Breaking the Blueprint

Iqbal Javaid & Vinay Parmar

Customer experience (CX) is evolving faster than ever—are you keeping up? Breaking the Blueprint is the podcast that challenges conventional thinking and explores what it really takes to deliver exceptional CX in today’s world.Hosted by Vinay Parmar & Iqbal Javaid, two industry veterans with decades of experience in CX strategy, technology, and leadership, this podcast brings you insightful conversations, expert perspectives, and real-world strategies to bridge the gap between technology, people, and customer emotions.Why Listen?🔹 Deep Industry Expertise – Iqbal and Vinay have worked with some of the biggest brands, driving CX transformation at scale.🔹 Tech Meets Human Experience – We break down how AI, automation, and digital solutions can enhance—not replace—human connection.🔹 Actionable Insights – No fluff, just practical strategies to help you optimise your CX operations and deliver measurable impact.🔹 Engaging Conversations – Featuring thought leaders, disruptors, and innovators shaping the future of customer experience.If you’re a CX leader, technology enthusiast, or business decision-maker looking to stay ahead of the curve, this is the podcast for you.🔊 Subscribe now and start breaking the blueprint!

  1. Apr 24

    The Secrets of Storybuilding

    A full episode description built to help discovery, explain the value of the conversation, and give viewers a clear reason to watch. What happens when a career pivot leads you into one of the most influential messaging frameworks in modern business? In this episode of Breaking the Blueprint, John Elbing joins Vinay Parmar and Iqbal Javaid for a deep conversation about why so many businesses still misunderstand storytelling — and why that mistake quietly damages growth. John explains how a major career change led him into framework-led brand thinking, why clear positioning beats clever messaging, and why most companies still talk far too much about themselves. The discussion moves from customer reviews and brand trust to AI, organisational alignment, onboarding, contact centres, and why customer experience often breaks long before leaders realise it. There is a strong thread through the whole episode: businesses often think they have a communication problem, when in reality they have a clarity problem. That affects sales, leadership, digital transformation, internal culture, and how customers decide whether to stay. The AI section is especially timely. John explains why most current AI projects are failing, why trust matters more than hype, and why technology without narrative usually creates confusion rather than progress. If you work in leadership, customer strategy, marketing, CX, transformation, or commercial growth, this episode gives practical thinking you can apply immediately. Find Breaking the Blueprint on YouTube Find Breaking the Blueprint on LinkedIn Vinay on LinkedIn Iqbal on LinkedIn

    1h 2m
  2. Feb 20

    The Most Dangerous Place for Any Brand Is the Middle

    In this episode of Breaking the Blueprint, Vinay and Iqbal are joined by Vimal Raj to explore what customer experience really looks like when it’s done properly, at scale, under pressure. Vimal shares lessons from his career in aviation and service leadership, including what he learned at Singapore Airlines, why operational excellence should be a platform for humanity, and how organisations accidentally scale indifference as they grow. The conversation breaks down why speed and efficiency have become commodities, why the middle ground is where loyalty quietly dies, and why the most dangerous customer outcome isn’t dissatisfaction — it’s forgettability. They also unpack the real reasons great experiences feel inconsistent in most organisations. It’s rarely because people don’t care. It’s because systems reward compliance over judgment, process over humanity, and speed over listening. Vimal explains why psychological safety is the foundation of service culture, why curiosity is a defining leadership trait, and why culture always shows up in unscripted moments of truth. The episode closes with a powerful idea that ties everything together: stewardship. When people see themselves as stewards of customers, colleagues, and outcomes, service stops being transactional and starts becoming meaningful. If you care about leadership, customer experience, service design, or building organisations people actually remember, this episode will change how you think. Find Breaking the Blueprint on YouTube Find Breaking the Blueprint on LinkedIn Vinay on LinkedIn Iqbal on LinkedIn

    53 min
  3. Jan 30

    The $247bn Market You're Missing

    Accessibility is still treated as a specialist topic in many organisations. Something niche. Something optional. Something to deal with later. In this episode of Breaking the Blueprint, that thinking is challenged head-on. The conversation explores how businesses quietly exclude up to a quarter of the market, not through intent, but through the environments, systems, and services they design every day. From physical spaces to digital journeys, accessibility failures show up as anxiety, silent workarounds, and lost loyalty that never appears in dashboards or reports. Using real examples from travel, retail, workplaces, and service design, the episode reframes disability through the social model. The issue is rarely the individual. More often, it is the environment that disables people. That shift changes how leaders think about customer experience, employee experience, and commercial decision-making. The discussion also looks at the role of data, AI, and voice technology. Not as silver bullets, but as enablers that only work when empathy, training, and leadership alignment come first. Technology can remove friction, but it cannot replace dignity. This episode is for leaders, designers, and decision-makers who want to build organisations that genuinely work for people. Not because regulation demands it, but because better experiences create better businesses. Find Breaking the Blueprint on YouTube Find Breaking the Blueprint on LinkedIn Vinay on LinkedIn Iqbal on LinkedIn

    1h 1m
  4. 10/17/2025

    Why Stadiums Are Now Data Farms

    Sports stadiums aren’t just places to watch a match anymore – they’ve become data farms. This episode of Breaking the Blueprint dives into how stadiums are transforming into year-round engagement hubs, where every fan interaction creates valuable insights. Our guest explains why the old matchday-first mindset is gone, replaced by experiences that stretch far beyond 90 minutes. From data silos to automation, from loyalty schemes to personalisation, we uncover what really drives value in modern sports business. We also explore how players are now brands, why shirt sales send shockwaves across global markets, and why stadiums are being designed to host far more than sport. The conversation breaks down how technology, culture, and commerce intersect – and what that means for future growth. If you want to know how sports organisations can turn fan passion into measurable revenue while improving the experience at every touchpoint, this episode has the answers. 🔗 More from Breaking the Blueprint: 📌 Subscribe for weekly episodes: https://youtube.com/@breakingtheblueprint?sub_confirmation=1 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5xJFsHr6VgHuhy9MvAO7HI 🎧 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/breaking-the-blueprint/id1797755898 💡 Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-the-blueprint/ 🌐 Explore Vinay’s work: https://www.vinayparmar.co.uk 🌐 Explore Iqbal’s work: https://evolved.cx #BreakingTheBlueprint #SportsBusiness #StadiumTech #CX #Innovation #DataStrategy #AI #FanExperience #SportsMarketing #MarTech #BusinessGrowth #Personalisation #DigitalTransformation #Revenue #Loyalty Find Breaking the Blueprint on YouTube Find Breaking the Blueprint on LinkedIn Vinay on LinkedIn Iqbal on LinkedIn

    1h 5m
  5. 09/19/2025

    Fool’s Gold: Tech Vendors Are Selling You a Dream – But Handing You a Jigsaw Puzzle | Chris Morrissey, Zoom CX

    Welcome to Episode 8 of Breaking the Blueprint – the podcast where we challenge conventional thinking on customer experience, loyalty, and leadership. In this episode, we sit down with Chris Morrissey, GM & Global Head of CX Sales and GTM at Zoom, for a no-holds-barred conversation about what’s really going on in the CX tech space. 👉 Spoiler: Tech vendors are selling you a dream — but handing you a jigsaw puzzle. Chris shares his candid take on: •Why so many CX platforms look impressive, but fail to deliver •The rise (and risk) of “Frankenstacks” in customer experience •How Zoom is building its CX product organically — no shortcuts, no acquisitions •The power of native integration and what it means for speed, scale, and simplicity •The role of AI in separating signal from noise •Why contact centres are the most underused source of commercial value •And how CX leaders can shift from firefighting to forward-thinking This episode is packed with insights for: •⁠  ⁠Customer Experience (CX) Leaders •⁠  ⁠Contact Centre and Service Leaders •⁠  ⁠Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) and Digital Transformation Directors •⁠  ⁠Customer Insight and VoC Teams •⁠  ⁠SaaS and Tech Professionals building or buying CX platforms 🎤 Hosted by Vinay Parmar and Iqbal Javaid – industry leaders, keynote speakers, and co-founders of the Breaking the Blueprint series. ⸻ 🔗 More from Breaking the Blueprint: 📌 Subscribe for weekly episodes: https://youtube.com/@breakingtheblueprint?sub_confirmation=1 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5xJFsHr6VgHuhy9MvAO7HI 🎧 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/breaking-the-blueprint/id1797755898 💡 Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breaking-the-blueprint/ 🌐 Explore Vinay’s work: https://www.vinayparmar.co.uk 🌐 Explore Iqbal’s work: https://evolved.cx  Find Breaking the Blueprint on YouTube Find Breaking the Blueprint on LinkedIn Vinay on LinkedIn Iqbal on LinkedIn

    1h 2m

About

Customer experience (CX) is evolving faster than ever—are you keeping up? Breaking the Blueprint is the podcast that challenges conventional thinking and explores what it really takes to deliver exceptional CX in today’s world.Hosted by Vinay Parmar & Iqbal Javaid, two industry veterans with decades of experience in CX strategy, technology, and leadership, this podcast brings you insightful conversations, expert perspectives, and real-world strategies to bridge the gap between technology, people, and customer emotions.Why Listen?🔹 Deep Industry Expertise – Iqbal and Vinay have worked with some of the biggest brands, driving CX transformation at scale.🔹 Tech Meets Human Experience – We break down how AI, automation, and digital solutions can enhance—not replace—human connection.🔹 Actionable Insights – No fluff, just practical strategies to help you optimise your CX operations and deliver measurable impact.🔹 Engaging Conversations – Featuring thought leaders, disruptors, and innovators shaping the future of customer experience.If you’re a CX leader, technology enthusiast, or business decision-maker looking to stay ahead of the curve, this is the podcast for you.🔊 Subscribe now and start breaking the blueprint!