Mark Smith, Founder of Journey-Smiths, explores the transformative power of customer experience (CX) on business growth. He shares insights on CX technology, journey orchestration, and leadership’s role in creating brand-aligned experiences. Mark also highlights how CX-driven strategies can double company growth over a decade.

“Being customer-focused gets you a business. Being customer experience-focused grows your business.” - Mark Smith

AI's transformative potential is reshaping customer experiences (CX), but not at the expense of the human touch. Smith highlights AI's role in analyzing complex data and assisting customer service teams, emphasizing that it should enhance—not replace—human interactions. By integrating AI thoughtfully and maintaining consistency across digital and human channels, businesses can deliver memorable, branded CX and secure their position as market leaders.

Anthony Chang, Business Platform Lead for Consumer Care at Versuni, discusses how contact centers can transition from cost centers to growth drivers by leveraging the voice of customer data. He highlights the role of advanced analytics and collaboration in boosting customer lifetime value and unlocking new revenue opportunities.

“The missed opportunity lies in the goldmine of voice of customer data, which is more difficult to analyze but ultimately pertains to your specific customers. It’s about the people buying your products and who you could convert into the most loyal consumers if you understand what they want, what they are struggling with, and address those needs specifically.” - Anthony Chang

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is crucial for businesses, enhanced by Voice of the Customer (VoC) insights. Anthony Chang highlights VoC's role in fostering advanced personalization, and improving customer experiences and loyalty. Contact centers are becoming strategic hubs, using VoC data to strengthen relationships and drive growth. Chang emphasizes VoC operations as key to meaningful connections and measurable business success.

Filip Popovic, Head of Relationship Centre at Avon, shares how reframing a call center as a “relationship center” can elevate organizational interactions. He emphasizes forming strong connections with representatives and customers to drive loyalty. He reflects on two decades of hands-on experience across multiple roles. Leaders will gain perspective on cultivating trust and deeper engagement.

"We are the voice of our consumers, and that’s a very difficult role because you are like a bomb in a management team—you are the one complaining. Our role is to be an advocate for our consumers, and everyone should play that role with consistency. No compromises." – Filip Popovic

Filip Popovic’s insights underscore the transformation of contact centers from cost centers to dynamic experience centers that enhance revenue and customer loyalty. He stresses the importance of cultivating strong relationships with customers and representatives, positioning the contact center as essential for improving customer experience (CX). Filip demonstrates how contact centers can become revenue-generating hubs, encouraging leaders to view the voice of the customer as a strategic asset, fostering cross-departmental collaboration to integrate customer insights into broader business strategies.

Afshan Kinder explores how Chief Customer Officers can overcome internal hurdles to drive growth. She discusses the role of AI, strategic clarity, and frontline insights in enhancing customer engagement. Afshan also provides actionable advice on treating BPO partners as strategic assets and fostering alignment to accelerate organizational success.

“To be forward-thinking, you’ve really got to be transparent. You don’t necessarily have to share all your mistakes, but you need to be clear about what’s working and what’s not, without pointing fingers. We focus on what’s been done well and show how doing things differently can enable you to be prosperous in the future.” - Afshan Kinder

Afshan Kinder’s insights emphasize understanding and engaging employee and customer voices is vital for effective change management. She also mentioned C-suite clarity and a culture of trust is what drives successful transformations. Moreover, treating BPO partners as strategic assets boosts customer experience and success.

Justin Robbins, Founder & Principal Analyst at Metric Sherpa, challenges preconceived notions in the contact center industry. He explores the concept of understanding the "business of the business" to transform contact centers from cost centers to value centers. Justin shares how impactful insights from customer interactions can drive strategic change across organizations. Using real-world examples, he emphasizes curiosity and collaboration to maximize organizational impact.

"False conclusions are a type of misalignment with how we measure success and how we talk about performance improvement that’s causing us to feel like things are really good when, in a lot of cases, they’re not — and even if they’re good right now, that is no insurance policy of it being good today, tomorrow, or anytime in the future." - Justin Robbins

Justin Robbins’s insights emphasize the transformation of contact centers from cost centers to strategic value creators. It focuses on continuous improvement, leveraging cross-departmental insights, and redefining contact centers as hubs of strategic intelligence. By addressing key challenges like executive sponsorship and prioritizing high-impact efforts, the discussion inspires leaders to drive meaningful change and elevate the role of contact centers in business success.

Mike Aoki, President of Reflective Keynotes Inc., discusses rebalancing contact centers for optimal performance. He highlights the generational communication gap and the importance of AI in managing routine tasks. He also emphasizes viewing contact centers as drivers of customer loyalty and brand value rather than as cost centers.

“Customer service is really a balance between efficiency metrics. It’s about finding the right balance between technology and people, using technology to assist people, and ensuring those interactions or conversations are effective.” - Mike Aoki

Mike Aoki’s insights highlight the importance of adapting to generational communication preferences in customer service. He stresses finding the right balance between technology and human interaction to boost efficiency and satisfaction. Additionally, he advocates for prioritizing value to elevate contact centers into key strategic assets.

Mark Brody, Director of Contact Center Programs at TrachMar, discusses leveraging trusted advisors to scale contact centers. He emphasizes understanding a center's purpose, overcoming resistance to change, and using AI and BPO partners effectively. He also reveals key strategies and common errors in optimizing contact center operations.

“Sometimes, getting the right set of eyes on a problem can help you overcome obstacles that may have occurred before or hindered an organization from changing what they've done historically and becoming even better.” - Mark Brody

To achieve high performance, organizations must focus on aligning employees with their strengths, fostering continuous learning, and cultivating a positive work culture. Mark emphasizes the strategic role of BPO partners in scaling contact centers effectively. By prioritizing the voice of the customer and leveraging the right mix of technology, talent, and partnerships, contact centers can transform into high-performing engines of growth and excellence.

Karla Kannan, SVP of Customer Experience at Karla Kannan Leadership Solutions, shares her insights on navigating cultural differences and challenges in outsourcing. She highlights the importance of empathy, situational awareness, and ongoing training for service agents. She also explores how BPOs enhance scalability, financial efficiency, and cultural localization to improve customer support.

"Culture is a huge factor in the way teams collaborate both within themselves and with you as a client. Understanding the cultural differences in how they approach teamwork is very important. These ideas of cultural differences involve training them to empathize with the client and understand their situation in the context of where they are in their journey." - Karla Kannan

In this episode, Karla explores the challenges of managing a diverse team across different cultures, stressing the importance of understanding these differences to enhance team dynamics and customer service. She highlights continuous training as key to empowering agents with the empathy needed for client interactions. The conversation also covers the strategic benefits of partnering with BPOs, including scalability, cost-effectiveness, and the advantage of cultural localization for improved customer support.