CX without the BS
Episode Archive
Episode Archive
32 episodes of CX without the BS since the first episode, which aired on May 23rd, 2024.
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5 Warning Signs Your Support Is Failing
July 16th, 2025 | 11 mins 53 secs
bad support signs, business growth tools, business support system, call center issues, contact center help, customer ghosting, customer retention, customer service problems, customer support mistakes, cx strategy, cx without the bs, fix support issues, how to improve customer service, small business churn, smb support tips, support burnout, support red flags, tech advisor tips, ticket escalation problems, ucaas sales
Your support system might be quietly chasing away your best customers. In this episode of CX Without the BS, I break down 5 sneaky signs your CX is failing — and how to fix it fast.
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Is AI Hurting Customer Experience?
July 8th, 2025 | 12 mins
ai emotional analysis, ai fails customer support, ai in customer service, ai mistakes in support, ai transcription errors, ai vs humans, bad ai examples, call center ai problems, call center burnout, contact center burnout, contact center innovation, customer service tools, customer support automation, cx strategy, cx technology, cx without the bs, hybrid ai models, real customer experience
AI was supposed to make customer service easier, but it’s quietly burning out your agents and making support worse – here’s why.
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10 Discovery Questions EVERY Tech Advisor Needs
July 1st, 2025 | 9 mins 10 secs
business phone system problems, contact center discovery, customer experience questions, cx sales tips, cx without the bs, improve customer experience, level365, missed call tracking, phone system red flags, smb communication issues, smb phone system, tech advisor training, technology advisor tools, ucaas sales, unified communications, voip discovery questions
Most SMBs aren’t choosing the wrong phone system on purpose – they’re just not asking the right questions. In this week’s CX Without the BS, I’m breaking down 10 brutally honest questions that expose hidden CX problems fast. Listen, learn, and level up.
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5 Mistakes SMBs Make When Choosing UCaaS (and How to Avoid Them)
June 24th, 2025 | 7 mins 46 secs
best ucaas for smbs, business communications, call data, cheap ucaas problems, customer experience, flexible contracts, long-term contracts, phone support, phone system mistakes, reporting tools, small business tech, smb mistakes, smb tech advice, smb ucaas mistakes, support issues, tech advisor tips, ucaas, ucaas integrations, ucaas pitfalls, ucaas providers, unified communications
In this episode, we uncover the five critical mistakes SMBs make when choosing a UCaaS provider – and how you can avoid them to save time, money, and stress.
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Is Your CX Provider Lying to You?
December 2nd, 2024 | 1 hr 53 secs
business consulting, business technology, business transformation, channel management, channel partners, contact center solutions, customer experience, customer experience management, customer service solutions, cx technology, enterprise solutions, sales strategy, smb solutions, smb technology, tech industry analysis, tech industry critique, tech sales, technology advisory
What if there was someone who could cut through the noise and tell you exactly what's wrong with today's CX industry - especially when it comes to serving small and medium-sized businesses? Meet Daniel Vaughan, a refreshingly honest voice who's challenging the status quo and exposing the truth about what really matters in customer experience.
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How to Fix BAD Customer Service | Why Your Company Story Matters to Customers
August 9th, 2024 | 53 mins 3 secs
brand alignment, brand narrative, brand promises, business communication, company culture, corporate storytelling, customer engagement, customer experience, customer feedback, customer journey, customer loyalty, customer retention, customer satisfaction, customer service tips, cx improvement, cx strategy, employee empowerment, frontline employees, story archetypes, storytelling
Discover how crafting a compelling company story can transform your customer experience, empower your employees, and turn dissatisfied customers into loyal fans by aligning your brand's promises with real-world actions.
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Customer Service Secrets | Turning DISASTERS into Opportunities
August 2nd, 2024 | 47 mins 36 secs
ai in customer service, airline customer service, airline loyalty programs, airport chaos, brand loyalty, crowdstrike outage, customer complaints, customer experience, customer feedback, customer retention, customer satisfaction, customer service recovery, cx, cx technology, delta airlines, flight cancellation, frontier airlines, frontline employees, personalized solutions, service failure, skymiles, travel industry, travel problems
A travel nightmare turns into a masterclass in customer loyalty as Delta Airlines demonstrates how effective customer service recovery can transform a potentially disastrous experience into an opportunity to strengthen brand allegiance, highlighting the critical importance of empowering frontline employees and prioritizing personalized solutions in creating exceptional customer experiences.
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Top 3 AI Myths in Contact Centers: BUSTED
July 26th, 2024 | 52 mins 10 secs
ai chatbots, ai cost savings, ai customer service, ai hype in cx, ai implementation challenges, ai in business, ai marketing claims, artificial intelligence in call centers, contact center automation, contact center efficiency, contact center technology, customer experience trends, customer service leadership, customer support technology, cx innovation, cx technology evaluation, cx without bs, employee experience, future of customer service, human agents vs ai
A contact center industry veteran exposes the truth about AI in customer experience, revealing both its transformative potential and the rampant marketing hype, while emphasizing the enduring importance of human agents in delivering exceptional service.
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Can Small Businesses Really Use AI? | 5 Ways AI Can Help Your Small Business TODAY
July 19th, 2024 | 59 mins 30 secs
ai adoption trends, ai automation, ai business applications, ai chatbots, ai customer satisfaction, ai ethics, ai for smbs, ai in contact centers, ai in customer service, ai industry insights, ai job impact, ai regulation, ai risks and benefits, ai roi, ai technology advancements, artificial intelligence business, customer experience technology, cx innovation, future of cx, small business ai
AI expert Jason Lowe reveals how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing customer experience, offering unprecedented opportunities for businesses of all sizes while simultaneously posing potential risks that demand careful consideration and regulation.
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What are the BEST AI Tools for Customer Support?
July 12th, 2024 | 47 mins 43 secs
ai consultants, ai customer service, ai hype, ai implementation, ai in business, ai roi, ai tools, ai vs human support, chatbots, clarity cx, contact center solutions, contact center technology, conversational ai, customer experience, customer service automation, customer support technology, cx innovation, cx software, cx software comparison, cx trends, future of customer service, machine learning, omnichannel support, palomar
AI expert exposes the hype and reality of artificial intelligence in customer experience, offering practical insights on how businesses can leverage genuine AI solutions to transform their contact centers and improve customer service.
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Fix Your Customer Service Like We Fixed Our Health
June 28th, 2024 | 36 mins 42 secs
ai hype, ai implementation, ai in business, business improvement, business strategy, business success, business transformation, customer experience, customer retention, customer satisfaction, customer service, customer service nightmares, cx without bs, diet and exercise, gastric sleeve, health and business, lifestyle changes, long-term solutions, marketing bs, personal growth, quick fixes, sustainable progress, technology in business, weight loss, weight loss journey
Personal weight loss journeys mirror business transformations, revealing how quick fixes in both health and customer experience can lead to devastating consequences, while emphasizing the importance of building strong foundations for lasting success.
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The Biggest Problems in Customer Service (and How to FIX Them!)
June 21st, 2024 | 41 mins 26 secs
accent neutralization, ai advancements, ai and human interaction, ai ethics, ai in business, ai in customer service, brian nichols podcast, call center technology, cloud-based contact centers, contact center solutions, customer experience, customer satisfaction, customer service agents, customer service challenges, customer service innovation, cx industry trends, cx technology, cx technology evolution citations: [1] https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/2717721/d9af5fae-6583-4060-a0db-37928195c6b1/jon heaps on cx without the bs (1)_otter_ai.txt, cx without the bs, jon heaps interview, noise elimination, offshoring customer service, sanas ai, tom milligan
Jon Heaps, a pioneer in the CX industry, shares his incredible journey from the early days of cloud-based contact centers to groundbreaking AI solutions that are revolutionizing customer service by removing language barriers and empowering agents to deliver exceptional experiences.
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How to Make Customers LOVE Your Call Center
June 14th, 2024 | 48 mins 36 secs
ai in customer service, ai replacement, automation, brian nichols, bs in cx, business leadership, business strategy, ccaas, charlie newark-french, cloud-based technology, contact center, contact center management, contact center of tomorrow, contact center tech, customer engagement, customer experience, customer experience management, customer experience technology, customer journey, customer loyalty, customer retention, customer satisfaction, customer service agents, customer service management, customer service technology, cx industry, cx innovation, cx solutions, cx tech, cx without the bs, digital transformation, entrepreneurship, future of cx, hyper science, industry insights, industry trends, innovation, innovation in cx, machine learning, marketing fluff, mortgage processing, radiologists, ringcentral, sales and marketing, sharpen cx, smb market, stability, startup scaling, technology disruption, thought leadership, tom milligan, ucaas, usable ai, venture capitalist
Charlie Newark-French, CEO of Sharpen, discusses how practical AI and innovative solutions are transforming the contact center industry to create customer experiences that people love (or at least don't hate as much).
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The Biggest MYTHS About Customer Service | CX Industry Secrets
June 7th, 2024 | 39 mins 47 secs
ai, andy bird, avant, brian nichols, change management, channel partners, cloud services, contact center, crm, csat, customer acquisition, customer engagement, customer experience, customer interactions, customer journey, customer satisfaction, customer service, cx, cx industry, cx without the bs, education, emotional quotient, generative ai, hyperscalers, implementation, industry insights, industry trends, ivr, long-term relationships, nps, pandemic, parallel paths, qualtrics, remote work, revenue generation, roadmap, roi, roi-driven strategies, sharpen cx, survey monkey, surveys, technology, tom milligan, trusted advisors, vendor selection, wem, wfm
In this episode of "CX Without the BS," Andy Bird, VP of CX at Avant, reveals how the pandemic and rapid technological advancements have transformed customer experience, emphasizing the importance of starting small with AI, building long-term relationships, and focusing on ROI-driven strategies.
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Why Customers Leave (How to Make Them Stay!)
May 31st, 2024 | 29 mins 28 secs
actionable cx insights, business growth, business owner tips, business podcast, customer experience, customer experience podcast, customer journey, customer loyalty, customer retention, customer satisfaction, customer service advice, customer service expert, customer service hacks, customer service improvement, customer service mistakes, customer service solutions, customer service tips, cx culture, cx podcast, cx professional insights, cx strategies, cx transformation, cx without the bs, debunking cx myths, enhancing customer experience, improving customer interactions, pam cx expert, practical cx advice, real-world cx examples, technology in cx
Today we challenge conventional customer experience strategies by debunking common myths and offering actionable insights to transform how businesses understand and enhance their customer interactions!
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The CX Dilemma: To AI or Not to AI
May 23rd, 2024 | 44 mins 56 secs
ai analytics, ai in cx, ccaas, covid-19 impact, customer engagement, customer experience, customer journey, customer service, cx challenges, cx industry, cx infrastructure, cx providers, cx solutions., cx without the bs, digital transformation, human-centered approach, intellisense, master agent, michael delsignore, sentiment analysis, technology adoption, technology services distributor, ucaas
In this inaugural episode of "CX Without the BS," industry veteran Michael Del Signore shares his insights on the transformative impact of COVID-19 on the customer experience (CX) industry, highlighting the importance of a human-centered approach to technology adoption and the need to separate fact from fiction in the hype surrounding AI and automation.