The 1965 Beatles hit, Help!, was written during the height of Beatlemania. Released a month before their famous record-setting concert at New York’s Shea Stadium that drew over 55,000 screaming fans, it went to #1 in both the UK and US and was the fourth of six straight #1 singles in a row for the Fab Four. The little band from Liverpool was now the biggest band in the world. John Lennon’s lyrics display an honesty about his uncomfortable relationship with fame and was a favorite of Lennon’s. A year later, the Beatles would stop touring altogether.

Taken in another context, the lyrics of Help! sound like a growing company that’s realized it can no longer rely solely on its own people, processes, and technology. Whether it’s answering customer inquiries or securing the right technology, lots of companies start looking for help as they grow. Outsource Consultants has been lending a helping hand for over a decade. This week, I chat with Tom Luther, Director of CX Advisory & Partnerships, about technology strategy, adoptions, and how leveraging a BPO can help with both.

We discuss: • New Customer Experience Technologies o AI Noise Cancellation o Automated Post-Interaction Notes o Automated Quality • How to afford new technology adoption • How outsourcing impacts the P&L, HR, and CX • Why outsourcing doesn’t mean offshoring • How to get great results from nearshore/offshore outsourcing • The future of BPOs

Connect with Tom on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomluther/

Outsource Consultants – https://www.outsource-consultants.com/

Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life is the comedic conclusion to Monty Python’s 1979 film, The Life of Brian. If you’ve never seen the film, the irony is that it’s sung by Eric Idle’s character to Graham Chapman’s character, both of whom are being, quite literally, crucified. It’s come to signify the “stiff upper lip” spirit of the British people and has become the most popular song played at British funerals.

Faced with the impact AI is having on content creation, “Human Writer” Matt Kendall decided to look on the bright side of life and focus on not only becoming better at his craft, but also on AI fluency and the curation of human-generated content worth consuming. His newsletter, BPO Bullhorn, is a collection of articles, podcasts, interviews, books, events, and more that are relevant, informative, and meaningful to the BPO sector.

We discuss: • AI’s impact on the BPO industry and the future of customer service • The importance of emotional connection in storytelling for the BPO industry • The ethical implications of AI and its potential impact on education • The role of governments in supporting the BPO industry • The need for AI fluency and the challenges of AI-generated content • The potential for AI to enhance customer service and the BPO industry

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/cognitivematt/

Cognitive Copy – https://www.cognitivecopy.com/

BPO Bullhorn Newsletter – https://www.cognitivecopy.com/newsletter

Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

In the world of punk music, there’s probably no greater insult than to be labeled a sellout. In 1980, the Dead Kennedys were assuredly not sellouts. Invited to the 1980 Bay Area Music Awards to play their indie hit, California Über Alles, the Kennedys did exactly what you would expect a punk bank opening for the likes of Eddie Money and Huey Lewis to do – they threw up a metaphorical middle finger and after the opening chords of California Über Alles, they began playing Pull My Strings. The song is a lighthearted insult to the music industry practice of payola and the artists who sell out to become stars.

The tech platforms that dominate the world today were once very punk – they were disruptive and had loyal followings. But not only did they sell out, in doing so, they’ve degraded the usefulness of the platforms and the only reason people stay is because there are few alternatives. There’s a name for this and David Powers joins the show to discuss how it applies to platforms from Uber to Amazon.

We discuss: • The term coined by Cory Doctorow to describe this lifecycle • The 4 steps of this lifecycle • Examples including Uber, Reddit, Twitter, and Amazon • Whether paid platforms are the solution • How DRM affects authors • How the gaming industry has fallen prey • Whether OpenAI is already part of the lifecycle

Connect with David on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjpowers2/

CX Riot Radio – https://open.spotify.com/show/3p4rE3csfzp7B579u3PG24

Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

Woody Harrelson’s best-known basketball-related film may be 1992’s White Men Can’t Jump, but his 2023 film, Champions, is a far better primer in leadership, especially when it comes to taking over a new team. He plays Marcus Marakovich, a basketball coach doing community service coaching a team of players with learning disabilities to avoid jail time. In this moment, he’s introduced to Cosentino, played by Madison Tevlin, who demonstrates the attitude many people have of a new leader – “Who the hell are you?”

Taking over a new team presents challenges that many new leaders are unprepared for. Lindsay Haun, VP of Managed Support Operations at Netrix Global, joins the show to discuss strategies for success.

We discuss: • Taking Over a New Team • Building a Team from Scratch • Navigating Age and Experience Differences • Transitioning to Leadership • Leading Teams in Unfamiliar Functions • Balancing KPIs with Teambuilding • Keys to Improving Team Performance

Connect with Lindsay on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/haunlindsay/

Big Red Podcast – https://open.spotify.com/show/1wGoR13jP7zqQLmbY70dmm

Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

In 1988’s Big, Tom Hanks brought the perspective of a 13-year-old boy, Josh, into the toy design world. It’s a jarring experience for the seasoned executive, Paul, played by John Heard. Despite all the data Paul presented in this meeting demonstrating the potential of his skyscraper bot, Josh brought a different data point – the real voice of the customer. Josh knew kids and how they thought, not just because he was one, but because he talked with them all day long.

That same kind of insight exists in so many organizations, but just like in Big, it’s ignored by the people developing products. It exists within the Support Team who is having conversations with customers all day long. Sarah Caminiti is the VP of Customer Success at DNSimple and an advocate for Support Teams having a seat at the Product Development table.

We discuss: • The importance of Support’s Voice in Product Development • Why surveys shouldn’t be the only source of customer insights • Overcoming barriers to Support Team involvement • Fostering open lines of communication • Creating a culture of communication • 2 Support Lessons learned from hospitality

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-caminiti-5827b784/

DNSimple – https://dnsimple.com/

Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

On the heels of one of the biggest hits of all time, the Rolling Stones sent Get Off of My Cloud to #1 in 1965. While the Stones may have felt they were on cloud nine after the success of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, their management was immediately on them for a follow-up. Just wanting to be left alone, Get Off of My Cloud was a direct response to the pressure to never rest and continually pump out hit songs.

Nearly 60 years later, the refrain from technologists is “Hey, You, Get On to The Cloud.” For many reasons, many companies have yet to migrate to cloud communications platforms and are still relying on on-premises legacy platforms. While the past decade has provided ample carrots for migration, the stick of missing out on implementing AI is finally beginning to move the needle. Fred Stacey, CEO of Cloud Tech Gurus, stands in for Charlie Watts and bangs the drum for companies to “Get On to The Cloud!”

We discuss: • The State of Contact Center Technology • Barriers to Cloud Adoption • Exciting Advancements in AI-based applications • Adoption by Market Segmentation • How AI will impact the labor market • Navigating the Transformative Technological Revolution

Connect with Fred on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredstaceyaincx/

Cloud Tech Gurus – https://cloudtechgurus.com

Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/

2002’s Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones introduced the Kaminoans, a civilization skilled at cloning. Like many skilled at developing specific technologies, the cloners of Kamino didn’t spend much time thinking about the impacts of their work. They were skilled at genetic engineering, and they found customers willing to pay for those skills.

Today, cloning people is still taboo but closing voices, faces, and video imagery of people is big business. Despite the glut of customers willing to pay for these new technologies, questions regarding the ethics and long-term impacts of them remain unanswered. While I didn’t head to the Outer Rim for this conversation, I did enlist the help of Luke Jamieson who lives 9,000 miles away from me. Luke is a Global Thought Leader on the topics of EX, CX, and the future of work.

We discuss: • The key factor impacting AI adoption • The Role of AI in Contact Centers • Evolving communication preferences • Potential Security Risks of Voice Biometrics • The Future of Customer Service

Connect with Luke on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-jamieson/

Voice Cloning – https://play.ht/

Music courtesy of Big Red Horse – https://bigredhorseband.com/

Brought to you by Happitu – https://happitu.com/