Podcasts about ivr

Eliminating the friction caused by fragmented customer context is a primary mandate for enterprise operations leaders. Joe Atamian, Vice President at Comcast, joins the program to discuss the transition to an AI-first operating model — where AI acts as the connective infrastructure that maintains history and intent across IVR, chat, and live agents. This briefing explores how the Fortune 500 can move human teams away from system navigation and toward high-value judgment, empathy, and resolution. This episode is sponsored by Atlan. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at go.emerj.com/media_kit

For decades, banks have forced customers into frustrating phone trees and rigid IVR systems—all in the name of efficiency. But what if automation could actually strengthen customer relationships instead of eroding them? In this episode of Banking Transformed, Jim Marous speaks with Isaiah Granet, Co-Founder and CEO of Bland, to explore how voice AI is transforming banking relationships, modernizing call centers, and delivering measurable operational results. They explore which workflows truly reduce call center costs, how to automate without sacrificing trust, what compliance guardrails must be in place before scaling voice AI, and what community and regional banks can realistically implement in the next 12 months. If your institution wants to modernize call center operations, improve service quality, and increase conversion opportunities, this discussion outlines a practical, defensible path forward. #Banking #ConversationalAI #Chatbots #VoiceAI #DigitalTransformation #CustomerExperience #AI This episode of Banking Transformed is sponsored by Bland Bland is a voice AI platform that helps companies transform customer experience and business operations with AI phone, SMS, and chat agents. We serve enterprises across healthcare, insurance, financial services, and other highly regulated industries, and have dispatched more than 60 million AI-powered phone calls to date. Visit https://www.bland.ai/?utm_source=financialbrandpodcast&utm_campaign=financialbrand for more information.

Generative AI has changed how conversations are built and experienced. Georgios Tserdanelis, VP of Conversation Design at JPMorganChase, draws on 15 years of designing voice and chat systems to explain what still holds up, what breaks and why conversation design matters more than ever.Georgios brings years of hands-on experience designing voice and chat experiences across startups and global enterprises, including JPMorganChase, Cigna and Walgreens. With a background in linguistics, he offers a grounded perspective on how human conversation actually works and why those fundamentals still matter in a world of generative AI.We explore how conversational AI has evolved from scripted IVR and NLU systems to large language models and agentic experiences. Georgios explains why many current generative AI deployments struggle with basic conversational principles such as turn-taking, acknowledgement, and context management. Georgios shares practical insights on designing effective voice and chat experiences at a massive scale in highly regulated industries, where small error rates translate into real-world risk.One of the key themes that emerges during our discussion is the changing role of the conversation designer, the balance between deterministic flows and generative systems, voice versus chat design constraints, and why silence, timing and modality choice matter as much as language itself.We also cover fraud, voice cloning, brand identity in AI assistants and how customer expectations are shifting as people get used to talking to increasingly capable machines.Show notesFollow Georgios on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tserdanelis/Follow Kane Simms on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanesimmsDownload our exclusive report on how AI agents keep CX stable when volume explodes: https://vux.world/how-ai-agents-keep-cx-stable-when-volume-explodes/?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=SurgeHappensTake our updated AI Maturity Assessment: https://vuxworld.typeform.com/to/a26bf9Rr?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=vuxconsulting25Subscribe to VUX World: https://vuxworld.typeform.com/to/Qlo5aaeWSubscribe to The AI Ultimatum Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/kanesimms Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From IVRs to multimodal AI experiences, the hardest problems are rarely technical. In this episode, we dive into the evolving landscape of conversational AI and enterprise automation with Anne Cantera, Senior Product Designer at Optimum. With extensive experience in transforming traditional IVR systems into conversational interfaces, Anne shares valuable insights on the practical implementation of AI in customer service environments.We explore the concept of 'hybrid architecture' in AI implementation, discussing how combining rule-based automation with generative AI often provides the optimal solution for enterprise needs. Anne explains how her team strategically deploys generative AI in low-risk scenarios while maintaining deterministic approaches where precision is critical, particularly in their recently launched NLU routing system.The conversation also covers the importance of customer-centric design in AI implementations, with Anne emphasising that the ultimate goal should be making experiences simpler for customers rather than focusing solely on containment metrics. We discuss how different industries approach AI adoption based on their risk profiles and how businesses are navigating the challenges of integrating new technologies with legacy systems.Show notesFollow Anne on LinkedInFollow Kane Simms on LinkedInTake our updated AI Maturity AssessmentSubscribe to VUX WorldSubscribe to The AI Ultimatum Substack Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In ep 152 of “How Do You Say That?!” sponsored by britishvoiceover.co.uk, Rhiannon Moushall joins Sam and Mark to talk about getting a God complex and trees in the run up to Christmas! We work out how to sell something to a board of directors, without over selling it, and discuss how voiceover styles change over the years - and will probably come back into fashion! We find out about japanese gaming characters... and try to play a particularly ruthless ruler... a meglamaniac you might say... but one who presents as a little girl! In the wildcards, we go all wild west as Sam gets behind the bar as a Saloon Madame... Rhiannon gets festive with a nasty Elf on the shelf and Mark embodies a harrumphing Reindeer that's terrified of heights! Poor Santa!Our VO question this week is all about how collaborative as an artist you need to be when recording video games.Get involved! Have you got a Wildcard suggestion that we should try or an idea for the show? Send it to us via Mark or Sam's social media or email it directly to podcast@britishvoiceover.co.ukScript 1We're not just responding to change — we're leading it.Our students show us every day what dedication looks like.They study in spare moments.In busy moments.In life-changing moments.And no matter where they start, they know they're not alone.Because an entire university walks beside them.As we look to the future, our mission remains as powerful as ever.To make learning accessible, flexible, and truly open.Script 2The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so out of courtesy, I present to you this corpse as a gift.For the sake of order, I am known by many titles: ‘Flamebearer' who ends wars, ‘Tyrant' of The Dawn, ‘Empress' of the holy city, and ‘Imperator' of the The Hunt. But in light of your unique identities, I'll allow you to address me by my real name… Sylvia. On behalf of my people and this land, greetings, ‘Traveller'.We'd love your feedback - and if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, hit the follow button today!**Listen to all of our podcasts here - you can also watch on YouTube, or say to your smart speaker "Play How Do You Say That?!"About our guest: Rhiannon Moushall is an award-winning actor who trained for musical theatre, but fell madly in love with VO, especially voicing games. She can be heard in ‘Honkai: Star Rail'; ‘Warframe'; ‘Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader'; ‘Planet Coaster 2'; the upcoming ‘Cliver Barker's Hellraiser: Revival'; and the recently released ‘Foolish Mortals'. She's also voiced national commercials for brands like Shopify, Microsoft, and Tampa Bay Tourism, alongside audiobooks, eLearning materials, countless IVR prompts, and a few animated series. Rhiannon's Website @rhiannon.moushall on Instagram Rhiannon on YouTube Resources: Click here...

How do you make sense of an industry that is changing at a pace few predicted, especially with SIGNAL London still fresh in our minds and Twilio unveiling the next stage of its vision for customer engagement? That question sits at the heart of today's conversation with Peter Bell, VP of Marketing for EMEA at Twilio, who joined me to unpack what the past year has taught both companies and consumers about AI's role in shaping modern experiences. Peter begins by grounding everything in a single, striking shift. Only a year ago, AI-powered search barely registered in global traffic. Today it accounts for around a fifth of all searches. That leap signals a broader behavioral shift as consumers move instinctively toward conversational interfaces, which, in turn, leaves brands with a clear message. The clock has moved on. AI is no longer a nice-to-have. It is a direct response to how people now choose to discover, question, and buy. Our conversation turns to the gap between customer expectations and the experiences they receive. Peter discusses why brands often struggle to integrate channels, data, and AI coherently. He explains how first party data has become the anchor for any serious AI strategy, why generic public models cannot solve brand-specific tasks, and why the most successful teams start with simple, tightly scoped problems. A password reset may not sound glamorous, yet it is the kind of focused use case that teaches teams how to govern data, automate safely, and build confidence in the process. We also spend time on branded calling, RCS, and the evolution of voice. Peter breaks down what modern messaging now looks like and why trust sits at the center of every interaction. His explanation of Conversational Relay shows why natural voice exchanges finally feel within reach after years of frustration with rigid IVR systems. The thread running through all of this is clear. Consumers want speed and clarity, but they want reassurance too, and brands need to honor both sides of that equation. Later in the conversation, Peter makes one of the episode's most compelling points. Brand visibility has become harder, not easier, because much of the early research now occurs within AI tools. Buyers form opinions long before they speak with a sales rep. That shift explains why so many B2B companies are returning to high-impact brand channels, whether that is F1 sponsorships or other standout moments that keep them in the initial consideration set. We close with the topic that Peter believes will define the next stage of enterprise AI. Model Context Protocol. MCP has emerged as a quiet breakthrough, enabling LLMs to access data across CRM systems, files, and other software through a standard protocol. This removes one of the biggest blockers in AI projects: the practical challenge of connecting disparate data to a model built for a specific purpose. As Peter puts it, MCP gives companies a realistic way to make the special-purpose models that deliver reliable ROI. It is a wide-ranging conversation shaped by SIGNAL London's announcements, the evolving customer journey, and a year in which AI moved from curiosity to expectation. I would love to know what part stood out most to you. Are you seeing the same shifts Peter describes in your own business, and how are you preparing for the year ahead? Useful Links Interact with the Inside the Conversational AI Revolution report. Learn more about the Signal event Connect with Peter Bell, VP of Marketing for EMEA at Twilio. Tech Talks Daily is sponsored by Denodo

In this episode, Avanish and Antonio discuss:BBVA's data transformation journey, including the strategic decision in 2017 to create a global data function at the executive committee level reporting to the CEO and ChairmanBuilding hybrid data architecture combining centralized lake house (AWS) with data mesh approaches to balance agility and control across global operations in regulated environmentsThe "eight robots" framework—a top-down AI transformation agenda targeting the most critical parts of BBVA's value chain, from digital client relationships to banker productivity to risk underwritingHow BBVA defines data democratization as "responsible access" not "open access," implementing strict governance while enabling self-service analytics in a highly regulated industryReal-world AI impact: solutions reducing tasks from 11 minutes to less than 1 minute, generative assistant "Blue" serving 20+ million clients in Spain and Mexico, and IVR improvements saving minutes to secondsThe partnership and ecosystem strategy leveraging enterprise-focused innovation through AWS, OpenAI, Google Gemini, and vertical solution providers to increase speed of learning and innovationWhy the "mode in this cycle is learning—how fast you can learn, how fast you can test hypotheses"—embracing experimentation and continuous improvement as models rapidly evolveAntonio's vision for the future: using AI and data to expand bankarization globally, serving underserved populations and fueling economic growth for families and businessesAbout the host:Avanish Sahai is a Tidemark Fellow and served as a Board Member of Hubspot from 2018 to 2023; he currently serves on the boards of Birdie.ai, Flywl.com and Meta.com.br as well as a few non-profits and educational boards. Previously, Avanish served as the vice president, ISV and Apps partner ecosystem of Google from 2019 until 2021. From 2016 to 2019, he served as the global vice president, ISV and Technology alliances at ServiceNow.  From 2014 to 2015, he was the senior vice president and chief product officer at Demandbase.  Prior to Demandbase, Avanish built and led the Appexchange platform ecosystem team at Salesforce, and was an executive at Oracle and McKinsey & Company, as well as various early to mid-stage startups in Silicon Valley.About Antonio Bravo, Global Head of Data at BBVAAntonio started his career in 2009 as a consultant focused in Technology, Media and Telecom. There he had the opportunity to learn how (mobile) internet growth blurs barriers between different industries and makes them converge. One of those industries is finance. He joined BBVA in 2011 to be part of its transformation strategy, and since then he has had different jobs. Started working in the Strategy & M&A area, with focus on the BBVA Ventures team (today Propel) investing in fintech startups, continued with a role in Digital Banking Strategy team, and later in 2015 assumed the responsibility of Business Development in South America (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Perú, Venezuela, Uruguay and Paraguay).He also held the responsibility of Agile Organization until July 2019, focused in scaling the Agile methodology through-out the entire organization, more than 33.000 people including holding and countries, to improve quality, time to market, productivity and team engagement.From July 2019 until September 2021 he held the responsibility of IT Strategy & Control within BBVA, a function that manages some of the core IT functions at a global level, such as IT strategy, finance, vendor management, PMO, first line of defense and IT spin-offs.Since September 2021 he holds the position of Head of Sustainability Strategy & Business Development, where he contributes to the design of the strategic plan for all segments and manages investment in descarbonization funds. In January 2024 he was also appointed as Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Strategy, Industrial client coverage and cross border business.In January 2025 was appointed Global Head of Data at BBVA. Antonio is responsible of leading the transformation of the Group towards a data-driven company.About BBVA:BBVA is a global financial services group founded in 1857. The bank is present in more than 25 countries, has a strong leadership position in the Spanish market, is the largest financial institution in Mexico and it has leading franchises in South America and Turkey. In the United States, BBVA also has a significant investment, transactional, and capital markets banking business.BBVA contributes with its activity to the progress and welfare of all its stakeholders: shareholders, clients, employees, providers and society in general. In this regard, BBVA supports families, entrepreneurs and companies in their plans, and helps them to take advantage of the opportunities provided by innovation and technology. Likewise, BBVA offers its customers a unique value proposition, leveraged on technology and data, helping them improve their financial health with personalized information on financial decision-making.About TidemarkTidemark is a venture capital firm, foundation, and community built to serve category-leading technology companies as they scale.  Tidemark was founded in 2021 by David Yuan, who has been investing, advising, and building technology companies for over 20 years.  Learn more at www.tidemarkcap.com.LinksFollow our host, Avanish SahaiLearn more about Tidemark

International Referee and host, Master Marc Zirogiannis, highlights some of the Key World Taekwondo Sparring rules changes voted on in Wuxi and rolling out January 1, 2026. Master Marc Discusses: The removal of IVR head Challenges by Coaches Six point rule for turning head kicks Elimination of One Corner Judge New Sensing Gloves for Punches Six Weight Categories for the Olympics Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Klearcom, a global leader in AI-driven IVR and telecom testing, has ranked third in Deloitte's list of the fastest growing technology companies across the island of Ireland. The Waterford-based company, who recently secured an investment from London-based private equity firm, Synova, received its official listing at this year's Technology Fast 50 Awards. The event took place in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin. The Technology Fast 50, running since 1999, is one of Ireland's most prestigious technology award programmes and celebrates innovation and entrepreneurship within the industry. At last year's ceremony, Klearcom received the Rising Star accolade in honour of their promising growth trajectory and future potential. This year represents a major milestone in the company's journey, driven by its expanding market share in the IVR sector and the establishment of its physical base within the US. Klearcom specialises in AI-powered contact centre testing solutions, identifying and resolving issues in telecoms infrastructure for multinational companies such as Pfizer, Google, and Mastercard. Building on this year's success, the company is embarking on ambitious expansion plans for 2026 and are actively recruiting across the entire organisation. This includes senior leadership roles such as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), Chief Product Officer (CPO), Head of Engineering, as well as multiple roles across the sales department. Speaking about the company's official ranking, Liam Dunne, CEO and Co-Founder, Klearcom, said: "Our ranking of third on the Technology Fast 50 list is a standout highlight to what has been an exceptional year for Klearcom. We want to take a moment to thank Deloitte for this honour and our entire team for being instrumental to our success. "Following our partnership with Synova, we are incredibly excited to deliver on our vision for 2026. As we continue to scale globally, we are eager to welcome new talent across the organisation and invite prospective candidates to join our rapidly growing team. "Fuelled by this year's achievements, we look forward to reinforcing our position as a market leader in this space and achieve even greater heights in 2026 and the years ahead." See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Benvinguts a l'illa Punteria! Avui us comentem totes les notícies de One Piece i d'altres manganimes que han sortit entre octubre i novembre! O entre setembre, octubre i novembre… feia massa que no hi havia noticiari i estem perdent els bells costums. En tot cas, també comentem el redoblatge en castellà de One Piece, la moguda de Jonu i Ivréa i algunes cosetes més. Us ho perdreu?

In this episode of The Metrics Brothers, Ray “Growth” Rike and Dave “CAC” Kellogg break down one of the emerging metrics in the Agentic AI era: Containment Rate - the percentage of tasks an AI agent completes (resolves) end-to-end without human intervention.They explore multiple aspects of the Containment Rate Metric including:How containment rate differs from classic chatbot metric - deflection rateWhy defining “resolved” and/or "completed" is essential to calculating containment rateHow the metric connects directly to ROIWhy ROI needs to include both the benefit (cost-savings) and the investment (expense) for the AI AgentRay and Dave also trace the history of containment from IVR to Chatbots to LLM-powered agents, debate common misconceptions, and outline benchmarks across customer support, IT, HR, and back-office agentic AI workflows.If you're building, buying, or benchmarking AI agents - or trying to turn AI investments into measurable ROI — this episode delivers the context, clarity, and humor only The Metrics Brothers can provide.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brooke Hopkins is the CEO of Coval, a company making voice agents more reliable. Reliable Voice Agents // MLOps Podcast #347 with Brooke Hopkins, Founder of Coval.Join the Community: https://go.mlops.community/YTJoinInGet the newsletter: https://go.mlops.community/YTNewsletter// AbstractVoice AI is finally growing up—but not without drama. Brooke Hopkins joins Demetrios Brinkmann to unpack why most “smart” voice systems still feel dumb, what it actually takes to make them reliable, and how startups are quietly outpacing big tech in building the next generation of voice agents.// BioBrooke Hopkins is the founder of Coval, a simulation and evaluation platform for AI agents. She previously led the evaluation job infrastructure at Waymo. There, her team was responsible for the developer tools for launching and running simulations, and she engineered many of the core simulation systems from the ground up.// Related LinksWebsite: https://www.coval.dev/~~~~~~~~ ✌️Connect With Us ✌️ ~~~~~~~Catch all episodes, blogs, newsletters, and more: https://go.mlops.community/TYExploreJoin our Slack community [https://go.mlops.community/slack]Follow us on X/Twitter [@mlopscommunity](https://x.com/mlopscommunity) or [LinkedIn](https://go.mlops.community/linkedin)] Sign up for the next meetup: [https://go.mlops.community/register]MLOps Swag/Merch: [https://shop.mlops.community/]Connect with Demetrios on LinkedIn: /dpbrinkmConnect with Brooke on LinkedIn: /bnhop/Timestamps:[00:00] Workshop feedback[02:21] IVR frustration and transition[05:06] Voice use cases in business[11:00] Voice AI reliability challenge[18:46] Voice AI reliability issues[24:35] Injecting context[27:16] Conversation flow analysis[34:52] AI overgeneralization and confidence[37:41] Wrap up

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

Klearcom, a global leader in AI-driven IVR and telecom testing, has been announced by Deloitte as one of the 50 fastest growing technology companies across the island of Ireland. The Waterford-based company's ranking will be revealed at this year's Technology Fast 50 Awards, which will take place on 27 November in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin. Running for 26 years, the Technology Fast 50 is one of Ireland's leading technology award programmes, recognising and celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship in Ireland's indigenous technology sector. At last year's awards, Klearcom received the Rising Star accolade, which recognises a company with a promising growth trajectory and the potential for inclusion in the Fast 50 rankings in years to come. As well as driving continued success in Ireland, Klearcom recently announced its first physical base in the US and the expansion of its team. This is part of its plan to further grow its share in the IVR market by identifying and resolving issues with customers' telecom system infrastructure. Speaking about the 2025 Technology Fast 50 listing, Liam Dunne, CEO, Klearcom, said: "We're incredibly proud to have made the list this year and to be seen as not only an innovator but disruptor in this space. It's a testament to the work and expertise of our team who deliver the fastest response and best customer service." See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

In ep 143 of “How Do You Say That?!” sponsored by britishvoiceover.co.uk, Alan Irving joins Sam and Mark to talk about how different audiobook narrators prepare for the mammoth task of story and character prep... why an author might leave a narrator to it once they've been chosen for the job... and we bring you a passage from a horror story that'll make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.Our VO question this week is all about the differences between narrating fiction and non fiction audio books.Get involved! Have you got a Wildcard suggestion that we should try or an idea for the show? Send it to us via Mark or Sam's social media or email it directly to podcast@britishvoiceover.co.ukScript 1At Quarto, every book begins with obsession.Every page is designed, illustrated, and perfected to bring thestories you love to life in their most beautiful form.These aren't just books - they're stories that shaped you,reimagined and created by us to be held, read and re-read.Not to collect dust, but to be lived with and loved - over and overagain.Quarto.Books that live in your hands.Script 2He was just fading off to sleep when the ghost appeared. It looked over the edge from the ledge above. For the first time, the ghost revealed its face, and it was a face Almon had never seen before.It was an old man with pale, blistered skin and a long grey beard. Its eyelids were stitched together with thick interlacing leather thongs pulled tightly together.Even with these terrible mutilations to his eyes, somehow, he still watched Almon.We'd love your feedback - and if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, hit the follow button today!**Listen to all of our podcasts here - you can also watch on YouTube, or say to your smart speaker "Play How Do You Say That?!"About our guest: Originally from Essex in the South-East of England, now living in Rossendale in the North-West, Alan Irving has been a voiceover artist and audiobook narrator since 2012. He's worked in almost all genre's, from Character work, Commercials, Corporate and E-Learning, IVR, Voice of God and of course Audiobooks.He lives with his partner Cathy, Daughter Hannah, his dog Willow and cat, Ruddles. (or "Rude Boy" as Alan likes to call him!)He also enjoys playing the guitar, likes to cook, and "appreciates" fine wines! Alan's Website @alan_irving_voa on Instagram Alan's Facebook pageResources: Click here for the Wildcard Generator and don't forget to think of an action your character can be doing!About your hosts:With over 40 years representing major international clients such as Google, Emirates and HSBC; Mark Ryes has been trusted to be the voice for some of the world's biggest...

James has a great chat with Robyn Newton on several topics including Animal Rescue, different cities, different jobs and being a good Moderator. Robyn's years of performance experience and study of voice acting have taught her how to breathe life into any script. Robyn understands the importance of how the human voice can be used to engage an audience–to convey energy and emotion–to create a brand that is genuine, relatable, trustworthy, and undeniably recognizable. Robyn possesses strong communication, project management, and perceptive creativity skills and assists her clients in developing or enhancing their marketing campaigns to ensure that their message resonates with their target audience. Prior to launching her voice over business in 2015, Robyn enjoyed an incredibly rewarding career in the world of high tech for three decades. She's worked with a handful of Fortune 500 companies in the role of a technical content creator, global program manager for software development teams, and as an internal corporate narrator of impactful eLearning videos, strategic marketing initiatives, and complex IVR catalogs. Whether you need the voice of an approachable expert, relatable gal next door, loving mom, or friendly customer service rep, Robyn's wide range of vocal range enables her to understand how to convey her client's message to create something truly remarkable and memorable—and she has fun doing it! Originally from New England, Robyn is thrilled to be living closer to her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. She loves dogs, calls herself a foodie, enjoys the theater and live music, and has embraced an outdoor lifestyle that includes spending time at the beach, riding her bicycle and her motorcycle. IG @robynnewtonvo

“Asynchronous messaging respects customers' time—and when you meet people where they already are, CSAT, revenue, and retention follow.” — Gareth Bray, Premier CX Gareth Bray, Business Development Director at Premier CX, joined Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, to discuss how WhatsApp is becoming an essential business channel worldwide. Premier CX, originally known for IVR audio and FAQ videos, now leads organizations through a “zero to amazing” journey on WhatsApp, helping them design, integrate, and scale conversational experiences. Bray explained why WhatsApp is booming: Global adoption — >90% of consumers in India & Brazil already use it to talk to businesses; Europe and the U.S. are rapidly following. Convenience — Asynchronous messaging beats long hold times and tethered web chats. Trust — WhatsApp sits alongside family and friends, making it highly personal and effective. The results are clear: companies report higher productivity, lower costs, stronger CSAT, and increased sales and retention. Bray shared examples from retail and utilities where WhatsApp journeys cut handle time, empowered customers, and improved outcomes for all parties. Bottom line: Just as websites once became essential, WhatsApp is the next wave of customer engagement—and businesses that delay risk being left behind. Learn more and try Premier CX's WhatsApp demo at premiercx.co.uk.

Klearcom, a leading provider of global contact centre testing solutions, today announces that it has established its first physical base in the US with the opening of a new office in Boonton, New Jersey. To facilitate this growth, Klearcom will hire 20 new team members in the US. The announcement has been welcomed by Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment of Ireland. Headquartered in Waterford, Klearcom is currently pursuing aggressive growth in the US market. The new base will enable Klearcom to acquire more US-based customers and strengthen relationships with existing clients, such as Google, Mastercard and Visa. This will help the company to grow its share in the interactive voice response (IVR) market, currently valued at $5.9BN and growing at a rate of 7% per annum. The new hires, to be appointed across sales and customer service over the next 12 months, represent a significant investment from Klearcom. They, and the New Jersey base, will be central to enhancing service delivery and providing on-the-ground support to Klearcom's growing US customer base. As the IVR market continues to grow at pace, the expansion will ensure Klearcom stays ahead of market challenges and seizes new opportunities. At the same time, Klearcom will continue to deliver reliable and quality testing for businesses' automated voice systems, especially within critical customer service channels. The expansion will facilitate faster onboarding, greater support and a more personalised service, enabling the company to align more closely with US business priorities, time zones and escalation needs. Mark Rohan, co-founder and chief operating officer, Klearcom, said: "The US market is vital to Klearcom's growth strategy. As such, this announcement is not only a mark of our success in the US to-date, but also our commitment to businesses there. And, while this is our first office in the US, it will not be our only one. "For us, the expansion comes at the perfect time as businesses increasingly demand cutting-edge technology over outdated legacy systems. Our AI-driven IVR testing is the fastest in the world, enabling enterprises to quickly identify and resolve issues within their telecom system infrastructure, and cementing our position as the leading provider of contact centre testing solutions. "Our US office doesn't just mean faster response times - it means being on the ground, right where our customers need us most." Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment of Ireland, said: "Klearcom is a prime example of an Irish company whose ambition has driven impressive growth on the global stage. This next step in the company's journey will open the door to exceptional opportunities within the United States, which have the potential to take the business to new heights. I look forward to watching the team's progress as they grow their footprint in this important market." See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

“Press 1 is dead. If you haven't integrated AI into your core telephony stack, you're on the path to obsolescence.” — Andy Abramson, Founder & CEO, Comunicano In this conversation with Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, Andy Abramson—32 years into leading Comunicano—explains why legacy, menu-tree IVRs are being displaced by SIP-native AI and real-time voice agents. The result: faster resolution, lower latency, and human-like interactions that finally match the urgency of today's callers. What's changing SIP ↔ AI interconnect: Direct SIP trunking into AI (e.g., OpenAI) turns agents into callable endpoints—simplifying deployment much like early CPaaS did. Network path matters: Zero-hop/HD direct connectivity (e.g., CarrierX/Found/freeconferencecall.com) and Cloudflare's global edge for WebRTC cut jitter, packet loss, and delay—feeding cleaner “robot food” to AI. Voice that sounds human: Advances in neural voices (e.g., ElevenLabs) raise comprehension and comfort, improving CX outcomes. Tool orchestration made simple: MCP/agent frameworks (e.g., Anthropic-style tool calling) connect CRM/ERP and data sources without brittle middleware. Who wins, who loses Winners: UCaaS/CPaaS and AI-forward CCaaS that treat AI agents as first-class endpoints; telcos bundling AI with SIP routing and data plans; high-volume enterprises offloading Tier-1 to real-time AI. At risk: IVR-only vendors, low-end CCaaS, and speech-to-text middleware that don't adopt AI—“adopt or die.” Why it matters for MSPs & channel partners The migration path is here now: swap tree-based IVR for NLP-driven, real-time voice agents, integrate with existing stacks via SIP, and monetize AI minutes + memories. Business impact: shorter handle times, higher first-contact resolution, lower OpEx, and fewer abandoned calls—especially for customers calling with urgent needs. This episode includes a slide presentation outlining the end of menu trees, the SIP-AI architecture, and four go-to-market “wins” for carriers, UC/CPaaS, CCaaS, and large enterprises. Learn more about Andy's work at comunicano.com (one “m”) and his commentary at AndyAbramson.com and on LinkedIn.

In this insightful episode of Numbers and Narratives, hosts Ibby Syed and Sean Collins sit down with Alejandro Villacís, the head of customer experience at FCP Euro, to explore the intersection of AI and customer service in the automotive aftermarket industry. FCP Euro, known for its exceptional customer care and lifetime replacement guarantee, faces the challenge of maintaining personalized service while managing costs as the business grows. Alejandro shares how they're strategically implementing AI to enhance rather than replace human interactions.The conversation delves into FCP Euro's unique approach to customer support, where many inbound inquiries are from DIY enthusiasts seeking advice. Alejandro explains their careful integration of AI, starting with replacing their IVR system to better route calls and provide quick answers for simple queries. However, he emphasizes the importance of preserving human touchpoints for complex issues and personalized advice. The discussion also covers how AI is being used internally to streamline workflows and free up time for more meaningful customer interactions.One of the most intriguing insights is FCP Euro's vision for using AI to anticipate customer needs based on their vehicle history and driving habits. Alejandro describes the delicate balance between providing expert advice and empowering customers to make their own decisions.

AI, IVR, and the Human Touch in Contact Centers  Shep interviews Mark Rohan, Co-Founder and COO of Klearcom. He discusses the importance of balancing digital and human support, and how embracing AI and change can lead to world-class customer service.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    Why do many customers still prefer voice support over digital self-service or AI solutions?  What percentage of customers are likely to leave a company after a negative experience with automated phone systems?  How can companies use technology to detect and resolve customer service issues in real time?  Why is it important for companies to offer both digital and human support options?  What role does artificial intelligence play in modern customer support?  Top Takeaways:    The customer experience begins the moment you first attempt to communicate with a business, whether  through a chatbot, a phone call, or an email. Every interaction creates the customer's impression of the organization. Be easy to do business with right from the very beginning.   Tools like Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menus and AI chatbots can make the difference between customer satisfaction and frustration. Studies show that around 73% of people will avoid a business if they have a bad encounter with an automated phone menu. That means companies could lose customers before they even have a chance to help them.   No matter how good AI and digital options become, there will always be moments when people want to talk to another person. AI and digital options may deliver the quickest response for routine or predictable issues that customers encounter day to day. However, when issues are urgent or sensitive, most customers prefer to hear a reassuring human voice.   Businesses that stick with doing things "the way we've always done it" put themselves at risk of falling behind. Adapting to new technologies, even if it feels uncomfortable, keeps companies competitive and relevant.   Customers don't just compare one business to its direct competitors. Instead, they compare every interaction to the very best experience they've ever had, no matter where that was. If another company makes things quick and easy, customers expect you to do the same. Companies must continuously strive to be proactive, responsive, and raise their own standards.   Every issue that a customer encounters is an opportunity to be memorable and to create loyalty. If a problem occurs and is resolved quickly and kindly, customers may trust the company even more than if nothing had gone wrong.   Plus, Shep and Mark discuss what world-class brands are doing differently when it comes to integrating technology into their processes. Tune in! Quote:   "Everybody remembers the poor experiences, but very few people remember the good ones. You can't always deliver a perfect customer experience, but you do your best to deliver the best you possibly can."  About:    Mark Rohan is the Co-Founder and COO of Klearcom. He has 20 years of experience in telecom and IT, and is a strong advocate for seamless customer experiences.  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

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

For three decades, Alina Stevens' family business got “we want to buy you” letters almost daily—then in 2024, she finally said yes. In this candid conversation, Alina walks the Blue-Collar Twins through scaling All Pro Pest from ~25 to ~50 employees, choosing a buyer who kept the team (only one person left), and the emotional gear-shift from making every decision to consulting while the new owner hums along. It's a masterclass in female leadership inside a family company, statewide routing without extra branches, and knowing when to let the kids “go to college.” You'll hear: The moment “sell” went from never to now—and why employee continuity was the deal-breaker.How she modernized ops: true-mobile routing, GPS/cameras, and ditching IVR hell to stay customer-first.Lessons as a woman owner winning respect on job sites by knowing the craft cold.Why growth means you're never “over the mountain,” and how to communicate for buy-in (not just talk).Life after close: the ego hit of “they don't need me”… and the freedom to ask what's next. From Gym Teachers to Service Leaders: The Julio Twins' Story | Last Bite Mosquito, Viking Pest https://youtu.be/DAYxtzhswxs From PE Teachers to Pest Control Owners: The Julio Twins Share Their POTOMAC Experience https://youtu.be/HAx9noqsqTo https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore www.potomaccompany.com https://bluecollartwins.com Produced by: www.verbell.ltd Timestamps 00:00 – “We got buy-your-company letters almost daily for 30 years… then we finally sold.” 00:50 – Intros: Alina's 2024 exit and the hard art of letting go 02:00 – “Never planned to be the bug girl”: Air Force pilot dreams → family firm roots (1971) 03:45 – Health crises, divorce, stepping in after raising kids—“somebody had to sail the ship” 05:10 – Change management 101: don't flip everything at once (ask her how she knows) 06:45 – Choosing the buyer: keep the people, not just the book—only one employee didn't continue 08:40 – Post-close role: retained as a 1-year consultant… but the newco barely needed her 10:10 – Scale at sale: ~50 employees, ~40 trucks; when she took over (~2015) it was ~25 staff 12:00 – Origin story: bank teller → office manager → marrying the boss (plus a $2/hr raise) 14:10 – Earning respect as a woman in a male-dominated niche: knowledge beats assumptions 18:30 – Statewide without branches: “true mobile” ops from home bases across Georgia 19:50 – From proprietary software (“Helper”) to mainstream + mobile; training older techs 22:30 – GPS & cameras: nightmare stories… and the crash video that saved a driver 26:00 – Phones & CX: VOIP, fewer prompts, always a human—because customer-first isn't a menu tree 27:40 – “FITFO”: figuring it out through hiccups, turnover, and route remaps 30:20 – Leadership reality: 3 a.m. at the office, good people who stayed, and new opportunities under newco 33:00 – Comfort vs growth: the tag that says “AND NEXT” and a Mexico pest-control idea 34:45 – Mentors & marriage: productive conflict that made the business stronger 41:30 – Culture: family and team, where competition never outweighed belonging 44:50 – Communication = buy-in: expect 60–70% of your own intensity; tailor the message to the person 52:30 – Meeting Potomac and what “you're the best” from an advisor really means

In ep 130 of “How Do You Say That?!” sponsored by britishvoiceover.co.uk, Bhav Parmar joins Sam and Mark to talk about corporate scripts in all forms... well written, badly written, over written, under written, serious, quirky, fast, slow - and how you can make them all sound interesting! There's some great advice on working out what your base pace should be, and be careful, because after this episode, you'll be googling all about mankinis! You have been warned!Our VO question this week is all about following your heart and the work you enjoy - and you'll reap what you sow!Get involved! Have you got a Wildcard suggestion that we should try or an idea for the show? Send it to us via Mark or Sam's social media or email it directly to podcast@britishvoiceover.co.ukScript 1At Quantra, over more than 40 years, we have developed a strategic investment approach that is rigorous and precise. This is our foundation, strong enough that we can always continue to build, and solid enough that through different market cycles we have the conviction to keep investing through the noise. It's how we have been able to maintain our position at the forefront of private markets, underpinned by a strong culture of integrity, and a commitment to deliver long-term returns for our investors. We are laser focused on how the world is evolving, and how the needs of our clients are changing.Script 2Imagine running a hotel where your team is juggling a hundred tasks at once - from handling guest bookings and coordinating staff to managing daily operations, driving sales, while ensuring every guest has a memorable stay.On top of that, you're focused on maximising profitability and staying ahead in a competitive market. You need more than just tools; you need a partner who understands these challenges and offers technology that not only simplifies workflows but also keeps the guest experience superior. That's where Booked and Bespoke comes in.We'd love your feedback - and if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, hit the follow button today!**Listen to all of our podcasts here - you can also watch on YouTube, or say to your smart speaker "Play How Do You Say That?!"About our guest: Bhavnisha Parmar (AKA Bhav) is a voiceover artist and actress with over 8 years in the creative industry, possibly best known for her work in "Doctor Who" playing the witty Sonya Khan. As well as voicing for global brands such as Apple, Twitter, Expedia, Panasonic, the BBC, Calm, Revolut, Unliever, Spotify, Goldman Sachs, HSBC and many more. Bhav works across many genres, including Commercials, Corporates, Explainer Videos, E-Learning, B2B Products, Online ads, Radio, Gaming, Audio Dramas, IVR and VR Technologies, passionately championing diversity and inclusion. You can hear her as a Sleep Story narrator on the Calm App, playing mum in the Amazon Prime animation "Uma and Devan" and the IVR voice of Apple India. She is also a presenter for BBC Asian Network. Bhavnisha's Website @voiceofbhavnisha on Instagram

Guest post by Christine Ramsey, Head of Client Operations Klearcom They say that "the worst type of problem is the one you can't see." This is especially true when it comes to empowering and enhancing Customer Experience (CX). For a business, there are very few challenges more costly than a poor customer journey or a negative review. In fact, one bad review can cause significant damage to a brand. As well as jeopardising customer retention, substandard CX can prevent referrals, undermine brand trust and hinder business growth. Given its impact on a company's long-term success, it is therefore imperative that CX is both tested and trusted. This means uncovering and understanding any blind spots (those problems that are hard or impossible to see) which could affect customer service and confidence levels. For multinational companies serving global customer bases, these undetected issues - such as poor call quality, communication errors and misrouted calls - across their Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems could not only be disruptive but also brand damaging. IVR systems allow businesses to automate call interactions through the use of voice prompts and DTMF inputs. IVR systems are therefore intended to save businesses time and money, while seamlessly and successfully transferring the customer to the desired department or getting them to a resolution quickly through self-serve options. However, if unchecked and untested, blind spots in IVR systems can have the opposite effect - causing delays, customer frustration, and in more serious cases, even system outages. Because they tend to fly under the radar, they often affect customers long before anyone on the client side realizes there's a problem (which can be costly from a reputational and financial perspective.) For example, a customer trying to reach their network provider's service desk could be prompted by the IVR to state the desired department but then is misrouted to sales. Or there might be a customer service message during a holiday period which is incorrect, leading to confusion and dissatisfaction among large cohorts of customers. CX blind spots can have various knock-on effects on a business, from reputational damage and reduced revenues to customer churn and compliance failures. In sectors which are highly regulated or during peak periods when demand is high, blind spots can potentially be catastrophic. In addition, the aftermath of a blind spot or outage can negatively impact employee morale, with faults leading to more calls from frustrated customers, resulting in more pressure on staff. Testing IVR systems can ensure optimal performance and experience for all stakeholders. By identifying and rectifying blind spots, IVR testing drives success for both customers and businesses - upholding quality, empowering customer journeys, and reducing the risk of outages. Furthermore, Call Detail Records (CDRs) can assist organisations with technical information to get resolution on blind spots faster as it enables them to pinpoint exactly where the issues are and reduce time to resolution (TTR.) With tighter regulations and rising customer expectations, companies are feeling the pressure to deliver a standout customer experience. To keep up, they need to be proactively testing their systems to catch blind spots before they turn into outages or unhappy customers. At the end of the day, it's not just the customer journey on the line but the future of the business. See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a...

As generative AI redefines the contact centre, ensuring consistent performance across complex telephony networks becomes mission-critical. In this episode, we speak with Satish Barot, CTO at Klearcom, about the evolution of contact centre technology and the critical role of quality assurance in AI voice systems. We explore how organisations gradually transition from traditional DTMF-based IVR systems to more sophisticated conversational AI and generative AI solutions. Satish shares insights on why this shift is happening incrementally, with many companies adopting hybrid approaches that run traditional and AI-powered systems side by side while they evaluate performance.Discover how Klearcom is pushing the boundaries of voice QA with global in-country testing, real-world noise simulation, and accuracy scoring, offering a unique lens into what production-ready means in the age of AI.We also discuss privacy considerations and why organisations should start small and scale smart when implementing these technologies. Satish emphasises that businesses should focus on great customer experience rather than chasing fancy technology for its own sake.Shownotes:Check out Klearcom: https://klearcom.comSubscribe to VUX World: https://vuxworld.typeform.com/to/Qlo5aaeWSubscribe to The AI Ultimatum Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/kanesimmsGet in touch with Kane on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanesimms Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tired of wasting time on spam calls from fake local numbers? In this crash course episode, John Pajak reveals how spammers are spoofing your area code—and what you can do to stop them. From Google Voice tricks to VoIP upgrades and IVR menus that block bots, this episode delivers tactical ways to reclaim your time and protect your business. Comments and Questions are welcome.  Send to ProfitswithPajak@gmail.com Episode Links: Apple Podcast Listeners- Copy and paste the links below into your browser. Upcoming Events: Get your Equip Expo 2025 tickets NOW with promo code PAJAK for only $15 https://plus.mcievents.com/equipexpo2025?RefId=PAJAK LCR Summit: October 19th and 20th in Louisville, Kentucky The Playbook for Success in Your Business and Life! https://www.lcrmedianetwork.com/   Show Partners: Yardbook Simplify your business and be more profitable.  Please visit www.Yardbook.com  Get 30 days of Premium Business level of Yardbook for FREE with promo code PAJAK Relay Relay is small business banking that puts you in complete control of what you're earning, spending and saving. Click here to sign up for Relay and get $50.00 cash bonus!http://join.relayfi.com/promo/get-50-ulumkswykjzwi4dqsm?referralcode=profitswithpajak&utm_source=influencer&utm_medium=podcast  Mr. Producer Click the link to connect with Thee Best Podcast Producer in the biz! https://www.instagram.com/mrproducerusa/ Green Frog Web Design Get your first month for only $1 when you use code, PAJAK , and have your website LIVE in 3 weeks from projected start date or it's FREE for a year. https://www.greenfrogwebdesign.com/johnpajak My Service Area “Qualify Leads Based on Your Profitable Service Area.” Click on this link for an exclusive offer for being a “Profits with Pajak” listener. https://myservicearea.com/pajak Training and Courses Budgets, Breakevens, and Bottom Lines™ Workshop John Pajak's exclusive system is designed to help you avoid common failures and achieve your business' financial goals to be profitable and scale your business. https://www.johnpajak.com/offers/qvgvV8m3/checkout   Yardbook Training Workshops Learn one-on-one with John Pajak to use Yardbook like a pro to streamline your business and make more money! https://www.johnpajak.com/offers/aJ9YX7aB/checkout

On this episode of Security Noise, Geoff and Skyler chat with Security Consultant Shane Jones about how AI can accelerate workflows and the pros and cons of using automation in penetration testing. Skyler covers his experiences with voice cloning, which AI tools assisted his engagement, and how he was able to trick the IVR system. About this podcast: Security Noise, a TrustedSec Podcast hosted by Geoff Walton and Producer/Contributor Skyler Tuter, features our cybersecurity experts in conversation about the infosec topics that interest them the most. Hack the planet! Find more cybersecurity resources on our website at https://trustedsec.com/resources.

In this compelling Technology Reseller News podcast, publisher Doug Green speaks with Kristy Thomas, Senior Vice President of Global Channel and Alliances at Vonage, about the evolving intersection of AI and customer service. As a leading Cloud Communications Alliance (CCA) member and a pioneer in VoIP, Vonage is now placing ethical AI at the heart of its strategy for enterprise communications. Kristy dives deep into one of the most important — and often overlooked — issues in AI adoption: bias. She explains that AI bias in contact centers is less about human prejudice and more about the quality and governance of the data used to train and inform systems. “The bias is only as good as the data you're giving the AI,” she says, emphasizing the importance of data integrity, routine audits, and transparent data sourcing. Vonage is investing in building what Thomas calls "governed innovation." That includes ethical design, user consent, and AI systems that operate within clearly defined parameters. With tools like Vonage AI Studio, companies can now easily build voice-driven interfaces — what used to be complex IVR systems — in a low-code environment, dramatically reducing friction and increasing adaptability. Thomas highlights that Vonage's AI strategy is multi-threaded. The company is: Powering its own solutions with AI for real-time enhancements, Partnering with industry-specific providers for best-of-breed integrations, and Enabling customers to bring their own AI into the platform. Importantly, she notes a shift in how buyers approach AI: rather than being informed, many are overwhelmed. That's where Vonage's partners play a key role — helping customers identify high-ROI use cases and building practical business cases for AI adoption. Doug and Kristy also discuss how customer service is becoming the new marketing — a front line where loyalty is won or lost. “Even smaller companies can outpace Goliaths,” Kristy notes, when AI empowers a personalized and secure customer experience. Vonage's commitment to trust is backed by its alignment with Ericsson and a strong internal structure focused on compliance and security. Kristy previews Vonage's participation in Contact Center Week in Las Vegas, where the company will showcase real-world AI use cases that demonstrate measurable business outcomes. To learn more about how Vonage is redefining contact center engagement through responsible AI, visit Vonage.com.

Klearcom, a leading provider of global contact centre testing solutions, has announced the launch of its next-generation solution Verify+ which will see it dial into global demand for pre-production Interactive Voice Response (IVR) testing and support future business growth. An enhanced version of Klearcom's Verify product, Verify+ enables businesses to test and improve their customer service phone and IVR systems before going live. It does this by allowing companies to simulate real customer calls, test call paths and verify audio quality and sound clarity. In terms of the testing functionality and efficiency, the solution removes the need to rewrite common tests by facilitating the creation of reusable templates and creates a visual "treeview" model to support sequential testing. It also delivers concurrent IVR testing at no extra cost. Coupled with its audio scoring and real-time monitoring feature, Verify+ ensures testing flexibility, accuracy and visibility, as well as high reliability and performance of systems. Meanwhile, its outbound testing capabilities can support diverse international contact centre environments. Covering more than 100 languages and dialects, Verify+ also delivers transcript analysis and audio scoring. Furthermore, it facilitates alternate transcripts for out-of-hours or holiday periods, with automated IVR message and smart scheduling features. The solution streamlines the pre-production testing process and accelerates deployment of services for organisations, while identifying call issues, enabling faster resolution and reducing downtime. In turn, this saves significant time and costs and improves end-user Customer Experience (CX). Quick-to-deploy and easy-to-use, the platform enhances Klearcom's already extensive product portfolio. Available in over 100+ countries, it will enable the provider to further scale up its operations, support its growing global customer base and drive business growth. In particular, Klearcom anticipates demand for Verify+ among the telecom, utilities, retail, healthcare, aviation, banking and finance industries. Satish Barot, Co-founder and CTO at Klearcom, said: "When people call customer service, they want the fastest possible response and resolution. When businesses are testing and rolling out these systems, they also want that. Verify+ delivers on both fronts by simplifying testing, ensuring optimal performance and supporting the best customer experience. "As well as simulating real-world behaviours, including non-linear customer call journeys and interrupted interactions, it delivers a truly global testing capability - not only meeting the evolving needs of our customers but enabling them to meet the expectations of theirs. In turn, we are guaranteeing customer confidence, innovating the customer experience and expanding our customer base." See more stories here.

Liam Dunne, co-founder and CEO of Klearcom, has been announced in the shortlist for the 2025 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Ireland programme. Having been in existence for 28 years and celebrating the theme of 'Shape the Future with Confidence', the world-renowned programme is once again recognising and championing entrepreneurship across the island of Ireland. Liam, who has led Klearcom to become a global SaaS leader, has been named as a finalist in the Emerging category. He joins 23 other entrepreneurs in the running for the awards, the winners of which will be crowned in Powerscourt Hotel, Enniskerry, in November. Headquartered in Waterford, Klearcom provides global contact centre testing solutions for multinational companies and is trusted by some of the world's biggest brands across the pharma, financial services, consumer tech and telecommunications sectors. Underpinned by its growing base of more than 340 carriers, Klearcom's services and solutions cover more than 100 countries, as well as 100 languages and dialects - making it an industry leader. Liam has driven the organisation since its inception, when he and his co-founders Mark Rohan and Satish Barot recognised the need for a global SaaS platform to support IVR and toll-free phone testing and support. Speaking about his shortlisting, Liam said: "With so many innovative businesses and impressive entrepreneurs out there, it's a great honour to be shortlisted for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year. In particular, this year's theme about shaping the future with confidence really resonated with me and with what we stand for at Klearcom. "Our aim is to disrupt and deliver for companies, guaranteeing the best experience not only for our customers but for their customers. That is something we are doing today with our truly global offering and will continue to do in the future as we further grow the business, extend our reach and make an impact." See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Classic strangle in a high IVR stock that has been range bound BIDU 

Channel Partners 2025 | By Doug Green “Channel Partners is my favorite week of the year,” said Michael Day, Head of Channel for GoTo, kicking off our conversation at one of the telecom industry's most energized events. “I always call this the Super Bowl for the channel.” And this year, GoTo came ready to play. GoTo, known for its legacy brands like LogMeIn and products such as Rescue and Grasshopper, made waves at Channel Partners with a suite of AI-powered solutions aimed squarely at solving one of the most pressing problems in customer experience: making customers feel seen, known, and understood—without losing the human touch. AI for Auto Dealers, Built to Scale While GoTo is a horizontal platform serving sectors from healthcare to education, Day spotlighted GoTo's deep investment in the automotive vertical, where the company now powers what may be the largest installed base of unified communications and contact center technology for dealerships. “The recent enhancements to our automotive platform allow dealers to do more than just answer calls,” said Day. “They now have tools to delight customers—whether they're buying a car, getting service, or just dreaming about their next road trip.” By integrating GoTo's UCaaS and CCaaS tools into mission-critical dealership systems, auto retailers can recognize a customer by name, know their purchase history, and respond through the customer's preferred channel—be it phone, web, or social media. Meet the AI Receptionist At the heart of this rollout is GoTo's new AI Receptionist, currently available in five languages and expanding fast. Unlike traditional IVR systems, the AI Receptionist understands natural language, detects sentiment, and knows when to bring in a human. It doesn't just route calls—it enhances the employee experience by freeing up staff to focus on more complex tasks, while maintaining a high level of customer care. “AI won't replace humans,” Day emphasized. “But it will make them more effective.” Internal Proof, Real-World Confidence GoTo has already road-tested this tech on its own platform. With over 100,000 Grasshopper users—mostly solo entrepreneurs or small businesses—GoTo used its AI stack to resolve 30% of support calls without human intervention. The remaining 70%? Reserved for the nuanced, high-touch conversations AI isn't meant to handle. “That's why we're confident,” said Day. “This isn't a roadmap product. It's live. It's working. And it's already winning business—right here on the show floor.” MSPs, LogMeIn, and the Power of GoPilot The momentum isn't limited to voice. GoTo's MSP-focused tools, still branded under the trusted LogMeIn name, now feature GoPilot, an AI engine embedded in RMM and remote support tools. It enables faster scripting, real-time language translation, and seamless issue resolution—breaking down communication barriers across global IT environments. “MSPs love these tools,” Day said. “They're seeing what AI can do for support, and they're turning that into value for their customers.” One Brand, Many Strengths While the LogMeIn name still resonates in IT circles, Day made clear that all of this innovation rolls up under one umbrella: GoTo. Whether it's UC, contact center, or IT management, GoTo's channel-first strategy is designed to empower partners with tools that are ready to sell, support, and scale—today. Learn more at GoTo.com.  

In this episode of the Transform Sales Podcast: Sales Software Review Series, Amir Reiter, CEO at CloudTask, interviews Franck Perez, Head of International Sales at Kavkom, an all-in-one VOIP platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses without a CRM or existing VOIP service. Franck shares how Kavkom helps businesses streamline communication with powerful call management features, IVR systems, and team collaboration tools. The platform enables companies to enhance customer interactions, improve efficiency, and scale operations without requiring complex infrastructure. Perfect for businesses seeking a cost-effective, scalable solution, Kavkom makes it easy to set up and manage calls, ensuring teams stay connected and productive. Try Kavkom here: https://software.cloudtask.com/kavkom-3b77eb #transformsales #salessoftware #Kavkom #CloudTask

At Enterprise Connect 2025, John Finch, VP of Product Marketing, Customer Engagement at RingCentral, joined Doug Green, publisher of Technology Reseller News, to discuss RingCentral's latest AI-driven advancements that are reshaping business communications and customer engagement. Introducing AI Receptionist (AIR): The Future of Call Handling The highlight of the day? RingCentral's AI Receptionist (AIR)—an AI-powered virtual assistant designed to handle inbound calls, provide information, and route callers efficiently while delivering a human-like customer experience without requiring a live receptionist. “This is our foray into agentic AI,” said Finch. “It's intuitive, simple to set up, and integrates seamlessly with existing knowledge bases, ensuring businesses can enhance their call-handling capabilities effortlessly.” The Rise of Agentic AI in Business Communications Agentic AI is revolutionizing enterprise communications by eliminating outdated IVR systems and rigid DTMF touch-tone menus. With AI-powered automation, businesses can now facilitate natural, real-time conversations that streamline call handling and reduce customer frustration. RingCX: Expanding AI-Powered Customer Engagement RingCentral's RingCX—its native cloud contact center platform—has grown significantly, now serving 700+ companies. The platform seamlessly integrates UCaaS and CCaaS, enabling cross-team collaboration and improving overall customer experiences. “RingCX is built for simplicity, ease of use, and deep AI integration,” said Finch. “We're automating quality management, improving agent performance, and enhancing customer interactions in ways that traditional systems never could.” Main Stage Presentation & The AI Evolution During Enterprise Connect's main stage keynote, RingCentral's President and COO, Kira Macagon, will discuss how businesses can harness AI-driven insights to capture and leverage every customer interaction, ensuring more effective communication strategies. Three More AI Innovations for Enhanced CX In addition to AI Receptionist (AIR), RingCentral also unveiled: AI Agent Assist: Real-time knowledge retrieval, allowing agents to automatically surface answers from company knowledge bases while handling live customer calls. AI Supervisor Assist: Live call monitoring and sentiment analysis, providing supervisors with real-time alerts to intervene when customer interactions require guidance. AI Interaction Analytics & Predictive CSAT: AI-driven customer satisfaction (CSAT) scoring, ensuring businesses receive continuous customer feedback without relying solely on traditional post-call surveys. RingCentral's AI-Powered Future With RingSense AI at the core of its EX and CX offerings, RingCentral is ensuring that AI-powered innovations enhance unified communications, contact centers, and enterprise collaboration tools. For those attending Enterprise Connect 2025, RingCentral's booth (1000) features live demos of AI-powered solutions. For others, visit RingCentral's website to explore how AI is transforming business communications.    

In ep 105 of “How Do You Say That?!” sponsored by britishvoiceover.co.uk, Danny Watts joins Sam and Mark to talk about dialling up and down the brightness for a corporate script, getting historical clues from within the script, and why getting together for drinks can enhance your voiceover career!Our VO question this week is all about the voiceover socials - what they are, where they are and why they are!Get involved! Have you got a Wildcard suggestion that we should try or an idea for the show? Send it to us via Mark or Sam's social media or email it directly to podcast@britishvoiceover.co.ukScript 1To modulate their brightness, LEDs are typically pulsed on and off at regular intervals. This approach is called pulse width modulation, or PWM for short. When an LED is asked to operate at a much lower brightness, it ends up being off more than it is on, effectively limiting the amount of brightness levels it can create, thus reducing the effective bit depth of the video being displayed. The result is noticeable banding and visual artefacts on the images being shown on screen. To alleviate these issues, we have introduced Dark Magic on all our Tessera LED processors.Script 2A fine morning sir and isn't that the most precious collar I've ever seen on a Barker. I wondered what would it take for you to part with such a handsome coat? I know the value of such a garment - I have a keen eye and a heavy pocket - and I deal in the finest accessories sir. Why, just the other day I sold the smartest hat to a lovely young lad. You wouldn't be in the market to sell, would you?We'd love your feedback - and if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, hit the follow button today!**Listen to all of our podcasts here - you can also watch on YouTube, or say to your smart speaker "Play How Do You Say That?!"About our guest: Danny Watts has been a voice actor since 2012, in all genres from commercials to film, video game to IVR. He claims he was too shy at college to do drama, but opted for music instead... became a singer, and loved the limelight when standing behind a mic. In his spare time, Danny writes, performs, produces and distributes his own music under the pseudonym “Downtown Patriots” a fictitious band consisting of one member - him! In 2019 just before lockdown, he somehow managed to volunteer himself to organise a London VO social event, and has been doing that ever since. Danny's Website @dannyjwatts on Instagram Danny's Facebook page Danny on YouTube Resources: Click here for the Wildcard Generator and don't forget to think of an action your character can be doing!Get more info on the voiceover socials

NVDA Omni directional bullish play on a market leader with high IVR that's down 10% recently! 

In this episode of CRM Talk, Steve Chipman and Sam Biardo discuss AI agents and their impact on business. They talk about how AI agents have evolved from basic IVR functionality to sophisticated business tools. Steve mentions Greg Eisenberg's insights about various types of agents (acquisition, research, content, and community agents) and how they're replacing human tasks at a fraction of the cost ($2,000 in agent costs vs $2 million in salary costs). They discuss Salesforce's Agentforce, with Steve noting Marc Benioff's aggressive marketing against Microsoft's Copilot. Sam shares his experience using Copilot and discusses implementing AI in their Starfish product, including their pricing strategy of raising rates to cover AI token costs. They also explore various pricing models for AI services, from token-based to per-question pricing, and discuss the integration trends they're seeing in the industry, particularly with ServiceNow, HubSpot, and Infor. The conversation concludes with a discussion of sales tax software integration needs and AI-powered headshot generation tools. Sam LinkedIn : linkedin.com/in/sambiardo/ Steve LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/schipman/ Steve X: @stevechipman

Nursing students' perceived usability toward a technology application affects their learning experience. Few studies have investigated immersive virtual reality (IVR) simulation for learning fundamental nursing skills. Dr. Wong and her research team explored the usability of IVR simulations with first-year nursing students and their perspectives on this learning modality. In this podcast and article (which is Open Access), Dr. Wong describes their mixed-methods study using surveys and focus groups. The findings demonstrated students' positive inclinations toward IVR simulation learning. Two areas emerged: using IVR simulation as a complementary modality for learning fundamental nursing skills and barriers affecting students' usability of this technology. By addressing concerns about usability, IVR simulation can be an important complementary modality for skills learning. Read the article and share with colleagues.

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #249 we welcomed Rick Denton, Podcast Host & Producer of The CX Passport Podcast based in Dallas, TX.After…7 years of Customer Experience consulting…30 years of driving business results…3 years of hosting CX Passport (a podcast about CX with a dash of travel talk)...And countless brand requests for collaboration with CX Passport……it became clear where brands and Rick could best partner to create measurable results…

META with its low IVR and high stock price, fits perfectly for a diagonal trade with defined risk! Now all we need is to get the direction correct!  

TSLA Wide strangle in a high IVR stock post earnings!

Hey CX Nation,In this week's episode of The CXChronicles Podcast #248 we welcomed Craig Tobin, Chief Executive Officer at Ascent Business Partners based in Bonita Springs, FL. Craig Tobin helps Fortune 1000 clients optimize their contact centers with AI, technology, and BPO solutions. With over 35 years of executive leadership experience in various industries, Craig has developed core competencies in contact center solutions, technology consulting, BPO advisory services, and AI advisory. He is passionate about delivering innovative solutions that drive customer loyalty, satisfaction, and retention, while optimizing costs. Craig's mission is to create value for his clients and partners, and to have fun while doing it.In this episode, Craig and Adrian chat through the Four CX Pillars: Team, Tools, Process & Feedback. Plus share some of the ideas that Craig and his team at Ascent Business Partners think through on a daily basis to build world class customer experiences.CXC is a proud strategic partner with Ascent Business Partners. Reach out to us today if your company needs outside support with your customer contact & support strategy. **Episode #248 Highlight Reel:**1. Building, managing and leading contact centers over the last 35+ years 2. Leveraging AI to optimize your customer experiences with customer support 3. Finding the right tools & systems as your contact center scales  4. Starting with the problems before considering the potential solutions 5. How AI will change the future of customer contact & customer experience Click here to learn more about Craig TobinClick here to learn more about Ascent Business PartnersHuge thanks to Craig for coming on The CXChronicles Podcast and featuring his work and efforts in pushing the customer experience & customer success space into the future.If you enjoy The CXChronicles Podcast, stop by your favorite podcast player hit the follow button and leave us a review today.For our Spotify friends, make sure you are following CXC & please leave a 5 star review so we can find new listeners & members of our community.For our Apple friends, same deal -- follow CXCP and leave us a review letting folks know why you love our customer focused content.You know what would be even better?Go tell one of your friends or teammates about CXC's content,  our strategic partners (Hubspot, Intercom, Zendesk, Forethought AI, Freshworks, TimeToReply & Ascendr) + they can learn more about our CX/CS/RevOps services & please invite them to join the CX Nation!Are you looking to learn more about the world of Customer Experience, Customer Success & Revenue Operations?Click here to grab a copy of my book "The Four CX Pillars To Grow Your Business Now" available on Amazon or the CXC website.For you non-readers, go check out the CXChronicles Youtube channel to see our customer & employee focused business content. 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!!

Post earnings double ratio spread in a high IVR stock 

Today on What's My Frame I'm joined Mary Lynn Wissner, award winning Casting Director and founder of Voices Voicecasting with over 25 years of experience. Mary Lynn has been hearing and casting the perfect voices for thousands of TV, radio, animation, film, games, virtual reality, industrials, podcasts, documentaries, toys, e-Learning, IVR, audiobooks, promos, events and dubbing productions.  Mary Lynn is always listening; she hears voices, she delights in nuance and texture; she seeks out the character and the unexpected, she knows tone and delivery…and she knows how to direct talent to get the perfect read.  In today's episode Mary Lynn takes us behind the scenes on her casting process, empowers actors to find their most authentic read, encourages them on how to build a firm foundation in Voiceover and so much more. Now let's get to the conversation! Learn more about: The VO Pros and Private coaching with Mary Lynn --- What's My Frame, hosted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Laura Linda Bradley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the WMF creative community now! Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsmyframe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsmyframe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠IMDb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠What's My Frame? official site ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our monthly newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠What's My Frame? merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whats-my-frame/support

The Transformative Impact of AI on Customer ServiceIn a recent episode of our podcast, we delved into the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in customer service, particularly within contact centers. Our guest, Kerry Robinson, the Vice President of Conversational AI at Waterfield Technologies, shared invaluable insights into the advancements in AI technology and its implications for businesses. This blog post will break down the key points discussed in the episode, providing actionable advice and thorough explanations to guide listeners and readers alike.Kerry Robinson shares their long-standing involvement in AI, dating back to their childhood, and reflects on the evolution of AI over the decades. They emphasize that the last two years have marked a significant turning point in AI capabilities, moving beyond previous hype cycles to a point where AI can genuinely exhibit forms of intelligence that can be leveraged in practical applications. Modern AI can hold conversations, summarize information, translate languages, and solve complex problems, which are being applied in real-world scenarios, revolutionizing workplaces and personal lives.The conversation shifts to the specific applications of AI in contact centers, where Waterfield Technologies operates. Kerry notes that the contact center industry has historically faced challenges related to staffing and operational efficiency. They point out that many tasks currently outsourced to human agents could be more effectively managed by AI technologies. For instance, Klarna, a financial services company, successfully automated 70% of its customer interactions using AI, improving efficiency and resulting in higher customer satisfaction compared to interactions with human agents.About Kerry Robinson:Kerry Robinson is the VP of Conversational AI at Waterfield Tech, a leading global provider of CX technology and services. With over 20 years of experience in data, AI, and customer experience, Kerry expertly navigates the realms of IVR, voice technology, and chatbots to maximize business ROI. As the former CEO and builder of VoxGen, which was successfully acquired, he brings a wealth of knowledge and innovation to his role. An Oxford-trained physicist with a Master's in AI, Kerry is a relentless seeker, master builder, and devoted creator of impactful experiences. His unique blend of technical prowess and strategic vision keeps Waterfield Tech at the forefront of conversational AI.About Waterfield Tech:Waterfield Tech is a global customer experience tech and services provider spanning the leading CCaaS, conversational AI, and WEM platforms.Waterfield Tech transforms experiences for organizations worldwide. Operating across six continents, our employees leverage a consultative, client-centric approach to design, build, and manage scalable, omnichannel and AI-enabled business solutions. Our breakthrough innovations in contact center technology, applied artificial intelligence (AAI), workforce engagement, and secure digital infrastructure reduce business costs, improve customer satisfaction, and help customers deploy a smarter utilization of the human workforce. Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode:Want to learn more? Check out Waterfield Tech website athttps://waterfieldtech.com/Check out Waterfield Tech on LinkedIn athttps://www.linkedin.com/company/waterfield-technologiesCheck out Kerry Robinson on LinkedIn at

/CL Omni directional bullish trade in oil. I can't avoid the high /IVR in oil from the world's worst commodity trader, me!   

Shorter dated (31 days) entry with a little tighter strangle (20 delta) to collect additional premium in a high IVR stock, AMD

Seamlessly Combining AI, Human Touch, and Data in Customer Experience  Shep Hyken interviews Gaurav Passi, Founder and CEO of Zingly.ai. He talks about seamlessly integrating AI and human interaction to create a collaborative and customer-centric experience.  This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    How can businesses effectively balance AI and human interaction in customer service?  What are the most effective strategies for leveraging AI to enhance customer experiences?  Why is it important to prioritize long-term customer relationships over individual transactions?  How can AI tools provide hyper-personalized service to customers?  How can businesses effectively handle after-hours customer calls using AI tools?  Top Takeaways:    Bringing the human touch, data, and AI together creates a powerful combination that can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and competitive advantage.     When companies understand when to use AI and when to involve human representatives, it benefits everyone, including the customers, the employees, and the business. AI can efficiently answer quick queries, but human interaction is crucial for building long-term, meaningful customer relationships.     Many customers are experiencing FORO or Fear of Reaching Out. When customers are experiencing a problem, the first step is usually going to the company's website to get the contact information. Once they click on "Contact Us," they get some 800 numbers, call the company, the IVR kicks in, and they are put on hold, plus a few other steps. This long process and the time they have to carve out of their day to resolve their problems deter many customers from getting in touch with companies.    The bigger problem is the dissatisfied customers who never call but end up leaving because they never got the answer they were looking for.     While many customers still prefer traditional phone customer service, there's a growing expectation for digital options, especially among younger consumers. Offering a mix of digital and traditional channels can cater to diverse customer preferences.    AI can handle a large percentage of "one shot, one kill" questions and after-hours customer calls, resolving problems efficiently. However, maintaining a balance between AI and human touch is important, as human interaction adds a personalized, empathetic element that AI can't replicate.     By leveraging AI and personalization, you can address scale issues in call centers, allowing a single representative to handle multiple interactions simultaneously. This enhances efficiency in handling customer inquiries and improves overall customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Score (NPS).    Plus, Shep and Gaurav discuss why some customers hesitate to use AI. Tune in!  Quote:   "The meshing of human, data, and AI together can significantly elevate customer satisfaction and NPS, offering a competitive advantage in the market."    About:    Gaurav Passi is the founder and CEO of Zingly.ai. He aims to revolutionize customer relationships by leveraging generative AI, human expertise, and data to achieve hyper-personalization at scale.    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