Pete Jones - Grypp - Why Are We Still Asking Agents to Work with Their Eyes Shut?
CX Files
Pete Jones is the founder and CEO of Grypp. He is based in the UK between London and Birmingham. Grypp is a visual platform that aims to help contact centers and the agents working within them see what their customers can see. This can be a transformative technology for many support environments and it is low cost and proven - in contrast to many of the AI projects we have covered recently on the podcast. Mark Hillary called Pete to get an ouline of the various ways in which a visual approach to CX can transform how the support process works and how this also creates opportunities for managing...
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Mythbusting AI In CX - The Truths No One Tells You
CX Files
Nicola Collister and Jerry Briggs talk to Peter Ryan about AI in CX We have talked many times on this podcast about AI and the hype aound what it can do for CX designers and managers. But what can it really do? We are being flooded with AI-themed ideas on LinkedIn daily, but it is also clear that many AI projects are failing (Gartner says that 85% of AI projects are failing at present). In this episode Peter Ryan aims to do some myth-busting. Where is AI in CX today? What are the real use cases and where is the hype? Peter talked to two CX leaders - in the UK and US - to discuss their thoughts...
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Owen Campbell - Kura - How BPOs Can Work With Regulated Industries
CX Files
Owen Campbell is the operations director at Kura. He is based in Glasgow, Scotland. Kura is a BPO based in the UK, but also with operations in South Africa. They have a number of clients from various regulated industries and Owen talked to Mark Hillary about the differences between a client that has complete control over all their services and a client from a more regulated environment. What needs to be considered when working to design CX for a regulated industry? SUMMARY Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the complexities of customer experience (CX) in regulated industries with...
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David Neale - GBPO Solutions - Building Trust In BPO Sales Claims
CX Files
David Neale is the Founder and CEO of GBPO Solutions. He is based in the UK. David has experience as a buyer of BPO services and as a representative of BPOs. With this insight he decided that one of the missing ingredients in the BPO sales process is transparency - how does anyone know that what a BPO says about their services is really true? David founded GBPO Solutions to provide accreditation to BPOs, so if they do make claims about their capabilities then they can point to the accreditation to show that their claims can be verified. David talked to Mark Hillary about why he started GBPO...
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CXOutsourcers 2025 - Feedback From Munich Delegates
CX Files
The 2025 CXOutsourcers event took place earlier in May in Munich, Germany. Peter called on a few of the delegates to get their feedback and key takeaways from the event. --- Peter Ryan talked to: Carrie Ramskill - COO HGS (UK) Ahmed Refky - CEO Planovate (Orlando, FL, USA) Kevin Lightfoot - CMO Ascension International (Frisco, TX, USA)
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Mark Zucker - MCVO Talent - Four Weddings And A BPO
CX Files
Mark Zucker is the Co-Founder of MCVO Talent Outsourcing. He is based in Chicago, Illinois. Mark shares his journey from founding a wedding album manufacturing company (almost 30 years ago) to starting MCVO, which specializes in helping small businesses in North America. He highlights the benefits of the Philippines as a BPO destination, citing its respectful culture, strong English proficiency, and service-oriented mindset. Zucker emphasizes the importance of understanding client needs, maintaining client relationships, and providing simplified pricing models. He advises entrepreneurs to...
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Martin Hill-Wilson - Brainfood Training - Beyond The Hype... How Is AI Really Changing CX?
CX Files
Martin Hill-Wilson is the founder of Brainfood Training and Brainfood Consulting. He is based in Milton Keynes, close to London, UK. Martin has a long history as a leader inside the CX and BPO industry. For the past 15 years he has focused on strategy consulting and advising on CX leadership and culture. Brainfood Training is a more recent focus on helping non-technical teams to understand the implications of and opportunities for the use of AI - particulary for CX teams. Brainfood Training is focused on helping people understand what AI can really do - not just repeating the hype from the...
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Michael Aronowitz - VXI - The Reality Of Creating A Profit Center With Your CX Team
CX Files
Michael Aronowitz is the Senior Vice President of Revenue Growth at VXI Global Solutions. He is based in Miami, Florida. Mark Hillary called Michael to discuss the importance of turning contact centers from cost centers to profit centers, emphasizing the need for revenue generation through customer interactions. Michael highlights VXI's success in winning three Stevie awards for retention, win-back, upsell, and cross-sell. Michael stresses the significance of the human touch in customer interactions, leveraging AI for training and recruitment, and the importance of blending sales and service...
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Jonas Berggren - The CX (R)evolution Book
CX Files
Jonas Berggren writes the popular Transform Customer Service newsletter on LinkedIn. He is the Chief Business Development Officer EMEA and member of the executive leadership team at Transcom. Jonas is based in Stockholm, Sweden. Mark Hillary and Jonas have published a new book together called The CX (R)evolution - so Mark called Jonas to talk about how the book project started out. In this conversation they talk about how Mark's comments on the newsletter formed the initial idea for a book and how they developed the idea together.
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Amas Tenumah - Amas Talks - The Worst Job in Corporate America Is in a Call Center
CX Files
Amas Tenumah is the host of the Amas Talks podcast. He is based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US. Amas has a long history focused on customer service and service innovation. He regularly advises companies and speaks at events forcused on CX. On his LinkedIn Amas says: "I’m a digital philosopher, keynote speaker and customer service thought leader. My thoughts are featured on NPR, NBC, Fox-business and other outlets. I have spent over 20 years in the customer service industry and now advise executives on service modernization." Amas recently published an article titled: "The Worst Job in...
info_outlineNicola Collister and Jerry Briggs talk to Peter Ryan about AI in CX
We have talked many times on this podcast about AI and the hype aound what it can do for CX designers and managers. But what can it really do? We are being flooded with AI-themed ideas on LinkedIn daily, but it is also clear that many AI projects are failing (Gartner says that 85% of AI projects are failing at present).
In this episode Peter Ryan aims to do some myth-busting. Where is AI in CX today? What are the real use cases and where is the hype?
Peter talked to two CX leaders - in the UK and US - to discuss their thoughts on the realities of using AI in CX today...
This episode features the guests:
Nicola Collister
CEO and Founder of Custerian - based in Bowden, near Manchester UK
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-collister-7b34ba2/
https://www.custerian.com/chat-to-us
Jerry Briggs
CEO and Owner of ApexCX - based in Washington DC, USA
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerryhbriggs/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/apexcx-customer-experience-support-services/
Interview led by Peter Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-ryan-montreal/
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Summary
Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the hype cycle surrounding AI in customer experience (CX) with guests Nicola Collister and Jerry Briggs. They highlight the disparity between AI adoption in the US and China, noting that many US companies are still in the hype phase, while Chinese companies are using AI for practical applications.
The conversation emphasizes the need for strategic AI implementation aligned with business goals, rather than just adopting AI for the sake of innovation. They also discuss the importance of understanding AI's limitations and potential negative impacts on both customers and employees. The guests stress the need for clear communication and realistic expectations from AI vendors and consultants.