CX Heroes

Learn in this episode: Why shipping the AI first draft quietly hands over your company's voice How a fiction writer's approach to revision applies to support content Why rereading and editing AI drafts is how you actually learn your business The skill-based routing decision that burned out her best agents in three months Which traditional CX metrics Elise thinks are fading, and what she...

Learn in this episode: Why CX maturity means knowing your starting point instead of copying another company's playbook Why everything in support can be automated, and why that is the wrong goal to chase The one customer moment Tim says should never go to a chatbot How to decide which interactions earn a human before you automate the rest How Tim closed a feedback loop that had been trapped in...

Learn in this episode: Why customers can't be fully honest with a sales rep who carries a quota, and who they open up to instead. How Brian built an entire chief customer officer program with ChatGPT before he ran a single meeting. The one rule that decides whether an executive ever gives you a second meeting. What 60 no-agenda conversations surfaced that three years of dinners and ballgames...

Learn in this episode: - How RJ Young structures three specialized support teams across 30 products to hit 95 NPS - Why most AI vendor pitches fail Amanda's one-question filter - How to build the internal case for AI adoption when your C-suite is getting pitched directly - What Agent Assist looks like in practice at a 70-year-old company - Amanda's 2028 prediction for the support agent r...

Learn in this episode: How a $0.50 problem on a transit card unlocked millions in customer loyalty. Why removing everyday friction compounds into retention faster than any new feature will. What intentional AI calibration looks like in practice and why most teams skip it entirely. How to tell the difference between a product that works and a "boardroom product" that only works in the mee...

Learn in this episode: - How to move from a manual support model to an automated, intelligent self-service ecosystem. - Why democratizing knowledge creation is a powerful tool for agent retention and cultural change. - The reality of implementing KCS (Knowledge Centered Service) and how to get executive buy-in. - Why a support agent's job is to create a lasting improvement, not just close tic...

The CX Files has a new name: CX Heroes. Learn in this episode: Why AI tools should be managed with the same rigor as a BPO partner. The importance of a neutral arbiter to audit AI performance and quality. How to identify which customer use cases are ready for AI and which require a human touch. Why most AI implementations fail due to vertical silos rather than technical issues. Alex Schaeffer is a...

Learn in this episode: Why CSMs stay silent on churn risk in strategic accounts and what is actually driving that silence. How to build executive relationships with customers before there is a problem to solve. Why bringing CS into the final sales meeting is the one move that changes how customers feel about choosing you. How Silverfort uses AI sentiment monitoring across Gong, Zendesk, and email...

Learn in this episode: - Why mapping the happy path is the biggest mistake in CX design. - How to identify break points in a customer journey before they cause a crisis. - The secret to building executive trust by presenting mitigation plans upfront. - Practical ways to shift your team from building processes to building experiences. - How T-Mobile uses AI to translate complex engineer-speak into...

Learn in this episode: - How to launch a new sub-brand to shift customer perception without losing legacy trust. - The process for mapping a 70-year-old customer journey to find hidden friction points. - Why shifting from reactive service to proactive strategy is the key to B2B growth. - How to get buy-in for innovation in a culture that is used to doing things the old way. Kamron Kunce is the Chi...

Learn in this episode: Naisan's secret sauce: Using emotional empathy as a business heuristic to align CX, product, and finance teams. Why understanding the emotional angle of a customer journey leads to better business decisions. Strategies for navigating the gap between tactical execution and economic buyer needs. This guy knows his stuff *and* knows how to communicate it extremely well. Fa...

Learn in this episode: How the role of CX is shifting from ticket closure toward data curation and strategic storytelling. Why learning a little code might be the highest-leverage thing a CX leader can do right now. What the music industry's democratization moment tells us about AI, mediocrity, and the people who will actually stand out. The difference between what customers ask for and what...

Learn in this episode: How internal company culture directly impacts customer retention. Why asking difficult questions early is better than a surprise at renewal. The way Culture Amp uses the clear is kind philosophy to manage risk. Strategies for building a team that feels safe reporting bad news. Lilli Gordon is the Global Director of Customer Experience for Scaled Commercial at Culture Amp. Ov...

Learn in this episode: Why clean data is the only foundation for a successful AI rollout. The jewelry store effect and why AI looks different in a demo than in production. How to use AI for real-time sentiment analysis to prevent executive escalations. Why transparency with your customers is more valuable than perfect automation. Will Christacakos is a global customer support and post-sale experie...

Learn in this episode: - Why unclear expectations cause AI deployments to fail to reach CX goals. - The importance of implementing technology within a specific business context and use case - How to view AI as a tool for efficiency rather than a change in business purpose - The shifting landscape of human-machine partnerships in the workplace Eytan Hattem is a seasoned CX expert, CCO at Prodware G...

Learn in this episode: Why the lump of labor fallacy is fueling unnecessary fear around AI. How to shift your perspective from cost-saving to value-creation in support. The difference between official employment stats and the reality of the shadow economy. Why technology should never be used as a moat to block human connection. How to prepare your team for the inevitable transition into an AI-inte...

Learn in this episode: Why the term deflection rate is actually harmful to long-term brand health. How to replace biased, low-response surveys with AI-driven sentiment analysis. The shift from reactive support to proactive AI that identifies problems before the customer does. Why "outsourcing your thinking" to an LLM is the biggest risk for knowledge workers today. Ryan Klausner is a vet...

Learn in this episode: Why AI is a tool for agility rather than just a replacement for headcount. How to transition junior associates into AI maintenance and optimization roles. The reality of implementing AI and the hidden work required to keep it running. Strategies for retaining talent by offering new technical career paths within CX. Andrea Townsend is the Manager of Customer Support at Human...

Learn in this episode: - The math of margin: How to keep your support team at 15 people while your sales volume doubles. - The Dog Food shampoo story: A real-world example of why AI still fails at complex human nuance. - How to transition your support team into a proactive customer success-like function. - Advice for junior CX leaders on how to solve problems the business hasn't identified ye...

Learn in this episode: - Why AI is often a "hindrance" rather than a "help" in customer workflows. - How to build and train internal AI agents (like Software’s Coralline) on brand voice. - The specific tasks AI is great at (summarization) vs. what it fails at (empathy and nuance). - Why "prompt engineering" is a mandatory skill for 2026 leaders. - Strategies for maint...

Learn in this episode: - How to debug root causes of CX problems like the $50 million one Zack found - How to start speaking the language of the C-suite. - The reason NPS is an advocacy metric and why you need a revenue metric instead. - How the friction economy is costing brands millions. - The reality of Agentic CX and why 85 percent of AI strategies fail. Zack Hamilton is the creator of the Exp...

Listen to learn: - Why it took three years to break down data silos for support at Cisco Systems and how to avoid that mistake. - The transition of AI from its teenage years to a college-educated, mature business function. - How to move beyond case deflection and start measuring the financial impact of CX in dollars and euros. - The tire sensor analogy: How to use data to solve problems before the...

Learn in this episode: - The myth of AI as a magic wand for support operations. - How to separate agent performance from customer frustration with company policy. - Why most companies hire for service but actually need retention specialists. - The three places to find expertise when you do not have the budget for a full-time hire. - How to move your team from being problem movers to true problem s...

Learn in this episode: - The 3 Rs and 4 Es framework for modern customer experience. - Why why we should use  the word "human" instead of "customer" - How to transition from content to art in your support and marketing interactions. - Strategies for breaking down departmental silos to create a symbiotic brand ecosystem. - How Dayv’s background as a professional BMX athlete shap...

Explore the rapid evolution of the customer support career path at all levels and the future of these roles in the context of AI adoption. -- Jen Weaver has 10+ years of experience in SaaS Customer Support and Success. She was the second support hire at YNAB (You Need A Budget), helping scale the team to over 70 people. She is currently a Customer Success Manager at On-Ramp, a podcast host, and cu...