Live from ICMI Conference - HR as a Contact Center with Bianca
Release Date: 11/11/2025
Unlocking Value in Contact Centers with Brad Cleveland
Contact Center Show
Summary In this conversation, Amas Tenumah, Bob Furniss and Brad Cleveland discusses the three levels of value that contact centers create: efficiency, customer satisfaction and loyalty, and strategic insights provided by AI. He emphasizes the importance of these levels in improving products, services, and processes. Takeaways there's three levels of value that contact centers create Level one is efficiency customer satisfaction, loyalty, if we do a good job it's the strategic insight that AI can provide it can still tell us, hey, here's a trend I'm seeing Here's an opportunity to improve...
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Stacy Sherman: Why 'Satisfied' Is the New 'Fine' And 12 Reasons That's Not Good Enough"
Contact Center Show
Low-Cost, High-Impact CX Improvements The Power of Language: Transform "I can't" into "How can we" Shift from "I have to" to "We get to" Being "impeccable with your word" (inspired by The Four Agreements) Words trigger emotional responses that shape customer perception Getting CX Buy-In Across Organizations The Alignment Problem: CX initiatives fail when metrics aren't shared across departments Success came when executives adopted the same CX metrics as the CX team Without shared goals, customer insights get shelved with "we'll get to it later" The Pilot Program Strategy: Start small...
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Live from ICMI Conference - HR as a Contact Center with Bianca
Contact Center Show
Episode Summary Broadcasting live from the ICMI conference in Orlando, Amas and Bob discuss the evolving role of AI in contact centers, the ongoing struggle for strategic recognition, and welcome special guest Bianca, who shares her unique perspective on running HR as a contact center at Michigan State University. Key Topics & Timestamps 00:00 - Opening & Conference Impressions Podcast introduction (running since 2020, available on all platforms) Day 2 reflections from ICMI conference The shift in AI messaging: less prominent on vendor backdrops than previous year 03:00 - The...
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How Contact Centers Became the Corporate Nervous System (Live from ICMI w Daniel)
Contact Center Show
Host: Bob Furniss (without co-host Amos) Guest: Daniel Thomas, Informa Location: ICMI Conference Expo Floor Guest Background Daniel Thomas approaches contact center industry from a research background Surveys audiences and writes research reports Has "front row seat" to industry transformation Conducts the annual State of the Contact Center survey About the State of the Contact Center Report Comprehensive benchmark study surveying contact center professionals Covers multiple verticals including: Training and skills Compensation and salary Technology use Leadership perceptions Strategy ...
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Navigating Complexity in Contact Centers (live show w Luke Jamieson)
Contact Center Show
Summary In this conversation, Amas, Luke and Bob explore the evolving complexity of contact centers, challenging the notion that they are becoming simpler. They emphasizes that while the intention may be to simplify processes, the reality is that sophistication often leads to increased complexity. They also highlights the reliance on outdated metrics, such as those managed in Excel, which can contribute to agent burnout and friction with customers. They advocate for a shift towards more effective lead metrics to enhance the overall efficiency and satisfaction in contact centers. Takeaways...
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Is Salesforce and CRM in trouble?
Contact Center Show
Summary In this conversation, Amas Tenumah and Bob Furniss discuss the evolution of contact centers, the impact of CRM systems like Salesforce, and the role of AI in enhancing agent performance. They reflect on the historical context of CRM, the challenges faced by agents, and the future of customer service technology, particularly focusing on the Agent Force initiative. The discussion also touches on the sentiment within the Salesforce community and the potential for new competitors in the market. Takeaways Salesforce has become a dominant player in the CRM space. The evolution...
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The Impact of Marketing on contact center
Contact Center Show
Summary In this conversation, Amas Tenumah and Bob Furniss discuss the intricate relationship between marketing and call center operations, particularly during high-demand periods like holidays. They share personal anecdotes about challenges faced in fulfilling customer orders due to marketing miscommunications and emphasize the importance of building strong relationships between marketing and contact center teams. The discussion highlights the need for effective communication, data sharing, and collaboration to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency. Takeaways The...
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Are Contact Centers Really Profit Centers?
Contact Center Show
Summary: For decades, leaders have debated whether the contact center should be a cost center, a profit center, or something in between. In this episode, Amas and Bob cut through the noise and tackle the question head-on: Is the contact center truly a profit center—or are we just telling the story wrong? Amas argues that the CFO decides the labels, not us, and that contact centers suffer from being terrible storytellers compared to marketing. Bob reinforces that stories, not spreadsheets, are what move executives to invest in customer experience. Together, they break down how leaders can...
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Stuck Between AI and Customers
Contact Center Show
We’re back from summer break (okay, maybe fall break too) and diving straight into the mess where AI, customers, and reality collide. In this episode, Amas and Bob unpack the hype vs. the truth about AI in contact centers: Is AI replacing humans—or just making customers angrier? Why human agents are still the heart of service, even as bots sound more “human.” How contact center leaders feel stuck—between CEOs chanting “AI, AI, AI” and customers who just want their problems solved. What the data really says about automation, agent workloads, and customer expectations. ...
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BPO Success vs Failure
Contact Center Show
Summary In this conversation, Amas Tenumah and Bob Furniss discuss the intersection of sports fandom and the business of contact centers, particularly focusing on business process outsourcing (BPO). They explore the reasons companies choose to outsource their customer service operations, the challenges involved, and the evolving landscape of the BPO industry. The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding core competencies, cost savings, and the need for competent consultants in the BPO space. Takeaways The NBA Finals can evoke strong emotions and rivalries. BPOs are...
info_outlineEpisode Summary
Broadcasting live from the ICMI conference in Orlando, Amas and Bob discuss the evolving role of AI in contact centers, the ongoing struggle for strategic recognition, and welcome special guest Bianca, who shares her unique perspective on running HR as a contact center at Michigan State University.
Key Topics & Timestamps
00:00 - Opening & Conference Impressions
- Podcast introduction (running since 2020, available on all platforms)
- Day 2 reflections from ICMI conference
- The shift in AI messaging: less prominent on vendor backdrops than previous year
03:00 - The Strategic Positioning Problem
- Why contact centers remain viewed as cost centers despite being more strategic than ever
- The CFO's perspective and the "drive to zero" mentality
- AHT obsession vs. strategic value creation
05:21 - The Power of Storytelling
- Bob's insights on communicating with executives
- The binder story: metrics vs. narrative
- Marketing's lesson: taking credit for soft impact
- Getting CFOs to sit with agents (the "three clicks vs. 19 clicks" story)
10:01 - Guest Interview: Bianca Pryson
- Background: retail, waitressing, Urban Outfitters merchandiser
- How she "fell into" HR customer service at MSU
- Managing a 3-person contact center handling 10,000+ calls and 10,000+ emails annually
14:35 - Putting the Human Back in Human Resources
- Training team on de-escalation and service basics
- Philosophy: servant leadership + customer-centric approach
- Treating unit HR as primary customers
- The "useless in email" turnaround story
21:24 - The Tips Debate
- Amas's controversial proposal: tips for contact center agents
- Bianca's counter: extra PTO as tips
- Under $50 purchase discussion (travel charger vs. Neti pot)
23:38 - When HR IS the Contact Center
- "Who polices the police?"
- Zero complaints or escalations since taking the role
- Using Genesys (not yet using AI capabilities)
26:00 - Technology & Generational Preferences
- Gen Z wants chatbots and modern tech
- Contact center as talent pipeline
- HR chatbot pilot program coming
28:15 - Final Advice
- Help HR understand the contact center's role
- Internal customer service = external customer service
- Contact centers should be talent funnels for the organization
Guest Bio
Bianca is the HR Customer Service Experience Manager at Michigan State University, where she leads a team serving over 50,000 students, 6,000 faculty/staff, and 10,000+ retirees. With a background in retail management and customer service, she transformed MSU's HR service delivery by implementing contact center best practices and achieving zero escalations since taking the role.
Key Takeaways
- AI isn't going away - it's just not the flashy selling point it was; companies are focusing on service improvement outcomes instead
- Stories > Metrics - National Speakers Association wisdom: spend 80% of time on stories, 20% on data when communicating with executives
- Contact centers remain undervalued - despite increased strategic importance, most still lack a "seat at the table" and are viewed as cost centers
- Internal service = External service - Research shows poor internal customer service directly leads to poor external customer service
- The contact center talent pipeline - Smart organizations use contact centers as funnels to develop and promote talent throughout the organization
- Small contact centers face unique challenges - With only 3 people handling 20,000+ annual interactions, operational efficiency becomes critical
- Gen Z wants technology - Modern contact center tech is a competitive advantage for attracting younger talent
This episode was recorded live with a studio audience at the ICMI Conference in Orlando.