web01.fireside.fm Wed, 27 May 2026 12:49:37 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) CX without the BS - Episodes Tagged with “Cx Roadmap” https://cswithoutthebs.fireside.fm/tags/cx%20roadmap Wed, 13 Aug 2025 17:00:00 -0400 Most CX podcasts are built for Fortune 500 buyers with seven-figure budgets and dedicated transformation teams... This one isn't. CX Without the BS is for the technology advisors, IT leaders, and business owners working in the trenches of SMB and mid-market companies - the "forgotten 5000" who get pitched enterprise solutions they can't afford and ignored by vendors who don't think they're worth the support call. Host Brian Nichols brings real practitioner perspective from the unified communications and contact center space. No guru theater. No vendor hype. No recycled LinkedIn thought leadership dressed up as expertise. Just the actual conversations advisors and buyers need to be having... about why CX deployments fail, where vendors quietly cut corners, which product categories are oversold, and what questions you should be asking before you sign a three-year contract. Each episode pulls from real customer scenarios, market situations, and the framework laid out in Brian's book, The CX Compass. Some episodes are solo deep dives. Others bring in practitioners, advisors, and operators who can break down the mechanics of what actually works - and what's quietly broken behind the demo. If you're tired of buzzword bingo and ready for the version of CX nobody's willing to say out loud... you're in the right place. Subscribe, share it with an advisor or buyer who needs it, and let's cut through the noise together. en-us episodic Honest takes on customer experience and UCaaS for the SMB and mid-market buyers enterprise vendors forgot... hosted by Brian Nichols. Brian Nichols Most CX podcasts are built for Fortune 500 buyers with seven-figure budgets and dedicated transformation teams... This one isn't. CX Without the BS is for the technology advisors, IT leaders, and business owners working in the trenches of SMB and mid-market companies - the "forgotten 5000" who get pitched enterprise solutions they can't afford and ignored by vendors who don't think they're worth the support call. Host Brian Nichols brings real practitioner perspective from the unified communications and contact center space. No guru theater. No vendor hype. No recycled LinkedIn thought leadership dressed up as expertise. Just the actual conversations advisors and buyers need to be having... about why CX deployments fail, where vendors quietly cut corners, which product categories are oversold, and what questions you should be asking before you sign a three-year contract. Each episode pulls from real customer scenarios, market situations, and the framework laid out in Brian's book, The CX Compass. Some episodes are solo deep dives. Others bring in practitioners, advisors, and operators who can break down the mechanics of what actually works - and what's quietly broken behind the demo. If you're tired of buzzword bingo and ready for the version of CX nobody's willing to say out loud... you're in the right place. Subscribe, share it with an advisor or buyer who needs it, and let's cut through the noise together. yes CX podcast, customer experience, UCaaS, CCaaS, contact center, unified communications, technology advisors, channel partners, TSD, SMB technology, mid-market IT, vendor evaluation, CX strategy, customer service technology, Brian Nichols, CX Compass, business communications, cloud communications, customer engagement, sales enablement, B2B technology buying, IT decision makers, Telarus, agent experience, omnichannel Brian Nichols brian@briannicholsconsulting.com What Is the Biggest CX Mistake Companies Make? https://cswithoutthebs.fireside.fm/what-is-the-biggest-cx-mistake-companies-make dc1ab8aa-afc6-4f02-8feb-075219aae2a0 Wed, 13 Aug 2025 17:00:00 -0400 Brian Nichols full Brian Nichols Most CX fails start before the customer ever calls — with bad tech decisions, ignored employees, and the wrong strategy. In this episode of CX Without the BS, we show you how to fix it before it costs you customers. 46:57 no <p>What if the biggest threat to your customer experience isn’t bad tech – but bad decisions? In this episode of CX Without the BS, we rip the lid off the most overlooked — and most costly — mistakes companies make in customer experience. From “snake oil” CX solutions to the AI hype train, we’re exposing the real stories from the front lines and giving you the practical playbook for cutting through the noise.</p> <p>CX experts Kate Nelson and Vicki Brackett join me to share unfiltered insights from decades in the trenches. You’ll hear how companies waste millions on tools they don’t need, overlook the people who actually use them, and skip the one step that could save them from disaster. It’s part myth-busting, part reality check, and 100% designed to help you avoid becoming the next cautionary tale.</p> <p>We dig deep into the difference between knowledge bases and true knowledge management systems — and why getting this wrong creates chaos for your agents and frustration for your customers. You’ll learn how governance, employee feedback loops, and integrated systems can turn information into a competitive advantage instead of a liability.</p> <p>We also tackle the AI problem head-on. Kate and Vicki reveal why AI without clean, centralized knowledge is a recipe for failure, how bad data silently sabotages CX, and why the “AI will replace people” narrative misses the point. Spoiler: the winners will be humans who use AI effectively, not the ones replaced by it.</p> <p>Finally, we preview the upcoming Living CX &amp; Transformation Networking Event in Salt Lake City — a one-of-a-kind, people-first experience with zero sales pitches, real conversations, and even an aromatherapy sound bath. If you’re tired of hearing the same old vendor-driven CX stories, this is your wake-up call. </p> customer experience, CX strategy, knowledge management, AI in customer service, first call resolution, self-service tools, CX roadmap, contact center tips, CX leadership, customer journey mapping, avoid CX mistakes, AI customer support, bad CX examples, improve customer experience, customer service technology, frontline employee feedback, CX governance, choosing CX vendors, fixing customer friction What if the biggest threat to your customer experience isn’t bad tech – but bad decisions? In this episode of CX Without the BS, we rip the lid off the most overlooked — and most costly — mistakes companies make in customer experience. From “snake oil” CX solutions to the AI hype train, we’re exposing the real stories from the front lines and giving you the practical playbook for cutting through the noise.

CX experts Kate Nelson and Vicki Brackett join me to share unfiltered insights from decades in the trenches. You’ll hear how companies waste millions on tools they don’t need, overlook the people who actually use them, and skip the one step that could save them from disaster. It’s part myth-busting, part reality check, and 100% designed to help you avoid becoming the next cautionary tale.

We dig deep into the difference between knowledge bases and true knowledge management systems — and why getting this wrong creates chaos for your agents and frustration for your customers. You’ll learn how governance, employee feedback loops, and integrated systems can turn information into a competitive advantage instead of a liability.

We also tackle the AI problem head-on. Kate and Vicki reveal why AI without clean, centralized knowledge is a recipe for failure, how bad data silently sabotages CX, and why the “AI will replace people” narrative misses the point. Spoiler: the winners will be humans who use AI effectively, not the ones replaced by it.

Finally, we preview the upcoming Living CX & Transformation Networking Event in Salt Lake City — a one-of-a-kind, people-first experience with zero sales pitches, real conversations, and even an aromatherapy sound bath. If you’re tired of hearing the same old vendor-driven CX stories, this is your wake-up call.

]]> What if the biggest threat to your customer experience isn’t bad tech – but bad decisions? In this episode of CX Without the BS, we rip the lid off the most overlooked — and most costly — mistakes companies make in customer experience. From “snake oil” CX solutions to the AI hype train, we’re exposing the real stories from the front lines and giving you the practical playbook for cutting through the noise.

CX experts Kate Nelson and Vicki Brackett join me to share unfiltered insights from decades in the trenches. You’ll hear how companies waste millions on tools they don’t need, overlook the people who actually use them, and skip the one step that could save them from disaster. It’s part myth-busting, part reality check, and 100% designed to help you avoid becoming the next cautionary tale.

We dig deep into the difference between knowledge bases and true knowledge management systems — and why getting this wrong creates chaos for your agents and frustration for your customers. You’ll learn how governance, employee feedback loops, and integrated systems can turn information into a competitive advantage instead of a liability.

We also tackle the AI problem head-on. Kate and Vicki reveal why AI without clean, centralized knowledge is a recipe for failure, how bad data silently sabotages CX, and why the “AI will replace people” narrative misses the point. Spoiler: the winners will be humans who use AI effectively, not the ones replaced by it.

Finally, we preview the upcoming Living CX & Transformation Networking Event in Salt Lake City — a one-of-a-kind, people-first experience with zero sales pitches, real conversations, and even an aromatherapy sound bath. If you’re tired of hearing the same old vendor-driven CX stories, this is your wake-up call.

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