Over the past few weeks, I’ve been traveling across the country – from the CVx Expo in Phoenix to the C3 Tech Summit in Grand Rapids – and I kept hearing the same thing from customers and technology advisors: vendors are selling AI “magic,” but ignoring the fundamentals. While booths were promising automation, auto-responses, and “zero human support,” customers were telling me their basic support tickets were going unanswered for weeks. The gap between what vendors promote and what customers actually need has never been bigger.

This episode dives into the real frustration on the customer side: companies are quick to launch flashy new AI features, yet can’t fix the voicemail transcription that’s been broken for a month. They’re selling “world-changing automation,” while customers are saying, “Can you just pick up the phone?” We dig into why customers no longer trust vendors who over-promise and under-deliver – especially when the everyday fundamentals of UCaaS are being ignored.

We also explore a major trend: unified communications is no longer just phones – it is CX. Technology advisors who fail to ask CX questions in 2025 are getting left behind, and customers who don’t demand CX capabilities are missing massive ROI. I break down the types of questions advisors should be asking, why these questions differentiate you immediately, and how CX tools deliver real, measurable value that old-school phone conversations never uncover.

Finally, I share the framework behind The CX Compass and how it gives advisors and customers a simple, practical guide for uncovering opportunities, cutting costs, improving customer experience, and standing out in a market drowning in hype. And we close with a real story from a listener, proving why human connection matters more now than ever – especially in a world filled with AI-generated sales noise.

The CX Compass: https://www.amazon.com/CX-Compass-Playbook-Prescribe-Confidence/dp/B0F5PC32SG