web01.fireside.fm Wed, 27 May 2026 11:56:45 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) CX without the BS - Episodes Tagged with “Hidden Fees” https://cswithoutthebs.fireside.fm/tags/hidden%20fees Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:00:00 -0500 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 How to Spot a Bad Phone Provider in Under 2 Minutes https://cswithoutthebs.fireside.fm/how-to-spot-a-bad-phone-provider-in-under-2-minutes cba46cfa-aa46-4254-b164-e076a19c2946 Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:00:00 -0500 Brian Nichols full Brian Nichols Most buyers don’t realize they purchased a support problem until after onboarding starts - these two pre-sign questions force vendors to show their true support model and their real fees. 1:50 no <p>Before you sign anything for phones, UCaaS, or contact center - you need to know this:</p> <p>When it breaks, who actually picks up the phone?</p> <p>In this CX Without the BS - Quick Hit, I walk through the fastest way to spot a “support problem” before you’re stuck in ticket hell, porting delays, and finger-pointing.</p> <p>Here are the two questions to copy/paste into an email to every vendor you’re considering:</p> <p>When I need help, who do I call - and how fast do I get a real human?</p> <p>If my bill comes in higher than the quote, what fees do you add that aren’t in the per-user price?</p> <p>If they answer clearly and directly - good sign.<br> If they dodge - you just saved yourself a multi-year headache. </p> UCaaS support, VoIP support, phone system support, contact center support, CCaaS buyer tips, UCaaS buying guide, VoIP provider checklist, how to choose UCaaS, telecom vendor evaluation, MSP buyer advice, onboarding delays, porting delays, support response time, US-based support, ticketing portal vs account manager, hidden telecom fees, surcharges and taxes, billing transparency, per-user pricing traps, vendor due diligence, business phone system checklist, CX procurement, IT buying checklist, SMB phone system, midmarket UCaaS Before you sign anything for phones, UCaaS, or contact center - you need to know this:

When it breaks, who actually picks up the phone?

In this CX Without the BS - Quick Hit, I walk through the fastest way to spot a “support problem” before you’re stuck in ticket hell, porting delays, and finger-pointing.

Here are the two questions to copy/paste into an email to every vendor you’re considering:

When I need help, who do I call - and how fast do I get a real human?

If my bill comes in higher than the quote, what fees do you add that aren’t in the per-user price?

If they answer clearly and directly - good sign.
If they dodge - you just saved yourself a multi-year headache.

]]> Before you sign anything for phones, UCaaS, or contact center - you need to know this:

When it breaks, who actually picks up the phone?

In this CX Without the BS - Quick Hit, I walk through the fastest way to spot a “support problem” before you’re stuck in ticket hell, porting delays, and finger-pointing.

Here are the two questions to copy/paste into an email to every vendor you’re considering:

When I need help, who do I call - and how fast do I get a real human?

If my bill comes in higher than the quote, what fees do you add that aren’t in the per-user price?

If they answer clearly and directly - good sign.
If they dodge - you just saved yourself a multi-year headache.

]]> Why UCaaS Quotes NEVER Match the Bill https://cswithoutthebs.fireside.fm/why-ucaas-quotes-never-match-the-bill f0939e34-6ee2-47df-a0a5-9f1889a1707e Tue, 16 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500 Brian Nichols full Brian Nichols Why do UCaaS quotes never match the bill? In this episode of CX Without the BS, Brian Nichols and Stephen Howard break down the pricing games, broken incentives, and quiet BS that keep customer experience stuck. 48:38 no <p>Why do phone system quotes never match the bill, and why does everyone just accept it?</p> <p>If you have ever signed a contract that felt great on day one and confusing on month two, this episode is going to hit a nerve. Brian Nichols digs into why unified communications feels broken, why customers keep getting talked past instead of listened to, and why the industry keeps selling shiny features instead of fixing real problems.</p> <p>In this episode of CX Without the BS, Brian is joined by Stephen Howard to pull apart the biggest lies in UCaaS, how mergers quietly wreck customer experience, and why transparency is the one thing vendors keep avoiding. This is a real-world conversation about trust, incentives, and what happens when companies stop treating customers like adults. No buzzwords. No fluff. Just the uncomfortable truth most vendors hope you never question. </p> CX Without the BS, customer experience, UCaaS, unified communications, CCaaS, tech sales, business phone systems, customer support, hidden fees, phone system pricing, vendor transparency, mergers and acquisitions, M&A impact, customer journey, tech advisors, channel sales, business communication, customer trust Why do phone system quotes never match the bill, and why does everyone just accept it?

If you have ever signed a contract that felt great on day one and confusing on month two, this episode is going to hit a nerve. Brian Nichols digs into why unified communications feels broken, why customers keep getting talked past instead of listened to, and why the industry keeps selling shiny features instead of fixing real problems.

In this episode of CX Without the BS, Brian is joined by Stephen Howard to pull apart the biggest lies in UCaaS, how mergers quietly wreck customer experience, and why transparency is the one thing vendors keep avoiding. This is a real-world conversation about trust, incentives, and what happens when companies stop treating customers like adults. No buzzwords. No fluff. Just the uncomfortable truth most vendors hope you never question.

]]> Why do phone system quotes never match the bill, and why does everyone just accept it?

If you have ever signed a contract that felt great on day one and confusing on month two, this episode is going to hit a nerve. Brian Nichols digs into why unified communications feels broken, why customers keep getting talked past instead of listened to, and why the industry keeps selling shiny features instead of fixing real problems.

In this episode of CX Without the BS, Brian is joined by Stephen Howard to pull apart the biggest lies in UCaaS, how mergers quietly wreck customer experience, and why transparency is the one thing vendors keep avoiding. This is a real-world conversation about trust, incentives, and what happens when companies stop treating customers like adults. No buzzwords. No fluff. Just the uncomfortable truth most vendors hope you never question.

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