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    <title>CX without the BS - Episodes Tagged with “Cx Trends 2026”</title>
    <link>https://cswithoutthebs.fireside.fm/tags/cx%20trends%202026</link>
    <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 12:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
    <description>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.</description>
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    <itunes:subtitle>Honest takes on customer experience and UCaaS for the SMB and mid-market buyers enterprise vendors forgot... hosted by Brian Nichols.</itunes:subtitle>
    <itunes:author>Brian Nichols</itunes:author>
    <itunes:summary>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.</itunes:summary>
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      <itunes:name>Brian Nichols</itunes:name>
      <itunes:email>brian@briannicholsconsulting.com</itunes:email>
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  <title>What Are the Top 5 Customer Experience Trends for 2026?</title>
  <link>https://cswithoutthebs.fireside.fm/what-are-the-top-5-customer-experience-trends-for-2026</link>
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  <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 12:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
  <author>Brian Nichols</author>
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  <itunes:author>Brian Nichols</itunes:author>
  <itunes:subtitle>Forget the hype... AI isn’t replacing people, contracts are dead, and human support is back. Here’s what actually matters if you want to win with customers next year...</itunes:subtitle>
  <itunes:duration>37:44</itunes:duration>
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  <description>&lt;p&gt;Are you focusing on the wrong CX trends heading into 2026?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Everywhere you turn, vendors are pushing buzzwords and empty promises — but what if the real shifts happening right now aren’t even on your radar? In this episode, we cut through the noise and reveal the 5 customer experience trends that will actually define success in 2026.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;For the past year, businesses have been burned by hype — AI tools that didn’t deliver, contracts that felt like cages, and “solutions” that solved nothing. Customers are frustrated. Advisors are losing trust. And companies that don’t pivot fast are heading for trouble.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;But there’s good news: by focusing on what’s actually working — not what the industry is trying to sell you — you can get ahead of the curve. These 5 trends aren’t about flashy buzzwords. They’re about real strategies, real pain points, and real opportunities.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;From AI that empowers people instead of replacing them… to the rise of accidental contact centers… to why human support is making a comeback — these shifts are already reshaping the CX landscape. Ignore them, and you’ll be cleaning up messes. Pay attention, and you’ll be building loyalty, retention, and growth in 2026.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;This isn’t just another “future of CX” talk. This is CX Without the BS. Watch now to learn what’s real, what’s hype, and what your next move should be. &lt;/p&gt;
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  <content:encoded>
    <![CDATA[<p>Are you focusing on the wrong CX trends heading into 2026?</p>

<p>Everywhere you turn, vendors are pushing buzzwords and empty promises — but what if the real shifts happening right now aren’t even on your radar? In this episode, we cut through the noise and reveal the 5 customer experience trends that will actually define success in 2026.</p>

<p>For the past year, businesses have been burned by hype — AI tools that didn’t deliver, contracts that felt like cages, and “solutions” that solved nothing. Customers are frustrated. Advisors are losing trust. And companies that don’t pivot fast are heading for trouble.</p>

<p>But there’s good news: by focusing on what’s actually working — not what the industry is trying to sell you — you can get ahead of the curve. These 5 trends aren’t about flashy buzzwords. They’re about real strategies, real pain points, and real opportunities.</p>

<p>From AI that empowers people instead of replacing them… to the rise of accidental contact centers… to why human support is making a comeback — these shifts are already reshaping the CX landscape. Ignore them, and you’ll be cleaning up messes. Pay attention, and you’ll be building loyalty, retention, and growth in 2026.</p>

<p>This isn’t just another “future of CX” talk. This is CX Without the BS. Watch now to learn what’s real, what’s hype, and what your next move should be.</p>]]>
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  <itunes:summary>
    <![CDATA[<p>Are you focusing on the wrong CX trends heading into 2026?</p>

<p>Everywhere you turn, vendors are pushing buzzwords and empty promises — but what if the real shifts happening right now aren’t even on your radar? In this episode, we cut through the noise and reveal the 5 customer experience trends that will actually define success in 2026.</p>

<p>For the past year, businesses have been burned by hype — AI tools that didn’t deliver, contracts that felt like cages, and “solutions” that solved nothing. Customers are frustrated. Advisors are losing trust. And companies that don’t pivot fast are heading for trouble.</p>

<p>But there’s good news: by focusing on what’s actually working — not what the industry is trying to sell you — you can get ahead of the curve. These 5 trends aren’t about flashy buzzwords. They’re about real strategies, real pain points, and real opportunities.</p>

<p>From AI that empowers people instead of replacing them… to the rise of accidental contact centers… to why human support is making a comeback — these shifts are already reshaping the CX landscape. Ignore them, and you’ll be cleaning up messes. Pay attention, and you’ll be building loyalty, retention, and growth in 2026.</p>

<p>This isn’t just another “future of CX” talk. This is CX Without the BS. Watch now to learn what’s real, what’s hype, and what your next move should be.</p>]]>
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