Always On CX:EX

Voca by AudioCodes
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Welcome to Always On CX:EX, the podcast designed specifically for Contact Center and IT leaders like you. We know that your role is pivotal in ensuring seamless support for both your contact center reps and your valued customers, all while managing the intricate web of technology that keeps everything running smoothly. In each episode, we dive deep into strategies and insights aimed at helping you continuously elevate your customer experience, enhance your agent experience, and maintain the stability of your contact center. We understand that you simply can't afford for any aspect of your operation to falter, and that's why we're here to provide practical tips and solutions to keep your customer and employee experience always on point. Join us as we explore the strategies, tools, and technologies that will help you keep your customer and employee experience always on.

  1. FEB 6

    How to Get to “Where’s My Package” | Ep. 26

    One in two calls never reaches a human agent. This statistic highlights a shift from using AI strictly for routing to using it for true resolution. Jon Zoltie joins Oren Batchelor to discuss the mechanics of resolving high-volume requests—like "where is my package"—without human intervention. The conversation explains how Large Language Models (LLMs) and APIs work together to perform data queries, check order statuses, and even use external data, such as weather reports, to explain delays. ㅤ They also address the dangers of the "Super Bot"—an attempt to automate sales, billing, and support in a single unmanageable system. Oren explains why specialized agents are more effective and details how to establish guardrails to prevent AI from hallucinating or accessing sensitive data. The discussion concludes with practical steps for leaders to help identify call topics suitable for automation. ㅤ Guest Bio Oren Batchelor is a Contact Center Specialist at AudioCodes, working within the UK team to bridge the gap between technical capability and business requirements. He focuses on migrating and operationalizing contact center solutions within the Microsoft Teams ecosystem, specifically handling the Voca CIC line of business. ㅤ What We Cover The technical process behind AI resolution includes intent detection and API lookups for real-time tracking.Using external data reasoning (e.g., snowstorms in Germany) to explain delivery delays to customers.The "Human in the Loop" concept: allowing AI to process small refunds while routing high-value approvals to agents.Why high-empathy scenarios, such as grief or bereavement, must always bypass automation.The seamlessness of modern insurance policy updates compared to legacy voice interactions.The efficiency gains of removing mundane tasks like password resets from an agent's workload.The "Super Bot" mistake: Why trying to build one bot for every department often fails.Practical first steps: analyzing the last six months of call data to find candidates for automation. ㅤ Resources Mentioned AudioCodesVoca CICa href="https://cloud.google.com/resources/content/ai-agent-trends-2026" rel="noopener...

    20 min

  2. JAN 9

    Practical AI in CX: From Tedious Call Notes to Instant AI Summaries | Ep. 25

    With all the excitement, confusion, and hype around AI, it's tough to cut through the noise and figure out what works and what's worth investing in. On Always On CX:EX, host Sarah Skidd, product marketing manager at Voca by AudioCodes, talks with Jon Zoltie, an AI and contact center expert, to talk about using AI at the end of the call. ㅤ They break down the practical steps: turning on call recording, getting accurate transcription, unlocking AI summarization, and adding AI sentiment analysis. Using a university handling a million calls a year across IT, enrollment, financial aid, and campus security as an example, they show how customized AI summaries, AI sentiment analysis, and seamless CRM integration give agents, supervisors, and leadership the clean, structured insights they need—all while keeping the customer and employee experience front and center. ㅤㅤ Guest Bio Jon Zoltie is an expert in AI and contact centers. ㅤ What We Cover Why call wrap-up is the most logical next step in your AI journey after conversational IVAHow manual wrap-up work—racing against KPIs and typing notes mid-call—creates inconsistent, subjective data that leads to weak insightsWhy turning on compliance call recording is step one, so AI can access your conversation dataUsing accurate transcription as the foundation that unlocks everything elseAdding custom AI summarization to turn massive transcripts into quick overviews, bullet points, and clear action itemsTailoring AI summaries by department so each team gets relevant informationUsing AI sentiment analysis to understand not just what was said, but how it was said—tracking customer mood and spotting both frustration and delightHow AI summaries and sentiment analysis free up agents to focus on customers, give supervisors quickly scannable data, and provide leadership with structured, objective insights that inform strategyPushing conversation data, AI summaries, and sentiment straight into your CRM or database—Salesforce, HubSpot, Power BI—with one click ㅤ Resources Mentioned Voca, at AudioCodesSalesforce (CRM)HubSpot (CRM)Power BIMicrosoft Teams contact center ㅤ Get Started with Voca CIC 👉 Start a free trial of the Voca Conversational Interaction Center for 30-days: a href="https://voca.audiocodes.io/signup" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

    17 min

  3. 12/29/2025

    2026 Predictions with Jon Zoltie | Ep. 24

    Humans win, and bots assist. A return to real human connections, contact centers being designed for people first and bot second, and customers increasingly opting out of those AI loops that go round in circles. Jon Zoltie talk through top five predictions for 2026 in the contact center environment: the option to speak to a human at every step rather than buried deep within menu systems; CRMs losing a little bit of their status as the gospel of truth as organizations realize the contact center captures what customers actually said, how they said it, how they felt—more objective—and that becoming the source of truth. Voice as a primary interface across devices, apps, and workflows. AI is built into tools and embedded in existing platforms rather than delivered as point solutions. And the ROI element: measurable business impact, clear KPIs, average handle time, misroutes, deflection, wrap-up time, and data that can be proven and quantifiable. ㅤ 📌 What We CoverHumans win, and bots assist: over automation, a return to real human connections, people first and bot secondCustomers opting out of AI loops and requesting human agents straight awayIVR flows to always include the option to speak to a human at every step, not buried deep within menu systemsCRMs losing status as the gospel of truth; contact center conversations as the source of truthInvesting massive amounts in conversation intelligence rather than relying on manual CRM entryAutomatically pushing transcripts, summaries, and sentiment analysis from contact centers into the CRMVoice as a primary interface across devices, apps, and workflows; conversational IVR, long prompts, and AI assistantsROI as a key driver: measurable business impact, clear KPIs, average handle time, misroutes, deflection, wrap-up time, time to resolution ㅤ 🔗 Resources MentionedCRMIVAIVRconversational IVRconversation intelligencetranscripts and summariessentiment analysislarge language modelsAI assistants ㅤ Get Started with Voca CIC 👉 Start a free trial of the Voca Conversational Interaction Center for 30-days: https://voca.audiocodes.io/signup 👉 Learn more about AudioCodes Voca CIC: https://www.audiocodes.com/solutions-products/voiceai/voca-conversational-interaction-center

    9 min

  4. 11/21/2025

    From “Press One, Press Two” to "How Can I Help?" | Ep. 23

    If your contact center is still feeling like it’s stuck in 2019, this new series of Always On CX:EX is specifically for you. Host Jon Zoltie walks through the move from traditional DTMF “press one for sales, press two for support” IVR to IVA and conversational AI with Levent Gunsuren. ㅤ They decode IVR, IVA, and conversational AI, explore why enterprises finally abandon hardcoded keypad navigation, and share real examples where one-to-one IVR replication hid abandoned calls and pain points. Jon and Levent talk through customer frustration, expectations, and the impact on satisfaction, brand loyalty, and even agent experience when callers land in the wrong place. ㅤ The conversation then follows a step-by-step journey: starting simple, combining IVR and IVA, using reporting and analytics to see what customers actually say, and moving toward CRM integration, password resets, invoice questions, and AI summaries that help agents greet callers with the right information already on screen. ㅤ 📌 What We Cover Breaking down IVR, IVA, DTMF and conversational AI, and how “press one, press two” differs from speech-based routing.Why customer frustration with long menus, repeated information and getting stuck in trees pushes enterprises to move on from traditional IVR.How one-to-one IVR migration to a new system exposed that around 60% of calls were missed or abandoned – and how that was reduced to about 10%.The problem with “it was working, so don’t touch it” and why migration is a chance to see new opportunities in analytics and reporting.Starting simple and easy: combining IVR with IVA, asking open questions like “can you describe your problem?” and building step by step.Using voice-to-text, full questions and keywords to understand why people are calling, find pain points, and enhance customer and agent journeys.Fear of unexpected bot behavior, losing control, and how the right design and testing keep conversational AI intuitive and customer friendly.Moving from routing only to CRM integration, password resets, invoice questions and AI summarization, so agents don’t repeat every question and can help faster.Why modern conversational AI can sound almost like real human interaction, with a safe plan that always honors “I want to talk to an agent.” ㅤ 🔗 Resources Mentioned Jon Zoltie – HostLevent Gunsuren – Product delivery managerMicrosoft ecosystems and Microsoft Teams contact centerIVR, IVA, and conversational AICRMVoca CIC website ㅤ Get Started with Voca CIC 👉 Start a free trial of the Voca Conversational Interaction Center for 30-days: https://voca.audiocodes.io/signup 👉 Learn more about AudioCodes Voca CIC: a...

    26 min

  5. 06/12/2025

    22. The Brain Behind the Call: Call Automation, Teams Phone, and Intelligent Voice Agents with Sean Keegan (Microsoft)

    When your contact center is responsible for supporting reps, customers, and the technology that holds it all together, stability is essential. In this conversation, host Josh Chronister welcomes Sean Keegan from Microsoft to talk all things Azure Communication Services: from integrating communication methods like voice, video, chat, and SMS, to the powerful, low-latency audio streaming API that enables new real-time experiences. Hear how the platform lets organizations build programmable call flows, enable real-time transcription and translation, and use AI for smarter routing and sentiment analysis. The discussion highlights practical scenarios in healthcare, government, and beyond, always coming back to the importance of reliability, five nine uptime, and the ability to trust the infrastructure powering Microsoft Teams Phone. 👤 Guest BioSean Keegan is a Developer Evangelist at Microsoft. Sean focuses on helping organizations and developers leverage Azure Communication Services for voice, video, chat, and advanced call automation. In this conversation, he shares examples and insights from working directly with customers across multiple industries. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanryankeegan/ 📌 What We CoverAzure Communication Services as Microsoft’s AI-ready communication platform for integrating voice, video, chat, SMS, and telephony into applicationsWhy call automation is described as “the brain behind the call,” controlling responses, routing, IVRs, and actions programmaticallyProduction use cases in healthcare, banking, and government agencies, especially for contact routing and reducing manual effortThe ease of getting started with call automation, available documentation, and how complexity depends on features like AI logicHow the Calling SDK brings powerful voice and video capabilities into apps, and enables real-time features like transcription, sentiment analysis, and translationIntroduction of the bi-directional audio streaming API for low-latency, real-time audio, and what’s possible now for global communicationThe significance of Teams Phone extensibility, powered by Azure Communication Services, for customizable call flows and advanced call control in the contact centerCombining Azure Communication Services with Azure Cognitive Services and OpenAI to create intelligent voice bots, real-time translation, and unbiased sentiment analysis for agentsThe central importance of reliability, uptime, and enterprise-grade infrastructure for contact centers 🔗 Resources MentionedSean Keegan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanryankeegan/AudioCodes Voca CIC: https://www.audiocodes.com/solutions-products/voiceai/voca-conversational-interaction-centerStart a free trial of the Voca Conversational Interaction Center for 30-days: https://voca.audiocodes.io/signup Get Started with Voca CIC 👉 Start a free trial of the Voca Conversational Interaction Center for 30-days: https://voca.audiocodes.io/signup 👉 Learn more about AudioCodes Voca CIC:a...

    26 min

  6. 05/29/2025

    21. Teams Phone Extensibility and Unify—A New Era for Contact Center Integration

    Between supporting your contact center reps, your customers, and the tech that keeps the contact center stable, the pressure to deliver an uninterrupted customer and employee experience is higher than ever. Host Josh Chronister is joined by Tom Arbuthnot and Gidi Adlersberg for an in-depth conversation focused on Microsoft Teams contact centers, Teams Phone extensibility, the Unify integration model, and how these pieces come together with Azure Communication Services. The discussion covers the significance of Microsoft’s new certification paths, how third-party solutions work alongside Teams, and why tight integration and reliability matter when it comes to delivering 99.999% uptime. Listeners will gain insights into choosing between Connect, Extend, and Unify certifications, the advantages of using Azure’s native capabilities, and what it means for scaling, onboarding, and future-ready contact center solutions. 👤 Guest Bio Tom Arbuthnot Tom Arbuthnot shares his perspective as a Microsoft MVP expert on Teams, with first-hand insights into the evolution of Teams Phone extensibility, integration models, and the contact center certification landscape. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomarbuthnot/  Gidi Adlersberg Gidi Adlersberg brings his experience as a contact center leader at AudioCodes, highlighting the journey from early adoption of Azure Communication Services to bringing unified contact center solutions into production. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gidiadlersberg/  📌 What We Cover What Teams Phone extensibility means for contact centers and how it enables new types of integrated experiences The difference between Teams Phone extensibility as a technology platform and Unify as the certification model for Microsoft Teams contact centers Why Microsoft transitioned from the “Power” model to “Unify,” and what that change means for integration and terminology A comparison of Connect, Extend, and Unify certifications, and what to consider when selecting a vendor or solution The pivotal role of Azure Communication Services as the engine under Teams Phone, including practical examples of SDK-based integration Benefits of tight integration: seamless management of Teams phone numbers, direct routing, and five nines uptime for voice How Teams Phone extensibility and Unify make deployment and onboarding easier, supporting incremental migrations and scaling for large enterprises Key factors to consider when selecting a Unify-certified contact center solution—including vendor experience, delivery, implementation, and the importance of being future-ready with AI 🔗 Resources Mentioned Microsoft Learn documentation page for certified contact center vendors Azure Communication Services (also referenced as “the engine under Teams Phone”) Teams Admin Center Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Center AudioCodes Voca CIC (referenced as Voca CIC, with 99.999% uptime for voice) Microsoft Teams Enterprise Connect 2024 LinkedIn profiles: Tom Arbuthnot: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomarbuthnot/  Gidi Adlersberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gidiadlersberg/  ============================================================ Get Started with Voca CIC: 👉 Start a free trial of the Voca Conversational Interaction Center for 30-days:a href="https://voca.audiocodes.io/signup" rel="noopener...

    31 min

  7. 03/27/2025

    20. UNIVERSITY CONTACT CENTERS AT SCALE — Keith Honaker on Evolving Tech, Microsoft Teams & Managing Multiple Departments

    In this episode of Always on CX:EX, host Josh Chronister talks with Keith Honaker, voice engineer and lead contact center architect at the University of Central Florida (UCF). They explore how Keith’s team manages large-scale contact centers across multiple departments, the transition to new communication technologies like Microsoft Teams, and strategies for ensuring agents and supervisors are well-trained and empowered. ================================= Best Moments: (01:21) Keith’s background and role at UCF (02:44) Evolution of contact centers and integration with Microsoft Teams (04:01) Handling multiple contact centers across different university departments (07:20) Challenges in moving to new contact center technologies (12:41) Training for agents and supervisors in the contact center (14:49) Granting access to supervisors for making small changes (19:40) Requirements for selecting a contact center solution (24:03) Future of unified communications and contact centers (28:54) Advice for others in similar positions at universities (31:40) Resources for staying informed about industry trends ================================= Guest Bio: Keith Honaker is the voice engineer and lead contact center architect at the University of Central Florida (UCF), where he’s worked for nearly 25 years. Overseeing a contact center operation for 70,000 students and 13,000 employees across four major campuses, Keith has extensive experience with communication technologies. He has been instrumental in implementing and managing UCF’s transition to cloud-based solutions, including Microsoft Teams and Voca, for contact center operations. ================================= Get Started with Voca CIC: 👉 Start a free trial of the Voca Conversational Interaction Center for 30-days: https://voca.audiocodes.io/signup  👉 Learn more about AudioCodes Voca CIC: https://www.audiocodes.com/solutions-products/voiceai/voca-conversational-interaction-center

    38 min

  8. 03/13/2025

    19. The Growth of MultiCaaS: Brent Kelly on the Trend of UC and CCaaS Integrations

    In this episode of Always On CX:EX, host Josh Chronister interviews Brent Kelly, a principal analyst at Omdia, about the growing trend of MultiCaaS in the unified communications and contact center industry. Brent shares insights on the key drivers behind MultiCaaS solutions, market dynamics, pricing, and the future trends shaping this space. Best Moments: (00:00) Introduction to MultiCaaS and its definition (02:42) Key drivers behind the trend towards MultiCaaS solutions (05:50) Critical factors to evaluate when choosing a MultiCaaS vendor (10:48) Current market dynamics and competitive landscape in the MultiCaaS space (17:38) The importance of ease of use and deployment in MultiCaaS solutions (27:56) The role of pricing in evaluating different MultiCaaS options (29:14) Future trends and innovations shaping the MultiCaaS market (31:50) The potential impact of MultiCaaS on specialized contact center vendors Guest Bio: Brent Kelly is a principal analyst at Omdia with nearly 30 years of experience in the business communication space. He has been researching and analyzing trends in unified communications and contact center technologies, providing valuable insights to industry professionals and organizations looking to optimize their communication strategies. ================================= Get Started with Voca CIC: 👉 Start a free trial of the Voca Conversational Interaction Center for 30-days: https://voca.audiocodes.io/signup  👉 Learn more about AudioCodes Voca CIC: https://www.audiocodes.com/solutions-products/voiceai/voca-conversational-interaction-center

    35 min
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About

Welcome to Always On CX:EX, the podcast designed specifically for Contact Center and IT leaders like you. We know that your role is pivotal in ensuring seamless support for both your contact center reps and your valued customers, all while managing the intricate web of technology that keeps everything running smoothly. In each episode, we dive deep into strategies and insights aimed at helping you continuously elevate your customer experience, enhance your agent experience, and maintain the stability of your contact center. We understand that you simply can't afford for any aspect of your operation to falter, and that's why we're here to provide practical tips and solutions to keep your customer and employee experience always on point. Join us as we explore the strategies, tools, and technologies that will help you keep your customer and employee experience always on.

Information

  • Creator
    Voca by AudioCodes
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Always On CX:EX
  • Show Website
    Always On CX:EX