:51 What change management really requires 25:56 Lessons across six transformation cycles 28:06 Final takeaways and how to reach TrinaGuest Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinadigiusto/Listen, Watch, Newsletter 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.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 episode of Technology Reseller News, Publisher Doug Green speaks with Rob Bye, President & Founder of Zenture Partners, about why the traditional telecom procurement and management model is breaking down—and how AI-driven lifecycle management can restore clarity and control for large enterprises. Zenture Partners is a strategic consultancy and AI-powered lifecycle management provider focused on giving enterprises full visibility into, and control over, their global telecom ecosystem, from contracts and circuits to invoices and risk. Bye explains that most large enterprises now live in a state of telecom chaos: hundreds of vendors, hundreds of invoices, and little understanding of contract terms, renewal dates, dependencies, or actual business impact. The old world of a single global MPLS provider has given way to an “internet everywhere” model, with 16,000+ ISPs worldwide, SD-WAN, and cloud-first architectures. At the same time, IT priorities have shifted—cloud infrastructure, security, AI-infused SaaS and CX platforms now consume leadership attention and budget, while telecom is largely ignored “as long as nothing is on fire.” When things break, teams react, extinguish the fire, and then move straight back to higher-visibility projects. Traditional telecom brokers and “no value” agents, Bye argues, have often added complexity rather than removed it. Unlike familiar IT resellers and VARs, telecom agents rarely bring a unified, data-driven platform to the enterprise. Zenture's model is different: it acts as an extension of both IT sourcing and network teams, combining consulting plus a global AI-enabled platform. Enterprises still contract directly with service providers, while the carriers fund Zenture through residual commissions. For customers, the Zenture platform is delivered at no cost, with no contract, ingesting data from TEM systems, carrier portals, invoices, and spreadsheets into a single pane of glass and highlighting where attention is truly needed. AI is at the center of this transformation. Zenture uses AI to continuously evaluate inventory, identify high-risk sites (such as shared last-mile paths or POP exposure), benchmark pricing, and generate recommendations on whether to renew, replace, or upgrade services as contracts approach term. Agentic AI is also used to integrate with carrier marketplaces and portals, automating quoting, ordering, status checks, inventory updates, and billing validation across hundreds of providers. Instead of humans manually combing through dense, ever-changing telecom invoices, AI flags changes, ties new charges to past orders, and confirms that disconnects and adds have been billed correctly, allowing IT and sourcing teams to focus on decisions, not data entry. Looking ahead, Bye sees AI-driven procurement reshaping RFIs, RFPs, benchmarking, and contract review. Enterprise “house” agents will query external platforms like Zenture's marketplace, shrink long vendor lists to a short set of best fits, and then assist stakeholders with risk analysis and legal review. But this doesn't eliminate the human partner; it elevates them. As Bye puts it, “AI isn't going to replace anyone—it's like the moving walkway at an airport. It just helps you get where you're going faster.” Zenture's client success managers increasingly act as digital workforce managers, overseeing and training AI agents while still providing strategic guidance on vendor consolidation and cost optimization. Ultimately, Zenture Partners aims to help enterprises move from a reactive, invoice-driven view of telecom to a strategic, outcome-focused model—consolidating vendors, simplifying billing, optimizing costs, and freeing IT teams to concentrate on cloud, security, and customer-facing innovation. To learn more about Zenture Partners and its AI-powered lifecycle management platform, listeners are invited to visit https://www.zenturepartners.com/. Software Mind Telco Days 2025: On-demand online conference Engaging Customers, Harnessing Data
Low-Cost, High-Impact CX Improvements The Power of Language: Transform "I can't" into "How can we" Shift from "I have to" to "We get to" Being "impeccable with your word" (inspired by The Four Agreements) Words trigger emotional responses that shape customer perception Getting CX Buy-In Across Organizations The Alignment Problem: CX initiatives fail when metrics aren't shared across departments Success came when executives adopted the same CX metrics as the CX team Without shared goals, customer insights get shelved with "we'll get to it later" The Pilot Program Strategy: Start small before asking for big budgets Show proof of concept with intentional, measurable pilots Use success to rally and align different areas of the company Real Example - CX Day Success: Introduced first-ever CX Day celebration at 145-year-old engineering company Started small despite skepticism Now an annual tradition that continues after her departure Rethinking CX Metrics Beyond Traditional Measurements: NPS and effort scores are starting points, not endpoints "Satisfaction" is no longer good enough (it's the equivalent of "fine") New focus: Emotional altitude across every touchpoint The Emotional Impact: Brains constantly cycle between thinking and feeling Emotions create lasting imprints that shape brand perception Research shows: 12 positive experiences needed to overcome 1 negative Measure emotional highs to identify gaps and successes The Four Rs of CX Impact: Revenue Retention Reputation Referrals The Future of Contact Centers Human + AI Integration: Smart companies intentionally map where humans add value vs. where AI should handle interactions The answer is "both/and" not "either/or" Critical: Validate designs with real customers, not just internal teams The Contact Center Superpower: Contact center teams speak to more customers in a week than other departments do in a year This proximity to customers gives agents unique power to be organizational change agents Voice of customer insights should inform product development, marketing messaging, and more Words Matter in the AI Era: Example: Website offering "24/7 support, our guides are happy to help you" "Guides" for both humans and AI feels impersonal Naming and framing still matters The Power of Customer Voice The 10-Minute Video Story: A contact center leader captured customer feedback about a failed new product. At an executive meeting, he played a 10-minute compilation of customer complaints. The CEO's initial advisor said it was a career-ending mistake The CEO walked out during the video Result: CEO returned and said it was "the best 10 minutes anybody's ever played" and named him employee #1 Customer voice changed the company's trajectory The Validation Imperative: Internal perspective isn't enough Customer validation must be iterative, not one-time Can't use internal team as proxy for outside voice Both internal knowledge AND customer validation matter The Fundamental C-Suite Challenge When C-suite leaders aren't aligned in their meetings, misalignment trickles down through the entire organization. This is the root problem preventing effective CX implementation. Notable Stories The Morgan & Morgan Tattoo Story: Leadership promised to get company logo tattoos if the team hit an unprecedented conversion rate goal. When they achieved it, 40 leaders got matching tattoos - four tattoo artists came in for the day. The question became: "Is your brand tattoo-worthy?" Stacey's Podcast Origin: Bought her first microphone for under $50, then waited six months before taking it out of the box due to fear. That mic ignited her journey to intentionally sharing her voice through podcasting. Living Podcasting: At the conference, Stacey pulled out her mic to record a 10-minute session where Amas (who has Parkinson's) gave direct advice to her relative with a similar condition - creating immediate, personal value rather than secondhand communication. Takeaways for Contact Center Leaders Language shapes reality - Small word changes create emotional shifts in customer experience Demand metric alignment - CX can't succeed unless executives share the same measurements Start with pilots - Prove value small-scale before requesting major investment Leverage your proximity to customers - Use it to become the organizational glue and change agent Validate everything with real customers - Internal assumptions aren't enough Map the human-AI journey intentionally - Design where each adds value, then test with customers Bring customer voice to leadership - Sometimes the most powerful thing is making them listen directly Average isn't acceptable - Move beyond satisfaction to creating emotional highs
What if the next 90–180 days could lock in measurable customer loyalty? In this episode, we break down a practical, no-fluff playbook for building a retention strategy that customers actually value—whether you're serving consumers or complex B2B accounts.We focus on intentional success and segmentation, identifying high-value customers and the signals that predict renewal, frequency, and advocacy. Then we narrow in on the KPIs that matter most and design loyalty mechanics that make sense: points, tiers, access, bonuses, and earned surprise moments. You'll learn why swag rarely drives loyalty, how to reduce early friction with smart onboarding, and where re-engagement triggers fit when momentum slows.We compare B2C and B2B loyalty without clichés. For B2C, convenience, delight, and timely nudges win. For B2B, loyalty must support the whole account through shared benefits like premium support, admin training, success reviews, and milestone-based usage credits. Throughout, we lean on behavioral analytics, automation that enhances relevance, and a communication cadence that drives action without fatigue.To keep programs fresh, we champion co-creation and experiential innovation—inviting customers into pilots, iterating on perks, and retiring low-impact rewards fast. Ask the Disruption Day question: what will customers need tomorrow, and how can you start building it today? This mindset turns loyalty from a cost center into a growth engine. If this resonates, subscribe, share with a teammate, and leave a quick review.Resources Mentioned:Learn more about CXI Membership™ and apply -- http://CXIMembership.comOrder your copy of Experience Is Everything -- http://experienceiseverythingbook.comExperience Investigators Website -- https://experienceinvestigators.comWant to ask a question? Visit askjeannie.vip to leave Jeannie a voicemail! (And don't forget to follow Jeannie on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/jeanniewalters/)
Send us a textLinking the Travel Industry is a business travel podcast where we review the top travel industry stories that are posted on LinkedIn by LinkedIn members. We curate the top posts and discuss with them with travel industry veterans in a live session with audience members. You can join the live recording session by visiting BusinessTravel360.comYour Hosts are Riaan van Schoor, Ann Cederhall and Aash ShravahStories covered on this podcast episode include:The popular airline seat map provider Seatguru shuts down.AirAsia might make Bahrain their Middle East hub.Travelperk becomes Perk.Ryanair has increased its profits by 42% to $2.92 billion in the first half of its financial year 2026 and grew their 12-month passenger traffic to 204.8 million, a new record.Not to be outdone, Emirates reported a profit before tax of US$ 3.1 billion and revenue of US$ 17.9 billion for the first six months of this year.Qatar Airways steps away from their investment with Cathay Pacific, with the announcement that CX will buy back QR's 9.6% shareholding for around US$897m.40 major US airports are to have their flight capacity reduced by 10% under instructions from the FAA, as a result of the ongoing government shutdown. There are also reports surfacing of major delays at security lines of many airports in the US.International Airlines Group (IAG) signs a deal with Starlink to provide high-speed internet access across British Airways, Iberia, Vueling Airlines and LEVEL Airlines.The most engaged post of the week belongs to Jake Zelman, where he talks about the heartbreaking message from the Honolulu ATC tower to another UPS flight.Extra StoriesYou can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360. Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show
En este podcast te contamos más cosas sobre el nuevo servicio que hemos montado para todos los seguidores de Garaje Hermético. Ahora tienes en nuestra/vuestra página web “Garajehermetico.com” una selección de coches de ocasión a buen precio y con pocos kilómetros que te ofrecemos en colaboración con Ruteo. La primera selección que te ofrecemos son coches para viajar, de bajo consumo y con el máximo confort Si es lo que estás buscando, echa un vistazo a esos coches en el siguiente enlace: https://www.garajehermetico.com/ruteo/ ¿Alguna vez has tenido la sensación de estar viviendo una invasión de clones? Aparcas tu SUV compacto en el centro comercial y, al volver, te cuesta distinguirlo de los otros cinco que han aparcado a su lado. ¿Es una crisis de ideas global? ¿Se han quedado los diseñadores sin imaginación? La realidad es más compleja. No es falta de creatividad, es un exceso de restricciones. Los diseñadores tienen hoy menos libertad que nunca, y su trabajo está encorsetado por cinco "tiranos" que dictan la forma de un coche antes de que el lápiz toque el papel. Las 5 Razones de la Uniformidad: 1. La Tiranía de la Aerodinámica El enemigo número uno de un coche moderno, y especialmente de un SUV (que es alto y chato por definición), es el viento. En un coche eléctrico, un mal coeficiente aerodinámico (Cx) puede costar decenas de kilómetros de autonomía. En uno de combustión, cada gramo de CO2 es vital para evitar las multas multimillonarias de la Unión Europea. La forma más barata y eficaz de bajar el consumo es mejorar el Cx. 2. La Jaula de Oro de la Seguridad y las Regulaciones El coche deportivo de tus sueños, bajo, afilado y con morro en cuña, sería hoy prácticamente ilegal. Las normativas de seguridad, especialmente las de Euro NCAP, lo han cambiado todo. Para proteger a los peatones en caso de atropello, el capó debe ser alto y relativamente "blando", dejando un espacio de deformación vital entre la chapa y las partes duras del motor. Adiós a los morros bajos. 3. El "Efecto IKEA" de las Plataformas Modulares Las plataformas modulares (como la MQB de Volkswagen, la EMP2 de Stellantis o la TNGA de Toyota) son un milagro de la ingeniería de costes, pero un lastre para la diferenciación. El ahorro ya no solo está en compartir motores o suspensiones, sino en los "Hard Points" o puntos fijos del diseño. 4. El Miedo a ser Diferente: Marketing y "Design Clinics" Antaño, un diseñador jefe tenía poder para arriesgar y escandalizar al mundo, creando coches que hoy se consideran obras de arte. Hoy, eso es imposible por culpa de los "focus group" o "clínicas de diseño". Antes de aprobar un coche, las marcas meten los prototipos en una sala y preguntan a clientes potenciales qué opinan. 5. El Diseño por Ordenador (CAD) Irónicamente, la herramienta que debería dar libertad infinita, el Diseño Asistido por Ordenador, es el último clavo en el ataúd de la originalidad. Hoy se usa el "diseño generativo". Los ingenieros introducen en el software todos los parámetros y restricciones (Regla 1: Plataforma MQB. Regla 2: Seguridad peatones. Regla 3: Cx de 0.28. Regla 4: Espacio para 5) y el programa "sugiere" las formas óptimas. Si los ingenieros de Ford, Renault y Volkswagen usan los mismos programas y las mismas reglas físicas, ¿sorprende que el resultado final sea casi el mismo? La Prueba: La Invasión de los Clones Esta uniformidad forzada se ve en todos los segmentos: -La Plaga del "SUV Coupé": Lo que empezó como el sacrilegio del BMW X6 ahora es un estándar. Del Audi Q5 Sportback al Renault Arkana, todos copian la misma silueta de techo descendente que mata el espacio trasero y la visibilidad. -El Segmento C: Es el ojo del huracán. Coches como el Qashqai, Tucson, Austral o 3008 compiten por el mismo cliente "para todo". El resultado es un diseño por consenso: cintura alta, frontal chato y los inevitables pasos de rueda de plástico negro. -Los Eléctricos: Aquí la aerodinámica lo es todo. Para maximizar la autonomía, todos acaban siendo un "Optimus Blob": un diseño redondeado, sin aristas, con parrillas tapadas y manillas enrasadas. El Tesla Model Y, el VW ID.4 o el Skoda Enyaq son esclavos del túnel de viento. Conclusión ¿Son todos los SUV iguales? En gran medida, sí, porque no les queda más remedio. Están atrapados en un corsé definido por la Aerodinámica que los redondea, la Seguridad que los hace chatos, la Plataforma Modular que fija sus proporciones y el Marketing que penaliza el riesgo. Los SUV modernos son, quizás, el resultado de la optimización total; el coche perfecto para las hojas de cálculo, pero, a menudo, el más aburrido para el corazón.
Renegade Thinkers Unite: #2 Podcast for CMOs & B2B Marketers
The best B2B brands don't just tell a story. They live it across every team, channel, and touchpoint. But how do you get everyone aligned — from sales to customer success — without the story getting lost in translation (or buried in features)? That question sits at the center of this conversation, as Drew talks with Marca Armstrong (Sensera Systems) and Caitlin Cassady (Beyond) about how to build a team of company-wide storytellers. From capturing customer language to coaching teams on how to use it, they reveal how to make your story stick—and scale. In this episode: Marca starts with a simple headline story ("build with confidence") and ensures it shows up consistently in every GTM motion. Caitlin turns real customer stories into marketing fuel, using a "so what?" filter to connect features to real outcomes. Together, they treat storytelling as everyone's job, so marketing, sales, and CX all carry the same story. Plus: Measuring story-led work vs. feature blasts Spotting what moves pipeline Keeping language sharp so customer phrasing shows up in deals Making storytelling a team sport across the company If you want a story your customers instantly recognize—no matter who they talk to—this episode gives you the moves to make it happen. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/
The Automotive Troublemaker w/ Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier
Shoot us a Text.Episode #1196: Today we're talking about Mazda finally going all-in on EVs, Impel investing in the next wave of auto-tech innovation, and Chery's viral stair-climb stunt that went downhill…literally.We'll be at Automobility LA at the LA Auto Show next Thursday, November 20 hosting the LA Auto Show Sessions. Thanks to our friends at Cars Commerce and Curbee for making it possible. 25% off registration with code MoreThanCars. https://laautoshow.com/meShow Notes with links:After years of hesitation and a short-lived MX-30, Mazda is officially moving its EV plans forward with its first dedicated electric vehicle now in testing in California. This marks a pivotal shift in strategy as the automaker works to electrify its global lineup.A prototype midsize electric crossover, resembling a smaller CX-90, was recently spotted near Mazda's Irvine R&D center.Built on the new Skyactiv EV Scalable Architecture, it's Mazda's first EV designed specifically for the U.S. market.Production is slated for 2027, with U.S. sales expected in 2028.Mazda is investing nearly $11 billion in electrification, but it has scaled back its EV sales target from 100% to 45% to 25% by 2030.Impel is putting its money where its vision is by investing in Automotive Ventures' Mobility Fund II, signaling a strong commitment to driving innovation in the auto retail space through early-stage tech.The fund focus areas include AI, robotics, mobility, and industrial tech aimed at transforming how vehicles are sold and serviced.The investment highlights Impel's strategy to back technologies that boost dealership productivity and experience as they Impel bring their AI tools and vast dealership network to support startups within the fund.Impel joins a group of forward-looking investors aiming to accelerate innovation that benefits dealers, OEMs, and consumers alike.Michael Quigley (Impel): “Our investment... reflects our belief that meaningful transformation in automotive retail will be powered by early-stage innovation... We're helping to accelerate progress across the entire industry.”Chinese automaker Chery attempted to recreate Land Rover's legendary 999-step climb at Heaven's Gate—but instead of a viral triumph, the stunt turned into a viral fail that forced a public apology.Heaven's Gate is a famous natural rock arch on Tianmen Mountain in China, reached by a steep staircase with 999 steps and often used in extreme stunts and marketing spectacles.The Fulwin X3L SUV lost power mid-stunt, hit a railing, and rolled back into a fence.A detached safety rope entangled the right wheel, causing the mishap.Chery admitted to poor risk assessments and promised to compensate for damages and repair the area.The X3L boasts a 422 hp range-extended powertrain and is marketed as off-road capable.Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/
ABOUT DINA TOWNSEND Dina's Linkedin Profile: linkedin.com/in/dinatownsendDINA TOWNSEND BIOAs Chief Sales Officer at Mamava, Dina leads the Sales Organization with energy, optimism, and a genuine passion for building connections. She is rooted in the belief that strong business acumen and a meaningful mission can be seamlessly intertwined. After a purpose-driven career pivot from Digital Signage Technology to Mamava, she channels her expertise into propelling sales for this mission-centric company. Beyond her professional endeavors, Dina is a former skydiver, a hobby homesteader, an avid college football fan, and a well-intentioned, albeit average, golfer.email: dinat@mamava.com | 802.347.2111 (o) Website: www.mamava.comSay yes to dignified lactation spaces! Be a hero—here's how you can help. SHOW INTRO:Welcome to Episode 82! of the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast…In every episode we continue to follow our catch phrase of having “Dynamic Dialogues About DATA: Design, Architecture, Technology and the Arts.” And as we continue on this journey there will be thought provoking futurists, AI technology mavens, retailers, international hotel design executives as well as designers and architects of brand experience places.We'll talk with authors and people focused on wellness and sustainable design practices as well as neuroscientists who will continue to help us look at the built environment and the connections between our mind-body and the built world around us.We'll also have guests who are creative marketing masters from international brands and people who have started and grown some of the companies that are striking a new path for us follow.If you like what you hear on the NXTLVL Experience Design show, make sure to subscribe, like, comment and share with colleagues, friends and family.The NXTLVL Experience Design podcast is always grateful for the support of VMSD magazine.VMSD brings us, in the brand experience world, the International Retail Design Conference. I think the IRDC is one of the best retail design conferences that there is bringing together the world of retailers, brands and experience place makers every year for two days of engaging conversations and pushing us to keep on talking about what makes retailing relevant. You will find the archive of the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast on VMSD.com.Thanks also goes to Shop Association the only global retail trade association dedicated to elevating the in-store experience.SHOP Association represents companies and affiliates from 25 countries and brings value to their members through research, networking, education, events and awards. Check then out on SHOPAssociation.org Today, EPISODE 82… I talk with Dina Townsend Chief Sales Officer at Mamava a company whose mission is to create a healthier society through infrastructure and support for breastfeeding. And, along with partners who share in in their purpose of celebrating and supporting breastfeeding, Mamava is moving closer to creating a future where there is a dignified lactation space anywhere a parent may go. We'll get to my discussion with Dina in a minute, first though a few thoughts…* * * *A few episodes back I had Claire Coder founder and CEO if Aunt Flow on the show. That was an interesting conversation since we crossed what I think were a few boundaries (at least for me) and we talked quite candidly about menstruation. Not just about the biology of women's monthly cycle but about the fact that there are many women who have faced the scenario of getting their period unexpectedly and not have pads or tampons to meet them in their moment of need.Enter the company Aunt Flow who provides free feminine hygiene products in public restrooms, schools and other public buildings and to Fortune 500 corporate headquarters - for which tens of thousands of women are eternally grateful.This conversation with Dina Townsend, I guess you could say, falls in the Aunt Flow camp of subjects. Breast feeding moms was not a subject that I had on the list of things to address on the podcast. But here we are nevertheless with a subject that piqued my curiosity because the company Dina works for, Mamava, checks most of the boxes in our Dialogues on DATA: Design, Architecture, Technology and he Arts” catch phrase.First off…I did not know there was something called the “Pump Act”. For the curious out there, a little internet searching comes up with this:“…The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, enacted in December 2022, expands workplace protections for nursing employees by requiring employers to provide reasonable break time and a private, non-bathroom space for pumping breast milk for up to one year after a child's birth.This law allows for legal action if employers fail to comply…”Now… Dina will contend that many employers do in fact provide such a space and also that a janitors closet with a folding chair would be in line with the requirements. Sure, a closet meets the description of a ‘private space' but it wholly underserves the needs of a nursing mother in terms of experience.I am aware that there are widely divergent views on the whole subject of breast feeding – we are not going to go there – except that I'll say that I fully line up behind my wife who breastfed our two sons.My discussion with Dina moves from the necessity to provide environments for nursing mothers to breastfeed their infants while in public places to the buying power of mothers who statistics indicate make an enormous amount of the buying decisions in households to how tying Retail Media Networks - RMNs – to Mamava pods serve a triple bottom line serving People, Planet and Profit. It's a way of shifting our thinking about business from “How much money did we make?” to: “Did we make money in a way that benefits society and the environment too?”Nielsen, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Harvard Business Review research tells us that Women drive 70–80% of consumer purchasing decisions in the U.S. and that is even for products they don't personally use. And that their annual global consumer spending, is $20 trillionwhich, by the way, is a number projected to rise to $28 trillion. In many households, women make or heavily influence91% of new home purchases, 92% of vacation decisions, and 80% of healthcare choices says research by the Yankelovich Monitor, Marketing to Women Conference data.And Millennial and Gen Z mothers are even more influential: they control about $1 trillion in direct annual spendingand are primary decision-makers for food, home goods, education, and entertainment – says research by the Pew Research Center.So, women and moms are a force to be reconned with in terms of buying power and why Mamava pods are more than an economic discussion. The behavioral and psychographic aspects of them is important as well.Women increasingly valuebrands that support family life, caregiving, and inclusivity and so features like Mamava pods in retail locations or corporate HQs or parental-leave policies have brand-equity impact.We have known for some time that brands that are considered authentic exhibiting genuine empathic concern for their customer and employeesare major drivers in establishing brand affinity and purchase decisions. The BabyCenter “State of Modern Motherhood” report says that “ 9 in 10 mothers say they are more loyal to brands that “understand the challenges of motherhood.”And then there is mom's digital influence. Pew Internet studies explains that“80% of moms research products online before buying and that 60% follow parenting or lifestyle influencers for purchase guidance.”When you combine these factors with the emergence of Retail Media Networks, RMNs, you have a value add to placing Mamava pods in places that do not actually take up any more space on the sales floors of a store than is already being occupied with stuff that does support the brand experience or selling anything.Use to be that when digital screens came into the retail world, we had kiosks as wayfinding devices. Then a proliferation of screens emerged in the market where walls were more digital wallpaper crowding the environment with content and, in my opinion adding little to experience, arguably creating a shopping experience with more visual distraction and diminishing the overall experience. Painting the environment with the broad-brush stroke of digital media is often ineffective in capturing and retaining attention and doesn't lead to the positive results we think it does.That said, well considered application of digital media like those found on Mamava pods creates an opportunity to provide messaging to customers that could be more like a public service announcement, like ‘get your flu shot here today,' or a focused marketing piece that invites customers to consider a particular product that they may not have thought of prior to arriving at the store.So, you might ask why this matters to retail designWomen and mothers aren't just your average everyday consumers, they're key decision-makers shaping the social expectations of brands and spaces. Retailers, airports, and workplaces that provide amenities like Mamava pods, family restrooms, or flexible shopping experiences are responding directly to data-driven insights like:Increased dwell time and spending when caregivers feel accommodated.Higher brand loyalty and word-of-mouth among mothers.Positive CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility - and inclusivity signaling which is important for both consumer and employee attraction.If you have recently traveled through an airport, you may have already come upon a Mamava pod or maybe you have seen their “bench” version in a retail store. Fed up with pumping in bathrooms and borrowed spaces—Mamava's co-founders, Sascha Mayer and Christine Dodson, applied their decades of expertise in design and brand strategy to solve a problem that was largely invisible: the lack of lactation spaces in workplaces and public spaces and as a result, the Mamava pod was born.Tying together the Mamava pod, and its various incarnations, and retail media needed some savvy about how to create an effective in-store media application that wouldn't end up as just another screen in an already overwhelming environment.Enter Dina Townsend.As Chief Sales Officer at Mamava, Dina leads the Sales Organization with energy, optimism, and a genuine passion for building connections. She is rooted in the belief that strong business acumen and a meaningful mission like the Mamava brand platform can be seamlessly intertwined. After a purpose-driven career pivot from the world of Digital Signage Technology to Mamava, Dina channels her expertise into propelling sales for this mission-centric company. ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582bWebsites: https://www.davidkepron.com (personal website)vmsd.com/taxonomy/term/8645 (Blog)Email: david.kepron@NXTLVLexperiencedesign.comTwitter: DavidKepronPersonal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidkepron/NXTLVL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nxtlvl_experience_design/Bio:David Kepron is a multifaceted creative professional with a deep curiosity to understand ‘why', ‘what's now' and ‘what's next'. He brings together his background as an architect, artist, educator, author, podcast host and builder to the making of meaningful and empathically-focused, community-centric customer connections at brand experience places around the globe. David is a former VP - Global Design Strategies at Marriott International. While at Marriott, his focus was on the creation of compelling customer experiences within Marriott's “Premium Distinctive” segment which included: Westin, Renaissance, Le Meridien, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Design Hotels and Gaylord hotels. In 2020 Kepron founded NXTLVL Experience Design, a strategy and design consultancy, where he combines his multidisciplinary approach to the creation of relevant brand engagements with his passion for social and cultural anthropology, neuroscience and emerging digital technologies. As a frequently requested international speaker at corporate events and international conferences focusing on CX, digital transformation, retail, hospitality, emerging technology, David shares his expertise on subjects ranging from consumer behaviors and trends, brain science and buying behavior, store design and visual merchandising, hotel design and strategy as well as creativity and innovation. In his talks, David shares visionary ideas on how brand strategy, brain science and emerging technologies are changing guest expectations about relationships they want to have with brands and how companies can remain relevant in a digitally enabled marketplace. David currently shares his experience and insight on various industry boards including: VMSD magazine's Editorial Advisory Board, the Interactive Customer Experience Association, Sign Research Foundation's Program Committee as well as the Center For Retail Transformation at George Mason University.He has held teaching positions at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.), the Department of Architecture & Interior Design of Drexel University in Philadelphia, the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (L.I.M.) in New York, the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in Montreal and he served as the Director of the Visual Merchandising Department at LaSalle International Fashion School (L.I.F.S.) in Singapore. In 2014 Kepron published his first book titled: “Retail (r)Evolution: Why Creating Right-Brain Stores Will Shape the Future of Shopping in a Digitally Driven World” and he is currently working on his second book to be published soon. The NXTLVL Experience Design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production is by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.
Today's episode of the Punk CX podcast features a discussion I recently had with Jonathan Rosenberg, who is the Chief Technology Officer and head of AI at Five9. Jonathan and I talk about why he believes CX is reaching a tipping point and what's driving that, how things are likely to change for customers, agents, and businesses, what he's seeing companies do well/right, as well as what to avoid in order to better harness the obvious potential of AI. This interview follows on from my recent interview – How Vodafone, Rabobank and others are driving meaningful results with AI – Interview with Matt Healy of Pega – and is number 562 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.
Gerry Brown is known as the customer lifeguard. His ambition is to save the world from poor customer service. Gerry is Canadian and based in the south of the UK. Gerry has written a book titled 'When a customer wins, nobody loses.' He has a podcast and he is a regular speaker and adviser, regularly hosting CX workshops. Mark called Gerry to ask about his book and the post-pandemic CX environment. In particular how can BPOs get more closely aligned with the needs of customers when AI is changing the entire industry? https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerryhbrown/ https://thecustomerlifeguard.co.uk/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Customer-Wins-Nobody-Loses-ebook/dp/B07BFC83MZ/ Summary : Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the evolving landscape of customer experience (CX) with guest Gerry Brown, an independent consultant and author of "When a Customer Wins, Nobody Loses." They explore the shift from traditional customer service to more complex, multi-channel environments, including the rise of AI and automation. Brown highlights the importance of aligning customer needs with BPO services, noting that many organizations still handle customer service in-house. He emphasizes the need for BPOs to offer comprehensive solutions and the growing use of AI for efficiency and cost savings. The conversation also touches on the impact of the pandemic on remote work and the ongoing challenge of integrating legacy systems.
Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #271, we welcomed Marcus Smith, CEO at Cloud Trailz based in Atlanta, GA. Cloud Trailz offers their customers Saleforce help without all of the hassle by providing professional, expert users that come with the playbooks required to achieve utilization & success with the world's largest CRM. In this episode, Marcus and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that his team think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.**Episode #271 Highlight Reel:**1. Salesforce utilization management in today's world 2. Why you might be over-building your CRM 3. Implementing tech changes within an organization 4. Building playbooks to guide your team & create consistency 5. Leveraging 360 feedback to build high-performing teams Click here to learn more about Marcus Smith Click here to learn more about Cloud TrailzHuge thanks to Marcus for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & contact center space into the future. For all of our Apple & Spotify podcast listener friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new members of the "CX Nation". You know what would be even better?Go tell your friends or teammates about CXC's custom content, strategic partner solutions (Hubspot, Intercom, & Freshworks) & On-Demand services & invite them to join the CX Nation, a community of 15K+ customer focused business leaders!Want to see how your customer experience compares to the world's top-performing customer focused companies? Check out the CXC Healthzone, an intelligence platform that shares benchmarks & insights for how companies across the world are tackling The Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback & how they are building an AI-powered foundation for the future. Thanks to all of you for being apart of the "CX Nation" and helping customer focused business leaders across the world make happiness a habit!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
Hey CX Nation,In this week's CXWeekly Update episode I walk through some ideas, goals & CTAs that me & the team at CXC have been focused on.Full candor, we're in a full blown sales sprint to the end of the year to close 2025 with a bang & tee up the best year yet in 2026.We're also working on a ton of new customer focused business content -- including my 2nd book "Make Happiness A Habit" that we are launching in the New Year. Don't worry we have a ton of amazing guest interviews coming down the pipeline over the next couple of weeks.Part of our goal at CXC is to create some of the best customer focused business leader content, including short episodes like these CXWeekly updates that are digestible, actionable & most importantly entertaining for all of you.Huge thanks for all of you who helped to celebrate our 5 year anniversary of building CXChronicles, it's been a hell of a journey. Approaching 300+ episodes of customer focused business contentWorked with 150+ companies across the world helping make customer & employee happiness a habitPartnered with biggest players in software & technology including Salesforce, Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, & Freshworks.Launched CXC Healthzone Intelligence Platform, go see how your company's CX stacks up the rest. If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player and leave us a review today.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content, CX/CS/RevOps services, our customer & employee focused community & invite them to join the CX Nation!For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused video content & short-reel CTAs to improve your CX/CS/RevOps performance today (politely go smash that subscribe button).Contact us anytime to learn more about CXC at INFO@cxchronicles.com and ask us about how we can help your business & team make customer happiness a habit now!Reach Out To CXC Today!Support the showContact CXChronicles Today Tweet us @cxchronicles Check out our Instagram @cxchronicles Click here to checkout the CXC website Email us at info@cxchronicles.com Remember To Make Happiness A Habit!!
WBSRocks: Business Growth with ERP and Digital Transformation
Send us a textThe enterprise tech landscape saw a wave of AI-driven advancements this week, with major vendors pushing deeper into intelligent automation and unified customer experiences. Sage introduced its AI-powered Copilot to Sage X3, while Storyblok rolled out two new integrations to strengthen content operations. Workday expanded its ecosystem with a new AI Agent Partner Network and Gateway, and AdDaptive Intelligence broadened its AI-powered advertising platform. In the CX space, CallMiner acquired VOCALLS and Mosaicx launched the next generation of its Engage platform. Contentstack unveiled a new Data and Insights solution, Salesforce embedded Slack for tighter CRM collaboration, and Talkdesk secured FedRAMP authorization for its CX Cloud Government Edition. Rounding out the announcements, Treasure Data released five new AI suites focused on customer experience, Uniphore introduced a suite of AI marketing agents, and Zeta Global shared details on its new Zeta Answers offering—collectively signaling an accelerating shift toward more intelligent, integrated, and automated digital ecosystems.In today's episode, we invited a panel of industry analysts for a live discussion on LinkedIn to analyze current enterprise software stories. We covered many grounds including the direction and roadmaps of each enterprise software vendors. Finally, we analyzed future trends and how they might shape the enterprise software industry.Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iplWl80n90YZhdGlxBackground Soundtrack: Away From You – Mauro SommQuestions for Panelists?
What's on your mind? Let CX Passport know...Pharma and CX… not exactly two words you hear together often. But what happens when customer experience thinking meets healthcare? Silvi Haldipur has lived it. From personal experience to transforming patient, provider, and payer experiences at GSK and Merck, she's proving that empathy and data can coexist to truly save lives.5 Insights from This Episode • CX in pharma isn't impossible… it's essential. Silvi shares how she turned a deeply personal healthcare experience into her mission for better patient outcomes. • Beyond ads and emails… why support, not slogans, is what patients really need. • What pharma can learn from design thinking, ethnography, and on-the-ground empathy. • How “wraparound programs” simplify post-prescription chaos and actually improve outcomes. • The rise of the Chief Customer Experience Officer in pharma… and why it's long overdue.
This week's podcast is about AI Agents transforming ecommerce. Likely all commerce.You can listen to this podcast here, which has the slides and graphics mentioned. Also available at iTunes and Google Podcasts.Here is the link to the TechMoat Consulting.Here is the link to our Tech Tours.Here is the McKinsey article I mentioned:The agentic commerce opportunity: How AI agents are ushering in a new era for consumers and merchantsHere is the BCG article I mentioned:When Brands Meet AI Bots: Customer Experience in the Era of Agents-------- I am a consultant and keynote speaker on how to accelerate growth with improving customer experiences (CX) and digital moats.I am a partner at TechMoat Consulting, a consulting firm specialized in how to increase growth with improved customer experiences (CX), personalization and other types of customer value. Get in touch here.I am also author of the Moats and Marathons book series, a framework for building and measuring competitive advantages in digital businesses.Note: This content (articles, podcasts, website info) is not investment advice. The information and opinions from me and any guests may be incorrect. The numbers and information may be wrong. The views expressed may no longer be relevant or accurate. Investing is risky. Do your own research.Support the show