CX Files 400 Live In London! Get Your Free Ticket Now!
CX Files
Celebrate CX Files Episode 400 — Join Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan Live in London for an Exclusive Networking Event! CX Files Episode 400 Live in London – January 21, 2026 Join Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan, co-hosts of the CX Files podcast, for a special live networking event in London as they celebrate the show’s 400th episode! This informal evening brings together members of the global Customer Experience (CX) community for drinks, conversation, and connection. Mark will be flying in from São Paulo, Brazil, and Peter from Montreal, Canada...
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Discussion: CX In 2026 - The Predictions
CX Files
In this special episode of the CX Files, we are looking to the end of 2025 and into 2026. Peter Ryan called Paul Smith and David Rickard - two expert advisers on CX and BPO - to talk about what just happened in 2025 and their top predictions for CX in 2026. --- Paul Smith Principal Consultant, Quinn Growth Advisers Salt Lake City, Utah, USA David Rickard Partner, Everest Group Clanfield - near Portsmouth, UK Summary: In the CX Files podcast episode 399, hosts Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss 2025 highlights and 2026 predictions with Paul Smith from Quinn Growth...
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Nick Jiwa - CustomerServ - We Need To Focus On People In CX
CX Files
Nick Jiwa is the founder and president of CustomerServ. He is based in Houston, Texas, USA. In this episode Nick talks to Peter Ryan about the importance of people in CX - in particular in BPOs. He asks why people have always been central to the customer experience, but now it sounds like everyone is just focused on AI and automation? It's time to refocus on people and culture because this is how brands connect with customers and this leads to the success they need - extra revenue, loyalty, retention etc... The Call Center – Still a People Business (Nick Jiwa - Aug 12, 2025) ...
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Leigh Hopwood - CCMA - 25 Years Of The ECCCSAs
CX Files
Leigh Hopwood is CEO of the CCMA (Contact Centre Management Association) and Chair of the European Customer Contact Alliance. She is based in London, UK. Peter Ryan called Leigh to talk about the European Contact Center and Customer Service Awards (ECCCSAs), which celebrate their 25th anniversary on November 25th, 2025. It sounds like an Iron Maiden song. On the 25th of November in the year 2025 the ECCCSAs will be 25... Leigh talks about the judging process and the value of the awards to the growth of the wider industry in addition to talking about the logistics of arranging such a...
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Gerry Brown - The Customer Lifeguard - CX Is Changing Fast
CX Files
Gerry Brown is known as the customer lifeguard. His ambition is to save the world from poor customer service. Gerry is Canadian and based in the south of the UK. Gerry has written a book titled 'When a customer wins, nobody loses.' He has a podcast and he is a regular speaker and adviser, regularly hosting CX workshops. Mark called Gerry to ask about his book and the post-pandemic CX environment. In particular how can BPOs get more closely aligned with the needs of customers when AI is changing the entire industry? Summary : Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the evolving...
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Paul O'Hara - TP - AI Won’t End BPO - It’ll Supercharge It
CX Files
Paul O'Hara is the Executive Vice President of Business Development at TP EMEA. He is based in the Tyneside area of North-East England. Paul recently published an article on Customer Think magazine titled "AI Won't End BPO - It'll Supercharge It." Mark called Paul to ask Paul about the article. What was Paul trying to say? How does he believe that AI and human-focused customer service can be blended? How can smarter more value-driven CX be planned using AI? Paul outlined many of these ideas in his article, but Mark questioned him further on the reasons he felt the need to talk about AI in this...
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Elona Ymeri - Assist Digital - Albania & The Value Of Smaller BPO Locations
CX Files
Elona Ymeri is the service delivery manager at Assist Digital. She is based in Tirana, Albania. Elona spoke to Mark Hillary about the role of smaller BPO destinations. What can they offer that is harder to find from the big locations? Is the continued influence of AI and other automation technology reducing the need to consider working in locations where large numbers of agents can be found? Elona talked about Albania within this context, but also explored beyond Albania alone to consider other locations in Europe that might have an interesting and innovative new approach to BPO. ----...
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Joanne Morrison - Outmarket - Modern Marketing For CX Brands
CX Files
Joanne Morrison is the founder of Outmarket. She is based in Toronto, Canada. Outmarket is a specialist marketing agency that is focused on BPO and CX companies. Telling potential customers about your services has always been important, but as BPO gets more complex, more international, and AI changes how marketing can function, it is more important than ever to get great advice. Peter Ryan called Joanne to talk about these changes and her advice for marketing in CX in the 2020s. SUMMARY: Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the challenges and mistakes in BPO marketing with Joanne Morrison,...
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Miguel Familia - Wise BPO - A CX Visionary In the Dominican Republic
CX Files
Miguel Familia is the CEO and co-founder of Wise BPO. He is based between the Dominican Republic and St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. Miguel has a long history in CX, but one year ago he decided to create a new BPO brand - serving clients from the Dominican Republic. Peter called Miguel to learn about his story of creating a new CX brand, his background in this industry, the advantages of the DR, and his vision for the future of CX. SUMMARY: Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan introduce Miguel Familia, CEO and co-founder of Wise BPO in the Dominican Republic. Miguel shares his journey from starting in...
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Discussion: CX In Georgia 🇬🇪
CX Files
This week we have a group of CX and BPO experts who recently visited Georgia. This nation of 3.6m people is positioned on the Black Sea, at the intersection of Europe and Asia, and is working hard to position itself as an attractive destination for CX and BPO sourcing. Peter Ryan talked to people who travelled with him to visit Georgia this year to explore questions such as the ease of doing business there, the opportunity for multilingual CX, and how Georgia is attracting more digital and high-tech talent. Featured in the discussion: Elona Ymeri Service Delivery Manager, Assist Digital...
info_outlineDavid Powers is the VP of CX at Rooter Hero. He is based in Los Angeles, CA.
David is also a published author and the host of the CX Riot Radio podcast.
This conversation between Mark Hillary and David came about because of a recent CX Riot Radio epsisode titled 'The Three-Faced AI God' where David talked about his experience of using AI in the contact center.
David's experience shows that AI has genuine value, but there is a big difference between the genuine application of AI to improve CX and what is promised by many commentators and "AI gurus."
David is both a CX leader and manager, in addition to his role commenting on the industry, therefore his direct experience with AI in the contact center provides a helpful comment on what is working, what is not, and what CX leaders can do to get the most from their AI strategy.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjpowers2/
SUMMARY
Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the pragmatic views of David Powers, VP of CX at Rooter Hero, on AI in customer experience (CX). Powers critiques the over-reliance on AI, which often frustrates customers and agents, and emphasizes practical AI use cases like agent assist tools and automated summaries. He highlights the importance of transparency and maintaining human interaction in CX. Despite AI's potential, many projects fail to generate ROI, with research suggesting that 95% are not creating value. Powers advocates for a balanced approach, using AI to enhance agent performance rather than replacing human agents, and stresses the need for common sense in AI implementation.