The CustomerX Files with Alison Bukowski

In this special global edition of The Customer X-Files, Alison Bukowski sits down with Paris-based customer success strategist, Allison Adelise, for a candid conversation about what global customer advocacy looks like beyond the United States. Together, they unpack the cultural, operational, and emotional differences shaping customer success and advocacy programs across France, EMEA, and the U.S....

On this episode of  The Customer X-Files , Alison Bukowski sits down with Jeni Asaba to explore the evolving role of customer communities in an AI-driven world. As AI reshapes how we access information, a critical question emerges:  Are customer communities becoming obsolete—or more essential than ever? This conversation challenges the outdated notion that community is just a “forum” or content hu...

Featured Guest: Maria Sturgeon In this episode of  The CustomerX Files , Alison is joined by Maria Sturgeon, the Head of Customer Reference Programs at Stripe for a deep dive into how quality relationships and data intersect to drive success in customer advocacy ad reference programs. Maria is well known in the CMA industry for her collaborative approach to customer advocacy and sales acceleration...

On this episode of  The CustomerX Files , Alison is joined by award-winning CX professional, Christina Garnett. In this powerful episode, Alison and Christina explore the intersection of storytelling and customer-led growth   — two strategic practices that are reshaping how modern organizations engage audiences, deepen loyalty, and drive sustainable business success. While growth strategies and me...

Featured Guest: Christina Garnett About this Episode In this episode of The CustomerX Files, Alison sits down with Christina Garnett, a community-building and brand strategy powerhouse, an expert in turning customer voices into business-driving gold. Christina and Alison discuss why the real key to brand success isn’t just better marketing—it’s putting the voice of your customer at the heart of ev...

About this Episode Featured Guest: Kevin Lau, Global Vice President, Customer Marketing at Freshworks In this candid episode of  The CustomerX Files , Kevin and Alison move beyond the buzzwords to uncover the real gaps and misalignments that can hold back growth and impact. They cut through the noise to share practical strategies, career lessons, and executive-level insights that inspire meaningfu...

Featuring special guest: Dave Hansen, Global Customer Advocacy Program Manager, Siemens Uniting Advocacy & Community for Maximum Impact In this episode of  The CustomerX Files , we tackle a challenge that’s becoming more common — yet remains surprisingly under-addressed — in customer marketing: the divide between customer advocacy and customer community. These two functions often operate in se...

Featured Guests Dr. Debbie Qaqish, Principal & Chief Strategy Officer, The Pedowitz Group A trailblazer in revenue marketing and organizational transformation. Ardath Albee, CEO & B2B Marketing Strategist, Marketing Interactions A leading expert on complex B2B buying behaviors and high-impact content strategy. About This Episode Let’s be real—B2B marketing is struggling. Teams aren’t align...

featuring: Keri Linscott, Director of Customer Marketing and Global Programs at Magnet Forensics Bridging the Gap Between Customer Advocacy and Demand Generation In this episode of  The CustomerX Files , Alison Bukowski sits down with  Keri Linscott, Director of Customer Marketing and Global Programs at Magnet Forensics , to explore how customer advocacy can become one of the most powerful drivers...

About this Epsiode Featured Guest: Kelsey Dobbs, Senior Customer Advocacy Specialist, Illumio Launching a customer advocacy program is no small feat—especially when you’re navigating competing priorities, internal skepticism, and the ever-present need to prove value early. In this episode of  The CustomerX Files , host Alison sits down with  Kelsey Dobbs , Senior Customer Advocacy Specialist at Il...

Featuring : Lisa Kaspari, Senior Customer Advocacy Analyst at Docebo Beyond Vanity Metrics: Turning Customer Advocacy Data into Strategic Impact ‍ In this episode of  The CustomerX Files , Alison Bukowski sits down with Lisa Kaspari to talk about the unglamorous truth: if you can’t measure advocacy, you can’t protect it — or scale it. Alison and Lisa make the case for ditching vanity metrics and f...

About this Episode Featured Guest: Colette Chavalia,  Principal Customer Marketing Manager, Databricks.  Colette is a leader in customer marketing known for building programs that elevate customer voices and accelerate sales cycles. Voice of the Customer Your advocacy program is up and running. Now it’s time to tap into its most valuable source of credibility and influence: the real voice of your...

About this Episode Featured Speaker: Jennifer Ells In B2B, “engagement” isn’t a buzzword—it’s the engine behind every growth outcome that matters. When you activate engagement internally, you empower teams to deliver consistent, scalable value. When you activate it externally, you generate trust, proof, and momentum where it counts most—your customers. In this episode, Jennifer Ells breaks down wh...

About this Episode Featured Guest: Maria Sturgeon This episode is part of the Advocacy Accelerator series. In this episode, Stripe’s Maria Sturgeon and Alison share how to build a solid foundation for advocacy — setting strategy, aligning stakeholders, and planning for long-term impact. Launching or scaling a customer advocacy program takes more than enthusiasm and good intentions — it requires th...

About this Episode Featured Guest: Sunny Manivannan In this episode of  The CustomerX Files , host Alison Bukowski sits down with Sunny Manivannan, founder and CEO of Peerbound, for a bold, no-BS discussion on the future of customer marketing. From breaking down why the function has long struggled to gain recognition as a revenue driver to how AI is reshaping the game, Alison and Sunny tackle the...

Featured Guest: Kristi Faltorusso, Chief Customer Officer at ClientSuccess. In this episode of The CustomerX Files, Alison Bukowski and Kristi Faltorusso cut past the hype and tackle the  real  barrier standing between AI strategy and AI success: adoption. You can buy the best tools on the market, but if your teams aren’t aligned, enabled, and ready to work differently, your AI investment becomes…...

On this episode of The CustomerX Files, Alison sits down with Darren Smith, CTO at Point of Reference, for a candid, behind-the-scenes look at how AI is reshaping the world of Customer Advocacy and Customer Marketing. This conversation is packed with practical, real-world insights. Darren shares powerful ways AI can elevate your day-to-day work.

On this episode of  The CustomerX Files , Alison chats with Lauren Turner, CEO and Founder of CustomerCentrx, for a candid and insightful look at the current landscape—and future—of customer advocacy in Corporate America. From the rising influence of AI to the growing demand for measurable impact, Lauren shares her unfiltered perspective on what it  really  takes to thrive in this space. Whether y...

On this episode of The CustomerX Files, Alison is joined by Ian Hameroff, Founder of the Fulcrum Group. Ian reflects on his 20+ year career in product marketing and helps shine a light on the world of a product marketer, a partner to customer marketer often misunderstood or undervalued. Alison and Ian talk about misconceptions between these two marketing disciplines and how they can complement eac...

On this episode of The CustomerX Files, Alison is joined by Antu Buck, Director of Customer Marketing & Community at Gigamon. Antu shares several pearls of wisdom on the importance of creating a 30-60-90 day plan, whether you're new to building a program or just looking to refresh an existing one. Everything from the data required, key questions to ask, and tips and tricks for accelerating...

On this episode of The CustomerX Files, Alison is joined by Point of Reference customer and Global Customer Advocacy Manager, Kristin Sanderson. The discussion centers around the unique, but essential combination of how relationships contribute to revenue - and how we measure the value of those relationships when considering the business bottom. From collaboration with stakeholders to holding thos...

On this episode of The CustomerX Files, Alison is joined by the CEO of UserEvidence, Evan Huck, someone who has witnessed first-hand the evolution of the customer marketing and advocacy industry. Alison and Even discuss the evolution of customer marketing and advocacy, alongside the advancing sophistication of the technology and strategy behind this industry. What has changed, yet stayed the same?...

On this episode of The CustomerX Files, Alison is joined by Daniel Palay, Head of Customer & Community Marketing at Grafana Labs. Daniel has shaped his varied professional experiences to craft exceptional customer advocacy strategies across several organizations. He understands what it means to deliver results to his organization while creating exceptional voice-of-the-customer content that hi...

On this episode of The CustomerX Files, Alison is joined by CMA thought leader, Asha May. With over twenty years of experience, Asha has had great success as both a customer success and CMA professional; she understands what it means to look at the customer experience and break down relationship barriers to achieve that success. Tune in to hear how you can build a more successful program through C...

On this episode of The CustomerX Files, Alison is joined by award-winning CMA thought leader, Carlos Gonzalez. With over twenty years of experience, Carlos has fabulous insights into addressing key business challenges of building a customer advocacy program: gaining leadership support, user adoption, strategically structuring a program for sustainable success, and more. Tune in to unlock the secre...