Reimagining The Contact Center - with Marc Bernstein

This week, Marc Bernstein sits down with David Karandish, Founder and CEO of Capacity, for a conversation that stretches beyond tech stacks and into the future of how humans and systems work together. From the outdated CRM to the rise of “systems of engagement,” Marc and David unpack why the traditional software hierarchy is being flipped—and how AI copilots are becoming essential teammates, not r...

In this episode of Reimagining the Contact Center, Marc Bernstein sits down with customer experience legend Shep Hyken to unpack the evolving relationship between AI and human empathy in customer service. Together, they dive into: the rise of self-service everything, the danger of “ artificial incompetence," why empathy still matters —even in a world ruled by bots, the tension between custome...

In this episode of Reimagining the Contact Center, Marc Bernstein sits down with Lily Clifford, Founder and CEO of Rime, to unpack the emotional mechanics of spoken language, the cultural expectations we attach to voice technology, and why some AI voices make us uneasy while others feel oddly familiar. Marc and Lily explore how human communication isn’t just about words—it’s about cadence, intenti...

AI is everywhere—but are we using it wisely? In this episode of Reimagining the Contact Center , Marc Bernstein sits down with Sam Wilson, CEO of 8x8, to dissect the current wave of AI adoption in CCaaS and beyond. Sam shares his perspective on balancing innovation with customer trust, integrating AI that actually works, and redefining what “good” looks like in the modern contact center. Whether y...

What does it really take to bring AI into the workforce—for real? In this episode of Reimagining the Contact Center, Marc Bernstein sits down with Charanya “CK” Kannan, CEO and Co-founder of Pinkfish, to explore the new rules of AI adoption. CK brings the hard-earned perspective of a founder who’s seen it all—and still bets big on AI. The two dive deep into why agentic AI is leaving RPA in the dus...

In this episode, Marc Bernstein sits down with Will Bodewes, CEO of Phonely. This one's about architecture, not aspiration. Will breaks down the anatomy of a voice agent, from speech generation and LLM orchestration to real-time prompting and user control. You'll hear why hallucinations aren't what you think, how “agent guidelines” shape human-like behavior, and why flow-based design i...

In this episode of Reimagining the Contact Center , Balto CEO Marc Bernstein sits down with Calabrio’s CTO for a wide-ranging, mind-bending conversation about the true impact of AI. Not just on operations. Not just on outcomes. But on how we think, lead, and find meaning in work. This one’s part neuroscience, part strategy, part spiritual reset for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the AI buzz. Don’t...

Marc Bernstein speaks with Daniel Ziv, VP of Experience Management and Analytics at Verint, about why Verint doesn’t call itself an AI company—but an AI outcomes company. They dive into the difference between building tech and delivering results, unpack Verint’s Da Vinci and Genie Bots, and debate the power of open platforms in driving speed, control, and integration. Together, they paint a vision...

Marc Bernstein speaks with Alex Levin, Founder & CEO of Regal.ai, about how AI is reshaping contact centers. They explore why AI agents are now the cheapest, most effective way to handle interactions, the barriers to full AI adoption, and when we’ll see 90% AI-powered contact centers. Looking ahead, they predict a future where AI removes friction from customer service, making great experiences...

Marc Bernstein sits down with Isaiah Granet, Founder & CEO of Bland AI, to explore how Voice AI agents are revolutionizing customer service and making long hold times a thing of the past. They dive into how Bland AI is designing conversational AI that feels personal, responsive, and as effortless as talking to an old friend. The discussion covers the evolution of voice as the preferred custome...

Ricardo Herreros-Symons and Marc Bernstein explore the rapidly evolving world of contact center AI, from real-time automation to the next frontier of seamless, natural-sounding conversations. They discuss how AI is enhancing agent performance, handling complex interactions, and redefining customer service. Together, they examine the balance between cutting-edge speech recognition technology and ma...

Kishlaya Sharma and Marc Bernstein discuss the future of AI, back-office automation, and the delicate balance between leveraging cutting-edge technology while keeping the humanness in the contact center. Timestamps: 00:00 Bling Introduction 07:25 Unified Platforms 10:12 Bling's Approach 14:00 AI in Communications 17:25 AI Agents vs. Human Agents 20:20 LLM's at Bling 26:30 Relinquishing Control 33:...

Etie Hertz and Marc Bernstein discuss Loris' customer insights, quality assurance, agent copilot and more. Timestamps: 00:00 Loris Introduction & Startup Life 05:45 Loris' Growth 11:00 Automating Volume 15:15 Loris Value Propositions 22:30 Sentiment Analysis 28:30 Agent Copilot & Customer Success 34:10 Loris' Future & AI in 3 Years

Bobby Hakimi and Marc Bernstein discuss Convoso's AI capabilities, automated call assistants, prompt engineering, and more. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:55 Convoso & AI Capabilities 05:00 Automated Call Assistants 07:15 Support Use Cases 08:23 Prompt Engineering 14:30 Convoso's AI Roadmap 22:10 AI in 3 Years

Tom Laird and Marc Bernstein discuss OttoQA's capabilities, LLM approach vs. keyword approach, and calibration & QA workflows. Timestamps: 00:00 OttoQA Beginnings & AI Experience 08:00 LLM Approach vs. Keyword Approach 11:00 Customer Experience 15:00 OttoQA Capabilities 24:15 Calibration & QA Workflow 34:05 OttoQA & AI in 3 Years

Davit Baghdasaryan and Marc Bernstein discuss Krisp's incredible noise cancelling technology, customer wins, and the talk around AI Agents vs. Human Agents. Timestamps: 00:00 Growing Up Outside of the US 03:34 Teachings from Silicon Valley 05:52 Krisp's Technology 09:32 AI Build Path 12:47 Krisp's Wins 20:06 Customer Wins 22:32 AI Agents vs. Human Agents 29:30 AI in 3 Years

Blair and Marc discuss the convergence of contact center technologies, the new professional agent, Chick-fil-A CX missteps, and best practices for companies focusing on engagement. Blair Pleasant is President & Principal Analyst of COMMfusion LLC and a co-founder of BCStrategies. With over 20 years experience as an industry analyst, she is a frequent speaker and participant in industry confere...

Megan and Marc discuss lessons from theater, the power of mindfulness and empathy, and new digital frontiers for managing successful CX. Megan Merrick is a passionate advocate for building unrivaled customer experiences for companies. She is currently championing this pursuit as Head of CX at Candy Digital, a digital collectables company that works with household names like the MLB, WWE, and Netfl...

Eric and Marc discuss methods for thoughtful decision-making, the trials and tribulations of building a virtual contact center, and nurturing agent growth and development for resounding success. Eric Sims is an entrepreneur and interventionist who helps business owners recover from their addiction to old ways of doing business. Since 2018, he has led the booming growth of Leading Edge Connections,...

Juanita and Marc discuss the power dynamic between agents and customers, the importance of maintaining a connection to technology, and how honing in on the human experience transforms the contact center. Juanita Coley, a.k.a. The Contact Center Whisperer, is the founder of Solid Rock Consulting, whose mission is to normalize women in tech and leadership roles. Her 14 year career began as a call ce...

Sheri and Marc discuss the evolution of call center tech, how new career paths for agents have emerged, the relevancy of scripts in the modern contact center, and much more in a reflective and engaging conversation. Sheri Greenhaus is managing partner at CrmXchange and a contact center event moderator of over two decades. She has been involved in nearly every aspect of contact center management, i...

Matt and Marc discuss Matt's diverse background and how it applies to the contact center industry, the importance of empowering agents, and how innovation in the contact center has evolved. Please find conversation timestamps below. 2:57 - What principles from your career in the British military apply to the contact center? 6:37 - The threat environment and security model of the contact center spa...

Thomas and Marc discuss hybrid workplaces, the understated importance of human agents in an automated world, and how Web3 technologies such as NFTs might be useful in the contact center industry. Thomas Laird, a.k.a. The Call Center Geek, is a contact center and customer experience expert with over 30 years in the industry. He is also an author and founder/CEO of Expivia, a 600+ seat award-winning...

Steve and Marc discuss the value of people, whether employees or customers, and how important it is to define your core promise to them…and then follow through with it. Please find episode timestamps below. Steve Bederman is a transformative leader, strategic planning expert, highly regarded contact center industry innovator, and the President and CEO of NobelBiz, a leading contact center technolo...

Jordan and Marc talk about the challenges of maintaining company culture as organizations scale and what makes for successful sales calls in the modern era. Please find conversation timestamps below. Jordan Draper is the director of operations at Dagley Insurance, an auto, home, and business insurance agency with locations across Texas and Colorado. From humble beginnings on the phone making sales...