CX Files

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan
  • 4.3 (6)
  • MANAGEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

CX Files features your hosts, CX industry analysts Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan, speaking each week to leading analysts, thinkers, and practitioners focused on managing the Customer Experience (CX). In each episode Mark and Peter talk to their guests about the future of CX, the important trends, and what customers really expect from brands today.

  1. 7H AGO

    CXOutsourcers 2026 - Voices From The Conference

    The annual CXOutsourcers Mindshare event took place in Ottawa, Canada, earlier in May 2026 (May 18-20). Peter Ryan took a microphone onto the conference floor to capture ideas and comments from the delegates in Canada for this CX-focused event. https://cxoutsourcers.com/ In this episode of CX Files you will hear comments from: Sean Duncombe - COO, Neuroframe (USA) https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanduncombe/ Nathalie Siphengphet - CMO and VP Strategy, NQX (Canada) https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliesiphengphet/ Yanique Grant - Chief CX Specialist, ElevateCX (USA) https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaniquewagrantcx/ Seandette Wiltshire - Founder, The Contact Hub (Barbados) https://www.linkedin.com/in/seandette/ Dave Rumble - various roles including Director and Chair Maistro Group and board advisor to NDH Group (UK) https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-rumble-4a4a09b/ Krzysztof Herdzik - Co-founder and Chief Expert, Nalu Experts (Poland) https://www.linkedin.com/in/krzysztofherdzik/ Fauad Nasir - CEO and Founder, EmpireOne BPO (Canada) https://www.linkedin.com/in/fauad-nasir/ Anna Yotova - Head of Innovation and co-founder, CALLBOXS (Bulgaria) https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-yotova-2471aa17b/ Veronica Richards - VP at WW Calls Canada (Canada) https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-richards-9b26969/ Faye Joubert - CRO, iTalk International (South Africa) https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayevaldajoubert/ Terez Rijkenberg - Executive Coach (UK) https://www.linkedin.com/in/terezrijkenberg/ Vinay Parmar - MD, Customer Whisperers (UK) https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinayparmar/   Note: the order listed here is the order the voices feature in the podcast - there is no secret formula about the order. It's the order in which Peter sent the audio files to Mark Hillary to be included in this episode.

    28 min

  2. 7H AGO ·  BONUS

    You Might Also Like: The Oprah Podcast

    Introducing Oprah and renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel on What We Really Want in a Relationship from The Oprah Podcast. Follow the show: The Oprah Podcast World-renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel returns to The Oprah Podcast to share her brilliant relationship insights with a live audience. Esther has incisive advice for Gen Z women who’ve given up on dating, a mother of five struggling to heal old wounds in her marriage and a single mom who put her dating life on hold to focus on raising her son. Plus, Esther reveals what she learned during her first-ever therapy session between a man and his AI chatbot girlfriend. She also reflects on the 20th anniversary of her groundbreaking book Mating in Captivity — and why, in today’s age of disconnection, its message is more crucial than ever. BUY THE BOOK! The 20th anniversary edition of Mating in Captivity, published by HarperCollins and written by Esther Perel, is available wherever books are sold. https://www.estherperel.com/mating-in-captivity 00:00:00 - Welcome Esther Perel 00:03:00 - Desire in long-term relationships 00:05:12 - Relationships in 2006 vs. 2026 00:08:45 - We’re more connected and less accessible 00:10:32 - 3 most common sex challenges today 00:13:00 - Esther’s dating advice 00:17:30 - One person can’t be everything 00:21:05 - The love myth we learned 00:22:50 - What to look for in a partner 00:25:30 - Relationship ambivalence 00:29:40 - Relationships with chatbots 00:36:36 - Chatbot relationships are here 00:37:57 - When couples therapy took off 00:39:00 - Healing from relationship ruptures 00:42:00 - Importance of repair 00:46:00 - How to date again 00:48:28 - Healing from heartbreak 00:54:50 - How Esther understands people Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. MAY 21

    Jonas Berggren - Transcom - What Makes Customers Love A Brand?

    What makes a customer love a brand? It is a simple question, but it quickly becomes complicated. People often reach for the obvious examples. Apple customers lining up overnight for the latest iPhone. Harry Potter fans queuing in costume outside bookshops. Lego fans who pass their love of the brand from one generation to the next. Jonas Berggren, Chief Client Officer EMEA at Transcom, explores this question. What connects the best brands with customers and building a relationship that can last for many years? https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonasberggren2/ https://www.transcom.com/

    35 min

  4. MAY 14

    Stephanie Reeves Millner - Designing CX For Sales and Revenue

    Stephanie Reeves Millner is a Global EVP at TP. She is based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. It is worth noting from the start of this podcast episode that Stephanie is talking in a personal capacity in this interview. CX and BPO processes are usually seen as a cost to most businesses. Stephanie argues that there are a number of strategies that can be used to drive up revenue, protect existing revenue, and increase customer loyalty. Applying all these strategies together can turn a CX cost center into a revenue generation center - moving from planning service to sales. In this conversation with Mark Hillary, Stephanie explains this service to sales concept. She also talks her her use of LinkedIn video to promote and share her own ideas - why is it so valuable to share raw and unfiltered content full of original ideas? https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemillner/ https://www.tp.com/   Summary: Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the shift from viewing customer interactions as a cost to recognizing their revenue-generating potential. Stephanie Reeves Millner, a global EVP at TP, emphasizes the importance of human engagement in customer care, highlighting revenue protection, creation, trust, and loyalty. She advocates for a brand performance engine over a cost center, focusing on retention, repeat purchases, and lifetime value. Millner also discusses the role of AI in augmenting human decision-making and the need for agents to have autonomy in upselling. She shares her experience with videos on LinkedIn, which have gained traction and provided valuable insights to her audience.

    28 min

  5. MAY 7

    Andrew Hall - Ethenta - Enterprise Agentic AI Transformation

    Andrew Hall is the founder and CEO of Ethenta. He is based in Portugal. The "DREAM" service from Ethenta is a strategic framework designed to help organizations transition from traditional hierarchies to intelligent, agentic networks. It is aimed at enabling "+65% Productivity" through "Enterprise Agentic AI Transformation" Mark Hillary called Andrew to ask about Agentic AI and how a focus on AI across the organisation may have a profound impact on CX. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewghall/ http://ethenta.com/   Summary: Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the challenges in the CX industry, including increased airfare costs and the bankruptcy of Spirit Airlines. They introduce Andrew Hall, who has formed a new company, Ethenta, focused on agentic AI. Ethenta's "DREAM" methodology helps organizations reimagine their business processes by capturing and synthesizing data from various sources, including interviews and historical data. The tool provides a visualization of the enterprise's "corporate psyche," aiding in decision-making and root cause analysis. Andrew emphasizes the importance of intelligent people using AI to augment, not replace, human intelligence.

    40 min

  6. APR 30

    Nathan Muniz - 247Secretary.com - Raw, unpolished BPO content outperforms glossy marketing

    Nathan Muniz is the founder and owner of 247Secretary.com. The business is based in Florida, USA, but has contact center operations in the Philippines. Nathan talked to Mark Hillary from the floor of his contact center on his approach to telling the world about his business. He walks the floor and talks to real people doing their job. No studio. No scripts. No "AI transformation" buzzwords. Just real agents, real calls, and real insight. And here's the uncomfortable truth: That raw, unfiltered content is doing more for his pipeline than most enterprise marketing teams with million-dollar budgets. Prospects are literally saying: "ChatGPT told us to talk to you." Let that sink in. While everyone else is using AI to churn out generic content, Nathan is using reality to train the AI engines. Authenticity is the key word here. Nathan lets people see his business up close and the online viewers love it, but the AI audience is even more important - because these AI tools are telling people about Nathan's business. https://247secretary.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bdcoutsourcing/   Summary: Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss Nathan Muniz's innovative marketing strategy for his BPO, 247Secretary.com, in the Philippines. Nathan's approach involves posting authentic, behind-the-scenes videos on LinkedIn, which has attracted clients through AI recommendations like ChatGPT. This transparency has led to significant engagement and new leads without traditional lead generation efforts. Nathan emphasizes the importance of showing legitimacy, especially for offshore BPOs, and highlights the value of original content over glossy marketing. He also notes the ongoing demand for human agents despite AI hype and advises businesses to be transparent about their operations to build trust and credibility.

    23 min

  7. APR 23

    Gary Slade - TP - Why Stability Is the New Battleground in BPO

    Gary Slade is the Chief Commerical Officer at TP EMEA. He has many years of BPO and CX experience and he previously led the UK/Ireland operation at TP as CEO. In this conversation with Mark Hillary, Gary is talking about BPO stability and how this is becoming an important new measurement that companies need to focus on. If you are looking for a BPO partner then how do you know if they will still be around in 5 years? There is so much M&A activity, Private Equity takeovers, and BPOs that rely on a single client or geography... how can you be sure that you are choosing a reliable partner who can support your future growth plans? Is stability becoming the new BPO battleground? https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyslade1/ https://www.tp.com/ Summary: Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the importance of stability in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services, highlighting Gary Slade's (TP EMEA CCO) views on the shift from cost to reliability. They note the volatility in geopolitics and fuel crises, which emphasize the need for BPOs to be resilient and financially stable. Slade emphasizes the importance of geographic diversity, industry experience, and technological investment. He also discusses the impact of private equity on service quality and the need for total cost of ownership considerations. The conversation concludes with the importance of BPOs demonstrating long-term stability and adaptability to future disruptions.

    25 min

  8. APR 16

    Sarah Leff - Interact CC - Why the Eastern Cape Could Be South Africa's Next CX Powerhouse

    *]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-WEB:2f2f632a-46c8-4445-8b38-333795a0ae69-2" data-testid= "conversation-turn-4" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn= "assistant"> In this episode of CX Files, Peter Ryan speaks with Sarah Leff about Interact CC's expansion into South Africa's Eastern Cape, exploring why the region is emerging as a compelling alternative to traditional CX hubs like Cape Town and Johannesburg. Leff explains that while South Africa has long been a natural partner for UK-based customer experience delivery - thanks to cultural alignment, language, and time zone compatibility - the Eastern Cape offers a distinct advantage: significantly lower attrition, abundant untapped graduate talent, and greater cost stability. The conversation highlights how Interact's people-centric, employee-owned model aligns well with a region where jobs are valued as long-term careers rather than stepping stones, resulting in stronger engagement and performance. Together, they argue that as CX buyers move beyond cost-driven outsourcing toward value, resilience, and talent quality, newer locations like the Eastern Cape represent the next evolution of Africa's role in global service delivery.   https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-leff-5338124/ https://interactcc.com/   Summary: Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the expansion of Interact Contact Centers into the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Sarah Leff, Managing Director of Interact Global, explains the decision to set up in the Eastern Cape due to lower attrition rates (15-25%) compared to other hubs like Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg (30-40%). The region offers a highly educated workforce, neutral accents, and lower costs. Interact's new site in Port Elizabeth employs around 100 people, with plans to scale up. The company values its people-centric approach and strong client partnerships, which have lasted over a decade.

    23 min
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4.3
out of 5
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About

CX Files features your hosts, CX industry analysts Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan, speaking each week to leading analysts, thinkers, and practitioners focused on managing the Customer Experience (CX). In each episode Mark and Peter talk to their guests about the future of CX, the important trends, and what customers really expect from brands today.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    425
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) IT Decisions and Carnaby Content 2018-2026
  • Show Website
    CX Files

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