Buffering

Zack Kilgore and Gabe Petersen
  • 5.0 (7)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Buffering - Powered by Calix is a weekly podcast hosted by Zack Kilgore and Gabe Petersen from the Calix Success and Field Strategy teams. We break down how marketing, data, and AI drive real-world growth, from customer experience to emerging tools and trends. With 25+ years of combined experience, Gabe and Zack cut through the noise on what drives results, where organizations get stuck, and how to optimize performance and growth. Views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the original creators, and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of external affiliates.

  1. APR 28

    The ROI of Customer Experience: Turning Loyalty into Growth with Jon Picoult

    This week on Buffering, we welcome back Jon Picoult, founder of Watermark Consulting and author of From Impressed to Obsessed, to break down the real business impact of customer experience. With nearly two decades of data from his firm’s Customer Experience ROI Study, Jon shares why companies that win on experience don’t just earn loyalty, they dramatically outperform the market. From a 7.8x return advantage over laggards to hundreds of percentage points of outperformance vs. the S&P 500, this episode unpacks why CX is no longer a “nice-to-have,” but a proven growth strategy. Join Jon, Gabe, and Zack as they explore what actually drives those results, how to convince skeptical leaders that CX pays off, and what it takes to evolve from a traditional service provider into a true experience-driven business. Plus, they discuss how these insights apply beyond public companies, especially for broadband providers looking to increase ARPU, reduce churn, and build lasting customer relationships.

    34 min

  2. APR 21

    The Satellite Threat: Amazon’s $11B Bet on Your Customers

    This week on Buffering, we are talking about Amazon making their boldest move yet in the connectivity space with a $12 billion acquisition of Globalstar, and why communication service providers need to pay attention. Join Zack and Gabe as we discuss the “good enough” experience that’s winning over subscribers, the ease-of-purchase advantage tech giants have, and more as we explore why competing on specs alone is a losing game, and how CSPs can take action today to protect their markets and grow customer loyalty.

    42 min

  3. APR 14

    The Builder Era: The AI Shift You Can’t Ignore

    This week on Buffering, we are exploring what it actually looks like to build with AI, not just talk about it. Join Zack and Gabe as we kick things off with a quick run through the latest AI news and some hot takes, then move into what we’ve actually been building over the past couple of weeks, and how fast ideas are turning into working tools. Join us as we walk through how we’re using real-world data to recommend better internet plans, how we’re replacing rigid signup quizzes with smarter, more adaptive experiences, and how post-install network data can help us time and shape better customer conversations. We also look at how CXPs show up in AI-driven search—and why that’s becoming just as important as traditional SEO. The big takeaway from this one: the tools are here, the build time is short, and the opportunity is in figuring out what to actually build.

    40 min

  4. MAR 31

    Using AI vs. Building With It: The Divide That Will Define Careers

    This week on Buffering, Gabe and Zack dive into the critical difference between using AI and actually building with it—and why that distinction is about to define the next generation of high performers. From breaking down why clicking “accept” on a co-pilot suggestion isn’t real AI fluency to sharing real examples of tools they’ve built in hours (instead of paying thousands), they explore how context, curiosity, and a willingness to experiment separate those who will accelerate in their careers from those who will plateau. Along the way, they unpack the evolving AI landscape—from why apps like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini still dominate, to how “AI expert” is becoming the next overused resume buzzword (just like “Excel expert”). They also share practical, real-world examples across marketing, sales, and operations, plus a simple call to action: start small, build something repeatable, and make your work visible. Because in this new era, it’s not about asking better prompts—it’s about turning ideas into working tools.

    39 min

  5. MAR 24

    Escaping the Commodity: How Experience-First Brands Win in Crowded Markets

    This week on Buffering, we are exploring how the best brands in the world have stopped selling specs and started selling feelings — and what that means for broadband providers still leading with speed tiers and price points. Join Zack and Gabe as we discuss how Apple's new MacBook Neo and Rivian's R2 are rewriting the rules of market positioning, why the utility trap is the silent killer of BSP growth, and how experience-first messaging turns subscribers into advocates.

    37 min

  6. MAR 16

    You Don't Actually Know Your Subscribers: The Segments You are Missing

    Are you referring to your service tiers as segmentation? This week on Buffering, we are breaking down why generic marketing and segmentation is killing growth, and how AI can connect siloed data sources with behavioral data to actually move the needle. Join Zack and Gabe as we talk through a challenge to run this week, on how to think about subscribers based on their situation, not their services.

    39 min

  7. MAR 10

    The 1000 Mbps Big Mac: When the Product Isn’t the Experience

    This week on Buffering, we are unpacking an unlikely lesson from McDonalds’s and their attempt to market the “Most McDonald’s burger ever”. If you’re talking about your products and services like a SKU, you may be creating a gap between product management and customer experience that’s impossible to ignore. Join Zack and Gabe as we discuss how your customers aren’t buying architecture, but the experience of a connected, modern home.

    35 min

  8. MAR 3

    The AI Revolution: The Rise of Marketing Intelligence

    This week on Buffering, we are exploring how marketing has entered it’s post-experimental AI era and how the true winners of 2026 are no longer prompt engineers, but system architects. Join Zack and Gabe as we discuss how the early-AI advantage is fading as true differentiation now comes from designing intelligent, integrated ecosystems that turn insight into action in real time.

    40 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Buffering - Powered by Calix is a weekly podcast hosted by Zack Kilgore and Gabe Petersen from the Calix Success and Field Strategy teams. We break down how marketing, data, and AI drive real-world growth, from customer experience to emerging tools and trends. With 25+ years of combined experience, Gabe and Zack cut through the noise on what drives results, where organizations get stuck, and how to optimize performance and growth. Views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the original creators, and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of external affiliates.

Information

  • Creator
    Zack Kilgore and Gabe Petersen
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    128
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Zack Kilgore and Gabe Petersen
  • Show Website
    Buffering

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