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    <title>CX without the BS - Episodes Tagged with “Sonic Cx”</title>
    <link>https://cswithoutthebs.fireside.fm/tags/sonic%20cx</link>
    <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 15:00:00 -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>Why KPIs Are Killing Your Business</title>
  <link>https://cswithoutthebs.fireside.fm/why-kpis-are-killing-your-business</link>
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  <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 15:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
  <author>Brian Nichols</author>
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  <itunes:author>Brian Nichols</itunes:author>
  <itunes:subtitle>Are KPIs actually killing your business? Justin Jones joins CX Without the BS to explain why chasing numbers destroys customer experience — and how to turn every service call into a revenue event.</itunes:subtitle>
  <itunes:duration>51:51</itunes:duration>
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  <description>&lt;p&gt;Is it time to kill KPIs once and for all?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Every CX leader loves to talk about metrics — average handle time, CSAT, NPS — but are we just chasing numbers without understanding what they actually mean? In this episode of CX Without the BS, we ask the hard question: are KPIs helping our contact centers grow, or are they quietly holding us back?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Justin Jones from SoniqCX joins the show to make the case for “Death to KPIs” — and to reveal why most companies are measuring success the wrong way. He breaks down how focusing on the wrong data drives robotic behavior, ruins agent morale, and turns customer service into a cost center instead of a profit engine.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;We explore how “Key Revenue Indicators” (KRIs) can flip the script — turning every customer interaction into a measurable revenue opportunity. From incentivizing agents like salespeople to tracking lifetime value instead of handle time, Justin shows how this mindset shift builds loyalty, boosts retention, and increases profits.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The conversation also dives into the coming AI revolution — and why optimizing for the wrong KPIs could make companies “efficiently poor.” You’ll hear why most contact centers are one algorithm away from chaos and how human empathy, when measured and rewarded the right way, will always outperform automation.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;If you’ve ever felt like your call center is stuck in the past, this episode will shake you awake. It’s time to stop worshipping KPIs — and start building customer experiences that actually grow revenue. &lt;/p&gt;
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  <itunes:keywords>customer experience, KPIs, contact center, CX strategy, customer service, call center management, CX metrics, key revenue indicators, customer loyalty, AI in contact centers, agent performance, revenue growth, customer retention, CX leadership, business strategy, KPI mistakes, customer lifetime value, Sonic CX, CX Without the BS, Brian Nichols</itunes:keywords>
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    <![CDATA[<p>Is it time to kill KPIs once and for all?</p>

<p>Every CX leader loves to talk about metrics — average handle time, CSAT, NPS — but are we just chasing numbers without understanding what they actually mean? In this episode of CX Without the BS, we ask the hard question: are KPIs helping our contact centers grow, or are they quietly holding us back?</p>

<p>Justin Jones from SoniqCX joins the show to make the case for “Death to KPIs” — and to reveal why most companies are measuring success the wrong way. He breaks down how focusing on the wrong data drives robotic behavior, ruins agent morale, and turns customer service into a cost center instead of a profit engine.</p>

<p>We explore how “Key Revenue Indicators” (KRIs) can flip the script — turning every customer interaction into a measurable revenue opportunity. From incentivizing agents like salespeople to tracking lifetime value instead of handle time, Justin shows how this mindset shift builds loyalty, boosts retention, and increases profits.</p>

<p>The conversation also dives into the coming AI revolution — and why optimizing for the wrong KPIs could make companies “efficiently poor.” You’ll hear why most contact centers are one algorithm away from chaos and how human empathy, when measured and rewarded the right way, will always outperform automation.</p>

<p>If you’ve ever felt like your call center is stuck in the past, this episode will shake you awake. It’s time to stop worshipping KPIs — and start building customer experiences that actually grow revenue.</p>]]>
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  <itunes:summary>
    <![CDATA[<p>Is it time to kill KPIs once and for all?</p>

<p>Every CX leader loves to talk about metrics — average handle time, CSAT, NPS — but are we just chasing numbers without understanding what they actually mean? In this episode of CX Without the BS, we ask the hard question: are KPIs helping our contact centers grow, or are they quietly holding us back?</p>

<p>Justin Jones from SoniqCX joins the show to make the case for “Death to KPIs” — and to reveal why most companies are measuring success the wrong way. He breaks down how focusing on the wrong data drives robotic behavior, ruins agent morale, and turns customer service into a cost center instead of a profit engine.</p>

<p>We explore how “Key Revenue Indicators” (KRIs) can flip the script — turning every customer interaction into a measurable revenue opportunity. From incentivizing agents like salespeople to tracking lifetime value instead of handle time, Justin shows how this mindset shift builds loyalty, boosts retention, and increases profits.</p>

<p>The conversation also dives into the coming AI revolution — and why optimizing for the wrong KPIs could make companies “efficiently poor.” You’ll hear why most contact centers are one algorithm away from chaos and how human empathy, when measured and rewarded the right way, will always outperform automation.</p>

<p>If you’ve ever felt like your call center is stuck in the past, this episode will shake you awake. It’s time to stop worshipping KPIs — and start building customer experiences that actually grow revenue.</p>]]>
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