Next in Queue Rob Dwyer

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/


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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/


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Resilience can be embodied many ways. In the case of the Beastie Boys’ 1989 album Paul’s Boutique, which featured Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun, it’s embodied by the fact that the album, a flop on release, went double platinum in 1999, nearly 10 years after its release. In the lyrics, they mention Bruce Willis who’s come to embody resilience based on his portrayal of John McClane in 1988’s Die Hard and the resilient stream of sequels. But resilience is important for everyone, not just albums and fictional cops who celebrate Christmas differently than most.

Rachel Williams has been looking down the barrel of a gun her entire life – Gun Barrel City, Texas, that is. She's also been designing resilience in her own life for a decade – engineered endurance that allows her to thrive in moments of change. She joins the show to discuss the five
Pillars of Designed Resilience

We discuss:
• Rachel’s personal journey of resilience
• Pillar 1: Self-Concept
• Pillar 2: Community
• Pillar 3: Financial Stability
• Pillar 4: Physical Well-Being
• Pillar 5: Personal Growth

Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-williams-pro/

Designed Resilience – https://designedresilience.com/

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

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

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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/


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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/


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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/


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/next-in-queue/message