Next in Queue Rob Dwyer

2002’s Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones introduced the Kaminoans, a civilization skilled at cloning. Like many skilled at developing specific technologies, the cloners of Kamino didn’t spend much time thinking about the impacts of their work. They were skilled at genetic engineering, and they found customers willing to pay for those skills.


Today, cloning people is still taboo but closing voices, faces, and video imagery of people is big business. Despite the glut of customers willing to pay for these new technologies, questions regarding the ethics and long-term impacts of them remain unanswered. While I didn’t head to the Outer Rim for this conversation, I did enlist the help of Luke Jamieson who lives 9,000 miles away from me. Luke is a Global Thought Leader on the topics of EX, CX, and the future of work.


We discuss:
• The key factor impacting AI adoption
• The Role of AI in Contact Centers
• Evolving communication preferences
• Potential Security Risks of Voice Biometrics
• The Future of Customer Service


Connect with Luke on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-jamieson/


Voice Cloning – https://play.ht/


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


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


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Despite Han Solo’s skepticism in the 1977 classic, Star Wars, the Marksman-H training remote was used to train Jedi for roughly 900 years. They were quick and unpredictable just like a living opponent. They provided instant performance feedback and they could be used at scale, offering unique but simultaneous training experiences to an entire class of Padawans (Jedi trainees for you non-nerds).


The training remote is the mock call of the contact center world, but as long as contact centers have existed, most mock calls were carried out between two people and getting everyone the practice they needed was incredibly time-consuming. But the emergence of conversational AI allows training classes to execute mock calls, one of the most effective training methods, at scale. Kaspars Kirsis is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ramplit, a company using AI to speed time to proficiency in the contact center by providing automated call simulations.


We discuss:
• Benefits of Mock Calls vs Other Training Techniques
• Challenges of Traditional Mock Calls
• Number of Simulations and Focus Areas
• Agent Performance Evaluation and Feedback
• The Impact of AI in Training and Contact Centers
• The Exciting Opportunities in Agent Assist Solutions


Connect with Kaspars on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaspars-kirsis/


Ramplit – https://ramplit.com


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


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


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Seattle is known for grunge rock. But before grunge, the Young Fresh Fellows were pumping out punky power pop. And they’re still going strong today. Rock ‘n’ Roll Pest Control, from their 1984 debut is about how the power of music can help all manner of mental pests.

But when you have pests like insects or rodents invading your home, music won’t make them go away. You’ll need actual pest control. And when actual pest control companies need help connecting with their customers, they use companies like Grit PPO, a home services outsourcer. Margaret Garcia believes that customer service skills are just as critical as pest elimination skills in the industry, so she built a team of experts to provide those skills.

We discuss:
• The evolving role of women in the home services industry
• Benefits of outsourcing customer service
• Navigating starting a business
• Success in a hybrid and work from home environment
• A hot take on call scripting
• The role of AI in the pest control industry

Connect with Margaret on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-garcia-grit-ppo/

Grit PPO – https://www.gritppo.com/

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

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

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Last week, we explored trust in terms of leadership. But in this scene from the 1989 Tim Burton film, Batman, Jack Nicholson’s Joker is exploring a different kind of trust. When someone you’ve never met is seemingly always behind a mask, how do you trust them? How do you know who they really are and what they’re actually up to?


As work from home has become more and more prevalent in the BPO space, that kind of trust becomes increasingly important. Companies are entrusting the access to their customer data to agents who, not only work for an outsourcer, but also work behind the mask of work from home. Dawud Gordon and Ivan Milenkovic join this week’s show to discuss the importance of security in the BPO sector and how AI is changing the landscape.


We discuss:
• Opportunities and Risks of AI in BPO Security
• Identity Protection and Evolving Threats
• Challenges of Traditional Security Measures
• Challenges of Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication
• The Limitations of User Responsibility in Security


Connect with Dawud on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawudgordon/


Connect with Ivan on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanmilenkovic/


Twosense – https://www.twosense.ai/


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


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


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In 2011, former US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, shared his views on the essence of leadership and boiled it down to a single word, trust. Powell began his military career in the US Army in 1958 and in 1989, was promoted to the rank of General. He concluded his military career by serving as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense.


As listeners of this show well know, leadership isn’t relegated to the military or government. Leadership is a crucial linchpin that ensures the wheels of business keep spinning. Frank Mona’s leadership lessons began at an early age, observing his father’s interactions in the food manufacturing plant he managed.


We discuss:
• The value experience brings to leadership
• Recognizing and building a culture of Servant Leadership
• Establishing trust in an organization
• The Impact of communication on relationships
• The value of face-to-face interactions and human connection


Connect with Frank on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankmona/


Francis J Consulting – https://francisjconsulting.com/


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


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


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If you’re Tony Stark hosting your own expo, a huge production, outrageous budget, and big personality as a keynote speaker is entirely expected. Attractions, autograph sessions, celebrity sightings – that’s all part of the experience. While you may not see Iron Man at an industry event, you may very well see actual celebrities (from this universe) on stage welcoming attendees. Those appearances pay into the six figures depending on the profile of the celebrity.


But some industry events are different. They’re typically smaller and are focused on learning, networking, and community. These events abstain from keynotes while attendees imbibe peer learning. As in-person industry events make a comeback, you may find yourself wondering which type to attend. Sarah Hatter, Senior Director of Community & Events at PartnerHero, has been hosting live events in multiple countries for over a decade and she joins Next in Queue to share her thoughts about how to evaluate all the events vying for our attention and money.


We discuss:
• Importance of Community
• Evaluating Events
• Considerations for Event Attendees
• The Impact of Celebrity Speakers
• Different Types of Conferences
• Content and Experiences at Events
• Upcoming ElevateCX Events


Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhatter/


ElevateCX – https://www.elevatecx.co/


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


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


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